The "procedure" went well, Adrian was already 2 months along. All hopes of us becoming friends during this whole ordeal were dashed. Adrian liked me even less than she did before if that was even possible. Boston seemed excited, he couldn't wait to be a big brother. It had been hard explaining to him that the baby might not be a boy but he had gotten the message eventually. Everyday he would wake up and ask if the baby was here yet. Finally I got a calendar and circled Adrian's due date and I told him to put and X on the calendar every night and we'd be one day closer to having the baby.
"Daddy how much longer till the baby gets here?" he asked.
"7 months Boo" I replied tucking him into bed.
"When the baby is born I'm going to tell him or her all about mommy" Boston said.
"That's good thing to do because the baby won't have any memories of mommy"
"And I'll give the baby a bottle" he said.
"What about diaper changes" I asked him.
His little face scrunched up. "Diaper changes are yucky I'm not doing that" he said.
"Why I had to change your diapers" I teased him.
"You're daddy that's your job" he replied.
"Oh that's right isn't it" I said. "ok I won't make you change diapers"
"Ok" he said yawning.
"We have some time before we have to worry about this but now it's time for little boys named Boston to go to sleep"
"I love you daddy"
"I love you too" I kissed him goodnight before shutting off the light and leaving the room.
The next afternoon, Boston was outside in the yard kicking a soccer ball around. I was watching him from the window while loading up the dishwasher.
"Boo come in here for a minute" I yelled.
"Yes daddy" he said coming into the house.
"We need to have a man to man talk" I said.
"Am I in trouble?" Boston asked.
"Not that I know of" I replied.
"Ok" he said.
We both had a seat in some of the kitchen chairs.
"You know that me and you have 2 different last names" I said.
"I lave mommy's last name" Boston said proudly.
"Yes you do but the new baby will have daddy's last name and I wanted to know if you wanted to have my last name also" I said "you don't have to it's not going to change anything I'll still love you the same way.
I felt bad to put such a big decision on Boston's shoulders but it was his last name he should decide. He seemed to be thinking seriously about this.
"I want daddy's last name" he said.
"Are you sure?" I asked him.
"Yes" he said.
Looking at him he looked so much older than 4 years old. But then he smiled and stuck his little thumb in his mouth. I shook my head and there was my little boy sitting before me.
The next day I was at my mother's house sitting in her kitchen. She was cooking and Boston was playing videogames with my brother Sean. My mother smiled weakly at me.
"What's up with you?" I asked.
"Can't a mother smile at her son" she retorted.
"Normal mothers can but I've lived with you my whole life, I know there is something in that head of yours" I said.
"I'm just a little worried about this new baby situation" she admitted.
I let out an exasperated sigh, we had been over this before.
"What is bothering you?" I asked.
"It just doesn't seem right Ashley being gone and all" she said "don't get me wrong I'm thrilled to have another grandchild to spoil but knowing you are having your dead ex-girlfriend's child with her twins sister it just seems strange"
"I realize that and I also know that one day this baby is going to ask questions and I'll have to answer them but Ashley's dream was always to be a mother and she always said she wanted 3 children, why shouldn't she get her wish"
"It's your life John you do what you want" she said "newborns are hard work, they cry at all hours of the night and they get sick all the time"
"So does Boston every other week there is something new wrong with him"
"That's different John and you know it" my mother said.
"Well what's done is done and I for one couldn't be more excited about it" I insisted.
I left my mother's house for the first time in a long time frustrated and sad because I needed her support right now and she wasn't giving it to me. If she felt this way then maybe everyone else did too and they just didn't want to tell me.
I got home and put Boston to bed. I just sat there for a moment, I wasn't sure why but I felt an overwhelming sense of betrayal. I picked up the phone and dialed an all too familiar number.
"What John?" Adrian asked picking up the phone.
"Just felt like talking to someone" I said glumly.
"Ok so what's up?" she asked.
"My mother doesn't agree with what we are doing and she let me know just how she felt" I said.
"John you can't expect everyone to agree with what we are doing" Adrian said.
"Families are supposed to support their own" I remarked.
"John I think you are taking this a little too close to heart" she said "it's not like they disowned you"
"Yes but I don't want them thinking my child is a monster either" I argued.
I didn't need to be in the same room with her to know that she was smiling.
"Damn it John now you have made me all emotional" she sniffled.
"How did I do that?" I asked.
"It's just that was the first time you referred to the baby as your child" she said still a little weepy "sorry hormones"
"Its fine" I said "do you think you could tell me a little about when Ashley was pregnant with Boston?"
"I suppose" she said.
"She loved every moment of it although she pretended like she didn't you could tell she did" Adrian remembered. "the whole ordeal brought us closer together. We used to sit up at night for hours talking about what having the baby around would be like"
"She knew she was having a boy from the beginning, I have no idea how she did but she did. She used to walk around with grinning from ear to ear she really wanted to give you a son. She always wanted all boys anyways, girls were toohighmaintenance for her"
"Yeah I remember that" I said. Ashley used to joke around, she said she never wanted a daughter because she would turn out just like her mother. I never saw the problem with that but then again I was just a guy in love.
"She used to talk to him before he was born, she mentioned you a lot never in a bad way but she told him about you and how she hoped he looked just like you."
"She always said she loved you too much to hate you"
"Was I really such a prick that I couldn't see how good my life was" I ran a hand through my hair. The question was rhetorical of course.
"Well I'm tired so I'm going to go to sleep I suggest you do the same" she said.
"Night Addie" I said.
"Goodnight John" she said.
