WHAT KEEPS US TOGETHER?
Chapter Ten"What do you think you're doing?" Alex demanded.
Bobby reached for the door handle and began getting out of the vehicle. "We're gonna' go see your nephew and get everything straightened out with your sister," he answered.
Alex sat staring at him in disbelief, mouth still agape.
"You comin'?" Bobby asked, as he swung his door closed.
Alex bolted from the passenger seat and rushed to intercept Bobby on the walkway to the front door. Grabbing his arm, she protested, "Bobby, we can't just walk in there and…"
Bobby spun and placed his hands on Alex's shoulders. "It…it'll be fine…we're just gonna' talk." He dropped his hands from her and, with determination, headed for the door, still talking, "Besides, we've got the element of surprise on our side…it'll give us the upper-hand for a few seconds."
Alex rushed up the walkway, onto the front stoop as he rang the doorbell.
About half a minute later, the door swung open. Alex's brother-in-law, Michael, stood in the doorway, holding Nathan on one hip. Trying to mask the astonishment on his face would've been a fruitless effort.
Bobby, loud and gregarious as ever, stepped into the foyer. "Good to see ya' Mike," he smiled and patted his shoulder. Then, in a giant swoop, took the smiling Nathan from his father's arms.
"Hi, Mike," was all Alex could manage to mutter, dismayed by Bobby's antics.
"Um, Hi, Alex…Bobby." Michael stood by, watching Bobby play with the wriggling toddler.
Nathan smiled and laughed as Bobby lifted him high over his head, then lowered him and made growling noises on the boys tummy, then lowered him even further, making the little boy laugh even harder as Bobby tickled, kissed and made noises on his little neck.
Bobby held Nathan before him, arms outstretched. "Look how big you've grown!" Bobby exclaimed and immediately passed the boy off to his Aunt Alex.
Alex, who didn't have time to react to Bobby's nervy conduct, clutched her nephew and kissed his head, over and over again. The little boy instinctively wrapped his legs around Alex's waist, clinging on to her. He looked at her and smiled, taking his little hands and patting her cheeks, gently, while happily screeching, "An-Alec!"
Alex's sister, Maggie, had heard the commotion from the laundry room and joined Michael at the front door.
As she approached and realized who the 'visitors' were, her heart began pounding and butterflies filled her stomach.
She looked at Alex, holding Nathan, and saw how happy both looked. "Hi," was all she said, with a nervous smile.
Bobby stepped towards Maggie and gave her a big hug and kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Maggie."
"Hi," she muttered again.
"Well, come in, come in," Michael said, closing the front door.
"Here, he's heavy…lemme' take him," Maggie said, arms outstretched.
Alex hated to relinquish her hold so soon, but went to lift Nathan towards Maggie. The little boy squirmed and turned his head, burying his face into Alex's neck. He obviously didn't want to go to his mother.
Bobby held out his arms and Nathan practically jumped into them, already smiling and laughing, ready for more 'roughhousing.'
The four adults, with Nathan in tow on Bobby's hip, went into the family room.
"Have a seat" Maggie said, still a little nervous at seeing Alex for the first time in months.
Bobby and Alex sat next to each other on the loveseat, and Bobby, once again, handed Nathan over to her. She sat the little boy on her lap, facing her, and talked to him in loving coos.
Maggie looked towards Michael, her eyes silently asking, "What are they doing here? Did you know they were coming?"
Michael got up from the sofa and asked, "Anybody hungry for lunch? Bobby, can I get ya' a beer?"
Bobby smiled and looked at Alex. He could tell she was still fairly uncomfortable – especially since she never knew what was going to come out of Bobby's mouth.
"We don't want ya' to go to any trouble with lunch, Mike," Bobby replied. Then he leaned towards Alex and Nathan, taking the boy's little fingers in his hand and pretending to bite him. Nathan laughed and pulled his hand away, pretending he didn't like it, but then immediately put his hand by Bobby's mouth so he could be teased again.
"Besides," Bobby said in a playful voice, still biting at the tiny hand, "Uncle Bobby just got out of rehab two hours ago, so I don't think beer's a good idea."
Alex smiled as she sat watching how good Bobby was with her nephew.
"Rehab!" Mike asked with surprise. "You're kidding."
"No," Bobby answered seriously. "Thirty days. You didn't know?" He purposely paused, leaving Michael and Maggie in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds.
Then Bobby continued, "Oh, th-that's right…you wouldn't know, cau- 'cause Alex and Maggie aren't speaking, right?"
Alex shot Bobby a look and shifted, uncomfortably, in her seat. She noticed Maggie's identical reaction from across the room.
"Well…I know how that is," Bobby confessed. "Alex and I weren't speaking for a while, either. That's why I just found out about you two last week."
Bobby smiled as Nathan crawled onto his lap, trying to taunt him into playing again.
"If I would've known what happened six months ago, believe me, I would've been here sooner."
Bobby held Nathan's hands as the toddler stood on Bobby's legs, trying to balance himself and smiling. "Right, Nathan?" Bobby teased, pretending to gobble his little belly, " 'Cause Nathan loves his Auntie Alex, don't you?" Bobby said, rubbing his curls, then whiskers, on Nathan's stomach, causing more laughter.
Michael and Maggie sat watching, seeing how good Bobby was with their son and remembering how he had clung to Alex. Michael reached out and held Maggie's hand in a show of support. He knew that his wife must have been feeling a bit nervous because he was feeling it himself. He always liked Bobby, but also knew from Alex's stories around the dinner table about how confrontational he could be. He was hoping that the visit wouldn't lead to trouble.
"Ya' know, Mike, I am kinda' hungry!" Bobby announced, turning towards Alex with a smile and passing the child back. "I've been craving a real pizza…ya' know…that rehab food wasn't so good." He stood up from the loveseat. "How 'bout we order from Marco's up the road."
Michael and Maggie stood, "That's fine," he answered, while Maggie said, "I'll get the menu –it's in the kitchen."
After calling in their order, Bobby walked in between Michael and Maggie, draping a long arm over each of their shoulders. "Hey, I hear you guys finally finished the work down the basement and got your pool table," he smiled, turning to look at each of them.
"Yeah," they answered together, slightly smiling.
"Well, how 'bout showin' me!" Bobby exclaimed. It wasn't really a question, because he didn't wait for their answers. He started walking them out of the room towards the cellar steps and called back over his shoulder,
"Alex, you don't mind 'babysitting' for a little while, do ya'?"
"Of course not," she called to the three of them.
Alex kissed and hugged Nathan. It felt so good to see him and hold him. She felt a pang of pain in her heart as she noticed how much bigger he had gotten since the last time she'd seen him. She felt the loss of how much of his young life she'd missed – what new words, what new little games and tricks he'd learned during the past six months.
She knew what Bobby was up to – getting Michael and Maggie down the basement, out of earshot. She was grateful, but not surprised, that he took into consideration that if voices were raised or tears were shed, Nathan wouldn't be subjected to it. "That's my Bobby," she thought to herself. "Always protecting kids."
But Alex had to admit that part of her was scared – not knowing what Bobby was going to say to them –or about her. She truly hoped that Bobby wouldn't mention her frightening 'encounter' in the alley of four months ago.
Nathan yawned and laid his head on Alex's chest, his little fingers stroking her upper arm, as if the feel of her smooth skin was comforting to him.
She kissed his head and stroked his hair, with one hand, while the other rubbed little circles on his tiny back, as he drifted off to sleep.
Alex couldn't decide if she wanted to punch Bobby or kiss him for forcing this get-together. She decided that that decision would await the final outcome of the visit. For now, she was just happy to have her baby in her arms.
END Chapter Ten