The Mix-Up

Chapter One

"I told you hun," the man answered back with a magazine spread across his lap. His voice was softer towards her, held a gentler side to it. "They didn't indicate anything other than they needed to speak with us".

"Why would they want to see us? This is ridiculous. I have better ways to spend my Wednesday afternoon than here" the women sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I believe I said that to you the first time we came here," the man answered simply as he turned the page. Teddy took a moment to look over him. He was simply dressed, typical attire for a man from Toronto in black slacks and a dress shirt with his sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair was chopped neatly, offering just a slight glimpse of his wavy hair. The only unkempt part of his entire being was the light scruff of a beard he was growing. 

The women huffed and rolled her eyes "well I don't see why they need to keep us waiting for so long".

"We got here five minutes ago".

By now Teddy was beginning to assume they were an old married couple. This was one of the many reasons why she failed to see the interest in shackling yourself to another human being. She had never shown much longing in finding a partner – hence why she went down the path of sperm donation. But seeing these mumbled arguments reminded her of why she avoided these, such relationships. She didn't need a man to rely on her, to play broken telephone with passing messages.

She glanced around at the other sets of couples – she quickly noticed she was the only single member in the crowd. There was a set of a slightly older pair, the women with her hand resting on the man's upper leg. And he appeared to be whispering soothing things to her. The final set were barley communicating, both were engrossed with their phones. Teddy figured this couple would be separated long before their child's first birthday.

A few minutes of silence drowned on before the couple arguing from earlier was called back to an office. Teddy watched as the women marched on before the man – with him following behind like a lost puppy. It showcased their style of relationship, she led the way and he was expected to silently follow.

Sometimes she wondered what her life would've been like if it had turned out differently. Would she have a guy that followed her around like that guy does? Would she have one that whispered reassuring things? Or maybe one that only spent the time on his phone. Would she still be living in the apartment above the store she owned or would her partner demand they lived in a house? She was certain she would still have children but there was no guarantee they would be named Charlotte and Josephine, and especially the chance of a man being down to call his two little girls Charley and Joey for short.

The thought of her daughters names drew her mind back to them, the two little girls she had be blessed with. They were just over the age of three and were growing everyday. Charley was the rational one, the guider and mellowed personality. She would tuck herself in a corner and flip through picture books although she couldn't read yet. The girl loved to follow her mom around and whenever Teddy would do laundry Charley would drag blankets to her with a big smile.

Joey on the other hand was the polar opposite to her sister. She had the goofy, carefree and humorous personality. She was sticking her tongue out, giggling at a joke she made or busy playing with her hands. She would rather sit and colour with a marker making her own art. And she was often found dancing around the living room whenever the radio was playing.

It was easy for Teddy to see the resemblance between her and the little versions of herself. But she was also able to see some aspects of the father. There was the art that Joey longer to create that sometimes Teddy wondered if she got that talent from her father. And there was their love for bananas – where as Teddy couldn't stand them.