Never Really Alone

Chapter 1 - Six Weeks

Chapter 1 - Six Weeks

It had been six weeks. Six weeks since he left the woman he loved in order to take care of his son. He was a parent, they had both understood that. They agreed that their children had to come first, but why this? Why had he had to do this? He looked across the little room that he had procured with the money she had given him, to where his wife and son lay sleeping. It wasn't much, but it was the best that he could give them right now. He would have to get a job soon if they were going to keep a roof over their heads in this modern world.
"Papa?" Roland's still small voice caused Robin to turn, "Papa when can we go home?" Robin didn't know what to tell him. How do you tell your six year old son that you no longer had a home? That you had to leave everyone he's ever known behind and venture out into this new world alone? Well, not really alone. They had each other, and Marian, but she had missed so much of Roland's life Robin wasn't even sure that Roland understood what her being his mother even meant. "Papa?" Roland had gotten out of bed and padded over to Robin.
"I don't know son." It was the most honest answer he could give. He wanted to tell him that they would go back soon. That everything would go back to normal, but really, what was normal for them? Can you even pretend at normal when your wife has been dead for 30 years and then all of a sudden she's back and the woman you are in love with turns out to be the reason she was dead in the first place? Robin sat down hard on the edge of the couch, and Roland crawled up in his lap.
"Papa, I miss Regina." Robin looked down into Roland's big dark eyes and tried to smile, but the boy was breaking his heart. "I miss her too lad."
"Hmpfh." Robin looked up to see Marian climbing out of bed. "Regina is not here Roland and for what I can see of the near future, she won't be anytime soon," Robin could tell Marian still didn't like the idea that Roland seemed to prefer Regina over herself. Marian turned and left the small living/bedroom and headed for the adjoining bathroom.
"Papa, why is Mama mad at Regina?" Roland was too young to understand the complexity of their situation. "Is it because when Mama wasn't here you and Regina got to be friends?" The young lad looked confused, he had always thought friends were a good thing.
"It's a long story son. There is much more to it than you need to worry about." Robin ruffled Roland's hair as he got up. "Maybe one day I'll tell you about it, but for right now why don't we go and get some bagels for breakfast?"
"I love bagels!" The boy looked so excited he seemed to have momentarily forgotten about the woman that was closer to a mother than Marian ever had been. Robin smiled as he grabbed his wallet and left Marian a note saying they were going. He knew she would be angry that they had gone without her, but right now a little more anger wouldn't make that much of a difference. He didn't really care, he could handle her anger, after dealing with anger that produced fireballs if you weren't careful, Marian's words were nothing for him. Roland didn't need to see that though, if anything they were out in this modern world for him, and Robin was determined that he was going to give the lad his best chance out here. That meant that he wasn't going to see his parents fighting, especially about something that it seemed they had no control over.
"Okay son," Robin bent and scooped Roland up off the ground as they entered the little bakery down the street, "what would you like?"
"Ooh look Papa, apple turnovers!" Robin's eyes went misty as he looked at his son. That blasted woman was everywhere! "Papa, look! Just like Regina makes!"
The boy looked so happy that Robin couldn't deny him the little treat, he ordered three of the apple turnovers, plus two cups of coffee and one chocolate milk. As they made their way back up the street with their spoils Robin couldn't help but smile. Roland was happy, and as much as Marian was hurting, and as fast as his heart was breaking, he thought that maybe, just maybe, they could make it work.
Robin's good mood was ruined as they reentered their little room. Marian was sitting at the table reading the paper, and when she met Robin's gaze she looked ready to breathe fire. "Where did you go?" She stood and moved gracefully across the room to the boy. She took off his hat and boots before she turned back on Robin. "I come out of the bathroom and the two of you are gone. Last time you took Roland and left," her voiced dropped to a whisper so Roland, who was eating his turnover at the table wouldn't hear, "last time you left me alone, she took me and had me killed. Robin, I panicked!" There was a note of hysteria in Marian's voice.
"Marian relax, nothing here is going to hurt you. We went and got breakfast. No big deal. Here I brought you coffee." He reached down and handed her the smaller of the two glasses. They ate the rest of the meal in silence. They had decided that he would go on the hunt for a job soon, and with their outlook completely blank Robin decided there was no time like the present. After breakfast he left Marian and Roland at the motel and went out to look for a job.