Chapter 1 These are the Days of Our Life
It was two months past their second anniversary. This last one had been spent quite differently than the first. Nova had developed her first cold and even though she would have been fine the Gage's cancelled their plans and stayed home with Nova. Taking turns, they slept in the recliner to help with her breathing and held her in the bathroom with the hot water running in the shower to help with her croupy cough. JJ found watching her husband tending their daughter so tenderly more romantic than the bed and breakfast getaway ever would have been anyway.
JJ lay awake near her husband's side that December morning, listening to his steady breathing and gently caressing his hair. Even now, after over two years, she found Johnny entrancing. In the wee hours before dawn, she still tended to wake out of habit for Nova. Now at seven months Nova slept through the night. Johnny had been of great help during those first months; insisting he take his turn getting up with their daughter even if it meant going to work tired. Johnny was resolute in being an involved father. "I only have a few memories of my own parents Janes," he'd explained. "I want Nova to have lots of memories with me. I want to have no regrets, Angel," Johnny had said with a plea for understanding in his brown eyes. JJ understood. She had all the times he was working to be there for Nova. Even so sometimes JJ woke first and let him sleep if she knew he was especially tired. If he got up she occasionally stole into the nursery and spied as her husband tenderly cared for Nova and sang little made up lullabies as he rocked her back to sleep.
Nova was a little copy of her father with his charm, coloring and dark hair even down to the crooked grin she flashed. However, she had her mother's eye shape. Johnny insisted she had JJ's tush, but JJ wasn't convinced. It did make her grin when he said it. JJ had no doubt she would be quite the charmer and would draw boys like honey when she grew up. Nova already was quickly learning how to charm her parents. JJ smiled at how Nova could wrangle things out of either of them and shook her head in dismayed amusement.
She strained to see the time, 4:00 am, and knew Nova wouldn't wake until 7:00 am. She felt Dudley move at the bottom of the bed; he turned in a tight circle before flopping up against the back of her leg. Johnny stirred a bit in his sleep, and he lifted his arm off of his eyes, squinting over at JJ. "Hey," he whispered giving a crooked smile. She smiled back and brushed her finger tips along his cheek.
"Hey," she whispered back.
"Any reasons why you are watching me sleep, again?" he asked softly.
"Well, it happens to be my third favorite pass time," JJ explained quite matter of fact.
"Only your third? So what is first and second?" Johnny queried, slightly disappointed.
"Um, second favorite is spending time with Nova," she said impishly.
"Okay, and the first?" Johnny asked now awake and interested, brushing her hair away from her face.
"Yeah, first favorite is how we ended up pregnant with Nova," JJ said with her best poker face.
"Really? That's your favorite pass time?" Johnny playfully returned like he couldn't believe she'd choose such an 'odd' interest; a suggestive smile stole across his face. JJ simply nodded her head gravely. Johnny turned on his side so he faced her and pulled JJ into a soft kiss on her mouth and then moved to her ear lobe. She pressed into his nuzzle with a happy moan. He murmured into her ear, "Far be it for me to stand in the way of your favorite hobby." JJ giggled into Johnny's neck and he happily humored his wife's fancy, twice. They fell asleep around 5:30 am and true to form, Nova was up at 7:00 am.
Nova was chattering up a storm gumming her toes when Johnny padded into her room with bare feet and boxers around 7 a.m. JJ had gotten up to prepare her morning bottle and get her ready for breakfast. He learned over her crib and greeted her in a high pitch voice, "Good morning princess! You are in a good mood this morning. Come to Daddy, peanut." He lifted her out and Nova squealed in delight as he gently swung her up and over the railing. Already a pro, he held her with one arm and fetched one of the Pampers that were now so popular and changed her wet diaper. He stripped off the damp sleeper and put on a dry one, snapped up the legs and lifted her into his arms and kissed her. "How about breakfast Nova? I'll bet Mommy has it all ready by now." He walked to the doorway, lifted Nova up and blew on her stomach, causing her to dissolve into giggles. He cradled her in his arms, handed his daughter the bottle and Nova took it and drank greedily. They headed for the kitchen.
Johnny had three entire days off in a row and this was the second of the three. After breakfast, they all got ready for their day. They were going to set up their Christmas tree and put up lights on the porch railings and eaves. The outside lights were a first for the family. Placing Nova in a stroller, JJ and Johnny picked up the strings of lights they had carefully checked the night before and went outside. JJ lifted the stroller down onto the front walk, while Johnny fetched the ladder. It only took an hour to string up and carefully space the lights along the porch outline. They checked to be sure they lit and decided to have the official lighting before Nova went to bed at 7:30 pm that night. In the dark, they would be more dramatic and Nova would enjoy them more.
Back inside, Johnny lay on the floor with Nova while she rolled a bit, kicking her legs and then sat her up so she could pull blocks out of an oatmeal container and then put them back in. JJ did a quick load of laundry and folded what was in the dryer while she enjoyed the show. If she was more entertaining than the animals at the zoo, Johnny was the most fun to watch while he played with Nova. He was so unguarded with her. She especially loved it when he would join his daughter in a conversation. Nova would babble and he would answer her like he understood her nonsense talk. The topics of these "conversations' were wildly random and just as entertaining. Today it was about the merits of open vs closed reels for fishing and whether oatmeal or rice cereal was better. He won the reels debate-open was better, but Nova declared rice cereal was the best only if it had banana in it.
Next Johnny helped JJ put up the tree, added lights and decorations. Next year they would need to decorate a smaller tree that could be placed up away from Nova's reach. She yelled and squealed and blew raspberries in excitement. Dudley sat in the window and supervised. After lunch, Nova went down for an afternoon nap. Johnny read the paper and JJ went to work on her newest project.
Her third book was going to be about a fire investigator who is trying to find a serial arsonist. That arsonist was now guilty of murder since the latest fire resulted in a fatality. She was currently building character profiles and making a skeletal plot outline. Her first novel was now in paperback and talks were progressing about it being translated into Spanish soon. Her second novel was generating a lot of interest from reviewers and was selling better than the first. Their first picture book had been published and had been well received. Not many authors were writing from that perspective for children. She and John were also planning a second picture book. With the help of people on the reservation, they were going take pictures of traditional family life of Indians. Many of the elders were excited to have their traditions shared with respect and honor. Buckskins and colorful calicos were being prepared for the photo shoot. The plan was to showcase the similarities of traditional and current mainstream family life. Their modest profits from the first picture book were put into a college fund for Nova.
The day unhurriedly unfolded: snack, dinner, family walk, bath and the official lighting of the porch. Nova was captivated by the glowing lights; her big smiles and babbles told her feelings. She especially liked the lights if they blinked, so the Gages kept in the flasher bulb on both the tree and the lights on the porch roof. Johnny caught all of the big events of the day, and a few minor ones, on film.
The following day was filled with all those mundane tasks of life that are the building blocks our lives. The Gage's did manage to fit in horseback riding, thanks to the babysitting assistance of the Longbows and later a visit to Uncle Roy and Aunt Joanne. That last night before he had to return to work Johnny lay awake long after JJ had fallen asleep. Johnny smiled as he gazed at his wife sleeping. When he had reached over and gently caressed her shoulder, she'd turned and snuggled closer. Johnny pulled her closer and she'd sighed and settled back to her slumber. Since meeting JJ his life had completely changed. Three years ago, he would have never believed such satisfaction could be found in all the little, average moments of his life that he now treasured most.