him to New York City when she came for the conference. Then he put it in
an envelope and licked it closed. As promised, he pulled out the clothes he
would wear to school the next morning and laid them on the chair next to his
bed. The he brushed his teeth, and changed into his pajamas. After saying
prayers with his mother, Luca climbed into bed and fell asleep.
*****
Lindsey Lathem, David’s wife and Ben’s sister-in-law, left
the dining table for the second time. Maureen, Ben’s mother, stood up and
followed her up two flights of stairs to a bathroom off one of the guest rooms.
“Honey?” she called through the door. “Are you okay?” After
a moment or two, Maureen heard the door being unlocked but it didn’t open. “I’m
coming in Lindsey.”
Opening the door, Maureen was greeted with Lindsey, lying on
the floor, head lying on the toilet seat, looking positively green.
“Oh my,” Maureen said. “That look says food poisoning or
pregnant.”
“Pregnant, I think,” sighed Lindsey. “But please don’t say a
word. I haven’t told David yet.”
Maureen nodded and stepped over Lindsey’s body to sit on the
edge of the tub. She pulled a wash cloth from the basket on the shelf above the
Jacuzzi tub and soaked it under the faucet. Wringing it out, she gathered
Lindsey’s long hair and placed the cool cloth on the back of her neck. Then she
pulled off a strip of toilet paper and handed it to Lindsey to wipe her mouth.
“I don’t want him to be disappointed like last time,”
Lindsey finally spoke. “He was devastated when we lost the baby.”
“So were you,” Maureen added.
“I know, but he felt so…so…I don’t know.”
“Shhh,” Maureen soothed. “I know.”
David and Lindsey had announced they were expecting a baby
in seven months on a Sunday at their weekly family dinner just like today. The
following weekend she’d miscarried. It took her several weeks before she could
come back to the house for dinner. Now, eight months later, Maureen could see
the fear in her daughter-in-law’s eyes.
“You need to tell him, sweetheart,” Maureen stroked her hair
and pulled the cloth to re-wet it, this time gently wiping her forehead. “You
need him. He needs to be with here with you.”
“I know,” she sighed.
“Go and lie down. I’m going to go and get him, okay?”
“Okay,” she smiled. “Maureen?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Half an hour later, Janie asked where Lindsey and David had
gone.
“They had to go. Lindsey had a crisis to attend do,” Maureen
said.
“Now she has four restaurants there’s always gonna be a
crisis somewhere,” Rory added.
Maureen dished up dessert, apple pie with ice cream, and
thought about her daughter-in-law, praying silently that this time all would be
well.
Ben took seconds and Maureen was shocked. “You hardly ever
even eat dessert let alone have second helpings!”
“Yeah well,” he shrugged.
“What is it?” asked Nic, Paul’s wife. “I always go for sugar
when I’m depressed, but you can’t be depressed. You’re Ben Lathem!
International symbol for happy bachelors.”
Most of the family chuckled at her spot-on assessment. Ben,
however, was not amused.
“Ha ha,” he muttered while shoveling pie into his mouth.
He drove home, thinking about Nic’s words. What a croc they
were! He enjoyed being a bachelor, that was true, but he certainly wasn’t any
poster boy. Maybe I am depressed .
He’d only been home for a few minutes when his doorman
buzzed. “There’s a young man here by the name of Alex. Says he’s a friend of
yours.”
Ben chuckled. “Yep. Send him up.”
He opened the door the second the doorbell rang. “Come in,”
he grinned. “Do you not actually have a phone?”
“You know, grandpa is always going on and on about us kids
always have our heads down looking at computers and smart phones and that we’re
losing the art of conversation. So I thought I’d just stop by.”
Ben couldn’t help but give
an envelope and licked it closed. As promised, he pulled out the clothes he
would wear to school the next morning and laid them on the chair next to his
bed. The he brushed his teeth, and changed into his pajamas. After saying
prayers with his mother, Luca climbed into bed and fell asleep.
*****
Lindsey Lathem, David’s wife and Ben’s sister-in-law, left
the dining table for the second time. Maureen, Ben’s mother, stood up and
followed her up two flights of stairs to a bathroom off one of the guest rooms.
“Honey?” she called through the door. “Are you okay?” After
a moment or two, Maureen heard the door being unlocked but it didn’t open. “I’m
coming in Lindsey.”
Opening the door, Maureen was greeted with Lindsey, lying on
the floor, head lying on the toilet seat, looking positively green.
“Oh my,” Maureen said. “That look says food poisoning or
pregnant.”
“Pregnant, I think,” sighed Lindsey. “But please don’t say a
word. I haven’t told David yet.”
Maureen nodded and stepped over Lindsey’s body to sit on the
edge of the tub. She pulled a wash cloth from the basket on the shelf above the
Jacuzzi tub and soaked it under the faucet. Wringing it out, she gathered
Lindsey’s long hair and placed the cool cloth on the back of her neck. Then she
pulled off a strip of toilet paper and handed it to Lindsey to wipe her mouth.
“I don’t want him to be disappointed like last time,”
Lindsey finally spoke. “He was devastated when we lost the baby.”
“So were you,” Maureen added.
“I know, but he felt so…so…I don’t know.”
“Shhh,” Maureen soothed. “I know.”
David and Lindsey had announced they were expecting a baby
in seven months on a Sunday at their weekly family dinner just like today. The
following weekend she’d miscarried. It took her several weeks before she could
come back to the house for dinner. Now, eight months later, Maureen could see
the fear in her daughter-in-law’s eyes.
“You need to tell him, sweetheart,” Maureen stroked her hair
and pulled the cloth to re-wet it, this time gently wiping her forehead. “You
need him. He needs to be with here with you.”
“I know,” she sighed.
“Go and lie down. I’m going to go and get him, okay?”
“Okay,” she smiled. “Maureen?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Half an hour later, Janie asked where Lindsey and David had
gone.
“They had to go. Lindsey had a crisis to attend do,” Maureen
said.
“Now she has four restaurants there’s always gonna be a
crisis somewhere,” Rory added.
Maureen dished up dessert, apple pie with ice cream, and
thought about her daughter-in-law, praying silently that this time all would be
well.
Ben took seconds and Maureen was shocked. “You hardly ever
even eat dessert let alone have second helpings!”
“Yeah well,” he shrugged.
“What is it?” asked Nic, Paul’s wife. “I always go for sugar
when I’m depressed, but you can’t be depressed. You’re Ben Lathem!
International symbol for happy bachelors.”
Most of the family chuckled at her spot-on assessment. Ben,
however, was not amused.
“Ha ha,” he muttered while shoveling pie into his mouth.
He drove home, thinking about Nic’s words. What a croc they
were! He enjoyed being a bachelor, that was true, but he certainly wasn’t any
poster boy. Maybe I am depressed .
He’d only been home for a few minutes when his doorman
buzzed. “There’s a young man here by the name of Alex. Says he’s a friend of
yours.”
Ben chuckled. “Yep. Send him up.”
He opened the door the second the doorbell rang. “Come in,”
he grinned. “Do you not actually have a phone?”
“You know, grandpa is always going on and on about us kids
always have our heads down looking at computers and smart phones and that we’re
losing the art of conversation. So I thought I’d just stop by.”
Ben couldn’t help but give
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