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“Oh, come on, Ol! Live a little! Look! Rolf is having a great time!”
Ollie ignored Noah. His cousin/best friend had an excellent point though. Rolf was in front of them with Noah and Ava’s youngest, Malcolm. The boys were laughing as they played make believe in the mostly empty restaurant he’d met Noah in for lunch on Sayre Avenue. Until they weren’t laughing anymore. Because there was a commotion as a woman tripped over Rolf and his boy let out a cry.
Rising from the table quickly, Ollie moved the few steps over to his son. Rolf clung to him, crying in his shoulder while Ollie ran a soothing hand up and down his back. Then he turned to the poor woman, offering her his hand to help her up. “I’m so sorry about that! It’s my fault, I didn’t realize he was in the wal-”
“Oliver? Oliver Scamander?” As his eyes lifted from where they’d been locked on the ground, Ollie saw someone he’d never thought he’d see again after he graduated from Ilvermorny. His high school flame, Wendy Hendricks, was staring at him in disbelief. His reddish brown hair was darker than it had once been and she had laugh lines on her face, but there was no denying who she was. Ollie felt his heart drop. He remembered her last words to him on graduation day and they hadn’t been pleasant.
But Ollie forced that from his mind as he helped her up. “Are you alright, Wendy?”
“Yes, I-” Then she noticed Rolf who was still crying in Ollie’s shoulder and her shocked look turned slightly sad. “Is he alright? He wasn’t in the way at all, I’d seen them playing and just didn’t-”
“Rolfie?” The toddler poked his head out and looked miserably up at Ollie. The sight made him fight a laugh. His older siblings had all told him that one day he’d understand why they didn’t always give into the pitiful looks their children gave them over the years and that had slowly but surely become true in the months since he’d begun divorce proceedings. The look made it clear that Rolf was fine and was slightly milking Ollie’s reaction. “Rolfie, can you say you’re sorry to Miss Wendy for tripping her?”
“Oliver, he-”
“Sowwy,” his two year old whispered. Behind them he heard Noah’s snorted laugh, but Ollie ignored it. His focus instead turned back on the woman before them. Who just so happened to be studying him.
“I am sorry about that, Wendy. I should have kept a closer eye on Rolf.”
“And like I said,” she whispered, raising her brow she hadn’t been upset from the get go. “I needed to pay better attention to where I was walking. Rolf here did nothing wrong.” She winked at his son and it made the boy giggle as he watched the woman. But all too soon Wendy turned her assessing gaze back on him. “How are you?”
“I’ve been better.” He answered honestly, looking at his feet. His left hand felt slightly naked still. Ollie didn’t regret the decision to divorce Bridget. In fact it was the best decision he could make for himself and for Rolf. It just always felt strange now to run into someone from his past, holding his son and clearly not wearing a wedding ring. He was always waited for the judgment. Though Wendy cocked her head and nodded in understanding.
“I saw in the paper about the divorce.”
“Ah,” he nodded, forgetting about that little article in the gossip columns of the Ghost . It seemed reporting on the only Scamander to get a divorce was newsworthy. Much to his and his family’s dismay. Ollie had overheard the phone call his mother had with the editor of the New York Ghost and Morrigan, he felt bad for the poor man. Needless to say his divorce was being kept private now. But he forced himself to clear his throat and change the subject. “I was sorry to hear about Zeke.”
Wendy’s eyes moved to the ground as she nodded her thanks. Neither of them spoke further on her late fiance. No need to put her through reliving it again. So quietly, Ollie whispered, “This is my son, Rolf.” That made her perk up and Ollie felt relief flood through him at the sight of a small smile. “Rolf, can you say hello to Miss Wendy?”
“Hi,” his son said as he poked his head up. Wendy waved hello and gave the toddler a bright smile. Which made Rolf whisper loudly in Ollie’s ear, “Pwetty.”
Both of them light up like a Christmas tree, but Ollie still found himself saying, “She is very pretty, Rolfie.”
Wendy smiled again, ducking her head to look intently at the ground between them right as Noah cleared his throat. Remembering that his cousin was there, Ollie looked behind him to see the man grinning like an idiot as he rose, Malcolm in his arms waving at Ollie and Rolf. “As much as I love being a witness to this not at all uncomfortable interaction, I gotta go, Ol. This one and I,” Noah said with a grin and tickling Malcolm’s stomach. “Have to go make sure the bakery isn’t on fire after Mommy and Uncle Daniel’s first week as co-owners.” Ollie gave him a nod, checking the time himself, knowing he had nieces to pick up from school in the not too distant future. “But, Happy Birthday, Ol. Sorry Ava and I can’t make it-”
“You guys are fine, I get it. Thanks for lunch. You didn’t have to-”
“It’s your birthday, Ol. Of course I got lunch.” Noah said with a laugh as he stepped away. Ollie smiled at the other two Scamanders and waved them off. Rolf gave Noah and Malcolm an enthusiastic wave goodbye before they were turning back a stunned Wendy who had her datebook out of her purse.
“Wen? You okay?”
“It’s the fifteenth! It’s your birthday!”
“It is,” he smiled at her again. “It’s okay you didn’t remember. It’s not like we expected to-“
“No, but I know your birthday, Ollie.” The way she said his name made butterflies flutter in his stomach. It had been a long time since he’d felt those. And the way her green eyes met his through her lashes made them flutter more. “Happy Birthday, Ollie.”
Breathlessly, he whispered, “Thanks.”
For a long moment, they stared at each other, neither speaking, but an unspoken connection reforming. Ollie had always seen Wendy as the one that got away. Now that had been through no fault but his own and his idiotic, teenage boy behavior. But something told him he was supposed to run into her today. That they had needed all these twenty years apart to grow. Even though they'd run into each other on occasion the first several years out of school, they just never spoke past a hello or a polite, brief conversation. Especially once she’d been with Zeke and Ollie had been, well, been single for most of it.
Still the present moment felt like a lifetime in the making. And Ollie couldn’t figure out why.
They both seemed content to stay there until Rolf poked his cheek and said, “Ena! Tia!”
Shaking his head, he smiled at his boy. “Ah, right, you and I need to head toward the elementary school, bub! I’ve got to pick up my nieces,” he explained to Wendy when her eyes were wide. “Ellie and Joe’s youngests. They begged their parents to let me pick them up so they could take me on a birthday adventure.”
“I see.”
“It’s their last year before they head off to Ilvermorny and I’m fun Uncle Ol, so I couldn’t say no.”
Wendy smiled softly at the ground. “You grew up.”
“I did.” Ollie nodded toward the door, leading them all out. Wendy kept pace with him all the while Rolf seemed to be buzzing in his arms. Whether with excitement at getting to see Athena and Tia or from the new friend they’d made, Ollie wasn’t sure. Quietly, as they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Ollie whispered, “Getting divorced from the mother of your child to give him the best life possible really forces you to stop running from being an adult unfortunately.”
As they stopped at a crosswalk, Wendy reached over and squeezed his arm in understanding. Their eyes locked again and Ollie knew that she knew a lot about dealing with unexpected loss and being forced to grow up even when you thought you were already grown better than anyone. “I really am sorry. That you and Bridget didn’t-“
“Don’t be,” he shrugged, checking to see that they could walk before stepping out onto the street. “That relationship had been a disaster for a long time. A child wasn’t going to fix that. But it did give me the greatest gift of all,” he nudged Rolf and got a wide grin from the two year old. “I can’t imagine my life without my little Rolfie.”
“He is pretty cute. Even when he trips me by accident.” Ollie let out a heartfelt laugh before slowing to a stop outside of his nieces’ school. Other adults there to pick up students were already waiting and Ollie could see his father, who’d decided to join him, Rolf, and the girls, waiting down the sidewalk. Wendy seemed to know the conversation was coming to an end so she hastened to say, “I just moved back. To the city I mean. And I know we never talked about-“
“I’m really sorry about it, Wen,” Ollie hoped his eyes conveyed just how sorry he was. She was shaking her head, but he added. “I was young and dumb and those aren’t excuses so if you still hate me, I understand.”
“I don’t.” She shrugged with a smile. “I don’t think I ever did. But I, um, I’d like to catch up. With you and Stella and Tommy and Noah and Ava. Um-“
“We’d love that.” He smiled brightly. “I know Stella misses you. Hates me for costing you-“
“She and I still talked,” Wendy admitted, though Ollie had suspected as much for years. “Until I moved after Zeke died, Stella, Ava, and I still got together. But that’s neither here nor there. I just hope you and I could-“
“Yep!” Rolf answered for him. Both adults looked at the little boy who again giggled.
So Ollie shrugged, “Sounds like you’ve made a new friend already.” Wendy blushed, smiling at her feet yet again. Leaning over, Ollie whispered, “I’m currently staying with my parents, so if you’d need me that’s where to find me, but I mean it, Wen. I’d really love to be friends again.”
Wendy nodded, jotting down something and sticking it in his hand before she leaned up as if there was no bad blood between them and kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday, Ollie.” Then she booped Rolf’s nose much to the boy’s delight. “And it was lovely to meet you, Rolf. I hope I’ll see you again soon.”
Then she was gone. Ollie watched her slinking through the small crowd with a goofy smile appearing on his face. Rolf reaching the opposite direction had him looking at his father appearing at his side. “Was that Wendy Hendricks?”
“It was.”
“I didn’t know she still lived in the city.”
Ollie carefully handed Newt Scamander his youngest grandchild as his eyes turned back on the school to watch for the girls. “She just moved back.”
“I see.” He could hear the smirk in his father’s voice and chose to ignore it as the doors open and Tia and Athena were at the front of the pack, searching for him. While he waved his nieces down, Ollie heard his father say, “I take it you’d like for me to keep the little cheek kiss to myself?”
Shooting the man a glare only earned Ollie a loud laugh. But Tia was in his arms before he could snap back. “Uncle Ollie! Uncle Ollie! Happy birthday!”
“Thanks, sweetheart,” he whispered before feeling another force slam into him. “Hi Thena.”
“Happy Birthday, Uncle Ollie!”
He smiled at both girls and before he knew it, he was being led off toward Boot’s Books. His father was helping entertain everyone while Ollie tried to not ponder on the sudden reappearance of Wendy. But part of him couldn’t help it. And that continued on all afternoon and evening. Even up until his parents, siblings, in-laws, and nieces and nephews present sang to him and Lyall since they were celebrating both birthdays together.
“Make a wish, Ollie.”
His mother’s whispered words made him think. Specifically about his earlier encounter. And some part of him whispered the wish to his soul as he blew out the candles.
I wish for a beautiful, wonderful, healthy new journey for me and Rolf. And Wendy too.