“Hey, did I wake you?” I whispered into the phone.
It was night, our guests were gone, the house was clean, our family members were in their beds, we had not heard word from Hap or Luci (which I decided meant good things but Sam refused to discuss it through the thirteen times I tried) and I was lying on Sam’s chest, Sam’s arms around me, my cell to my ear, Sam’s eyes on me.
“Yes, ma belle, but that’s okay. Is everything all right?” Celeste asked, sounding sleepy.
“Yes, I just… well, we told everyone today and you weren’t here and you’re part of the everyone who needs to know and I couldn’t wait until you were awake so, well…” I pulled in a breath. “Celeste, honey, I’m pregnant.”
Silence.
“Celeste?” I called.
More silence.
Then I heard a soft, delicate sob.
Yeesh. Only Celeste could make crying sound pretty.
Then I heard, “Kia?”
That was Thomas.
“Hey, Thomas, I’m sorry to wake you both. Is Celeste okay?”
“Not really, she’s crying in my arms. Are you okay?”
“Uh… yeah. I just told her Sam and I are going to have a baby.”
Again silence.
Oh man.
“Thomas?” I called.
“Give me a moment, my love,” he whispered, voice thick.
Oh man!
I looked to Sam as tears filled my eyes. His face got soft and arms gave me a squeeze.
I smiled at him then turned my head, rested my cheek on his chest and waited.
Finally, Thomas said quietly, “We’re happy for you Kia. You and Sam. Very happy.”
“Thank you, Thomas, we are too.”
Then Thomas asked, “What did I say?”
“Sorry?” I asked back.
“I would assume, at this very moment, you, my beautiful Kia, are content in the knowledge you’ve done very well and I would further assume your husband is not too far away and he’s feeling much the same thing, except, perhaps, more.”
I closed my eyes but the tears still escaped, wetting Sam’s skin. His hand slid up and cupped the back of my head as his other arm got tight and stayed that way.
That would be yes. Thomas assumed right.
I didn’t answer but I knew Thomas heard my probably not nearly as pretty sob.
And I knew this when he whispered, “Told you so.”
I sobbed louder.
Sam slid the phone from my hand; I wrapped my arm around him tight and listened to him murmur into my phone. Then I listened to him flip it shut. Then I heard it clatter on the nightstand.
Then both Sam’s arms were back around me, pulling me up his chest, he rolled me to my back, him on top and one hand went to my face to wipe away my tears.
“We have good friends,” I told him.
“Yeah we do,” Sam agreed, his eyes coming to mine then he whispered, “Wish Ben was here today.”
Tears filled my eyes again, my hand lifted to cup his cheek and I whispered back, “I do too.”
He kept going. “Gordo too.”
I nodded and swallowed.
Sam’s eyes held mine.
Then, still whispering, eyes intense, he said, “Love you, baby.”
He loved me. Me. All that was him loved all that was me.
“Love you, too, honey.”
I watched my husband smile.
Then I closed my eyes because he kissed me.
Then he made love to me.
And after, I fell asleep in the arms of a powerful man, content in the knowledge that I did very well…
And he did too.
*
Two and a half years later…
Coming home from his work managing the dining room in an exclusive hotel on Lago di Como, Paolo Garibaldi opened his postbox and saw the padded envelope inside.
He smiled. Then he grabbed it, hurried into his apartment building, up the stairs and through his door. He didn’t take his shoes off his aching feet. He didn’t pour himself a much needed glass of full-bodied, red Italian wine. He didn’t do anything he normally did.
He tore into the envelope.
He pulled out the piece of paper, unfolded it and saw, like always, she’d had her message translated.
He set that aside for later.
He was eager to see.
So he pulled out the item wrapped in bubble wrap deciding, as he always did, he would save the wrap. When they came to visit, his grandchildren loved popping those bubbles.
Carefully (so as not to pop too many of the bubbles), he tore the tape away. When he was done, he had the back facing him so he turned it to its front.
Then he smiled.
“Bellissimo. Sempre,” he whispered.
He allowed himself a moment to study it and he did this closely. Then he moved through his apartment to the shelf. Adjusting the items already on it to make room, he pulled out the arm and set his new piece at the end.