“Move over, make some room for me!”
“Sure thing!” I shifted over on the couch, Annie curled up next to me and snuggled her head into my chest.
I reached over and picked up the baby monitor, we stared at the screen. Both girls were finally asleep. Lyd was sprawled out, one leg sticking out from under the sheets, the book next to her looked like it was trying to imitate her.
Reggie looked like a passed out drunk.
“Little Sweeties…”
“What did we do before those two?”
“I struggle to recall, whatever it was, it felt awfully important at the time.”
Thirteen years a wife, eight as a mother, so much has changed, but the feeling of her head on my chest is not one of those things.

It was winter, early 2003. That same head rested on my chest for the first time. It was the most natural thing ever. I felt content, it felt like Home.
“I would like to give you a kiss.” I whispered.
“I would like that.” She whispered back…

Earlier that same winter, I was moving on from a pretty rough breakup of what had become a pretty rough relationship. My folks let me stay at Home until I found a new place to live. I was a little depressed over the current situation, but optimistic about what I moved on from and where I was going.
I did not want a relationship. It was easily the last thing I was interested in.
Then one night I was browsing a book store.
“Brooks?”
I looked up, a little startled and stammered, “Ann?”
“I thought you moved to Cleveland.”
“I moved back. I thought you moved to D.C.”
“I moved back.”
Ann was an acquaintance. A member of a circle of loosely knit friends. We had a brief catch-up conversation. (She has pretty hair, and those eyes… I brushed away the thought. Brooks! You are single. Happily single. Shake it off. Be single).
“We’re headed to Old Chicago for a drink and to wait out rush hour. Want to join us?”
I thought it over and shrugged, “Sure?”
“Mary! I found us a date!”
Mary emerged from a nearby aisle, “Get! Out! Didn’t you move to Cleveland?”
My eyes lingered on Annie for a moment, “I came Home.”

“My permission slip is due today!” Lyd yelled from the Living Room.
“Permission slip for what?” I asked her.
“My field trip!”
“The one next week?”
“I sent it in.” Annie called out, “Last week.”
“School told me they don’t have one for me.” Lyd countered.
“Or did I?” Annie said more to herself than any of us. She stepped out of the bathroom, mascara brush still in hand. She began flipping through a bunch of papers held by a magnet to the fridge.
“Oh. I did not send it in, despite a crystal clear memory of doing it! Ten Dollars. Brooks? Do you have any cash?”
“Already on it.” As I pulled the money out of my wallet.
“I picture the admin staff at the school, going through permission slips singing, ‘B#*ch betta have ma money’.”

I was still living at Home, I failed at my goal of staying single after bumping into Ann at a bookstore. She was a part-time chef and part-time server at Fyfe’s. I was running late, but I wasn’t worried. She was in no hurry. She would sit and relax with a cocktail until I got there.
Then again I was running awfully late. Suddenly Africa by Toto came on. I was in too good of a mood to fret about being late, especially when Toto needs a singer!
I was belting it out at the roof of my car when my phone began ringing, I looked at the display, it was Ann. I declined the call just in time to do a slow drum roll on the steering wheel before punching that chorus.
When the song ended, I immediately called her back.
“Hello?”
“You don’t interrupt Toto.”
“Hurry Boy, I’m waiting here for you.” I was struck dumb, her comeback was so quick. She never missed a beat on that one. More silence from me, she continued, “How soon?”
“Ten if I get all greens.”
“See ya soon!”
“You too.”
I flipped close the phone, “That’s a lady to marry.” I thought, smiling.

Annie stepped into the bathroom, Regina saw this and slipped through the door right before it closed. “Reggie? What are you doing in here?”
“Visiting.”
“You know, I’d really like some privacy once in a while.”
“I know! We can have privacy together!”
“You keep using that word. I’m not sure if that word means what you think it means.”

First date…
“Ooh, this display is of the Mississippians! This was an incredibly large culture of Native Americans, concentrated along the Mississippi River. They were mostly southern. But get this, on the way here, we drove past one of their most northern settlements, Aztalan!”
“Interesting…” Ann replied, reading the panel next to the Museum Diorama, noting the years. “Meanwhile in England, Shakespeare wrote Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night.”
“If we should stop dating, I think it would be one of the greatest regrets I will ever have.” I thought.

“How many kids do you want?”
“Four! Five!”
“Serious? I was thinking maybe two.”
“Two?”
“Listen, I’m the one who will be carrying them. I’d like to keep it around two.”
“So…you would want kids with me?”
Her eyes widened. She let on a little too much. After a couple of moments she regained herself, “You’d have to marry me first McGrath.”
“What do you think of the name Lydia?”
“Lydia? I had an Aunt Lydia, I liked her. Quit talking baby names! Marriage first!”
“Lydia?”
“I Love the name.”

A few years later…
“Hello Lydia. Welcome to the world.”
The confused little lump of flesh instantly turned toward the sound of Annie’s voice. Annie stroked her hair, and Lydia’s eyes looked sleepy.

“Brooks!” She hissed. “Brooks!”
“What?”
“Turn down the TV!”
“Okay…”
“Listen!” I cocked my head, a few seconds later, I smiled. Annie went on, “Regina snores! They are the tiniest cutest snores I have ever heard!”

“You are seriously the greatest husband in the world.” She said through a mouthful of McDonald’s French fries.
“I need you alive if you are going to have a baby!”
“Huh?”
“You said so on the phone, ‘If you do not get me McDonald’s French Fries, I will die.’ Your words!”
“Lucky you.” She mumbled as she finished the last fry. “So, do we still like the name Lydia?”
I said the name to myself a few times, trying to say it as casually as possible. “All rise for the Honorable Lydia McGrath. I yield the floor to my colleague from Wisconsin, Senator Lydia McGrath.” I turned to Annie, “Yes. I think it has gone past being liked. I’m actually Loving that name.”
“So glad you said that! I’ve kinda fallen in Love with the name too. I think she’s okay with it too.” She patted her growing tummy and gave me that sweet and affectionate smile that has always managed to soften whatever mood I was in. “Now get me Home McGrath! If I don’t get out of these shoes and this bra I will…”
“Die?”
“Ha! I see what you did there!”

“Spit it out! Regina…Spit. It. Out NOW.” I stepped into the living room to see Annie in leggings and a worn-out “Home Only” tee shirt, kneeling in front of Reg, holding out her hand. A mouthful of slimy crayons glooped onto Annie’s hand and she gave Annie a dirty look. She stood up with the saliva and crayon slurry cupped in her hand and walked past me to the garbage bin. “You are going to have some interesting looking diapers to change tomorrow! Have fun with that.”

“I am terribly sorry to have to say this, but your baby has miscarried.” Side by side we sat there at a loss for words.

“Mrs. McGrath…MRS. McGrath. Hi there! My name is Ann McGrath. Hi there! My name is Annie McGrath. It has a nice ring to it. I could live with that.”

“We’re here! Ready to watch Lydia!”
“Bad news. Lyd just puked, and from the looks of things, I don’t think it’s a one-time thing.”
“Oh no! Poor Baby!”
“Well the good news is, you two are about to go on a date!” Annie handed her sister and her boyfriend our movie tickets.
Thank God we stayed in! Turned out Annie and I had the same bug.

“So! You said you had something special planned when I got here.”
“Yes! Tonight I will be feeding you my roasted chicken recipe!”
“Sounds delicious!”
“It is! I drape it in bacon. Halfway through, I remove the bacon and I feed you chicken flavored bacon. When it’s all over, I feed you bacon flavored chicken!”
“You’re a feeder.”
“You’re skinny.”
“You’re going to make a great Mom someday.” Her face changed, “Did I say something wrong?”
“No. That was just a really sweet thing to say.” She wiped a tear, “I better start prepping. Go away, get out of my kitchen. Go watch Sportsball or whatever it is you watch.

“So! How’s it looking back there Mom?”
Regina, as Annie was “helping” her after she went to the potty.

“It’s more than simply feeding someone for me! Food…we literally need food in order to live. So for me, cooking, creating…feeding, is about keeping one alive, it is an act of Love. It’s a way to tell someone you care about them, you want them to be sustained and to be full and content and healthy. To feed someone is to Love someone.”

“Why are we not going Home?”
“We need to make a stop.”
“Where?”
“It’s a surprise.” I rolled my eyes, “It’s a SURPRISE! Ever Loving you can be a jackass about surprises.” I put the car in park. “Hun, lately, you’ve been insanely stressed out with work.” I gestured out the window to Half-Price Books. “See that?” She nodded. I held up a $20 bill, “See this?” She nodded. “You have ten minutes. Do you accept the challenge?” I never finished that last question, she grabbed the $20 and was running across the parking lot.

I was looking out the front window of our place on the North Side, “Police are just now taking down the yellow tape. They are beginning to leave. Ugh. Those Red & Blues were flashing in our bedroom all night.”
“Do you think he…or she lived?”
“I don’t know any more than you at this point Hun. Nothing in the newsfeeds about this. I didn’t catch any updates on the Police Scanner.”
“Those gunshots, I can’t remember ever being more scared. Scared for us, scared for Lyd.” She held Lydia close to her. “We can’t live here anymore Brooks.”
“I couldn’t agree more. It’s time we left this city for a smaller more peaceful place.”
“Your hometown?”
“I like the idea.”
“So do I. Let’s get out of here.”

“Mommy? I am dressed as a tulip ballet dancer with wings, and I have my Reggie size cooking mitten. I am ready to help you cut Broccoli.”
“Brooks?”
“What’s up Hun?”
“Get Reggie out of the room as soon as you can.”
“Why?”
“She’s in danger. I am about to eat her.”
“Eat me? Noooo! Don’t eat me. I won’t be alive if you eat me. Eat Broccoli!”

“I don’t think I can Love you any more than now.” Annie, the day I proposed
“I don’t think I can Love you any more than now.” Annie, the day we married
“I don’t think I can Love any more than right now.” Annie, the day Lydia was born.
“Remember what I said when Lydia was born? I was wrong that day.” (you guessed it!) The day Regina was born.

“Think about it Annie, someday our daughters will be old women, and we’ll be long dead. We’ll be memories. We’ll be stories told around a Thanksgiving Table.” I gave her hand a squeeze, “Let’s give them a Love Story.”

“Are you okay Annie? You have a look on your face.”
“I’m fine. Just taking it all in. You, me, our girls.” She tried to put the baby monitor back on the coffee table without taking her head off my chest. I took it from her and did it.
“This all started in a bookstore.”
“Of COURSE we would fall for each other at a bookstore!”
“Whatever happened to those two?”
“They built a Home . . .then lived there.” She snuggled closer into me and took another look at the girls, “Feels like…Home.”

Happy Mother’s Day Annie.