9
“He did not say that.” Matt, dressed in his kitchen whites, is taking a break to catch up with the results of today’s scan and hear about Janice’s visit on Sunday, in person.
“I kid you not.” Ben raises his beer glass and grins at Matt.
“Okay do we have to tell the entire world what I said?” Alex asks. Ben laughs and clinks glasses with Matt. He knows Alex thinks they’re teasing but the truth is he was impressed with Alex’s outburst and is more than a little proud that he had stood up to his mother.
“Proud of you, brat,” Claire echoes Ben’s thoughts. Dressed in a light cotton dress, she catches her breath and runs a hand over her belly. Signals to Alex to come over to her side, takes his hand, and places it beneath her own.
“Wait, wait, there,” she says, eyes sparkling. “Did you feel it?”
Alex’s face lights up and he nods.
“Oh my God, Ben come here.”
Ben kneels next to him and holds his hand out, then stops. Looks up Claire.
“Can I? Do you mind?”
He never just touches, always waits until Claire says it’s okay, remembering how Allie has always said she hated the way her body became public property when she was pregnant. Claire has given them this gift, and he doesn’t want to abuse the generosity with assumptions.
“Go for it,” she says and guides his hand to the spot the baby is currently kicking. Laughing, he turns to Alex and kisses him lightly on the mouth.
“That just never gets old,” he says.
At a nearby table a woman does a double take and directs her child to eat up; Ben nudges Alex back to his seat, unable stop grinning.
“We should probably find out about soccer classes now. Or swimming.”
Alex shakes his head.
“You’ve already got enrollment forms for judo, Ben. How about we wait a bit?” he says and accepts a plate of pasta from Matt. “Like I don’t know, three or four years maybe?”
“Yeah but waiting lists …”
“Yeah but no,” Alex says.
“You’re so bossy,” Ben's not really grumbling. The preparation for the baby seems to have brought out a quiet confidence in Alex that Ben has grown to like. His biggest fear after Janice’s surprise visit had been that he would retreat to his former reserved self, or worse to the reticence of their early days together. It's been a pleasant and welcome surprise to see that aside from the initial reaction, Alex seems to be coping. Ben also knows Alex is right about the sports classes but he can’t seem to help himself. Maybe it’s a reaction to his mother’s illness, but all he can think about is what they’ll do when the baby arrives. Alex keeps telling him the only thing anybody will be doing is trying to sleep between diaper changes and feeds but it hasn’t stopped Ben browsing for tricycles and swing-sets. Thankfully Alex stepped in before he ordered the latter, suggesting he look – just look he’d warned - at cribs and baby monitors instead.
Ben is about to tease Alex about who the fun parent will be, when a well-dressed woman approaches the table, a smile spreading over her face, arms open wide.
“Claire, oh my God!” she throws an arm around Claire’s shoulder and pats her bely. “I was hoping I’d see you here tonight. Look at you. You’re pregnant.”
Ben watches, bemused, as Claire shifts out of the woman’s embrace.
“Hello Gloria, how are you?” Claire indicates Matt. “I don’t think you ever met my husband Matt.”
“No, no. We spoke on the phone once or twice I believe,” Gloria holds her hand out, “but we never met in person. Claire redid our home and my husband’s office last year. How exciting for you both. When are you due?”
“September fifteen.”
“Oh very precise.” Gloria laughs.“Though of course baby rarely agrees with what mommy wants. Do you have names picked out? Have you asked what sex it is?”
Ben wants to tell her to piss off and stop talking about their baby that way; Alex’s fingers digging into his thigh tell him he’s not hiding that desire very well.
“Have you decided on names, guys?” Claire asks in a bright, cheerful voice. Ben gets a stab of pleasure from Gloria’s confused look and smiles at her.
“Yes we have names,” he says,” but they’re a secret for now.”
“Oh, I … don’t … understand,” Glorialooks around the faces in confusion.
“This is Alex and Ben’s baby,” Claire explains, “I’m just the incubator.”
Ben can’t help sniggering until Alex kicks his ankle.
“I, uh, I see,” Gloria says, trying to regain some composure. “Well, aren’t you generous? And aren’t you both very brave? I admire you.”
“Brave?” Ben asks.
“Well you know how people are, the way they look at things that aren’t quite the norm. Not that I think you’re not normal. It’s just you know usually parents are one of each gender. And raising a child is so challenging at the best of times and here you are taking that on with extra challenges. Like any parent hoping that we’ll raise them right to make the right choices, not make the mistakes we made …” Her voice trails off and as Ben tries to decide what to say, Alex picks up his glass and in a firm, confident voice answers.
“Actually, we just hope our children will be happy and healthy. I’m sure they’ll make plenty of mistakes and we’ll love them anyway.”
“Well yes of course. But I’m sure you wouldn’t want them to, well you know experience the things you have experienced being, you know…”
“I’m not entirely sure I do know, but I can tell you that you’re right, there are things I’ve experienced I hope my children never have to and very few of those have anything to do with the fact that I’m married to a man and not a woman.”
Scarlet, Gloria mutters goodbye to Claire and scuttles back to her table. Matt stares at his brother in shock and Claire, giggling, is apparently uncaring of whether the departing Gloria can hear her or not.
“Okay,” Ben stammers, “who are you and what have you done with Alex?”
“If I hadn’t seen that, I wouldn’t believe it,” Matt still looks astounded. “What the hell?”
Ben catches Gloria looking at them over her shoulder and gives her a wave; she whips her head back around to her own table. He puts his arm along the back of Alex’s chair.
“I don’t know, I’m just sick of people making assumptions about me I guess,” Alex scowls and turns to Claire, “I hope she wasn’t an important client.”
“Not anymore, she isn’t.”
“And noted,” Ben adds with a grin, “no more assumptions about Alex.”
Matt excuses himself to the kitchen and comes back, to Ben’s delight, with dishes of cheesecake.
“You are, by far, my favorite brother-in-law.” He picks up his fork. “If only Mr Bossy here would learn to make it.”
“He can,” Matt says, “the original recipe came from him.”
“You added the extras and perfected it,” Alex licks coulis off the edge of his fork.
“Wait,” Ben says, confused. “You know how to make this thing?”
“Mmmmhmmmm,. Well a more basic version but, yeah."
“You said only your brother knows how to make it.”
“No I didn’t, I said it's his specialty and it is.” Alex looks, in Ben’s opinion, far too pleased with himself. “It’s a fairly simple chocolate cheesecake but he adds things to it.”
“Well how come you never make it at home?”
“You’ve never asked me to,” Alex stretches over with his fork to take a piece off the end of Ben’s slice. Ben pulls his plate away with an indignant squeak and questions whether Alex has ever loved him if he can keep such a secret from him.
“Sweetheart, I have much better ways of saying I love you than cheesecake,” Alex says. He ducks his head but not before Ben sees his cheeks are bright red. Good, a little confidence goes a long away Ben thinks but that blush is still hot.
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Before they leave, Ben excuses himself to the bathroom, and Alex sees he’s favoring his right leg as he crosses the room. The cane has long been packed away and all attempts by Alex to get Ben to use it when he’s tired have been resisted. He sighs.
“He’s limping tonight,” Claire says in his ear.
“Yeah, he’s tired.” Alex puts his arm around her. “The travelling down to the beach, the hours at work. Sorting the crap with mom.”
Claire leans her head on his shoulder.
“You guys heading down tomorrow evening?”
“I was able to convince him to take the afternoon off, so we’ll leave around lunchtime. That way he gets an extra evening with her.” Alex closes his eyes and rolls his shoulders. “We should get you an appointment at a day spa or something.”
“Your brother has it covered, don’t worry.” Claire smiles. “How’s she doing?”
“Not great. I had a call from the nurse who spends the night, we’re going to have talk hospice or home care when we get down there.” Alex pinches the bridge of his nose. “I haven’t told Ben yet. No point upsetting him until we get down there and see how she is and know more.”
“Oh God, Alex. Is there anything we can do?”
“Actually, there is,” Alex says and with one eye on the bathroom door, tells Claire what he wants to do.
They’re finalizing details when Ben comes back from the bathroom, swinging his keys around his finger.
“Ready?” he asks before leaning into hug Claire. He asks if he can say goodnight to the baby. She giggles and nods as he runs a gentle caress over the curve of her belly. Matt leans over the serving bench to say goodbye and tell them to give his love to Allie and Polly and when Alex reminds him to let them know if their mother gives them any trouble he just rolls his eyes and walks away.
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