I had to deal with the ones in his.
It wasn’t really a worry we couldn’t get tickets foreverybody.
When we went through the back gate after the graduationceremony, I saw the RCHB had been busy.Our backyard was transformed.Therewere balloons and streamers and banners everywhere, tables groaning with food,more groaning with wrapped gifts, feet thick on the ground and booties restingin every lawn chair in the neighborhood and some brought in from other placesbesides.
The confetti floated dense in the air among whoops andhollers when Liam showed his face.
Lee was the first to grab him by the back of his neck, givehim a manly shake, then pull him into a hug, beating his back so hard, I swear,Liam would have bruises.
Liam would never, not ever, complain.
He loved his Uncle Lee.
Eddie moved in next and did the same.
Liam wouldn’t complain about that either, because he feltthe same about his Uncle Eddie.
Daisy shouldered in next, reaching high, even if she waswearing Lucite, platform, stripper shoes that gave her at least an extra sixinches (my boy was as tall as his daddy, and then some).She grabbed his facein both hands.
“Look at you, honey bunches of oats,makin’your momma and daddy proud.Headed off to Harvard!”She turned, bent double,and shouted, “Harvard!”
Everyone who had a glass raised it (which was most of them)and everyone who didn’t (which was barely any) shouted, “Harvard!”
I laughed.
She turned back to Liam and smacked him gently twice on thecheek.“Proud of you, kid.Done good.”Then she whipped around again andyelled, “Now, where’s my margarita?”
“She’s like a demented cheerleader,” Liam muttered after shetottered away, but he was smiling, because she was, and he loved his AuntDaisy.
It was Darius who grasped the back of his neck then, and heheld on, walking his son forward, into the bosom of a whole bunch of people wholoved him, saying, “That she is, son.That she is.”
Not too long after that…
He knew I was there.
Nothing got by my man.
But he didn’t look up from his task.
“‘And the baby elephant said to the bunny, “But why does thefrog have to stay on his lily pad?”’”
He was rocking in the Jill bedroom.
Our daughter was on his chest, her big eyes drooping as herdaddy’s deep voice sounded around her and rumbled up into her as he read toher.
I left them to it.
I got all this goodness all to myself when I had Liam.
And I’d learned Darius would give me anything, but he was ababy hog.
I didn’t mind.
Not even a little.
Instead of going downstairs to my chair and my book in thestudy, I went to the kitchen, because I’d had to give up wine for pregnancy andbreastfeeding purposes, but now, I got it back.
I poured myself some then went to the turntable in theliving room.
