looked around to make sure the rest of the boats were clear and lowered my voice. “I thought I told you never to bring that up again. I shared that with you in confidence.”
“Oh c’mon, Shayne, you were only six years old, running around buck naked and screaming at the top of your lungs that your wiener was going to shoot off like a rocket.” He wiped his eyes again as more tears of laughter pooled in them. “You had such a wild imagination when you were a kid.”
That or I’ve been horny since the cradle. Now that wouldn’t have surprised me.
“As much as I enjoy reminiscing about my six-year-old penis, what does it have to do with Liberty being pregnant?”
He slapped his knee, laughing even harder. “Well, everything apparently! How else do you think you knocked up that pretty, little wife of yours?”
I shook my head and failed miserably as I tried to hold back my own laughter. “Yeah, all right. You got me there. But in all seriousness…how’d you figure it out?”
“Son,” he said, seating himself on the edge of the boat while he dried off. “It’s written all over your damn face. Women might be notorious for getting that pregnancy glow, but men are a bit trickier. We tend to have big, dopey grins on our faces and stare off into space when we think no one is looking. Now, that look could just mean you had one hell of a lay the night before, but when it goes on for weeks at a time, you know it’s something special. Your mother used to point it out to me daily before you were born.” He slipped his hat off and ran his fingers through his damp hair. “Not to mention, you’ve been so scatter-brained these last few weeks. I’ve been wondering why the hell I even pay you anymore, since I’ve had to pick up your slack.”
“I’m sorry about that, Pops. You shouldn’t have had to do that.” I slowly sank down next to him and clasped my hands behind my neck. “God, I feel like I’ve been just coasting along in a daze ever since we found out she was pregnant, and then she asked me not to tell anyone until she made it through the first trimester without any hiccups…which just so happens to be today. So, I guess it’s safe to say congrats, gramps! You’ve got two grandkids on the way!” I patted him on the back and bowed my head down, a proud, lopsided grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. Leaning my head to the side, I looked over at my father, the man who raised me all on his own since I was six-years-old, and for the second time in my life I watched him cry. I wasn’t expecting him to be so overcome with emotion, but the tears pouring down his face had me so choked up, I felt a few of my own take up residence in the corners of my eyes.
“Shayne, now more than ever, I wish your mother was still here with us.” He ran his hands down his face, composing himself, and tilted his head back toward the sky. It wasn’t the first time I had caught him doing that; staring up at the sky as though he were searching for something…or someone . “She would be so proud of the man you’ve become. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, son. Well…up until recently, but I’ll cut you some slack because it’s obvious you have a bad case of male pregnancy brain.” We laughed at my obvious lack of focus and increasing forgetfulness. Even I had to admit it was getting pretty bad.
“You have a beautiful wife who loves you unconditionally and two little angels on the way. Really, I think that’s all a man could ever ask for in life, to be surrounded by the love you and your wife share for one another and the love that created those precious babies growing inside of her. And Shayne,” he paused, resting his hand on my shoulder, “that love will never hit you harder than the first moment you hold your children in your arms. I can count on one hand the number of times I openly sobbed like a baby, and one of those times was when I first held you in the hospital. You looked right up at me and
“Oh c’mon, Shayne, you were only six years old, running around buck naked and screaming at the top of your lungs that your wiener was going to shoot off like a rocket.” He wiped his eyes again as more tears of laughter pooled in them. “You had such a wild imagination when you were a kid.”
That or I’ve been horny since the cradle. Now that wouldn’t have surprised me.
“As much as I enjoy reminiscing about my six-year-old penis, what does it have to do with Liberty being pregnant?”
He slapped his knee, laughing even harder. “Well, everything apparently! How else do you think you knocked up that pretty, little wife of yours?”
I shook my head and failed miserably as I tried to hold back my own laughter. “Yeah, all right. You got me there. But in all seriousness…how’d you figure it out?”
“Son,” he said, seating himself on the edge of the boat while he dried off. “It’s written all over your damn face. Women might be notorious for getting that pregnancy glow, but men are a bit trickier. We tend to have big, dopey grins on our faces and stare off into space when we think no one is looking. Now, that look could just mean you had one hell of a lay the night before, but when it goes on for weeks at a time, you know it’s something special. Your mother used to point it out to me daily before you were born.” He slipped his hat off and ran his fingers through his damp hair. “Not to mention, you’ve been so scatter-brained these last few weeks. I’ve been wondering why the hell I even pay you anymore, since I’ve had to pick up your slack.”
“I’m sorry about that, Pops. You shouldn’t have had to do that.” I slowly sank down next to him and clasped my hands behind my neck. “God, I feel like I’ve been just coasting along in a daze ever since we found out she was pregnant, and then she asked me not to tell anyone until she made it through the first trimester without any hiccups…which just so happens to be today. So, I guess it’s safe to say congrats, gramps! You’ve got two grandkids on the way!” I patted him on the back and bowed my head down, a proud, lopsided grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. Leaning my head to the side, I looked over at my father, the man who raised me all on his own since I was six-years-old, and for the second time in my life I watched him cry. I wasn’t expecting him to be so overcome with emotion, but the tears pouring down his face had me so choked up, I felt a few of my own take up residence in the corners of my eyes.
“Shayne, now more than ever, I wish your mother was still here with us.” He ran his hands down his face, composing himself, and tilted his head back toward the sky. It wasn’t the first time I had caught him doing that; staring up at the sky as though he were searching for something…or someone . “She would be so proud of the man you’ve become. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, son. Well…up until recently, but I’ll cut you some slack because it’s obvious you have a bad case of male pregnancy brain.” We laughed at my obvious lack of focus and increasing forgetfulness. Even I had to admit it was getting pretty bad.
“You have a beautiful wife who loves you unconditionally and two little angels on the way. Really, I think that’s all a man could ever ask for in life, to be surrounded by the love you and your wife share for one another and the love that created those precious babies growing inside of her. And Shayne,” he paused, resting his hand on my shoulder, “that love will never hit you harder than the first moment you hold your children in your arms. I can count on one hand the number of times I openly sobbed like a baby, and one of those times was when I first held you in the hospital. You looked right up at me and
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