章 50: Pumpkin Season (October-November) Part 6
KENDALL, Gregory M. and Amy (Wright), a son at Twin Mills Cottage, Friday - Mills Gazette
"So how are you?" Lisa asked, giving Amy a hug.
"Sore. Tired. Really good," Amy smiled. "Is he not cute?" She gestured to the bassinet by her bed. "His name is Ethan."
"He is very cute," Lisa smiled back. Fabian looked over her shoulder at the baby. He'd seen babies before, but this was somehow different He realized that he'd never started imagining the babies were his, and he was doing that right now -- placing Lisa in that bed, tired and pleased with herself as Amy was now. What was even more startling was realizing that he'd never wanted anything more.
There had been a DiSanti family joke for years -- his mother had predicted that her first grandchild would come from him. Taryn had chimed in with the punch line: "Yeah, but what about the first legitimate grandchild?" He'd always kept that joke in mind and had been cautious and lucky enough to never even have any close calls. A baby was the last thing he'd wanted. Until now.
"Want to hold him?" Amy asked Lisa, getting up from the bed and standing by the bassinet. Lisa smiled.
"I'd love to," she said. Amy picked up the baby and handed him to Lisa, then looked at Fabian. Fabian was watching Lisa hold the baby with tears in his eyes. Lisa looked up at him and smiled, her eyes just as watery. They were trying on parenthood for size, and obviously Fabian liked it on her. He reached over and caressed her shoulder.
"Don't you two start," Amy said, unable to hold back her own tears.
"Oh, geeze!" Greg came in with several cans of soda. "I leave for just a few minutes and everyone gets all weepy!" Lisa gave Ethan back to Amy and smiled.
"What does Ryan think of his little brother?" she wanted to know.
"They haven't met yet," Greg told her. "He's staying at his grandparents' at the moment, being spoiled rotten. We tried to get him ready as best we could."
"At least we got him out of diapers," Amy sighed, settling Ethan back into the bassinet and climbing back into her own bed. "One in diapers is going to be enough!"
There are small cottages both to the east and west. Originally they were for employees of the mills. Now they're nice as starter homes for couples or for older people whose children have left the nest.
Fabian's parents had a small house near the east mill, within easy walking distance of the farmers market, the carnival, and Lisa's house. Fatima was distressed that she had to limit her guest list for Thanksgiving, but Fabian laughed and assured her it was fine. He and Lisa were invited to Kreider's. Lisa's parents had also invited the DiSantis, but Franco had invited Shelly and they wanted the opportunity to get to know Shelly better. On Thanksgiving afternoon, Lisa and Fabian appeared at their door, holding a box.
"We're not staying," she assured them. "Fabian told me you might need dessert. Pumpkin pie."
"Well bless your heart!" Fatima exclaimed. Larry took the pie from Lisa and went into the kitchen. "How much do we owe you? Come in! Come in!"
"Oh, stop. You're family," Lisa said. "Really, we can't stay long. I have other deliveries. Fabian is kind enough to tote me around today." She smiled up at him
"We need to teach you to drive, sweetheart." Fabian gave her braid a tug. Lisa sighed and rolled her eyes. This was not the first time they'd had this conversation.
"I don't mind driving you around. You know that. But there are advantages to driving your own car."
"Like car payments, insurance, and fuel...."
"All of which are tax deductible when the car is part of your business," Franco chimed in.
"Not you too!" Lisa protested, betrayed. Franco laughed and shrugged.
"Sorry, Lisa, but it doesn't make business sense that you don't drive. You could get a lot more done if you didn't have to find a ride all the time. And I know you're organized enough to keep track if you use the car for personal reasons, too. Fab's a good teacher. Go for it."
Fabian grinned at his brother. It amazed him how good Franco looked now. He was working very hard and it showed. Fabian had been doing some light workouts with him which Franco appreciated now that he'd finished cardiac rehab."
"You know, Franco, I probably shouldn't have brought that pie," Lisa said, covering her mouth and looking embarrassed.
"I'll be fine," he said. "I left plenty of room for today in my diet and exchanges. Don't worry. And most of my reasons for overeating have been resolved." He gave Shelly an affectionate squeeze. "And don't change the subject. Learn to drive, Lisa. Don't limit yourself I promise you it won't be the hardship you think it is. Okay?"
"Okay, since that happy day that you have a driver's license and a car has not yet arrived," Fabian said, "We should take care of the rest of your deliveries. We're due at your parents in about a half hour."
After a stop at the Wright's, at Anne and George's apartment, and at the Mowery's, they arrived at the Kreider farm. Fabian carried two pumpkin pies and a mincemeat, which Maude relieved him of inside the kitchen door. The kitchen was warm, bright, and redolent with the smell of roasting turkey and boiling giblets.
"The men-folk are watching football in the living room," she said, "and the child-folk are out playing in the barn. We have a straw maze set up there and it keeps them entertained for hours."
"I don't think the child-folk would be interested in learning phys ed today, so football it is." He gave Maude a kiss on the cheek. Carol came in and greeted both Fabian and Lisa with hugs and kisses. Felicia waved to them from where she sat at the kitchen table with her feet up, knitting busily at something green. Her second child was due in December.
"I heard Amy had another little boy," she said. Lisa smiled as Fabian helped her out of her coat.
"She did. Not quite as big as Ryan was, but Ethan will be every bit the charmer. She thinks he might have the blue eyes." Greg's mother had been a Kreider and Greg had inherited his deep blue eyes from his mother just as Lisa had inherited hers from her father.
"I'm ready for this to be over," Felicia groaned
"I'll have Amy call and give you a pep talk," Lisa promised. "Sounds like you need one."
"Honey, I'm off to do the football thing," Fabian told her. Lisa smiled at him, tilting her face up for a kiss. He obliged, then took her coat with him, intending to hang it up in the coat closet off of the living room.
"Just think, Lisa," Felicia said. "Next year at this time, you could be sitting here at the table while everybody else bustles around." The look on Lisa's face sent her mother and sister into gales of laughter.
"If you don't want that to happen right away," Maude told her daughter, "you should make an appointment with Dr. Wong."
"You probably should anyway," Carol added. Lisa opened her mouth to protest and Carol held up a hand.
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