between us, this would be a hallmark moment. Suddenly, I realize it is. Even if it’s not in the traditional way, it’s a father getting to know his son and falling in love with his face, his smile, and his little-boy charm. And it’s a son finally having a dad.
Ben is focused on Archer and hasn’t noticed me yet, so I move as silently as possible over to the dresser and grab my cell phone that’s laying on top of it. Opening the camera app, I focus it on father and son bonding and snap a picture, knowing it will be something both of them will enjoy looking back at. The flash alerts Ben to my presence and his mouth lifts into a grin.
“Trying to be sneaky, huh?”
I simply smile back, not wanting to answer with some stupid, witty comeback and ruin the moment. Instead, I can feel myself sinking into a contemplative and slightly melancholic mood—unsure if I should be happy or sad, elated or depressed. There are too many things happening all at once and it’s hard to stay on top of everything.
“If you don’t mind putting him to bed, I’ll go get ready for bed myself. I’ve got classes tomorrow and work after, so I need as much sleep as I can get.”
We’ve talked earlier about him watching Archer while I’m gone during the day. Normally, Mrs. Walsh, our next-door neighbor, would watch Archer in the morning and whoever came home first, would take over. Mrs. Walsh has become part of the family really quickly and that way Archer isn’t dealing with strangers. She’s an older lady in her mid-sixties, but more often than not, she seems like she’s our age. Having outlived three husbands, she’s in no way bitter or sad, but seems to just take life one moment at a time. She’s a firecracker, and has become a reliable and beloved friend to all of us, as well as a grandma substitute for Archer. Although, I sometimes think that the main lesson he will learn from her is how to be a trouble-maker.
The first meeting with her left quite the lasting impression. It had been during the move and we nearly ran her ass over when she shot out of nowhere on her inline skates in front of the moving truck, forcing us to hit the brakes and hold our breath, hoping we hadn’t killed an old granny. Turned out, it was her second time on inline skates, and she wasn’t quite there yet when it came to controlling where she was going. Funnily enough, the scare we got was bigger than her own. Although she had seemed alright, we still decided to invite her inside and make her a cup of tea, which led to a wonderful friendship between all of us.
She helped us move in and was always bringing over home-baked stuff for me while I was pregnant, explaining that the baby needed comfort food. Though, I guess it was more the talking the two of us did, while sitting together until the wee hours of night, that she enjoyed. Her children are grown up and have moved far away—her son living in Scotland, while her daughter pretty much travels the world. We quickly became her surrogate children and with that, she became Archer’s grandma. A better grandma than my mother.
Mrs. Walsh was there for me when I needed a mother figure in my life. Since then, she has watched him countless times and is always there for all of us when we need her. At the same time, we help her out whenever she needs anything, and try to keep her as safe as possible when she decides it’s time to try something new and have fun. Basically, she’s part of our family now.
It’s good to know she’ll be there to help Ben out. I don’t want to undermine his qualities as a dad, but this is still all very new to him. He hasn’t had time to grow into the role and has never been around babies. It might be unfair, but I’d rather not take any chances. Therefore, knowing she’ll be just down the road if he needs anything, and will check up on them occasionally, gives me some peace of mind.
“Sure, I better start getting some practice,” Ben says, looking down at Archer,
Ben is focused on Archer and hasn’t noticed me yet, so I move as silently as possible over to the dresser and grab my cell phone that’s laying on top of it. Opening the camera app, I focus it on father and son bonding and snap a picture, knowing it will be something both of them will enjoy looking back at. The flash alerts Ben to my presence and his mouth lifts into a grin.
“Trying to be sneaky, huh?”
I simply smile back, not wanting to answer with some stupid, witty comeback and ruin the moment. Instead, I can feel myself sinking into a contemplative and slightly melancholic mood—unsure if I should be happy or sad, elated or depressed. There are too many things happening all at once and it’s hard to stay on top of everything.
“If you don’t mind putting him to bed, I’ll go get ready for bed myself. I’ve got classes tomorrow and work after, so I need as much sleep as I can get.”
We’ve talked earlier about him watching Archer while I’m gone during the day. Normally, Mrs. Walsh, our next-door neighbor, would watch Archer in the morning and whoever came home first, would take over. Mrs. Walsh has become part of the family really quickly and that way Archer isn’t dealing with strangers. She’s an older lady in her mid-sixties, but more often than not, she seems like she’s our age. Having outlived three husbands, she’s in no way bitter or sad, but seems to just take life one moment at a time. She’s a firecracker, and has become a reliable and beloved friend to all of us, as well as a grandma substitute for Archer. Although, I sometimes think that the main lesson he will learn from her is how to be a trouble-maker.
The first meeting with her left quite the lasting impression. It had been during the move and we nearly ran her ass over when she shot out of nowhere on her inline skates in front of the moving truck, forcing us to hit the brakes and hold our breath, hoping we hadn’t killed an old granny. Turned out, it was her second time on inline skates, and she wasn’t quite there yet when it came to controlling where she was going. Funnily enough, the scare we got was bigger than her own. Although she had seemed alright, we still decided to invite her inside and make her a cup of tea, which led to a wonderful friendship between all of us.
She helped us move in and was always bringing over home-baked stuff for me while I was pregnant, explaining that the baby needed comfort food. Though, I guess it was more the talking the two of us did, while sitting together until the wee hours of night, that she enjoyed. Her children are grown up and have moved far away—her son living in Scotland, while her daughter pretty much travels the world. We quickly became her surrogate children and with that, she became Archer’s grandma. A better grandma than my mother.
Mrs. Walsh was there for me when I needed a mother figure in my life. Since then, she has watched him countless times and is always there for all of us when we need her. At the same time, we help her out whenever she needs anything, and try to keep her as safe as possible when she decides it’s time to try something new and have fun. Basically, she’s part of our family now.
It’s good to know she’ll be there to help Ben out. I don’t want to undermine his qualities as a dad, but this is still all very new to him. He hasn’t had time to grow into the role and has never been around babies. It might be unfair, but I’d rather not take any chances. Therefore, knowing she’ll be just down the road if he needs anything, and will check up on them occasionally, gives me some peace of mind.
“Sure, I better start getting some practice,” Ben says, looking down at Archer,
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