Chapter 29 "So, What's Your Name?"
"Be careful, everyone. Don't make too much noise!" Rick said as everyone arrived at Lily's place. They were bringing the baby home for the first time.
"Rick, you tell us not to make noise and you're screaming," Grace observes.
Rick looks at her. "My noise is OK. I'm his father," He laughs.
"So, does he have a name already?" Jessie asks.
"We're working on that." Lily answers, placing the baby on his baby buggy. She looks at him and caresses his little face, as he sleeps.
"Mom, he's got to have a name!" Zoe protests.
"We're accepting suggestions." Lily says.
"Michael." Eli shouts. "Luke. Andrew."
"Oliver." Grace interrupts.
"Christopher!" Zoe exclaims. "Alan!"
"Roger. Or Joshua." Jessie suggests.
All the kids keep shouting names at Rick and Lily, who don't have a chance to say a word.
"OK, OK." Rick finally gets his turn. "We'll consider all of those suggestions." He says. "If we can remember all of them."
Soliloquy Lily: "I just want him to have a name that tells who he really is."
"Now, if you excuse us," Lily says, "We're taking him to the bedroom, and you can all do your homework."
"Mom, you can't possible want us to do homework now." Grace says.
"Why not?"
"We're too excited with our brother." Jessie tries.
"Yeah. Right." Rick nods, and making everyone go to their bedroom and get their stuff. Only Eli stays.
"I don't have homework." He says when Rick gives him a look.
"Go to work then."
"Today is Sunday. I don't work on Sundays."
"Eli."
"OK, fine." He starts to leave, laughing. "I'll be at Booklovers."
"What are you going to do there?" Rick asks as Eli heads outside. Lily nudges him with a knowing look. "The girl," She whispers.
Rick then remembers Lucie, the waitress and musician. "Oh." Rick nods. "Are they together or something?"
"Well, not officially," Lily says, in her normal voice now, because Eli has already left. "But, we sense those things."
Rick looks puzzled. "I didn't sense anything."
Lily smiles at him adoringly. She comes closer and kisses him. "Don't worry."
She grabs the baby. "Let's take... ahan... him upstairs." She sighs. "We really got to give him a name."
"What did you think of the kids suggestions?"
Soliloquy Lily: "I hated all of them!"
"They were really nice."
"I thought so."
Soliloquy Rick sighs. "I don't see my son having any of those names."
"Maybe we should make a list." Lily says.
"I don't know why this is so hard." Rick says.
Lily smiles and heads upstairs. She's sitting on the bed and rocking the baby. And although he's so small, she looks at him and sees Rick in his eyes, and in his face.
Soliloquy Lily smiles. "I wanted to call him Richard. But Rick said once the last thing he wanted was to have a Junior son."
Rick looks at Lily and their son from the doorway.
Soliloquy Rick. "It's amazing how much I love this little thing that doesn't even have a name yet. It scares me to death one day I might not be here to protect him and his mother."
Rick suddenly looks like he had an idea. He comes in the bedroom.
"Lily, I just have to go out for 15 minutes. Will you be OK?"
"Sure, honey. The kids are here with me, there's no problem."
"Great. I'll back soon." He leans and kisses her and then the baby.
***
Rick parks his car in front of Booklovers. He gets in and goes to talk to Judy.
"Oh, Rick! How's the baby? Have you already brought him home?"
"Yes. He's fine."
"Do you need something?"
"Yeah, do you have a book of names?"
"You and Lily are really having a hard time picking up a name for the baby, aren't you?"
"Well, we just want to make sure we make the right choice."
"I know." Judy smiles. "I'll get you a book."
***
Half an hour later, Rick is sitting on his car, parked in front of his house, carefully reading the book.
"No, no, not this one..." He mutters to himself as he reads the names.
Suddenly, his face lightens up. He smiles. "I think we have a winner."
He gets inside the house and runs upstairs.
"Rick, I'm glad you're back." Lily says. "I have made a decision about his name, and it's really important to me, no matter what you think."
"Well, I have made my decision too."
They look at each other and then at their son.
"What's your decision?" Rick asks.
Lily smiles. "Richard."
Rick is taken aback. He doesn't say anything. Lily fears he hated it.
"What's your decision?" She asks.
"William," He answers.
"Why?'
"Because it means 'Protector'. He will protect you when I'm not around anymore."
"Rick..." Lily begins.
"Don't argue, Lil."
She sighs. "What about William Richard?"
He smiles. "It sounds cool."
She looks at her son, who's lying on the bed. She leans and kisses him. "William."
Rick goes outside the room. He hears Eli arriving. "Kids! Everyone here."
Grace, Zoe, Jessie and Eli go to the bedroom.
"Come on in," Lily says, holding William.
"What's up?" Jessie asks.
Lily walks closer to the kids. "Meet William Richard Sammler."
All the four kids smile.
"William Richard?" Grace asks. Rick nods.
"Will." Jessie says.
"Billy." Zoe suggests.
"Rich." Grace says, laughing.
"Or Ricky." Eli says, mocking. They all burst into laughter. Even Lily is giggling. Rick is smiling, pretending to be offended.
"Sorry, Dad." Jessie says. "We like it."
Zoe comes closer to Lily and the baby, "Hey, William Richard. Welcome to the family."
TO BE CONTINUED...
"Be careful, everyone. Don't make too much noise!" Rick said as everyone arrived at Lily's place. They were bringing the baby home for the first time.
"Rick, you tell us not to make noise and you're screaming," Grace observes.
Rick looks at her. "My noise is OK. I'm his father," He laughs.
"So, does he have a name already?" Jessie asks.
"We're working on that." Lily answers, placing the baby on his baby buggy. She looks at him and caresses his little face, as he sleeps.
"Mom, he's got to have a name!" Zoe protests.
"We're accepting suggestions." Lily says.
"Michael." Eli shouts. "Luke. Andrew."
"Oliver." Grace interrupts.
"Christopher!" Zoe exclaims. "Alan!"
"Roger. Or Joshua." Jessie suggests.
All the kids keep shouting names at Rick and Lily, who don't have a chance to say a word.
"OK, OK." Rick finally gets his turn. "We'll consider all of those suggestions." He says. "If we can remember all of them."
Soliloquy Lily: "I just want him to have a name that tells who he really is."
"Now, if you excuse us," Lily says, "We're taking him to the bedroom, and you can all do your homework."
"Mom, you can't possible want us to do homework now." Grace says.
"Why not?"
"We're too excited with our brother." Jessie tries.
"Yeah. Right." Rick nods, and making everyone go to their bedroom and get their stuff. Only Eli stays.
"I don't have homework." He says when Rick gives him a look.
"Go to work then."
"Today is Sunday. I don't work on Sundays."
"Eli."
"OK, fine." He starts to leave, laughing. "I'll be at Booklovers."
"What are you going to do there?" Rick asks as Eli heads outside. Lily nudges him with a knowing look. "The girl," She whispers.
Rick then remembers Lucie, the waitress and musician. "Oh." Rick nods. "Are they together or something?"
"Well, not officially," Lily says, in her normal voice now, because Eli has already left. "But, we sense those things."
Rick looks puzzled. "I didn't sense anything."
Lily smiles at him adoringly. She comes closer and kisses him. "Don't worry."
She grabs the baby. "Let's take... ahan... him upstairs." She sighs. "We really got to give him a name."
"What did you think of the kids suggestions?"
Soliloquy Lily: "I hated all of them!"
"They were really nice."
"I thought so."
Soliloquy Rick sighs. "I don't see my son having any of those names."
"Maybe we should make a list." Lily says.
"I don't know why this is so hard." Rick says.
Lily smiles and heads upstairs. She's sitting on the bed and rocking the baby. And although he's so small, she looks at him and sees Rick in his eyes, and in his face.
Soliloquy Lily smiles. "I wanted to call him Richard. But Rick said once the last thing he wanted was to have a Junior son."
Rick looks at Lily and their son from the doorway.
Soliloquy Rick. "It's amazing how much I love this little thing that doesn't even have a name yet. It scares me to death one day I might not be here to protect him and his mother."
Rick suddenly looks like he had an idea. He comes in the bedroom.
"Lily, I just have to go out for 15 minutes. Will you be OK?"
"Sure, honey. The kids are here with me, there's no problem."
"Great. I'll back soon." He leans and kisses her and then the baby.
***
Rick parks his car in front of Booklovers. He gets in and goes to talk to Judy.
"Oh, Rick! How's the baby? Have you already brought him home?"
"Yes. He's fine."
"Do you need something?"
"Yeah, do you have a book of names?"
"You and Lily are really having a hard time picking up a name for the baby, aren't you?"
"Well, we just want to make sure we make the right choice."
"I know." Judy smiles. "I'll get you a book."
***
Half an hour later, Rick is sitting on his car, parked in front of his house, carefully reading the book.
"No, no, not this one..." He mutters to himself as he reads the names.
Suddenly, his face lightens up. He smiles. "I think we have a winner."
He gets inside the house and runs upstairs.
"Rick, I'm glad you're back." Lily says. "I have made a decision about his name, and it's really important to me, no matter what you think."
"Well, I have made my decision too."
They look at each other and then at their son.
"What's your decision?" Rick asks.
Lily smiles. "Richard."
Rick is taken aback. He doesn't say anything. Lily fears he hated it.
"What's your decision?" She asks.
"William," He answers.
"Why?'
"Because it means 'Protector'. He will protect you when I'm not around anymore."
"Rick..." Lily begins.
"Don't argue, Lil."
She sighs. "What about William Richard?"
He smiles. "It sounds cool."
She looks at her son, who's lying on the bed. She leans and kisses him. "William."
Rick goes outside the room. He hears Eli arriving. "Kids! Everyone here."
Grace, Zoe, Jessie and Eli go to the bedroom.
"Come on in," Lily says, holding William.
"What's up?" Jessie asks.
Lily walks closer to the kids. "Meet William Richard Sammler."
All the four kids smile.
"William Richard?" Grace asks. Rick nods.
"Will." Jessie says.
"Billy." Zoe suggests.
"Rich." Grace says, laughing.
"Or Ricky." Eli says, mocking. They all burst into laughter. Even Lily is giggling. Rick is smiling, pretending to be offended.
"Sorry, Dad." Jessie says. "We like it."
Zoe comes closer to Lily and the baby, "Hey, William Richard. Welcome to the family."
TO BE CONTINUED...