All familiar characters belong to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.
"Wow, Aunt Steph," Mary Alice said when we walked into the lobby to greet them, "you got huge."
Every man within hearing distance sucked in some air. They've learned never to comment on a woman's appearance unless it's to tell their partner that they're beautiful. Everyone and anything else is off-limits.
"I think the socially acceptable term is that I 'popped'," Steph told her niece. "And you try growing a human that will eventually be that big," she jerked her thumb in my direction, "and see how small you stay."
In truth, from behind or looking at her head-on, you can't tell right away that Stephanie is pregnant. Only when she's in profile, or when you're trying to get as close to her as humanly possible at night like I continue to do, do you see that she has indeed 'popped'. But when she had been pregnant with Olivia, she and Mary Lou spent more time than anyone should at Quaker Bridge trying on clothes to figure out which style or cut would be the most flattering for her ever-changing body.
She had only given away certain pieces when Harper and Kenzie had been pregnant, and she'd been sticking primarily to Rangeman's uniform colors, so she doesn't have to do as much shopping this time around.
"Sorry," Valerie said, coming into the lobby from the parking lot. "Lisa's juice got spilled while I was trying to get everyone out of the car, and I wanted to get as much soaked up before it stains the upholstery."
"It's fine, Val," Steph told her sister. "Are you sure you don't want to leave Lisa here with us and her sisters?"
"Albert asked almost the same thing, but we're good. She makes running errands feel less like a chore."
"And we don't?" Mary Alice asked.
"You used to until you both reached the age of eye-rolling and listing everything you won't wear or won't eat. I'm savoring every 'Okay, Mommy', 'I love you, Mommy' moment while they last."
Steph let Olive go so she could check out what toy Lisa brought into the building with her, and then she draped an arm over Mary Alice and Angie's shoulders.
"No offense," she said to Valerie, "but we have a shooting range, holding cells, and Grandma Mazur … this place is way more fun than any store run."
"Stephanie," her sister warned with an increased narrowing of her eyes.
"She's kidding," I told my sister-in-law. "The holding cells don't provide much entertainment."
She sighed and looked to the ceiling for a beat. "I'm leaving before I remember that this is probably a really bad idea. Give me and your sister a hug, Girls."
They did and then Angie took Olivia's hand as my baby walked towards the front door to watch them drive away.
"I wish Mom and Albert were like you guys," Mary Alice said while her sister and cousin were occupied.
"Willing to gross out or annoy our kids or relatives whenever we can?"
She laughed, but my wife and I both knew she was talking about something serious.
"No. You guys are goofy and gross sometimes, but you always seem happy to be together."
"That's because we are," Steph told her. "Hey, I'm getting tired of standing, what do you think of sitting over here with us?"
Although Stephanie does have trouble sitting, standing, or lying down for long periods of time, I know she's just separating Mary Alice from the rest of the group so they could really talk. I used a finger to signal to Bobby to keep an eye on Olivia and then followed my wife and niece.
"That's better," Steph said for effect, sitting in one of the two office chairs I pulled out for her and our niece. "Now what were we talking about? Oh, that's right … your Mom and Albert. What's going on with them?"
Mary Alice hesitated.
"You don't have to worry about us repeating whatever you say. You tell us to zip our lips, and we will. But if there's something wrong, I'd really like to help," my wife said.
"It's nothing bad," Mary Alice finally told us.
"But it is something," Steph pressed.
Our niece shrugged.
"Are they fighting?" I asked.
"No. Nothing like that. It's just …"
Steph leaned forward in her chair. "Just what? Don't stop there. You know how nosy I am."
"What I was talking about is you and Uncle Ranger tease each other, but it doesn't sound mean or like you're really frustrated."
"Go on …" my wife said.
"I don't know how to say it."
"You've come to the right place then because I'm horrible at putting my thoughts or feelings into words. But Uncle Ranger is an expert at reading between the lines. You think your Mom is frustrated with Albert?"
"Yeah, I guess. Or maybe that's just how it feels to me."
"Don't downplay your instincts, Mary Alice," I told her. "Visceral reactions are at the heart of what my company and your Aunt do."
"Okay, I can't help but wonder if Mom only married Albert because she wanted us to have a dad."
"What makes you think that?" Steph asked.
"When she was with our Dad, Mom did everything he wanted and did it his way … like she was afraid he'd take off if she messed something up at home." She snorted in a way that was far from amused. "He left anyway …"
"That wasn't about you, Angie, or your mother," I told her. "That was something he chose to do all on his own with only himself in mind."
"I know. Even I could tell he was done being stuck with a family, not that he did much with us. I'd get it more if Mom made life complicated, but she didn't. She was trying to be everything to all of us … and he still dumped us and left town."
"He probably sensed what I'd do to him for hurting my sister and you and Angie," Steph said. She gave an unapologetic shrug when I cut my eyes to her. "Sorry, but that's how I feel. You hurt someone I love, and I'm gonna want to hurt you. But this isn't about me. So, your Mom isn't trying to be perfect anymore? Is that what I'm getting?"
"She still tries to do everything for everyone, but she doesn't cut Albert any slack. I don't wanna say this …"
"But you need to," I finished for her.
"Yeah. I'd be nice to get a second," she looked over at me, "and third opinion on what I've been thinking."
"I'm full of opinions," Steph told her. "Keep talking."
"Mom seems to pick on Albert, even though she's constantly telling me and Angie to stop bickering and get along. If he suggests something, she points out why he's wrong for choosing a specific restaurant or a movie he wants to see. If he tries to help out at his office or at home, she tells him she can handle things and also do them faster, like she just did with wanting to take Lisa with her. She sorta teases him for not being more like Uncle Ranger."
Steph squeezed her hand to get her attention. "That one's not his fault at all. No one is like Uncle Ranger."
She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."
"I do," my wife assured her. "Albert's a suit-and-tie guy, a lawyer who stands up for his clients and gives them a voice. He takes care of bad guys or bad situations using the legal system. That's pretty awesome."
"See! That's what I mean! He does what he can … but it almost feels like Mom wants him to be someone else, somebody better. She was living under Dad's rules for years, and now she's making Albert do the same with hers. If she knew he wouldn't or couldn't be who she wants, why marry him? Unless it was to give Angie and I a dad since our biological one took off."
"Wow. Okay," Steph began. "There's a lot to go over here. First off, good job recognizing that Albert loves you guys and has been trying to give you all a good life."
"He's a little dorky, but he's really nice and he means well."
Steph was nodding her head. "That was my first impression of him too. Have you talked to your Mom about any of this?"
Mary Alice shook her head. "No. She's got enough to deal with ... between work, school and after school stuff for me and Angie, and taking care of Lisa. It's just something Ange and I talk about sometimes when it's just us. Mom reminds me a little of Grandma Plum at times, and I don't want Mom and Albert to get a divorce if he starts feeling like Grandpa Plum did and I do now."
"You know you can always call me or come over here if you need something or to talk to someone, right?" Steph asked her.
"Yeah, but it's not like anything bad is going on. Albert seems happy …"
"But you aren't," my wife pointed out. "And I have a major problem with that. Would you be okay with me talking to your Mom if I leave you completely out of it? I've picked up on a couple things I could use as reference points to convey yours without mentioning your take on their relationship. Is that okay?"
"Aunt Steph, you're pregnant and have a lot going on here. I don't think …"
"You don't have to think. You know me, I get bored easily. Since I can't apprehend anyone right now, I have some free time in between by-phone/internet hunts to set your Mom straight."
My wife is lying her shapely ass off. She does not have any free time. Work, Olivia, and the side effects of pregnancy are separate jobs in their own right, but she's the kind of woman who puts everyone above her own needs. If she can help her niece and her sister, there will be no stopping her.
"You promise you won't say I said anything?" Mary Alice asked her aunt.
"Honestly? I think you should tell your Mom how you feel. I bet she'll be glad you came to her, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that yet, I'll do it and share what you said without bringing you into it."
Mary Alice's entire body relaxed; she's now almost slumped in her seat. "Thank you. I don't like thinking Mom settled for being unhappy because of us."
"Even if she did M.A., that wouldn't be yours or Angie's fault," my wife reminded her. "She and Albert are both adults. It's not your job to take care of them. It's supposed to be the other way around."
"I know, but it's hard when I know she loves us and is doing whatever she can to take care of us."
"But she can't do that at the expense of her own life," Steph said quietly. "Being with someone you don't want to be with for the sake of someone else, is not good for you girls to be witnesses of. Trust me on that one. I really don't think that's the case here, though. I do believe your Mom loves Albert, she just needs to stop treating him like he's someone else she's responsible for. I'm sure once I coax her into seeing that herself, the atmosphere in your house will change."
"I hope so. Angie and I only have a few years left at home, but Lisa and any kids that come after her, because there's always talk of them making more, will be living with what we are now. I don't like how that makes me feel."
"Ditto," my wife told her. "I'll wait until tomorrow night to call her, so she won't immediately think one of you said something."
"Thanks."
"Hey, that's what nosy and bored aunts are for."
Our niece was back to grinning. "You're not as funny as you think you are, Aunt Steph."
"Your smile says something completely different. Are you ready to go to Seven and wind Gunny, Mo, and Mado up?"
She rolled her eyes. "Mado doesn't do much more than sleep."
"Maybe we should grab Atlas on our way up," I suggested. "Mado sees him as a human-sized cat toy and will always wake up just to terrorize him."
"She loves clawing him or just making him uncomfortable in general," my wife added, opening her arms so our daughter, who was closely followed by Angie and Bobby, could run into them. "Did you and Cousin Angie have fun making faces on the front door?"
"Olive is the only one who did that," Angie stated. "I was just making sure she didn't go any further."
"Thank you, Ange. I needed a minute to rest before we got into some serious visiting time."
"What are we going to do?" She asked.
"Since it's a weekend, I did get your Mom's permission for you to accompany Uncle Ranger to Miami to pick up Julie …"
"In the company jet!" Mary Alice shouted an interruption. "That'd be sooo cool!"
My wife glanced at me. "Looks like you've got one date. You can stay here with me and Olive, Ange, if flying doesn't sound as exciting to you. Either way, we're having a morning pizza party on five before anyone can go anywhere. I have a craving."
"Good thing Shorty likes you, Babe, and understands why you'd request olives, peanut butter, pickles, and Oreo cookies on your pizza."
"If he adds a drizzle of caramel and some cream cheese to all that, he may just jump to the head of the Godfather-for-our son line."'
"Why would poisoning you earn him Godfather points?" Brown asked. "The guys here have been trying to protect you, not kill you."
Steph hugged Olive and then looked up at him. "Mark my words, that pizza's going to be trending soon."
"Mark the calendar," Angie replied, "because this may be the first time you're brought to the ER because of a food related injury if you actually eat something like that."
"I'm made of stronger stuff than that," my wife assured her.
"Yeah, she ate a piece of chocolate cake wrapped in bacon last week," Brown shared. "I thought Ranger would pass out before she finished it."
"There were healthier options," I pointed out.
"But none that would've done the job," my wife said to me. "What our baby wants, our baby gets."
"I bebe," Olive added.
"Yep, you'll always be our baby and also our big girl," Steph promised her. "What do you want to do right now?"
"I go owe deers," she said, pointing to the glass lobby door.
Steph looked at her nieces. "Are you up for a walk with the dogs and your cousin? Or would you rather do something in the backyard. We have all kinds of 'toys' for you to play with."
"We're not kids, Aunt Steph," Mary Alice told her. "We don't play with toys."
Bobby dropped an arm across her shoulders. "M.A., we're not talking about your run-of-the-mill toys here. What we play with, the government would kill for."
"Can we lock Angie in one of those cells?"
"No," my wife and I said in unison.
"Why mention them then?" Our niece asked.
"This kid is awesome," Bobby declared.
"I'm awesome too," Angie pointed out, "just in a more mature way."
"You are," Steph promised her. "For every 'Stephanie' personality, there needs to be a 'Ranger' to balance it out. You prefer order over chaos and you have endless knowledge about pretty much everything going on in the world, that's just as cool as what Mary Alice finds entertaining."
"I don't need anyone to tell me that I'm an okay person," Angie stated, though the pink now coloring her cheeks showed that she enjoyed hearing her Aunt do just that.
"You're right. You don't, Ange. But I'm always going to do it even when you're older, bigger, and more mature than I am right now."
"I said I was sorry," Mary Alice told her. "You're really not that big."
"As Uncle Ranger would say, never apologize for speaking the truth, M.A."
Stephanie wasn't talking about how big our son is getting within her body … and they both knew it.
