“What? Did you tell him you found it?”
“No,” she said, looking embarrassed. “I really wasn’t snooping, I was looking for a pen and I found it by accident. Anyways, I got to thinking, what if he had some big, romantic plan…” My face must have given me away because she said, “Joe can be romantic.”
Suppressing a smile, I said, “Of course he can.”
“Anyways, I didn’t want to blow any of his plans.”
“That’s sweet,” I told her honestly. She and Joe were both good people and they deserved to be happy at last. “Keep me posted,” I told her.
“I will,” she said with another excited look. It was so cute; talking about it took twenty years off her face. She turned her attention back to Eric then and said, “He is getting big too fast. I don’t get to see him often enough.”
She and Myra had been bugging me to bring him by for weeks now. The weather had been cold and he’d had a runny nose, so I’d been putting them off. For the past few days he seemed to be all better though, so today I had bundled him up and taken him out.
“I know,” I told her. “It’s harder going out with a baby than one might think. You have to consider the weather and then take inventory of everything he might need while you’re away from home…I don’t mean to hog him. It breaks my heart though that he’s growing so fast. I want him to stay little forever. Oh! I forgot to tell you, I think he was trying to say Mama the other day…of course Aiden said it was Da Da.”
Rose smiled and said, “It’s good to see you so happy.”
“I am. I love this little guy so much, Rose. I can’t even put it into words.”
The new girl Joe hired when I left came over to refill our coffees. “He’s so darn handsome, look at those eyes.” My little man cooed and smiled at her like he understood exactly what she’d said.
I smiled and told her, “You should see his daddy, and then you’d know why he’s so handsome.”
“Oh, I see you in him too,” the girl said with a smile.
When she walked away, I looked at Rose and asked, “How is she working out? She seems nice.”
“She is a nice girl, and she’s doing really well. She’s not as personable with the old guys as you used to be or as pretty as you so the old devils that come in here every day are still missing you.”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Thanks, Rose. I needed a compliment today.”
“Why honey? Is something wrong? You just said you were happy.” I loved Rose. She looked like she was ready to beat up whoever was making me sad.
“No, I mean, I am happy. Nothing’s wrong that I haven’t made up in my silly head anyways. Aiden’s just been really busy at work lately and I’m feeling a bit lonely.” I heard all of that come out of my mouth and instantly felt like the biggest whiner on the planet.
“Aw, did you talk to him about it?” Rose asked. I could tell that Myra hadn’t mentioned my panicked phone call the other night. I had known she wouldn’t, but confirmation of her holding my confidence was nice to have anyways.
“I did talk to him, and he’s really doing his best. He’s been very stressed over this big project they’re working on and also having to replace his assistant right in the middle of it all. I can tell that he’s doing his best to be completely present when he is home. I shouldn’t be such a whiner. We just miss him.”
“Of course you do. You and Eric need him there. Aiden’s too young to be working so much, honey. It’s not really my place to say so….but when is enough money enough?”
I’d had the same thought myself. I’m no financial wizard, however. I had to tell myself that was Aiden’s department and leave the business and money matters to him.
“I don’t think it’s about the money any more. He’s got a lot of employees and clients and I know he feels a big responsibility to them. He’s not ignoring us, Rose. He’s doing his best. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Of course you should have and if you ever need to talk to anyone, ever…you call me. I didn’t mean anything derogatory towards Aiden. I love that boy.”
I smiled at her, “I know that, Rose. I appreciate your support so much. Thank you.”
Eric said something in his high-pitched baby talk. Rose turned her attention to the baby and began talking back to him in her own version of baby talk. I watched them with a smile. Rose had never had any children and I found that to be both a blessing and a shame. She’d been in a miserable marriage for a lot of years, and I respected her for not wanting to bring a child into the middle of that. At the same time, I thought she would have been a wonderful mother. When my own mother wasn’t emotionally present for me, Rose had always been and I would always be grateful to her for that.