It was a Saturday morning in early April. My wife Gina, our baby daughter Melody and I had been invited to the home of Gina's mother Cindy for brunch at 11. When we arrived, Cindy was still dressed in her bathrobe, her hair still damp after showering, as she stirred a bowl of pancake batter. However, also at the house at Cindy's invitation was Gina's sister Nicole.
"Good morning, Cindy," I said. "I guess the meal will take a while."
"About another 10 minutes," she replied. "I'm mixing the last few pancakes."
"I see. Well, let us know when the meal's ready."
For the next 10 minutes, Gina and Nicole engaged in the typical "girl talk" and took turns holding Melody. I didn't pay much attention to what they were saying, but I do remember the following:
"Hey, Gina, what do you say we go shopping after brunch?"
"Sounds nice. What kind of shopping did you have in mind?"
"Well...clothes and other supplies for Melody. Perhaps a little for ourselves too."
"Great idea, Nicole! Once we're through eating, off we go!"
Sure enough, after a wonderful meal of pancakes, omelet, cole slaw and orange juice, the girls drove off to the mall with Melody in tow. That left just me and Cindy at the house. I remained seated in my chair as I watched Cindy clear the table and put dishes in the dishwasher--or the dishpan, whichever was appropriate. As she did so, she asked me, "What did you think of the meal?"
"It was delicious."
"I knew you'd like it. So...how are you and Gina getting along now, with Melody in the picture?"
"Not too bad, but you know...sometimes Gina acts kinda distant to me these days. I can't really blame her, though, 'cause the baby has her needs too."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. After Gina and Nicole were born, I could no longer pay their dad as much attention as he was used to getting from me. Raising babies can be draining on a mother."
I arose from my chair and went into the living room, where I found that morning's newspaper resting atop a small trunk. I had not yet had a chance to read it since Gina and I had to wake up and run. I took the paper, sat on the floor, and started reading.
Barely a few minutes into my reading, I saw Cindy enter the room, still wearing her robe. "Finding any news of interest?"