“I think this is the quietest he’s been in a week,” Ed noted.
Leta and her husband Richard were visiting Leta’s
granddaughter Connie, her husband Ed, and their new baby Christopher. The
child, they learned, was a crier. When he was content, which was very rare, was
when either his mother or grandmother, Leta’s daughter-in-law Kathryn, was
holding him in the rocking chair.
This time, however, Leta was holding him and sitting on the
sofa beside her husband. She noted earlier that he had opened his eyes a couple
of times, but for the moment was asleep.
Connie had recently gone into the kitchen to make coffee to
accompany the pie that Leta had brought.
“I’m going to help Connie in the kitchen,” Kathryn said, as
she rose. “Richard, how do you like your coffee?”
“Just black is fine for me, Kate,” he answered.
A couple of minutes later, Kathryn and Connie returned with
coffee and slices of pie on plates.
“I can take the baby, if you want, while you eat your pie,
Grandma,” Connie offered.
“How about you eat your pie first, and then we’ll trade,” Leta
countered.
“Connie can take the baby, Ma” Kathryn said. “You don’t want
your coffee to get cold.”
Leta was surprised by how irritated she was with her
daughter-in-law, who seemed to her to be overly involved in the baby’s movement.
Even though Kathryn had been there twice already that day, she came again in
the evening, knowing that Leta and Richard planned to spend time with the young
family.
“I can sip my coffee just fine,” she said. “Connie, eat.”
Connie ate hurriedly and clearly winced every time she sipped
her scalding coffee. The men ate leisurely, and Kathryn didn’t eat at all, but
sipped her coffee, as did Leta. When she finished, Connie stood and held out
her hands.
Throughout the dessert, Chris had been a quiet, joy-bringing
bundle in her arms. Leta loved the warm of him and his soft breathing. She was
reluctant to give him up, but she was true to her word, and handed him over to
his mother.
Sensing the change, the baby started to fuss, and whatever
ease Connie had been feeling was gone, just like that.
“Here, Connie,” Kathryn offered, relinquishing the rocking
chair. “Sit here.”
Connie sat and the baby quieted.
“That’s what he likes,” Ed said. “Sitting in that rocker or
riding around in the car. The other night we drove around for two hours, didn’t
we, honey?” Without waiting for her agreement, he continued, “While we drove,
he slept. Every time we stopped, he woke up. It was a challenge.”
“One of my grandson’s was like that,” Richard shared. “Drove
his parents to distraction. But after a few months, he grew out of it. After
that, he slept so much they had to wake him up to eat.”
“I’d give my right arm for that right now,” Ed said wistfully,
and Connie sighed.
Leta noticed that Connie was falling asleep and stood. She
returned her plate, cup and saucer to the tray and began collecting other
things.
“It’s about time we head home, Richard,” she said.
Kathryn rose, too. “Ma, don’t do that. I’ll take care of it.”
“I’ll just put everything on the tray,” Leta said and
continued with her task. “Then I’ll leave it up to you.”
While Leta finished, Richard and Ed stood.
“Connie,” Leta instructed, “you stay put now. You don’t have
to get up.”
Connie sunk deeper into the rocking chair, accepting her
grandmother’s instruction with an easing of her body.
For her final act of the evening, Leta leaned over and kissed
her granddaughter on the forehead. This was unusual. She had not kissed Connie
in years. Connie stifled a gasp.
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