After church was over Sam looked at Lenny, "you hungry?"

he smiled and nodded, " yes. how about you?"

she smiled and thedn hugged him taking a deep breath. she ws more than a little nervouse

" I'm feel thank you for asking how about you?," Melody told her husband, with a smile " You haven't slept either since the babies been here," Melody told her husband.

" There's something I'd _rather_ do now than sleep," purred Josiah, as his lips descended to meet his wife's lips and his arms gently tightened around her.


Lowell and Lolita continued kissing all the way to the botanical gardens.


When Ranjit was back in his car, he drove it no farther than a parking spot which could not be seen from the apartment building. There he sat, and prayed that the Holy Spirit would overcome the absurd contrariness in the heart of Glenda's mother.

Melody giggled " Ah, all right come with me then," Melody told her husband, now back in their room.

Lolita got out as the reached the gardens never letting go of Lolwels hand


“Have a good day?” her mother asked
Glenda nodded with a smile as she picked up Candice
“Well good.”
“Mom I need to talk to you about something.” Glenda spoke cautiously
“ Oh?” her mom was a bit surprised, not by the words but by the tone.
“ Yeah, but could we do it in the living room?” she asked
Her mom nodded slowly and headed for the living room
Glenda set Candice down and lead the kids into the kitchen, “ ok I got you all a surprise.” She said and pulled out some suckers that Ranjit and her had bought for the kids, “ stay in here.”
The kids nodded fervently.
Glenda smiled then went to join her mother.
“ What is this all about?” she asked suspiciously.
“ Well,” Glenda walked to the window and pulled back the brown curtains to look over the parking lot then smiled. She could have sworn she saw his Kia Sportage. Pausing there for a moment she took a deep breath then turned to face her mom, “ you know that I am in love with Ranjit?” it was a question but she already knew what her mom would say
“ yes,” she said
“ Well, mom don’t freak out, but Ranjit purposed and I said yes.”
Her mother tensed visibly the muscles in her jaw becoming more defined
Glenda sighed, “ mom please. He asked me before you told him to give me time and I said yes just yesterday.”
That seemed to make her relax but just by a little.
“ In that case,” Glenda continued, “ because I am engaged I want to marry him as soon as I can.”
This set her mother on edge once again
“ I know what you think mom and I respect that but Ranjit isn’t Dad.”
“ Stop that!” her mother snapped, “ that is what I said about your father. I told myself he would be different than the rest of them. But they were all right. I was so blind Glenda and I don’t want that for you.”
“ They all told you he was wrong for you. Everyone was against it from the start…see there is already a difference. The kids love him. Everyone at church respects him.” she shook her head at her mothers stubbornness, “ mom Ranjit is a good man and I want to spend the rest of my life with him.” she was pleading with her eyes to make her mother see.
Mrs. Peters didn’t say anything she just watched her daughter.
“Mom,” Glenda took a deep breath, “ I want to be everything to him that I can be. So much of that was violently taken from me and I…I want to feel loved by a man like never before.” She said walking closer to her mom, “ he’s helped me heal.”
This was something that softened her mom. She couldn’t deny the impact that Ranjit had had on her daughter. She couldn’t deny the impact he had had on the kids. She desperately didn’t want Glenda to make the same mistake that she had made.
“ I love him.” she said again
“ I know you do.” Mrs. Peters sighed, “ Glenda I don’t want to see you fall apart like I did.”
“ Ranjit wont let me Mom and even that being said it won’t ever happen.”
The absolute conviction that Glenda had of the perfect worth of this man was hard to ignore. Of all people Glenda had a right not to think highly of men. Mrs Peters had actually thought that Glenda would go Lesbian after she got home that night. So this made it harder to ignore.
“ You sound so sure.”
“ Because I am sure mom. I’ve only been more sure about one thing in my life and that was that God is real.”
That was a truth that Mrs. Peters had never denied. Now if he was a good God or not was another question but his existence she never denied.
“ please don’t make me choose mom because that would kill me.” She said honestly
her mom nodded, “ well then when’s the wedding?” she asked
Glenda threw her arms around her mom and kissed her cheek like a little girl, “thank you!” she exclaimed. She knew that was only phase one of the conversation but she would let the joy sink in a little before she tried phase two.

Melody was glad she was flat to do this " Lets do this quietly I don't want to wake the twins," Melody told her husband, locking her legs with his.

"SO," he grinned, " where do you want to eat?"

she shrugged, "you pick."

Leslie finished her running and was jsut cooling down now by walking.

he chuckled and shook hsi head, " no I'm payig so you pick."