Sofia was too young yet to take part in all the excitement that was the first day of school, but Tony and Anya had decided she was ready for pre-school, if only to partake in the whole social aspect of it. That didn't mean they were happy to let go of their daughter, even for just a few hours, but both trusted it would be good for her to spend a little time with children her own age. Still, it hadn't been more than ten minutes since they dropped her off, and Tony was already moping.
"I can't believe she's almost four. How dare she grow up!" he complained to Anya.
Anya just about managed to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. "You would rather keep her a small baby for eternity, milaya?" she asked him sweetly, squeezing his hand as they walked together along the road.
"Well, no ....I mean, I could do without diapers," he replied, honestly enough, with an easy-going smile. "But I am not ready to let her grow up yet," he complained, though Sofia was nowhere near ready to grow up on them yet.
"She is only three years old," his wife reminded him in amusement. "What will you be like next year, when she goes off to school for the first time?" She laughed teasingly. "Besides ....you still have diapers in your future. We just need to pick a date, really."
"A nervous wreck," Tony murmured in reply, only half-teasing. It wasn't the fact that Sofia was going off to pre-school so much as that he could hardly believe she was almost four years old already. He arched a brow at his wife's remark. They'd been talking about the possibility of having another, but they hadn't set a date yet. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"Are you ready?" She turned the question around on him with a smile. "We have always said we would like more children. Should we do it the traditional way, or should we adopt?"
Now that was a question he had not yet considered. "Adopt?" he asked, steering her toward his sister's cafe to grab a coffee and a bite to eat before they continued on to the theater. "I had not considered that."
"I had not, either," she admitted. "Well, not seriously. But it did occur to me, after we saw Jon and Victoria taking their new little girl around the theater ....there is no reason we could not consider it, is there?"
"No, I suppose there isn't," Tony admitted thoughtfully. It wasn't something he'd considered either, but it was a good thought. They already had one child of their own, and Rhy'Din was notorious for an over-abundance of orphans, all of them in need of good homes. "Are you serious about this?"
"Yes," she confessed, pushing open the door to Incredible Edibles. She offered a wave to the hobbit behind the counter, and slid into a seat by the window. "I would be happier with a baby, rather than an older child. I think Sofia would cope better with a baby as well."
Tony mirrored Anya's wave to the hobbit behind the counter before sliding into a seat across from her. "Two coffees, please, Mags!" he called over, holding up two fingers out of habit. He turned back to Anya to consider her words. "I think so, too," he agreed, unable to imagine them bringing a child into the family who was older than Sofia.
"Perhaps it is selfish of me, but ....I would not have to stop dancing, either," Anya admitted ruefully. "Of course I would step back for a short while, do less while we settle into things, as I did when Sofia was tiny. But I would still dance every day."
"No, that makes perfect sense," Tony replied, pausing a moment to think it over. There was only one thing that worried him. "Do you think we could love another child as much as we love Sofia?" he asked, especially one that was not theirs by birth. It wouldn't be fair to the child if the answer to that question was no.
"Da, yes." The question didn't need thinking about for Anya. "Love is not finite, Tony. It grows, it does not run out. But, milaya, this is not something you must agree to. If you have even the slightest doubt, we should not do it."
Tony nodded his thanks as the coffees were dropped off at their table, along with some pastries. They were regulars here and their routine was well known. And as far as Tony was concerned, they had the best coffee in town. Of course, it didn't help that his sister owned the place. Once the server had left, Tony took a sip of his coffee, pausing to consider Anya's argument.
"Well, we always wanted more children," he reasoned. "But I know you miss dancing, and there are too many unwanted children in Rhy'Din. What if we look into the possibility before we decide for sure?" he countered.
She smiled, relieved that he had not immediately gone with a resounding yes or no. She knew her Tony; he would want to know everything he could possibly know about the situation before he made a firm decision one way or another. "Spasibo," she murmured. "I agree. I am sure Mataya will be able to point us in the right direction - that woman seems to know everyone!"
Tony chuckled at Anya's remark regarding his sister. "She does seem to think so, doesn't she?" he replied, looking amused, though he didn't deny that fact. "How long have you been thinking about this?" he asked, knowing Anya never did anything on a whim either. It couldn't have just been Bea's visit to the theater that had brought this on.
Sipping her coffee, Anya offered him a slightly guilty look. "About a year," she confessed. "You recall, we took the ballet to the Seven Towers Orphanage shortly after it was reopened. It hurts my heart to know that every day there are more children in this city who may never have a home and a family until they make one for themselves as adults."
Tony frowned, reaching across the table to tangle his fingers with hers. They were not Rhy'Din natives, but the plight of the children here seemed even more tragic than that of orphans back home on Earth. "If it means that much to you, then we will do it," he told her, without hesitation. The tricky part, he thought, would be trying to pick the right one.
"Tony, this is not just about me," Anya reminded him gently. "This is about us, our family. My sense of guilt is not enough for us to offer a home to a child who has none. I will not agree to it unless it is in your heart to do it, as well."
"It's not that, cara," Tony started, frowning thoughtfully. "It is just that I can't imagine loving another child as much as I love Sofia. I know that sounds silly, and I know we have talked about having more children, but I don't want any child of ours to feel unloved, adopted or not."
"Oh, Tony ..." Anya's smile actually deepened as he offered this up. "That is not the way it works, milaya. You have three sisters. Did you run out of love for them before Elena was born?"
"I can't believe she's almost four. How dare she grow up!" he complained to Anya.
Anya just about managed to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. "You would rather keep her a small baby for eternity, milaya?" she asked him sweetly, squeezing his hand as they walked together along the road.
"Well, no ....I mean, I could do without diapers," he replied, honestly enough, with an easy-going smile. "But I am not ready to let her grow up yet," he complained, though Sofia was nowhere near ready to grow up on them yet.
"She is only three years old," his wife reminded him in amusement. "What will you be like next year, when she goes off to school for the first time?" She laughed teasingly. "Besides ....you still have diapers in your future. We just need to pick a date, really."
"A nervous wreck," Tony murmured in reply, only half-teasing. It wasn't the fact that Sofia was going off to pre-school so much as that he could hardly believe she was almost four years old already. He arched a brow at his wife's remark. They'd been talking about the possibility of having another, but they hadn't set a date yet. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"Are you ready?" She turned the question around on him with a smile. "We have always said we would like more children. Should we do it the traditional way, or should we adopt?"
Now that was a question he had not yet considered. "Adopt?" he asked, steering her toward his sister's cafe to grab a coffee and a bite to eat before they continued on to the theater. "I had not considered that."
"I had not, either," she admitted. "Well, not seriously. But it did occur to me, after we saw Jon and Victoria taking their new little girl around the theater ....there is no reason we could not consider it, is there?"
"No, I suppose there isn't," Tony admitted thoughtfully. It wasn't something he'd considered either, but it was a good thought. They already had one child of their own, and Rhy'Din was notorious for an over-abundance of orphans, all of them in need of good homes. "Are you serious about this?"
"Yes," she confessed, pushing open the door to Incredible Edibles. She offered a wave to the hobbit behind the counter, and slid into a seat by the window. "I would be happier with a baby, rather than an older child. I think Sofia would cope better with a baby as well."
Tony mirrored Anya's wave to the hobbit behind the counter before sliding into a seat across from her. "Two coffees, please, Mags!" he called over, holding up two fingers out of habit. He turned back to Anya to consider her words. "I think so, too," he agreed, unable to imagine them bringing a child into the family who was older than Sofia.
"Perhaps it is selfish of me, but ....I would not have to stop dancing, either," Anya admitted ruefully. "Of course I would step back for a short while, do less while we settle into things, as I did when Sofia was tiny. But I would still dance every day."
"No, that makes perfect sense," Tony replied, pausing a moment to think it over. There was only one thing that worried him. "Do you think we could love another child as much as we love Sofia?" he asked, especially one that was not theirs by birth. It wouldn't be fair to the child if the answer to that question was no.
"Da, yes." The question didn't need thinking about for Anya. "Love is not finite, Tony. It grows, it does not run out. But, milaya, this is not something you must agree to. If you have even the slightest doubt, we should not do it."
Tony nodded his thanks as the coffees were dropped off at their table, along with some pastries. They were regulars here and their routine was well known. And as far as Tony was concerned, they had the best coffee in town. Of course, it didn't help that his sister owned the place. Once the server had left, Tony took a sip of his coffee, pausing to consider Anya's argument.
"Well, we always wanted more children," he reasoned. "But I know you miss dancing, and there are too many unwanted children in Rhy'Din. What if we look into the possibility before we decide for sure?" he countered.
She smiled, relieved that he had not immediately gone with a resounding yes or no. She knew her Tony; he would want to know everything he could possibly know about the situation before he made a firm decision one way or another. "Spasibo," she murmured. "I agree. I am sure Mataya will be able to point us in the right direction - that woman seems to know everyone!"
Tony chuckled at Anya's remark regarding his sister. "She does seem to think so, doesn't she?" he replied, looking amused, though he didn't deny that fact. "How long have you been thinking about this?" he asked, knowing Anya never did anything on a whim either. It couldn't have just been Bea's visit to the theater that had brought this on.
Sipping her coffee, Anya offered him a slightly guilty look. "About a year," she confessed. "You recall, we took the ballet to the Seven Towers Orphanage shortly after it was reopened. It hurts my heart to know that every day there are more children in this city who may never have a home and a family until they make one for themselves as adults."
Tony frowned, reaching across the table to tangle his fingers with hers. They were not Rhy'Din natives, but the plight of the children here seemed even more tragic than that of orphans back home on Earth. "If it means that much to you, then we will do it," he told her, without hesitation. The tricky part, he thought, would be trying to pick the right one.
"Tony, this is not just about me," Anya reminded him gently. "This is about us, our family. My sense of guilt is not enough for us to offer a home to a child who has none. I will not agree to it unless it is in your heart to do it, as well."
"It's not that, cara," Tony started, frowning thoughtfully. "It is just that I can't imagine loving another child as much as I love Sofia. I know that sounds silly, and I know we have talked about having more children, but I don't want any child of ours to feel unloved, adopted or not."
"Oh, Tony ..." Anya's smile actually deepened as he offered this up. "That is not the way it works, milaya. You have three sisters. Did you run out of love for them before Elena was born?"