I bet people reading this have forgotten something very relevant to this situation and are thinking that Raven's call was bearing bad news. I did at first too, when he told me that he was in a hospital.
But no, you must remember, reader, that he was calling to let us know that Saphrin had just given birth to a son named Evan. Amber, Mark, and I all were happy and ecstatic, me and Amber more so perhaps because we'd known them longer and because we knew what it was like to have a child. We talked for a while and I promised that Amber and I would come visit them as soon as we could, which had been a few days later.
He told me about another new travel companion while we'd been on the phone.
"Kane…you know how you got Amber a duck when she brought Claudette home?"
I laughed. "Of course."
"Well I got Saphrin a pet, too," he sounded very happy and excited.
"What?"
I could tell by the tone he had that he was grinning…it was just a thing that comes with knowing him long enough that you can read him like a book, as the saying goes. "You'll see. Come see when Saph comes home in a couple days."
To tell the total truth, the suspense killed me. It was funny too, because Raven, while he could be a very dark person, he was very clever and light hearted…silly, you could call him. And he had a very twisted and hilarious sense of humor. So I knew that this would be something extraordinary.
Mark was stuck doing a show a couple nights later, and so while me, Amber, Jake, and Claudette all went to go see them, Mark stayed on the road, promising us that he'd come as soon as he had the chance.
We went to their house, in Avalon, New Jersey, and met Raven there. Though I haven't talked about it much, we were there a lot and so he just told us to hang out and make ourselves at home while he went out for a little bit to go get Saphrin and Evan from the hospital, and told us not to be pyrooting around in the house because we might find our new companion and spoil the surprise. Within a half hour they were home. I don't know that I've ever seen Saphrin happier.
She was beaming and glowing, laughing out loud for no reason other than her abundance of happiness. I held Evan minutes after they came in, and felt a wonderful connection to him at once, loved him as I loved Claudette. As if he was my son as well.
He looked exactly like Raven, the same facial structure. Even when he cried or pouted they had the same face. I couldn't stop laughing to myself as pictures of a toddler running around in ripped denim shorts and a leather jacket popped into my head. And also as I imagined Evan running about and Evenflowing kids on the playground. It wouldn't have surprised me if Raven would teach him how to do those things at one point.
"What have you created???" I blurted out, laughing and laughing. It was just then that Raven's voice kicked in from outside the room.
"Are you guys ready?" we all fell silent, waiting in anticipation for the unveiling of our new friend.
"Yes, yes Raveydear, we're ready," Saph said. Raven spoke again as he stepped into the room.
"Meet-" he said, turning so that we could all see what he held "-Sugarbear!!"
"Ahhhh!!!" Saphrin squeaked and laughed again. "Lemmie hold him!!!!" she said, beckoning for her husband to hand her the new pet. I was in shock, quite the way that my brother had been when Jake had gotten drunk. It was so funny…and just…ahhh.
Amber seemed absolutely…delighted would be a good word I guess. Absolutely delighted, laughing softly to herself with a big smile on her face.
"Raven…" she sighed. "Raven, Raven, Raven…you won't touch a duck, but you've got a pet frog?"
"Bullfrog," he corrected, his voice slightly defensive as he gently handed Sugarbear over to Saphrin, handing him as if he were the most delicate of children.
Sugarbear the Bullfrog…
Could my life get any weirder????