Page 68 of Unscripted Love
“Salad too,” Kyle added.
“It was pizza or Deanna would make something from the grocer’s freezer section.” John tilted his head to the side and asked, “Do you make your lasagna homemade Josh?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “I even make my own pasta.”
“John,” Deanna yelled from the kitchen. “No one is entering any more cooking or baking contests!”
“Damn it, woman. Do you hear everything?” John asked as he headed for the kitchen to sweet talk his wife.
“That will be us in a few years,” I told Gabe.
“Probably a few months,” he countered.
“Hey, you want to sneak off…”
Our babies started crying again, and it was louder than the first bout, which meant they either had full diapers, empty bellies, or both. We looked at each other and grinned. “Raincheck,” we said at the same time.
I suspected we would be saying that word to each other many times over the next eighteen years or longer. I knew we’d be okay as long as we carved out time for one another. Instead of heading into the kitchen, we walked over to where our babies were kicking up a fuss in their seats.
Gabe and I had the diaper changing down to an art and had the kids redressed and ready to feed in a jiffy. The grandmas came out of the kitchen with fresh bottles and snatched the babies from us. I pouted a little because feeding time was my favorite. I loved the little grunts they made as they greedily drank from their bottles.
“Go get something to eat,” Martina said. “Bertie and I have this under control.”
We followed the smell of delicious cheesy pizza and the sound of happy voices in our home. Emory stepped out of the kitchen and nodded his head to the side. “Can I talk to you guys for a minute?” His timid smile and the nervousness I heard in his voice worried me.
“Is something wrong?” I asked Emory. I glanced over at Josh and saw that he was nibbling on his bottom lip nervously, which meant he picked up on our neighbor’s mood.
“No,” Emory said unconvincingly. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving town for a little bit to take care of some personal things. I don’t like to just drop out of sight without telling you.” Emory’s voice cracked, and he broke eye contact to look down at his shoes.
Josh stepped up to Emory and placed his hands on his shoulders. I didn’t thump my chest or growl because I could tell Josh was trying to comfort our friend. “Emory, there’s something obviously wrong. Won’t you tell us?”
Emory raised his head slowly and attempted to smile. “Maybe it’s right,” he replied cryptically.
“Is this like the last time you left before our wedding?” Josh asked. Emory had told Josh the Monday before the wedding that he needed to leave town to do something but promised to return for our ceremony. Emory honored that promise. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this trip was different from the last. “You’re coming back, right?”
“I hope so,” Emory said noncommittally. “But if not, I want you to know that your friendship has come to mean the world to me. The two of you have restored my faith in humanity.”
“Emory, is there anything we can do to help you?” I asked. He was clearly torn up about something, and I wanted him to know he didn’t have to go through it alone.
“I appreciate that so much, Gabe, but unfortunately, this is something that I’ll have to do alone.” Emory hugged Josh first then me. “I love you both. I’m sorry that I ruined your first night home with the babies. It’s just I leave first thing in the morning, and I couldn’t go without saying goodbye.”
“So long for now. You’ll be back, Emory,” Josh said confidently. He added a wink and added, “I know things.”
Emory smiled at Josh’s attempt at a joke, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I was a fix-it kind of guy, and I wanted to help make things better for my friend. I recognized that I couldn’t make everything right in the world, no matter how hard I tried. The only thing I could do was be patient and let Emory know how much we valued his friendship. “There will always be a place for you at our table, no matter how long it takes you to find your way back to us.”
I was aiming for assurance, but instead, my words made Emory cry. I tried to apologize, but he shook his head and left. I started to follow him, but a firm hand on my shoulder stopped me.
“I got this, Gabe,” Jonathon said. “You guys enjoy your welcome home party, and I’ll take care of Emory. Congratulations on your beautiful new additions to your family.” Jonathon didn’t wait around for us to respond.
Josh and I looked at each other in shock. “What just happened?” he asked me.
I wrapped my arm around my husband and pulled him to me. I dropped a kiss on his forehead before I answered him. “I have no idea. I don’t like it, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do to make him stay.”
“Lock him in the scary room downstairs,” Josh teased. I couldn’t hide the shiver that worked its way through my body. “Too soon, Gabe?”
I pinned him with a dark look. I didn’t think enough time would ever pass before I got over being bashed over the head and knocked out in that creepy cellar. Josh had the room sealed off before we moved in because he knew how much I hated it.
“Come on, you two, and eat something while you can,” Sally Ann said from the kitchen. “You need to take advantage of the help when offered. Don’t be saintly fathers who try to do it all.”