Baby 42: If It Wasn't For Guys Like You, There Wouldn't Be Blogs Like This

After showing me the house, Mama gets ready to leave.
"Everyone is so happy to have you back, Mimi," Mama says, using the nickname I got when I was little, which makes me smile.  They called me Mimi when I was little because Daddy called me "Mini-me" and when I tried to say it, I said "Mimi"...as I got older, they didn't call me that as much, but it's nice to hear every now and then.
"I'm glad to be back.  I just wish I could see everyone today," I reply.

Mama thinks for a minute, "You know, you could...how about I get on the horn with everyone...are you up to guests tonight?"
"I'm always up for everyone coming here, tell you what, get everyone to come and I'll have a little shin-dig set up." I say.

We got it all worked out and she left left in a brand new, snazzy convertible...hmm, I guess retirement is treating her well!

I hire a mixologist and set up the buffet with food...good comfort food...nothing like Mama's, but there's cheese steak sandwiches, potato salad, and this weird pretzel, jello, and cream cheese dessert that I've only ever seen here.  Yummm...no sooner do I finish setting up than I hear loud footsteps that can only come from heavy working boots and a loud, but gentle voice that falls somewhere between velvet and sand paper,
"Lord, mercy, girl...Looks like you did something right wherever you been."
That can only be one person.

My Uncle T-Bone.  He looks the same, just has more age around his eyes.  Growing up, he was a second daddy to me.  He's a police officer, but he says he wears work boots and coveralls when he's off because Aunt Z always puts him to work.  I don't know if that's true, but I know whenever something broke in our house, he came over to fix it.  Daddy was okay at that sort of thing, but he would mostly just stand back and give and agree with whatever Uncle T-Bone was saying.

I run up to him and threw my arms around him, squeezing him so tight he almost fell over.
"Whoa, loosen up the grip there, baby girl, you have more force behind it than you used to," he laughs.
I'm grinning ear to ear, "I'm sorry, I'm just so happy to see you.  I never thought I would miss this place this much."
"This place missed you too.  We've all been keeping up with you though, in the newspapers and all, birthin' that many young'ns...on purpose.  I always knew you were crazy, but not that crazy," he says, laughing.
I shrug, "What can I say, I'm thinking outside the box,"

"No kidding," I hear behind me.  My older sister, Lila, her husband, and Mason are here!  Mason waves at me, looking more like Uncle T-Bone than I remember.  I smile and hug them all.  Wow, I really am home.

Just then, I hear another voice that makes my heart stop and a lump jump into my throat.  "Hello, Hadley."
It's John.

I catch my sister talking to him and pull her aside, "WHO invited him?"
"Well, I did.  I thought maybe you'd want to see him.  I mean, you left so abruptly, he was heartbroken.  I thought maybe if you saw him again...well..." she starts.
Okay, she doesn't know anything about our relationship, so I can't be too mad at her, but seriously...
"What?  What did you think would happen?  Didn't you think there was a reason I left him?" I say.
"I thought you all just had a fight or something.  I know how your temper can be..." she continues, "I just thought maybe if you saw him, you would forget all this challenge silliness..."
"SILLINESS?!!!" I almost scream at her.  Thank God for my vague sense of propriety.
"Hadley, come on, don't get mad at me, and I accept your choices, but you have to admit all this is a little crazy."

Before I can kill my sister, John walks up to me.  "Hey Hadley."
Somewhere deep inside me, there's a teenage girl still in love with her boyfriend, even if he is a complete jerk.  Her heart does a back flip at the sound of his voice...at the look of him in a suit...looking so grown up...so different than when we left...we being the teenage girl so in love...and the woman she had to become after he broke her heart.
"John, you can't be here," I say.  The adult woman having won the battle going on inside me.
I start to walk inside and he follows me.

We're alone now...alone was where he used to prefer me...
"Hadley, I missed you so much," he starts, "I've been heartbroken since you left...I don't understand...we were so good together."
Am I hearing things?  "What are you talking about?  We weren't good together...we were toxic together."
"Why do you want to hurt me?  Do you like breaking my heart?" he says.
That heartache is practically pounding now, threatening to tear me into pieces...what kind of meds is he on?  Obviously ones that make you hallucinate.
"John, you didn't just break my heart, you broke my spirit, my self-confidence...my BONES.  Do you not remember that?!"  I yell at him.

"I don't want to hear this, Hadley, it wasn't that bad and you know it," he says.
"You are out of your ever-loving mind," I tell him.
Just then I hear the triplets crying, "Excuse me, I'm needed."

I head downstairs and he follows me, "Don't walk away from me, I'm not done talking to you."  His voice booms...in that dominating way it used to.  Something snaps inside me.
As soon as he gets to the bottom of the stairs, I turn around and look him in the eye.  I'm not the young girl I was.  I am a woman.  I am a mother.  And God help him if he thinks he is going to start with that crap in front of my children, because God will be the only one that can save him.
"You listen to me and you listen good, because I'm only going to say this once.  I'm over you...I'm over what happened, I'm over what you did to me.  I've gotten past it.  I've moved on.  I am going to be cordial to you because that's what is expected of me, but if you EVER talk to me in that tone again, that tone that says you own me, it will be the last thing you ever say.  I don't want to be around that and I damn sure don't want my children around it.  So if you don't think you can handle keeping that tone in check, I strongly suggest turning around, walking out of this house, and forgetting you ever met me."

He looks shocked.  "Um...ok...um...I'm sorry."

As I give the toddlers bottles, I notice that John can't just get over his mean-spirited ways.  He scares my dad and about gives him a heart attack.



"I'm sorry Daddy," I apologize for him, God help me, like I swore I never would again.
"It's ok, baby, I never liked him anyway," he says, which surprises me.  I thought John had my parents fooled before...maybe I had misjudged them.

Just then, I hear another familiar voice, "Hey pretty girl."

"Aunt Z!"  I run to her and give her big hug, "Thank you so much!  I love this house!"
"No problem sweetie, I'm just glad you like it," she says.
I can't believe how good it felt to see her.

I get to talk to Mason as well, first I gush about how wonderful the house is.
"Yeah, our moms have gotten so good at doing all this," he says.
"So, what have you been up to since I've been gone?  Still working on the pro-athlete thing?" I ask.

"Yeah, that's going well," he tells me.  Mason has always been the strong, silent type.  He's a perfect mix of Uncle T-Bone's laugh-your-ass-off-do-anything-for-you personality and Aunt Z's never-too-busy-to-help-you-out mentality.  I am surprised at how much I missed him.

Mama shows up later and starts telling Uncle T-Bone some tall tale about something he apparently feels the need to take a statement on.  Now, I love my mama, but she's a bit of a drama queen.

Everyone has a great time, and I love seeing everyone, but then they all go home!  As soon as I get the kids to bed, I pour myself a drink and get in the hot tub.  Ahh, this is definitely the life.  As soon as my fingers look like prunes, I head to bead and doze into a relaxed slumber.

Until about 5 the next morning when Shelby starts yelling for breakfast...
"MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Why, oh why, was I so excited when she first said my name?

Blaine and Jesse get some cereal and sit outside on the patio while I put the toddlers in their high chairs and feed them their breakfast.

After Blaine and Jesse go to school, Shelby, Sam, and Sonny are trying my patience with all their whining when I remember...in my infinite wisdom before we moved, I taught them all their skills...so they are ready to age up...THANK GOD!

Shelby ages into a little gray-eyed pistol that hates to go outside.  She looks a lot like me, of course.

Sam grows into a wild-haired little boy with the insane trait.  He loves wearing the suit I bought him for special occasions everywhere.

Sonny grows into a hip little guy who still doesn't have any hair!  God love his heart!  Hehe.

Since they're aged up, I pick out another sperm donor.  His name is Leonardo Jones and he reminds me a little of Mason.  I can't wait to see what the baby or babies look like!

After the frozen pop shows up and I insert it...without freezer burn...YIPEE!  ;)  I try my hand at gardening.  Apparently, Daddy has been tending to the garden before I got here, but now he told me it's up to me...he's gonna kill me if I let this gorgeous garden die, so I've gotta work hard!

The nausea starts early for me...hmm, I guess that's a good sign...

Of course, when I'm not nauseous, I'm hungry...mmmmm, cooookies...

As I bite into my fresh-baked cookies, my health-conscious little girl makes a comment about working out...hmm, quiet, ya' little buzz kill!

The boys like eating outside...I can't say I blame them.

After I get the kids off to school, I take a drive in my Daddy's old car!  I remember him having this thing when I was little and I always wanted it...and he gave it to me...something about not needing the old thing and wanting something hot and sporty...hmm, Mama told me he was going through some things...

When I get home, I get a call from John.
"Hadley, will you go out to dinner with me?" he asks.

"I don't think that's a good idea, John.  Seriously." I say.

"Come on, it's just dinner" he replies.

I start to get mad, "Coercing me isn't going to work, John.  I'm sorry."
I hang up the phone.

When I start showing, I get a little jumper a lot like Della Wriner and Skye Evarard wear.  I think it's cute and makes me feel like the little country girl I am.  Hehe.

I swear, living in my house right now, I feel like I'm in a "Village of the Damned" movie...what with all the little blonde kids...don't get me wrong, they're good kids...I just need some brown hair in my life!  LOL

I'm telling you what, I don't know if it's just being back in town and all the good comfort foods, but I am eating like a freak.  I got some goopy carbonara and I'm eating it here in the park!

"Wow, Mama, I can feel my little sister kickin'" she says in the little accent she's developing.  She's hoping for a girl.  I don't blame her...she's got four brothers.

Of course, she has the "No Sense of Humor" trait and when she talks to me, sometimes she puts me to sleep.  God love her, she tries.

I take a nap for a little while before going out to work on the garden.

But as soon as I get out there, I feel a contraction.  It's a big one, so I know I need to hurry to the hospital.

I get to the old hospital, the one I remember.  The one I was born in...

And give birth to my first baby here, Baby 42, a little girl I name Casey Reed.