by DW Cee
“What, for all of ten minutes? Who knows when the kids will be back!”
“We can accomplish a lot in ten minutes.” I answered with a sly grin. “Think of the other day when I popped in for lunch. The kids had no idea we were in the other room playing.”
“Let’s save whatever it is you have in mind for tonight. I’m not thrilled about your cousins finding us during our playtime. Dinner is at Mom and Dad’s tonight. You want to help me fold laundry till then?”
“Not really.”
Emi gave me a funny look, and I chuckled at how domesticated our lives had become. My travel-bugged wife hadn’t been on any trips since our honeymoon, the foodie in her hasn’t eaten out since the babies arrived, and the thrifty woman that I married refuses to get any hired help around the house. She insists on doing every job on her own, and she’s accomplished it with aplomb. Our big house has become a cozy home, our once preemie babies are healthy and considered big on the growth chart, and her lack of dining-out has only refined her cooking skills. Yes, I won the lotto with this woman.
“Emi, Donovan is getting us a house up in Napa from Wednesday to Sunday. How quickly can you get the kids ready to travel?” Emily didn’t look thrilled at all. “We talked about this the other night—about going back up to San Francisco and Napa, as well as having another baby?”
“Are you crazy? I am NOT having another child right now—maybe in a couple of years, but not now! And Jake, I really don’t want to pack up everything but the kitchen sink and go away for four days. Let’s just stay here and hang out with the family.”
“Then let’s go away without the kids for a few days!”
“And what about nursing? You think this milk will just hold off till the babies latch on again? You are seriously insane today.”
“I’m going to put my foot down on this one. I want to take you away—with or without the kids—this weekend. You’ve been cooped up in this neighborhood for months. You need a change of scenery. Come on, Beautiful! It’ll be fun.” I pulled her into my body, and tried to coax her into my fabulous idea. “We’ll leave the kids for a few hours and I’ll take you back to French Laundry.”
The idea of delicious food was working its magic—kind of.
She let out a big sigh and said, “All right...I’ll get things ready. When do we leave?”
I answered, “In two days,” and left the utility room before my wife yelled at me again.
Damn! My wife was right, was all I could think, while lugging two car seats, two large suitcases, a double stroller, and crying twins sitting in the double stroller. What the hell was I thinking traveling with two three and a half-month-olds? Emily just smiled an I told you so grin and leisurely strolled the babies through the airport. After checking in the two suitcases, I was about pushed over the cliff when we got to the TSA check-in. After practically disrobing in public and quickly placing my shoes, belt, cell phone, keys, laptop, and Emi’s Kindle on the ever moving conveyor belt, I folded down the double stroller while Emi held on to both kids, then placed the two car seats on the belt for inspection. Then, before all of our items went through and caused a backlog on the other end, I took James and ran through the metal detector. Of course, the damn detector went off and one of the frickin’ inspectors insisted on checking over James while another frickin’ inspector performed my pat-down.
Was it really necessary to check over a three and a half-month-old? At this point, I wasn’t going to argue. After taking out the loose coins in my pocket, they let me through one more time with James and we passed this time. Emily laughed her way through with Ellie, and she quickly took a crying James in her arms and calmed him down while I unfolded the stroller, put my clothes back on and placed all the electronics in my messenger bag. Shit! I was not doing this again until the babies could walk, talk, and handle their own pat-downs.
“Go ahead and say it,” I told my wife. “I know you’re dying to tell me!”
She quietly laughed and gave me a brief kiss on the lips. “I love you,” was all she said. She was truly the mega millions of the lotto world.
Being so preoccupied with settling down our unhappy children, Emily not once realized that we were not headed to San Francisco anymore. And, as soon as the plane took off, she and the kids all fell asleep, and I didn’t bother her until we touched down.
“Love,” I whispered and kissed her on the head, “we’re here. Let’s take this one-man circus act back on the road.”
We took our show all throughout the airport and stepped out onto the curb, waiting for our car.
“Jake...” Emi said while finally taking in her surroundings. “This isn’t San Francisco. Is this where I think it is?” Her voice broke the moment she realized where she was.
“It is, Love. We’re here to see your parents.”
She immediately molded herself into my body and cried. “How did you know I’ve been wanting to see them...to show them our babies?”
“How could I not know, my sweet wife? With the pregnancy and the birth of the twins, you haven’t seen your parents since right before the wedding. Of course I know you miss your parents.”
“Thank you, Jake,” she whispered and pulled herself together so the kids wouldn’t get upset.
We got to the cemetery, and she walked as fast as she could with James in her arms to go see her parents. I came prepared this time and brought several packs of tissues.
“Mom and Dad’s graves are so clean.” Emily looked surprised. “And there are yellow Gerber daisies on Mom’s grave and hyacinth on Dad’s. Did you do this?”
I nodded yes.
“When?”
“Every week since we first came here.”
She just stared at me.
“You can hire people to keep the grave area and bring fresh flowers, Love. I’ve been doing this since I met your parents. I promised you I’d love your parents as though they were my own.”
“How come I never knew this?” Emily wiped away the tears and tried hard not to upset the kids.
“This was something between me and your parents. You didn’t need to know,” I winked.
She forced a smile, and started talking to the kids and to our parents, in every jumbled fashion.
“Mom. Dad. I’ve wanted so badly for you to meet James and Elizabeth. These are your grandchildren. Jake and I had twins back in April, and they are the most darling babies. I delivered them naturally and when James came out, I thought I was seeing Dad again. The sight of James made me so happy and so sad, all at the same time. Then I lost it when Elizabeth came out howling. She is a spitting image of you, Mom. She’s so beautiful, just like you!”
I took out the tissue and held my wife through her sniffles. Her eyes watered, but she spoke with a smile on her face. Sitting comfortably in their stroller, the kids watched her intently, not knowing whether to smile or cry with her.
“I’ve settled into married life and family life without any problems. The Reid family has loved me, and taken care of me since I came into their fold. Sandy, Bobby, and the rest of the Reids love these kids unconditionally. They actually fight over who gets to hold them, and I don’t think these kids will ever crawl because they are never let down. I love our family and they love us more than I deserve. But...”
This is where my wife couldn’t hold back.
“I wish you were here to have watched their birth, and their first birthday and every birthday after that. I wish you’d be here to tell me what to do when their teeth are about to fall out, and how to handle the first day of kindergarten, and what I do about sibling rivalry. Ellie and James will need both sets of grandparents on grandparents’ day at school, and they will wonder and ask about you, but they’ll never have a clear picture of what wonderful grandparents you would’ve been, and what you look like...why did you have to leave so early?”
I took both kids who started crying like their mother, and walked away for a while to calm them down and to give Emily some time to cry. I believed that the kids and I
had finally filled her emptiness, but I guess I was wrong. I’d have to try harder and hopefully one day, she could come here and only smile.
“I’m okay, Jake. Can you please bring the kids here? I’d like to tell them about their grandparents.”
Emily sat with each kid on her lap and oddly, the two quietly listened to their mother the entire time. They watched her forced smile as she animatedly told them about their namesake. The kids would have a lot to live up to in the years to come as James Logan Reid and Elizabeth Logan Reid. Each name represented a myriad of personalities, accomplishments, and adventures—but the common denominator of them all was love. That’s what we all shared, deep abiding love.
“Thank you, Jake, for the best anniversary present, ever,” were my wife’s last words as she fell asleep on me before consummating our first anniversary. I laughed, as this was the story of our lives these days. To many more happy anniversaries
(Emily) August 7, 2012 Happy Days
“Come back to bed, Love. It’s too early. The kids aren’t even up yet,” my husband complained.
“I can’t. I have so much to do before the babies get up. I need to get the lamb chops frenched and seasoned, chop up all the veggies for the quinoa salad and put the red velvet cake in the oven so it’ll be cooled for me to frost later in the day. It’s a busy day.” I pulled away from Jake’s warmth and willed myself to get ready for a long, but joyous day.
“Emi, you need to get some help. This can’t go on. What will you do when we have another child?”
I stopped dead and stared at my husband, who was deliciously naked under the sheet. “What other child? Why do you keep mentioning another child already?” I asked in semi-mock horror. “The twins are barely four months old. How can I possibly carry another baby? I don’t know that that is physically possible.”
“Oh it’s possible. Especially since you’re not on anything and I can’t keep my hands off of you.” He gave me that wicked smile that almost brought me back to bed.
“My cycle is still not back. I’m going to assume my body is not ready to reproduce yet. And I don’t want to be on the mini-pill. Between nursing the twins and remnants of the first pregnancy, I don’t need any extra hormones in my body.” I pulled a dress over my body, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and pulled my hair into a ponytail, ready to attack the day.
It was only five am, but I needed the extra two hours to prep for the dinner party we were hosting in honor of Jake’s cousin, Laney. It was her 22nd birthday today and sadly, both her parents were out of town at a doctor’s convention in London. Aunt Babs tried to stay home with her to celebrate this day, but Uncle Henry wouldn’t hear of it. He wanted her with him on this trip, plus this was a chance for one of the Reids to check in with Gram.
Gram left for London unexpectedly about a month ago, and she’s been somewhat m.i.a. Every time I call her, she asks a plethora of questions about the babies, but is not as forthcoming with what she’s been doing with her time. We all believe she’s struck up a friendship with Sir Roland Ascot again, but no one can be sure. Aunt Babs was charged with finding out what was going on with our dear grandmother.
So, it was left to me—and of course, I happily accepted the challenge—to give Laney a wonderful birthday surprise. She has no idea that we are all getting together at our home and throwing her a party. She believes that her brother, Doug, is taking her out for a meal tonight, while the rest of us pretend to be busy.
“Waaa...” I heard through the monitor. Peace and quiet were done for now...
“What’s the matter, my baby?” I whispered to James, who was crying in his crib. “You’re going to wake up your sister.” I thought I got to him in good time, but Elizabeth woke up right as I picked him up. Not liking the sound of her brother, her lips turned into a frown and her pout was just a step away from turning into a cry.
“Are my prince and princess up, already?” Jake put a smile on our girl’s face as he nuzzled her cheeks with a flurry of butterfly kisses. He tried to do the same for James, but James was in an unusually bad mood this morning. He wouldn’t let his father get near him for fear that I may let go of him.
“Did you have a bad dream, my little one?” I did my best to smile while changing his diaper but he wouldn’t be appeased. “Let’s see what’s wrong, handsome boy.” I proceeded to check his temperature. “You’re not hot, you’re not wet anymore, maybe you’re hungry?”
The rocking chair was calling my name and since the twins were too big to be nursed at the same time, and since James was in a mood, he went first while Jake occupied Ellie in the playroom. I know it sounds crazy, but a couple of weeks into what seemed like non-stop nursing after the birth of the twins, I decided to nurse them simultaneously. It was awkward for a few days, but once I got the hang of it, I was done in no time at all.
“What has you in such an unhappy mood, my baby?” My baby boy had beautiful blue eyes that were turning somewhat green now, and his straight black hair was showing signs of getting lighter and slightly wavy. “What can Momma do to make you feel better?” I did what James loved when he was nursing. I lightly combed my nails through his scalp and hair. He immediately placed his chubby little hand on my chest and dozed off.
I loved being a wife, and I loved being a mother. There was no explaining the happiness I felt when carrying James and or Ellie in my arms, or the pride I felt when either child accomplished a milestone. And there was no explaining the love that multiplied exponentially in my heart, every time I looked into my child’s eyes and felt the smile, the trust, the unconditional love from my babies. Motherhood, times two, was God’s greatest gift to me along with my husband Jake.
“You ready for your daughter? She’s getting restless.” I’d kept James a bit longer than usual just to calm his irritable temper and it was taking a toll on my daughter’s hungry belly.
“I think he’s sleeping, again.” I tried to unlatch James and next thing I knew, “Ouch!” I said a bit louder than necessary. It startled James and he did one of those open-mouthed hollers. That’s when I noticed what was wrong.
“You okay, Love? Did he bite your finger?”
“Nope, he bit down on a more sensitive body part,” I grimaced while saying this, “and I’ve figured out what’s got our son so upset. He’s teething. Look here.” I pointed to the two bottom areas of the gum where the teeth had cut through already. “He’s getting the two bottoms one at the same time. It looks painful. No wonder he’s unhappy.”
“Son, your daddy will be unhappy if you keep chomping down on my favorite body part,” he warned while attempting to pry away James from me. The loud holler voiced James’ opinion. He didn’t want to leave my side. “Your sister has to have her breakfast, too. Daddy’s going to feel offended if you keep giving preferential treatment to your mother. I know she’s your food source, but where will you be come baseball season if Momma is all you want? You think she can teach you how to catch a ball?” Jake lightly threw him up in the air—something James loved—to get him smiling. It did the trick.
“Can you take him downstairs and get a plastic teething ring from the freezer? Good thing I bought some the other day and put in the freezer. That should keep him happy for a while.”
“Will do, Love.” My loving husband kissed me one last time before he took James out of the room.
“Oh and Jake?”
“Yes?”
“I talked to Jane yesterday, and she’s not happy. She needs to come home, she needs to rest, and she needs Max.”
“Nothing I can do, Hon. That was her choice to go back into the rat race of partnership, and it was her choice to leave Max.”
“You have to help them. They’re both unhappy, but they’re both too stubborn to admit it and do something about it.”
“What can I do?”
“I’ll work on Jane. Can you meet with Max? He won’t return any of my calls. I’m feeling a bit hurt, to be honest with you, that Max won’t talk to me.”
