Chapter 99: Hanging Out

Dad, Ang, and I went to a sports bar one night to watch the Hockey game. Dad missed big crowds when watching the game. He has a bunch of cronies that all get together – it’s like a mini Godfather scene. So picture us sitting in a bar in Jersey, where the game was Bruins vs. Devils, Dad and I in full B’s gear, cheering for Boston! Well, Ang wasn’t the traitor. She was all for Jersey. We had a hell of a time, cheering on the B’s. They played well, and Dad and I smugly accepted the nods of congratulations from the Devils fans at the end of the game; even Ang.

When we got home, I checked the board, and there was another message from Sam. Guess her and Mom are coming to terms with what will work and what won’t. “We've sorta come to an agreement,” she said. “I've done my damnedest not to go off on her and say something I'd regret...or hurt her feelings. I mean, hell, I know she's just trying to help out. And, she's figured out that I don't take orders well. Now, she doesn't tell me what I'm going to eat...she asks me...and she doesn't tell me when to go to sleep...she just guilts me into getting my rest....lol” That’s progress anyway.

We girls decided to descend on Sam’s for a “pretty party”. Stephanie is going to come down for the weekend, and we’re going to have a great time. I called over to the salon that did my hair and makeup for David’s birthday surprise, and they were more than happy to arrange to bring what they needed for nail day to Sam’s house. We were giddy with anticipation.

Ang and I went over to Sam’s early the next morning. We met Patti in the driveway; she was staring up at the house. “Whoa,” she said. “This is a big place.”

Ang and I just smiled. Just wait until she saw the pictures in there. “You can be discreet, right?” I asked her. We had spoken on the phone, and I had met her when I got all gussied up for David’s birthday, but it was good to be sure.

“Absolutely,” she said. “Why?”

“Just that the owner of the house doesn’t want his address leaked all over the place,” I said, and led the way inside. In the foyer was a blow up of a photograph from the wedding. It showed the whole wedding party around Sam and Jon, and it was gorgeous, and Patti just stared.

“Fuck me,” she said. “This is Jon Bon Jovi’s house?”

“Yes,” Sam said. “And I’m his wife.” She came over, arm extended, and Patti shook her hand.

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” she said. “You look great. Are we ready?”

The doorbell rang, and it was Stephanie, perfect timing as always. We all exchanged hugs and went into the living room. We settled in with either wine or sparkling cider, depending on the status of our wombs, and just had fun. Patti was great, keeping us all laughing with stories from the chair as it were, and we had her in hysterics with some of the pranks that we’d played on each other – the normal ones that pretty much happened in public.

Toward the end of the afternoon, we were feeling a little silly and giddy and Sam and I were sitting next to each other anyway, and Stephanie commented on how we looked we were about the same size, belly wise. Sam and I stood up, well I had to crouch a little so our bellies would touch as we faced each other, and we looked at the camera and made goofy faces. Steph laughed and snapped off a few shots of us to send to the guys.

It was getting on close to dinner time, and the LJs and I were hungry. No big surprise; since getting pregnant, visibly pregnant, I’m hungry all the time. The girls think it’s hysterical because I’m not gaining any weight except in my belly (thank God), and they tell me the kids are going to eat me out of house and home. I don’t care; I just can’t wait to meet them. The girls also think my cravings are funny.

I've been craving pistachios all weekend. Not the natural ones, either; the ones that've been dyed red. Do you know how hard those are to find?!? I found bushels of them online though and I think my fingers are permanently stained red. I brought a bunch with me this weekend, and Patti was reprimanding me for getting red all over her manicure. It was a great afternoon, and once Patti left, we sat around just having a good old fashioned girlfriend gabfest. It was just what we needed. Eventually, we took the conversation up to the bedrooms, and all crowded on Sam’s bed, making ourselves comfortable. Little by little, our conversation dropped off, and we started getting snoozy, but nobody wanted to move. We ended up falling asleep together, all cuddled up on Sam’s bed.

The next morning, Sam and I woke to find ourselves alone in the bed. Ang was an early riser, and I guess Stephanie got up to – sniff – yep, cook breakfast. We looked at each other and smiled. Breakfast was definitely one of our favorite meals, and Sam was ready for something more than oatmeal and yogurt. We followed our noses to bacon, sausage, pancakes, and French toast.

“Stephanie,” Sam said, taking a bite of a perfectly crisped slice of bacon. “I love you.” She closed her eyes and chewed slowly, not wanting to waste a single morsel. I, of course, dug right in, and put a pile of food on my plate, and drenched it liberally with dark amber maple syrup. Even Sam looked at me funny.

“What?” I said. “The kids like it sweet.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ang said. “It’s the KIDS who like it.”

I flipped her off, and we finished our breakfast and cleared the dishes. Sam took us on a tour of what was going on in the back yard, and it was going to be gorgeous when Marchie was done. Sam told us about how he came sniffing around the other day, and my mother basically accused him of having an affair with Jon. We all nearly pissed ourselves laughing, considering there were very few men who were straighter than Jon. We were wiping tears from our eyes from laughing so hard. We all needed this little respite, and were sad when Stephanie said she had to go. Once we exchanged tearful hugs and kisses, we watched her drive away.

Sam looked at me and sighed. “I guess this means your Mom’s coming back now,” she said.

“Yeah, probably,” I agreed. “Is it still that bad?”

“No,” Sam grudgingly admitted, “but I want my life back.”

I gave her a hug, and Ang hugged the two of us together. “Don’t worry, Sam,” Ang said. “Mom won’t be here forever. She’s just giving you motivation to rest. The quicker your BP comes down, the quicker she’s outta here.”

“I know,” Sam said with a smile. “Actually, sometimes it’s fun to bitch at her. She’s so damned unflappable and nice that it’s funny to try to get her color to rise.”

I just shook my head at her. I play those games with my mother, too. She’s right, they are fun. Shortly after lunch, Ang and I left for my house, and Mom left for Sam’s. We spent the afternoon just hanging around and reading. Daddy's been waiting on us (like Sam, he was glad to see Mom have somewhere else to go; after 40 years, they like their "alone time") and we're having a lazy day.

At one point, we hopped onto the board to talk to Lucy; she said she was going to the beach. The beach sounds like fun. It’s way too cold here still. I suggested to her that she and Ava bury Richie in the wand. My brother and I used to do that to my Dad. We'd dig as deep as we could reach, and have him sit in the hole, then cover him over and tamp down the sand and see if he could get out. By the time we were in middle school, he couldn’t get out anymore.

Lucy screen-laughed at us. “lmao,” she typed. “That’s a damn good idea lol. I don't know if we are actually going to like lay out on the beach though, and I think even Zan wouldn't let us bury him in his clothes (as opposed to a swim trunks lol) but its good reference for the future. Gypsy is absolutely loving it here. No snow, no wet grass and Lil' bit spoils her rotten lol. I think she has a new best friend.” We told her not to worry; Gypsy still loves her momma best.