Arthur's two older half-sisters had taken him for a walk in the wooded area surrounding their father's estate. It was a warm, sunny afternoon. The recent rains had kept them huddled inside for so much of the preceding days that they all craved sunlight and time outside in the fresh air. Not only that, the household in general had been busy with preparations for the imminent arrival of a new brother or sister for Arthur, and a new half-sibling for the two girls. The three of them were now playing with their dog, an spirited Jack Russell terrier named Blackjack. Arthur happened to glance towards the main house, and noticed two cars coming through the gate and up the shaded drive to the front steps of the house. "Look!", he cried to the girls, pointing his finger towards the arriving cars. Blackjack noticed too, and was barking at the intruders and wagging his tail. "Wonder who's here?!", he asked excitedly. The two girls looked at one another, and then Mary said to him, "It's probably the rabbi and the doctor. It must be time for the baby to come." "Come on, let's go in, then!" , Arthur said, as he tugged impatiently on Mary's hand. Blackjack circled them, still barking. She laughed and shook her head. " Not now. We'd be in the way if the baby is coming. You know Dad wouldn't like it. We should stay out here awhile. Once the bsby's here and your mom's alright, they'll call us in; you'll see. It's such a nice day, anyway. Let's stay here and play with Blackjack. He's been cooped up in the house so much lately. He needs to be able to run and play some. You do too.", she told Arthur. He tilted his head sideways and gave her a skeptical glance, as though he was thinking about what she had said. "Well, I guess so. It HAS been kind of boring inside lately. We won't miss anything being out here, will we? Will my mom be ok?" His sister's laughed. "We won't miss anything but grownup talk." Mary looked at Arthur and added, "Your mom will be fine. You'll see." Arthur looked up at her, and a smile brightened his face. "Alright. ....Let's play with Blackjack!" Inside the house, things were far different than they were for the children outside. Arthur's father, also named Arthur, stood by his wife (Marilyn)'s bedside. His very pregnant wife clutched his hand tightly in hers. At the moment, her grasp was such that he wasn't sure if he wouldn't suffer permanent injury from it, but she seemed so immeasurably comforted by his touch that he didn't mind the pain. However, when the rabbi and the doctor enter the room, he does breathe a sigh of relief. He extricate his bruised hand from his distressed wife's iron grip, and kissed her forehead. She smiled, as if to reassure him that she was alright. He moved into the background, so that the rabbi and doctor could see to his wife. The rabbi spoke with him, while the doctor attended Marilyn. The doctor glanced at the rabbi and nodded. Arthur came over and kissed Marilyn on the forehead again, and said, "I'll be right outside." Marilyn gave him a timid smile. After a time of what to his mind were sounds of pain, Arthur heard another sound: that of his newborn child. He is moved beyond words when the rabbi brings his newborn son out of the bedroom and lays him in his arms. Meanwhile, the doctor is inside the room with Marilyn, wanting to give her something to help her sleep. "I want champagne, not sedatives.", Marilyn told him. The doctor laughed and shook his head in amusement. "Alright, then. Champagne it is. Doctor's orders." "Thanks ever so.", Marilyn said, giggling. Almost by magic, a bottle of chilled Dom Perignon champagne and Marilyn's monogrammed cocktail glass appeared, along with a fruit and cheese tray. The doctor poured her some champagne and handed the glass to her. "Eat something later if you feel like it, but try to get some rest. Arthur asked me to stay here overnight to make sure you and the baby are fine. It's just a precaution. But if you don't need anything else , I'll give you some time to yourself." Marilyn nodded and smiled. "I'm fine. Just tired. Are both of my sons alright?" "They're fine. I promise. Don't worry.", he reassured her. "Thank you for everything.", she replied, in a voice that sounded happy but fatigued. "Anytime.", he said, then left her alone. As she lay propped on pillows in bed, Marilyn sipped her champagne and looked out the window into the cool sunlight. It amazed her that it was still light outside. Fortune's sundrops had smiled on her today.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment