“But… but you’re up there!”
His wife sighed as if irritated, “Yeah well it’s different with me. Just enjoy your weekend honey — we’ll be back tomorrow evening.”
Paul heard the distant voice of his son, “Ready mom?”
“Oh god yes sweetie,” Helen said in a voice he’d never heard before with her hand on the phone. Returning to full volume, she briskly intoned, “Well, we have to go, babe! See you tomorrow! Love ya!”
Paul said “I love you too” to nobody and put the phone down. He called up some of his friends and tried to take his mind off the situation.
When his family returned the next night, he joyously approached to greet them, but mother and son coyly giggled and laughed, as if party to a million different inside jokes.
“Hey you guys, I’m so happy to see you. I was pretty worried.”
Jason smirked, “Hey dad — you should stop worrying about such SMALL matters.”
Shocked, Helen laughed and playfully smacked his arm, “Pumpkin… don’t make fun of your dad… not everybody is as BIG-hearted as you.”
Paul chuckled, trying to understand what they were talking about, but his reaction only made the two of them laugh harder.
He tried to change the subject, “So how was the event? Learn anything useful?”
Jason smiled and approached his father, his extra height towering imposingly, “Yeah… that’s what we wanted to talk to you about, dad. There’s a fantastic early-start program at college that’d help ease the transition between high school and college. I want to go — it’s not too expensive, and it’ll be good for me.”
Always supportive of his son’s academic future, Paul laughed warmly, “Of course, son! That sounds like a great idea!”
Helen interjected, “I’m going with him.”
“Woah, what? Why?”
“He needs help setting up shop, and I want to spend as much time with my baby before he leaves the nest,” Helen stated, wrapping her arms around Jason’s left arm.
“I donno…”
“Come on dad… I’m gonna do better in school if I have a nice, easy transition… and mom’s the best stress relief there is.”
From the way his son and wife gazed at each other smilingly, Paul realized that he’d walked in on another inside joke. Despite the huge reservations in his gut, his paternal instincts overcame him.
“Uh… okay, it’s just one month after all.”
“Yes!” both mother and son exclaimed.
Expecting an overjoyed embrace, Paul was disappointed as he watched the two hold each other and share their joy.
Paul’s concerns were significantly ameliorated Sunday night, however, when Helen jumped him in bed. As he went to put on a condom, his wife stopped him.
“No… I want to feel you naked inside me.”
He chuckled, “Wha-? Are you s-sure?”
“Yeah… it’s a safe day. And besides, would it be so bad if we had another little miracle?”
“Woah, are you serious, Helen?”
“Yeah! What’s so crazy about that? After all, I’m not too old, and Jason IS leaving the house — it’s going to be really empty without him.”
“I guess…”
“Don’t worry so much silly… just come into me.”
Ecstatic to receive his wife’s first genuine motion of affection in about a week, Paul brushed his misgivings away as he entered her.