he thinks he'll keep her

May 2027 - Neil Cameron is 52, Viola Cameron is 35, Clara Long is 8, Alison Cameron is 2.

It's not exactly how he thought he'd be spending his retirement. When he moved to Providence, he was a confirmed bachelor, happy to spend his days alone. But then he fell in love with Viola, and along came their daughter Alison.

Now while Viola works as a waitress, he spends his days at home playing Mr. Mom.

He'd never realized how much work it is to take care of a child, but he also didn't realize how rewarding it is either. Every time his little girl smiles at him, he knows it's all worth it.

But being a stepfather is still something he's getting used to. He and Clara really haven't bonded yet; probably in large part because of how much she adores her father and how suddenly he came into her life. She mostly ignores him and her baby sister and spends her time playing at the Ramaswami's house or playing with the cat.

It doesn't help the family dynamic that Viola gets seriously ill with the flu. She ends up spending several days in bed, quarantined from the rest of the family.

Without her mom around, Clara is even quieter and more reserved than normal. Every night after dinner she heads to the backyard to look through the telescope. He offers to help her identify the constellations, but she refuses; she prefers to have only the company of the star atlas her father gave her as she stares up at the night sky.