The Story of Tiffany

"Thank you, but it really isn't necessary..."

"Well, we may not. See, we found out both of your birthdays, just to see whose came first." Tiffany felt a cold chill up her spine.

"Tiffany, you and Mark have the same birthday.... Also the same last name... also he was using you as an emergency contact from day one. Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Tiffany shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"How about this... I think it'll make it easier for you. Roger and I have been together 20 years, we wear wedding rings... but we aren't married. We can't be."

"Why not?"

"No states allowed first cousins to marry."

"Oh... oh my...."

"Now do you have something to say?"

"Mark and I are...related."

"Let me guess.... Twins."

"Yeah."

"Tiffany... It isn't like I have any moral high ground here. I promise, I won't tell a soul, although Roger already knows. I just want you two to be careful. We found it by accident. I don't want it to come out at a bad time, that's all. We like you two. You obviously are in love, it's really cute to watch. Just... be careful, ok?"

"Thank you, Sue.... Thank you for not telling anyone and thank you for being a friend. We'll try to figure out a better way to hide it, I guess. I'm sure this was hard to do."

"Look... I love Roger with all my heart. It took me a while to accept that, but... now, I wouldn't lose him for the world. I think you feel the same way. We all have to hide certain things, I just want you to be aware of what you have to hide, ok?"

"Thanks, Sue..."

"Now you go back to work. Don't worry about anything, just try to prepare to hide what you need to."

Mark and Tiffany continued on, not really able to do much to hide things. They did go home at Christmas, but on Christmas morning their mother was passed out from drinking. They left the house, both vowing never to return. Winter passed and spring came.

They were eating dinner one evening, out on a date, and Tiffany began to steer the conversation.

"Hey Mark, I know we talked about kids once or twice... do you ever want any?"

"I... don't know. I'd like to think I'd be a good father, but... I don't know."

"So... if a baby dropped from the sky and landed on the table, and it had a tag that said 'to Mark and Tiff' on it, would you want it?"

"No! I'm not ready for a baby right now... we don't have anything we'd need! We need a house, we need... a lot. I don't want a baby right now."

"Wow... you seem sure."

"I am."

She let the conversation flow from that. After that night, he found her to be acting strangely a few times, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Two weeks later, he had to take a weekend trip for work. She had to work, so she stayed home. Sunday night he drove his truck up to the apartment and got out, going in.

"Tiff! I'm home! Missed you, where you at?" There was no answer. He looked through the house, finally realizing her clothes were also missing. He began to call, leaving message after message. When he was exhausted, he went to lay in the bed. When he pulled the sheet back, he found a note:

'Mark,

I'm never going to make you do something you don't want to. I love you, but I won't ruin your life. Please. I will always love you, but I can't be with you.

Love, Tiffany'

He read it over and over, trying to decipher her meaning. He called Christine. He called Sue. No one seemed to know anything. All he knew was that he'd lost her and he didn't know why.

He had been planning to buy a house, but when she left he had no reason. He stayed in the same place, always hoping she'd return one day. Every morning when he got up, he'd text her. Sometimes just 'Good Morning', other times more long and involved notes. He never got anything back. It took a toll on his work for a while, Roger finally sat him down and talked to him. "Get your mind right... if she wants to come back, she will. You still have to survive, son. Get your head in the game."

He put his pain into work after that, and it showed as he moved up the food chain at work. He didn't have a degree, but he did learn as he went. Almost four years later, he was working late on a Tuesday when his phone rang with an unknown number. He looked for a second and answered it. He always did, hoping it was her.

"Hello?"

"Mark Andrews?"

"Yes sir."

"This is Albert Hollings, Attorney. I regret to inform you that your mother, Abigail Andrews, has passed. I am in possession of her will. You should be here for the reading. Also, the service is in two days, I thought you might want to be here for that as well."

"Th-thank you sir. I... I have to arrange things, but I will be there for the funeral. Can I use this number to call you back when I get in?"

"Absolutely. Again, I am sorry."

"We... weren't close. But thank you."

Mark called his boss first, explaining the circumstances. He then called and rented a car, as he didn't trust his truck that to go that far anymore. He would pick it up in the morning and be on the road. As he drove out of town, it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't asked if they'd found Tiffany. The attorney didn't ask, so they probably did...

Mark got into town about three PM. He drove to the hotel and booked a room, then headed out to the old house. He noticed an SUV out front, and when he went to the door it was open.

"Hello? Is someone here?"

"Who are you?" came from the corner. He looked over and a small boy was sitting in a chair, looking at him.

"I'm Mark. My mother used to live here."

"I'm Mark too!" He was very young, so it came out more like 'Mawk'.

Mark smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"My mommy upstairs. Her mommy lived here too!"

Mark started to answer as he heard feet on the stairs. "Mark, who are you talking too?" she asked as she came around the corner, stopping suddenly.

"Tiff?"

"Mark..."

"Tiff... we really need to talk."

"Not here, not now. I set up a meeting with the attorney after the funeral, so maybe you should come to that. Mark... how've you been?"

"I survived. That's all."

"Mark..." More footsteps came down the stairs. A little girl came in the room and grabbed Tiffany's leg.

"Who is dat, Mommy?"

"Marie, Mark, this man's name is Mark. Mark, this is Marie and Mark."

Mark's eyes teared up. It took him almost four years, but he finally understood what his sister had been saying that night at the restaurant. He had destroyed her and them in the process. He looked at Tiffany, seeing the tears there as well. "Tiff... are they...?"

"Not now, Mark."

"Tiff... why didn't you tell me? How could you keep... them... away from me?"

"Mark! Not now. How dare you blame me for this?"

"You didn't... Look, you're right, not now. Tonight, after dinner, we have to talk."

"Why? What's left to say?" She was crying now.

"I've got plenty to say. You owe me that much."

"Eight o'clock... here."

"See you then." Mark walked out. He was angry, hurt, confused. He had children! He didn't even know until that moment. She was pregnant... She'd sort of tried to tell him, but he didn't understand.

Tiffany put her kids in the car and left. Her kids were ignorant of the situation, but she was fuming inside. She knew she'd told him, and she knew he had rejected them. What was left to talk about?

That evening, she pulled in the driveway at 8pm. Mark's car was already there. She went in the house, looking for him. She found him sitting in the living room with a glass of scotch.

"Gonna be a drunk like Mom?"

He looked at her. "You rip my guts out and then want to try to insult me?"

"I didn't do anything, Mark. This is all on you."

Mark exploded. "ME? All on me? Damnit Tiff, you could've just said 'I'm pregnant', but you didn't. I... I know now, but at the time I had no idea you were pregnant. I had no idea I was going to be a dad. I... I wanted kids. I've missed... everything for the last three years. That's all on you, Tiff. All of it."

"I should believe that story, riiiight."

"You... you said you were on the pill. That was the last thing I ever thought of. Tiff, I loved you... hell, I guess I still do. This has been a punch to the gut... I want to meet my kids, I want to be part of their lives, I want... I want to be their dad. You stole that from me!"

"Mark... seriously, you didn't understand? Are you telling me the truth?"

"When have I lied to you, Tiff?" Mark was crying now. He was shaking all over. Tiffany knew in that moment that he hadn't known, that she'd made assumptions.

"Mark... Oh god, Mark, I'm sorry. I... I thought you knew. I thought you didn't want the children... I thought I had to go because I wasn't going to get rid of the kids." She fell to her knees. "Mark... can you forgive me?"

"I... I can forgive. I don't know if I can forget. Right now Tiff, I don't think I want to see you. I need some time, but I need to see my kids. I'll... I'll see you at the funeral tomorrow. Right now, I just can't." He got up and walked out. Tiffany levered herself up and into a chair.

"What have I done? All this time I thought it was him, but it was me! I destroyed us! I am the bad person here. How can I possibly fix this?" she moaned into her hands, crying.

They saw each other at the funeral. Tiffany was there with their Aunt Sophia, who introduced herself to Mark after a long absence. After the funeral, they needed to go to the attorney's office. "Ride with me, Tiff." It wasn't a question. She looked at him for a second, then nodded. Sophia took the kids to the SUV and left.

"Tiff... we gotta talk about this."

"Mark... before you start... I realize now, this was... this was all me. I caused it. It's my fault. I... don't know how to fix it though. I'm so sorry, Mark."

"I don't know if we can fix this. I don't know what to do. I... I do miss you, and now I miss my kids. I don't even know them and I miss them. I... I'm trying to be calm, but I'm really really pissed about this."

"You should be. I'd be livid. Mark... I thought I made it clear to you, I did. I... talked to Sophia last night. She knows about us, I've been staying with her. She... she blames me right now too."

"Blaming isn't helping. Tiff... the last two years, I've been going to therapy. I... wanted to know what was wrong with me. I... I called her this morning. She wants to see me when I get back. I need you to know that I'm angry... but that I won't hurt you. I don't think I could anyway, but... I can't have you scared of me."

"Mark... what are we going to do?"

"Right now, I don't know. We... we'll figure out something. We have to talk, Tiff. We have to figure something out soon, while they are young."

They went to the attorney's and got the lowdown. The house was worth about $130,000 and was paid for. She had an insurance policy for another $100,000, but that was it. After the debts were paid, they had about $165,000 to split between them. Not peanuts, but they weren't going to be rich.

He dropped her at her hotel. "Mark... call me."

"I don't know your number."

"Mark, you text me every day. You know my number."

"You... get those?"

"Yeah... call me. We'll figure this out, I'll do whatever I have to do."

"Tiff... I'll call. Remember, the phone works both ways."

"I know. We have to stay in touch... I have so many questions... but now isn't the time."

"Tiff... I missed you."

"Missed you too." She turned and walked into the hotel, a tear running down her face.

Mark drove home the next day, and on Monday went to see his therapist. They talked for two hours, setting up another appointment for the following day at the end. Mark slept fitfully, seeing his kids in his mind's eye.

He called Tiffany daily, and sometimes she would call him. They talked, she told him about the kids and about Aunt Sophia. He talked about his work and how he'd returned to school, going at night. She had done the same, getting her four-year accounting degree.

After almost two weeks on a Friday, he came home late. He had no reason to hurry home. He walked in and knew immediately something was different. He smelled food.

"Hey Mark!" he heard from the kitchen. Tiffany stepped out, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. "I thought you'd like a good dinner. It's all done, I didn't know what time you'd be home." She had a shaky smile on her face.

"Wh... I... what are you doing here?"

"Don't want me here?"

"You know the answer to that..."

"Let's eat, Mark. We can talk after that."

He went and changed clothes, then sat at the table while she served his plate. "Tiff... where's the kids?"

"Sophia is taking them for a couple of weeks. I decided to spend two weeks here."

"Why?"

"I knew you'd never wait until dinner is over... Look, when I got back home, I did a lot of thinking. I... want to get to know you again. I want to see how we are again. I... want to apologize. I want to make things right."

"Tiff... I... I don't know how to say this."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No... Tiff, somebody had to explain it to me, but... I get it. I tried to put myself in your shoes... what would I have done, given the same set of circumstances. I get it. I'm not happy, but... I know I can't blame you for everything either.

"But Mark, it is all my fault."

"No... it isn't. This one we have to share. We... we both did wrong, but... Tiff, I was distracted. I... need to show you something. ... but I have to give you context. I don't want you thinking this is a new idea, a new thought, ok?"

"Uhmm... ok."

He went to a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out some brochures. "This is the first one... notice the date, it's almost five years old. I was planning on surprising you one day soon before you left. I've been saving, and with our inheritance, I can almost pay for it outright."

She took a look while she ate. It was a glossy color photo of houses, and it was dated four years ago. "Which house were you looking at?"

He smiled wryly. "The four bedroom.... I wanted to have plenty of space for kids. See the writing beside it?"

"Oh. Jesus... Mark... "

"Yeah... I keep up with it though. I'm still preapproved, I reapplied after I got back from Mom's funeral."

"Mark... I didn't know. I wish I had..."

"I didn't tell you either. Tiff, I can't help but think that if we had just been more open with each other, this whole mess wouldn't have happened... But it did. I want to show you my thoughts, my plans..."

"Mark... how can you ever forgive me?"

"Like I said, I already did. I have a really good therapist. She put me in your shoes... I don't know where we're going, but... if I didn't forgive you, it was gonna kill me. It had to happen, for me, for little Mark and Marie, for you."

"I'm not sure I could've done it... I'm not sure. Mark... look at me." He looked down in her eyes. "Mark, I'm sorry. I had to say that. Mark... Can we... can we ever get back to where we were? Is it even possible? That's what I want Mark. I want you to be Daddy, I can be Mommy, and we can be together. Can we?'

"I don't know, Tiff."

"That's why I'm here. I... I need to know. I have two weeks off, and I'm spending it here, unless you want me to leave."

"Stay, Tiff. Stay." He reached out and she moved closer. They hugged, both of them tearing up. "What do you want to do while you're here?"

"Just... just be. Be what we were, or whatever. I want to be close to you again. I want to try to regain what we had."

"Tiff... there's a lot of water under the bridge."

"I know... you've changed, I've changed. I have to try... I never stopped loving you. I don't think I ever will."

"I get that. I know I won't... But we can't just go back to how it was... y'know?"

"I can wish, but I know."

They ate the dinner, and he complemented her cooking. When it was over, he looked at her. "Tiff... It's been a long week, hell, a long last month. I need to go to bed."

"W-where do you want me to sleep?"

"Tiff... we slept together for a long time without doing anything. We can do it again. I'm not ready for that, as much as I want to. I know it'd be a bad move for me, probably for you too."

"Thanks, I guess. We can. Can you... hold me? Please?"

"I don't think I can stop myself..."

They went to bed, spooning. In the morning, she woke up first, lost for a second before she remembered where she was. She smiled, looking back at him still asleep with his arm around her. She slowly moved him, getting up. As she stood, she heard him stir.

"Tiff.. you still have a great ass... just sayin'"

She looked back and found her t-shirt tucked into her panties. She giggled, shook her butt at him, and pulled the shirt out. "Thanks... I know it's bigger after the kids."

"You're still perfect."

"Mark... c'mon...."

"Tiff, really. If you tell me you're fat again, I'm gonna get mad at you."

"Ok, I won't tell you... I know I am, but I won't tell you." She went to the bathroom, taking a quick shower. When she got out, Mark was making breakfast.

"Watcha makin' me?" she smiled at him.

"Take a guess..." he said, pulling the biscuits out of the oven.

"I thought I was the one trying to make you forgive me."

"Like I said, I did. Doesn't mean that I can't make you what you want for breakfast. Besides, I have to feed you before I take you anywhere."

"Are we going somewhere?"

"Couple of places... I need to grocery shop, and I have to show you something."

"What?"

"Just... it'll be easier if I show you..."

"Ok... after we eat, let me get dressed, I'm done in the bathroom. I... I want to show you something too."

They ate, got ready, and got in his truck. They hit the grocery store first, getting food for the week. As they rounded the corner from the frozen foods, they ran into Roger and Sue.

"Hey Mark.... Uhhh... hey, Tiffany."

"Hi Roger... it's been a while. Hi Sue."

"Tiffany..." She could hear the barely concealed hostility.

"Sue... This isn't really the place, but I want to apologize. I'm sure I left you in a lurch. I... shouldn't have done that. I was wrong, wrong on so many things, but I want to apologize to you."

Sue looked at her. "Tiffany... what you did to me was peanuts compared to Mark. If he forgives you, I guess I have to. You here to stay or just visiting?"

"Don't know yet... Just out of curiosity, if I were to stay, are you hiring?"

"We'd have to have a long talk first. Long. If it went well, I'd very seriously consider it."

"Fair enough. I'll be in touch."

Roger looked at Mark. "You ok, Mark?"

"Actually, doing better than I was yesterday." He glanced at Tiffany. "This is a surprise for me too. We're talking. Give me some time, Roger..."

"Take all you need, whatever happens. Call me, ok?"

"Sure."

When they got back and were unpacking the groceries, Tiffany suddenly stopped and sat down. "Everybody hates me now... I get it, they should. I fucked up everything, didn't I?"

"Tiff... look, I don't give a damn what anybody else thinks, and I don't want to hear any more about how you screwed up. You did, I did. We just have to know if we can get past it. People will come around if... y'know, and they won't have to if we don't. Stop."

"Mark... how can you be so... nice... to me. After what I did...."

"Tiff, I told you. In your shoes, I don't know what I would have done, if I would have done anything differently or not. It's... it's past. We can't change that. We have some control over the future though. Focus on that."

After they were done with the groceries, he took her to a diner for lunch and then back out.

"Where we going, Mark?"

"Just... just let me show you." He pulled up in front of a house, brand new. They got out and he went to the door, taking out a key and going in.

"Mark... what... is this yours?"

"It will be, in a week or so. Look around, let me know if you like it."

She wandered through the house, looking. There were five bedrooms, one pink, one blue. The master bedroom was a dark grey, and she turned to him. "How... how did you remember this?"