[July 1991]

Julie's first birthday party was a family affair. Tami's mother, Pastor John, Mr. Taylor, and Karen all attended the festivities at the apartment in Waco. Shelley was in Europe, but she sent Julie a wooden doll she'd bought in Germany. Julie was showered with unnecessary gifts from both families. The one-year-old licked birthday cake from the palms of her hand while Tami's mom went crazy with the Polaroid.

After Mom and Pastor John headed back to Tyler, Karen and Mr. Taylor lingered. Karen was showing now, and Tami envied how un-tired the woman looked. "How can you have so much energy?"

"By not trying to do it all," Karen admitted. "I've stopped working while I finish summer school. Then I'll take off the fall semester from school and resume in the spring. With the baby due in the middle of my fall coursework, it just makes sense. And we don't need my nursing income right now. Garrett is doing very well with his business."

Mr. Taylor nodded. "Got four men working under me now."

"He was voted Best of Dallas County in the contractors category this summer," Karen said proudly.

"Mostly doing bathroom and kitchen remodels these days. It's good money. I'll scale back my workload once Karen re-starts medical school." Mr. Taylor smiled lightly at Tami. "We're trying not to bite off more than we can chew."

"Let's go out on the balcony and have a beer," Eric told his father, probably to prevent an argument.

When they were gone, Karen said, "Tami, whatever Garrett thinks, I believe you're making the right decision for yourself by not interrupting your schooling."

Tami settled on the couch and Karen sat next to her.

"I know it's been challenging," Karen continued. "But you'll have that degree before Eric begins his career. And that's important. Because once he does, then your academic and career goals are going to take a backseat. No matter how much equality we women gain, that's just the way it is most of the time. That's partly why it took me so long to get married. I wasn't willing to compromise on certain things. But Garrett is at a place in his career where he doesn't have to live in any particular city, and he has some power over his own schedule. So we can both pursue our goals without one or the other of us having to give up much."

"Eric's not a product of the 50s, you know," Tami told her.

"He doesn't have to be. I'm just speaking of realities. The day is coming when he's going to expect you to follow him for his career, arrange your work schedule to suit his, find jobs wherever he works, quit them when he has to move…Your goals are going to be secondary to his. So it's good you'll at least have your degree. Then someday, maybe, when he has more control over his career, as Garrett does now, it can be your turn."

"Well, if he makes it to the NFL, he probably won't stay for more than six years, and then when he retires, he can follow me for my job. If he doesn't make it to the NFL, we can find jobs in the same town. He'll teach, and I'll be a counselor. We can both pursue our goals equally."

Karen smiled indulgently.

Tami sensed that the woman thought she was being naive. "Eric's a good man," Tami said.

"Yes, he is," Karen agreed. "Garrett has raised him well." She laughed. "You know, the day I turned thirty-one, I decided I was going to give up hope of ever becoming a wife or mother. And then a week later, on Easter, Garret came up to me at that church fellowship table, looked in my cup, and asked me if I wanted a little coffee with my cream."

"What are you saying about me, my love?"

Tami hadn't noticed Mr. Taylor open the front door.

"Just that you're a good father, darling."

Eric followed his father in and closed the door. "It's 105 out there," he said.

Julie toddled rapidly to her grandfather and shoved a stuffed monkey at him. He handed his beer bottle to Eric and plucked his granddaughter up. When she shoved the monkey in his face, he pretended to devour it. Julie laughed. "Ga-pa! No, no, no, Ga-pa!"

Mr. Taylor smiled and set Julie on her feet. "Karen and I aren't driving home tonight. We took the day off tomorrow, and we got a hotel. We're going to see the sites before we head home."

"The sites?" Eric asked. "In Waco?"

"Well," Mr. Taylor said as he reclaimed his beer from Eric, "we'll probably sleep in, relax, have a leisurely brunch…"

That all sounded terribly wonderful to Tami. She wished she and Eric could go to a hotel overnight and do all that.

"…and then Karen wants to see the Dr. Pepper Museum. Because a pharmacist invented that coke. Right, my love?"

Eric chuckled. "If Stumpy was here he'd rib you good for that one, Dad."

"What one?" Mr. Taylor asked.

"That coke, Dr. Pepper?"

"What do you young Texans call it now? Soda?"

"Mostly. Stumpy calls it pop," Eric said.

"My father called it dope," Mr. Taylor said. "But then he was from Tennessee."

Tami mock gasped. "You're only a second-generation Texan?" she asked Eric.

"Well Julie's third generation," he said defensively.

"Fifth on my side," Tami told him smugly.

Eric nodded. "Our daughter's never going to want to leave Texas."

Mr. Taylor sat down in the arm chair. Julie toddled over to where Tami was sitting on the couch. "Cay! Cay! Cay! Cay!" she said while she bounced near her mother's knee.

"No," Tami told her. "You've had enough cake. No more."

Julie made a raspberry noise, toddled to the arm chair, and said, "Up!" Mr. Taylor lifted her up into his lap. She put her little arms around his neck. "Ga pa, cay cay," she said in a sweet, cooing little voice. She kissed his cheek. "Yezz? "

"I think she's got your number," Tami told him.

"Mhm. Good thing I'm not having a daughter. She'd have me wrapped around her finger."

"You two found out it's going to be a boy?" Eric asked.

Mr. Taylor and Karen both nodded.

"Have you picked a name?" Tami asked.

"I want either John or Kyle," Mr. Taylor said. "Karen wants either Andrew or Michael. So naturally we compromised. On Andrew Michael Taylor."

Eric chortled.