felt connect to her.
Cat made it through the
procedure with flying colors. She was tired, sore, and a little out of it, but
she didn’t complain once, either in the recovery room after she’d woken up, or
on the ride home.
Old Zucker Brothers
movies were a steady companion that weekend. They helped keep the sense of loss
at bay. It was a stopgap solution, we both knew it, but the sheer lunacy of Airplane!,
Top Secret, and The Naked Gun proved the cathartic distraction Cat’s
mind so desperately needed.
The Maddoxes stopped by
Saturday afternoon.
“We come bearing gifts.”
Mary Jo’s voice was cheery, if forced, and she toted a bag filled with a dozen
containers of Chinese takeout. Those containers meant more sit-ups for me, but screw
it. All hail comfort food.
Mary Jo set the bag on
the kitchen table and made a beeline for her daughter. They spoke in hushed
tones.
“Hey Rick.” The Colonel
gave me a hearty handshake. “Thank you for being by Cat’s side during all this.
It means a lot to my wife and me.” Not one for sentiment, his words were
clipped but sincere.
“I wouldn’t consider
being anywhere else right now. You’re stuck with me. For better or worse.”
His moustache angled in a
smile. “I could think of worse things.”
“Boys,” Mary Jo called
from the kitchen. “Come and get it before Catherine and her sister eat it all.
Honestly, girls. Do you two have hollow legs?”
Jude forked Lo Mein onto
a paper plate. “What can I say? Between my students and Rob, I’m a very active
girl. I need the calories to maintain my dynamic lifestyle. Hey, that’s my egg
roll, Cat.”
“Is not.”
“Is too!”
Mary Jo rolled her eyes.
“There’s plenty for both of you.”
“Rick,” The Colonel
sighed. “Have I mentioned to never, ever have daughters?”
“I do remember having
that conversation. Quick, let’s get something before they scarf it all.”
The kitchen table played
host to a flurry of plastic forks, elbows, and yelling.
I couldn’t help but
smile.
Everything was going to
be A-okay.
CHAPTER 23
Labor Day: the symbolic
end of summer. A day of picnics and gathered friends. That one last opportunity
to enjoy the warmth of the summer sun before fall intrudes with its promises of
winter.
Cat and I had gotten our
fair share of picnic invites. It was appreciated, but not for us. The
miscarriage a not-so-distant memory, something more intimate and relaxing was
in order. We decided to celebrate the last dregs of summer by ourselves.
Mercer County Park was
one of our favorite haunts, with its three hundred plus acre lake, marina,
tennis courts, bike trails, and recreation areas.
We walked hand in hand
toward the lake where it was cooler. August disappeared with the flip of a
calendar page, but summer held on fast. The sun burned through a smattering of wispy
clouds.
Catherine set a blanket
on a patch of grass; a slight incline not far from the tranquil water of the
lake’s edge.
“This was a great idea,
Ricky.” Catherine lay down on the blanket, ankles crossed and fingers laced
beneath her head. With her eyes closed against the sunlight, for the first time
in a long time, her expression was peaceful. “It’s nice to decompress after
being cooped up. Just the two of us, stretching our legs. Mmmmm.”
My fingers made my way to
my mouth. Rather than gnash them, I sat Indian-style next to her. “Isn’t the
lease up on your apartment soon?”
“Mmm hmmm.”
“Well, I had a thought.
It’s cool either way. I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t want to but ...” I
don’t know why I had such a hard time spitting it out. I studied a patch of
grass that wasn’t all that interesting, desperate to play it cool. “Do you
think there’s a chance you’d like to move in with me?”
A bird chirped, kids
yelled in excitement, a small paddleboat drifted lazily by. Catherine had gone
very still. Between the closed eyes and the steady rise and fall of her
Cat made it through the
procedure with flying colors. She was tired, sore, and a little out of it, but
she didn’t complain once, either in the recovery room after she’d woken up, or
on the ride home.
Old Zucker Brothers
movies were a steady companion that weekend. They helped keep the sense of loss
at bay. It was a stopgap solution, we both knew it, but the sheer lunacy of Airplane!,
Top Secret, and The Naked Gun proved the cathartic distraction Cat’s
mind so desperately needed.
The Maddoxes stopped by
Saturday afternoon.
“We come bearing gifts.”
Mary Jo’s voice was cheery, if forced, and she toted a bag filled with a dozen
containers of Chinese takeout. Those containers meant more sit-ups for me, but screw
it. All hail comfort food.
Mary Jo set the bag on
the kitchen table and made a beeline for her daughter. They spoke in hushed
tones.
“Hey Rick.” The Colonel
gave me a hearty handshake. “Thank you for being by Cat’s side during all this.
It means a lot to my wife and me.” Not one for sentiment, his words were
clipped but sincere.
“I wouldn’t consider
being anywhere else right now. You’re stuck with me. For better or worse.”
His moustache angled in a
smile. “I could think of worse things.”
“Boys,” Mary Jo called
from the kitchen. “Come and get it before Catherine and her sister eat it all.
Honestly, girls. Do you two have hollow legs?”
Jude forked Lo Mein onto
a paper plate. “What can I say? Between my students and Rob, I’m a very active
girl. I need the calories to maintain my dynamic lifestyle. Hey, that’s my egg
roll, Cat.”
“Is not.”
“Is too!”
Mary Jo rolled her eyes.
“There’s plenty for both of you.”
“Rick,” The Colonel
sighed. “Have I mentioned to never, ever have daughters?”
“I do remember having
that conversation. Quick, let’s get something before they scarf it all.”
The kitchen table played
host to a flurry of plastic forks, elbows, and yelling.
I couldn’t help but
smile.
Everything was going to
be A-okay.
CHAPTER 23
Labor Day: the symbolic
end of summer. A day of picnics and gathered friends. That one last opportunity
to enjoy the warmth of the summer sun before fall intrudes with its promises of
winter.
Cat and I had gotten our
fair share of picnic invites. It was appreciated, but not for us. The
miscarriage a not-so-distant memory, something more intimate and relaxing was
in order. We decided to celebrate the last dregs of summer by ourselves.
Mercer County Park was
one of our favorite haunts, with its three hundred plus acre lake, marina,
tennis courts, bike trails, and recreation areas.
We walked hand in hand
toward the lake where it was cooler. August disappeared with the flip of a
calendar page, but summer held on fast. The sun burned through a smattering of wispy
clouds.
Catherine set a blanket
on a patch of grass; a slight incline not far from the tranquil water of the
lake’s edge.
“This was a great idea,
Ricky.” Catherine lay down on the blanket, ankles crossed and fingers laced
beneath her head. With her eyes closed against the sunlight, for the first time
in a long time, her expression was peaceful. “It’s nice to decompress after
being cooped up. Just the two of us, stretching our legs. Mmmmm.”
My fingers made my way to
my mouth. Rather than gnash them, I sat Indian-style next to her. “Isn’t the
lease up on your apartment soon?”
“Mmm hmmm.”
“Well, I had a thought.
It’s cool either way. I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t want to but ...” I
don’t know why I had such a hard time spitting it out. I studied a patch of
grass that wasn’t all that interesting, desperate to play it cool. “Do you
think there’s a chance you’d like to move in with me?”
A bird chirped, kids
yelled in excitement, a small paddleboat drifted lazily by. Catherine had gone
very still. Between the closed eyes and the steady rise and fall of her
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