Heterochromia

Once off the Taconic, Paula directed me to her parent's house. The big white farmhouse wasn't visible when we turned into the driveway. It sat well back from a side road off Route 44 behind a stand of oaks and maples with a meadow and a small pond between the house and woods. There were several cars parked alongside the house.

'John, Vin and Cindy are here already,' Paula said. 'But Marcus isn't here yet. The Chevy Tahoe is Cindy's. Marcus never goes anywhere in her car. She uses it to transport animals. He doesn't like the way it smells.'

It was just about lunch time when we arrived. Paula's parents heard us pull up and came out to greet us. Her brothers and sister joined us in the driveway a moment later, followed by a handful of children that mobbed Paula. The first thing I noticed about Paula's family was their height. I felt like I'd wandered into a land of giants. Her mother, a stunning woman in her late sixties that looked much like Paula and not a day over fifty, was my height. Her father, about the same age, stood taller than Vin. Her second brother, John, was just about Vin's height. Vin was tall and very slender. John was built like a muscular pro basketball player. Her sister, Cindy was another Amazon, shorter than Vin but taller than her mother. I later learned had been the starting center on her college basketball team. A team that had made deep runs in NCAA tournament the three years she was a starter, reaching the Final Four one year.

After introductions, we made our way inside to find we'd interrupted lunch, which was already spread out on the kitchen island. It was quickly apparent the house had been built to accommodate tall people. Shortly after we finished eating, my cell rang. Everyone had arrived at the bed and breakfast. No one had heard from Don or knew his whereabouts.

Paula told her parents and siblings my family would be joining us for dinner that night. They seemed surprised but also welcoming and genuinely pleased. Paula and I asked to be excused to go meet my family, promising to return before it was time to leave for dinner.

By the time we arrived at the B&B, everyone was settled in. The hosts served afternoon beverages and snacks for us and everyone got to meet Paula. Terry arrived while we were still gathered. We introduced her to my brother Stephen who would be the best man; Terry was the maid of honor. After a couple hours, Paula and I returned to her parent's house, promising to see everyone at dinner.

Everyone arrived at the restaurant within a few minutes of each other. I was surprised to see a woman from work, one of the junior partners from the tax department, Nancy O'Brien. We'd met but I didn't know her well. I'd only invited Jeannie.

'What's Nancy doing here? Do you know her?' I asked before it suddenly dawned on me that she might be Jeannie's plus one. I knew they were friends. 'Do you know if she came with Jeannie?' Paula snickered. 'What am I missing?' I asked.

Paula tried to suppress her smile but failed miserably. 'No, I invited her. She's a friend of mine.'

'How do you know her?' I asked. Paula had never mentioned knowing anyone in my company.

Paula's smile was wide now. She made no effort to hide it. 'Do you know her full name?' she asked.

I tried to picture the name on her office door. 'Nancy R. O'Brien. I think,' I answered still perplexed.

'Do you know what the R stand's for?' Paula asked.

I realized she was trying to get me to figure it out on my own. But I had no idea what I could be missing. 'No, I don't. No idea at all. I barely know her. I think I've spoken to her twice in the last four years. Can we stop playing twenty questions? I don't mind that she's here. I was just curious.' I turned my head, intending to drop the subject.

'Her middle name is Rebecca, Josh. She's my friend, Becky. The one that recruited me into stripping,' she whispered.

I couldn't hide my surprise. My brother noticed and I saw he was looking at me curiously. 'What?' I asked, incredulous.

'Don't you say a word to anyone,' Paula whispered. 'Not even to her. I call her Nancy now.'

I'd heard Paula talking to a friend, Nancy, on her cell. But had no idea who she was. Like Terry, I figured Paula would introduce us eventually. And it was possible Nancy was a former colleague from MechLinx. I had to laugh. 'I wouldn't say anything,' I whispered. 'And before you say anything, no I don't want the two of you to do a show for me.'

That got me a sharp elbow to the ribs and a look that could melt glass. I couldn't resist laughing at the dirty look my soon-to-be wife gave me. She smiled back at me, knowing I was teasing her.

The first half hour was pandemonium. Getting the kids settled down was a challenge. The children on both sides were of similar ages and were excited to be making new friends. My niece let the cat out of the bag before Marcus could announce why we'd gathered everyone.

She tugged on my sleeve and asked, pouting, 'Are you really getting married today, Uncle Josh?' She had a wicked crush on me and insisted she was going to marry me when she grew up.

Mayhem broke out for the second time, though it was confined to Paula's family. My family was already in the know because of the need to make travel arrangements.

Marcus performed the ceremony before we dinner. Dinner was another session of pandemonium. The kids were more interested in playing with their new 'cousins' than eating dinner. Their parents kept them under control, though. We didn't want to disturb the other patrons in the main dining room. Even got them to finish their meals.

The rest of the night went off without a hitch. There was no drama. The two families got on well and mixed. My brother Steve, a Yankee employee, and Marcus, a Yankee fan especially hit it off, as did Cindy and Steve's wife Beth. All were avid golfers and made plans to play the next day while the grandparents got together and spent time with the grandchildren. Marcus and Cindy made plans to get together with my brother and sister-in-law the following winter during school vacation for a week of golf, spring training baseball, and sun in Florida.

Paula and I managed a surreptitious escape, but not before Paula stuck Vin with the check for dinner. I had already paid the bill. All Vin got was a duplicate copy of my credit card receipt. He obviously didn't look at it too closely. He just looked sick, signed it and stuck the receipt in his wallet. The restaurant had an automatic tip policy for large groups. I supplemented it with a generous additional cash tip because the wait staff had been appropriately attentive and had done an outstanding job for us. Paula and I laughed heartily on the way to our honeymoon loft. The look on Vin's face when he saw the check and signed the duplicate copy that had been dummied up for him was priceless. We planned to call him the next day and let him in on the gag.

I see no point in describing our wedding night. We were as enthusiastic as we were our first weekend together, though now we knew each other's hot spots. At lunch the next day, after my family arrived at Paula's parents, Paula and I pulled everyone together and told them about the baby. Our parents were far more excited about the baby than they were about our nuptials.

We moved to a big house on the shore in Greenwich when Paula was in her seventh month. Her apartment sold in a matter of days for a nice premium over the asking price. We kept my apartment and plan to leased it after the baby was born. We may move back to New York someday.

Francesca came to work on her day off to supervise her chief resident and a first-year resident, making sure everything went as planned. Paula cursed me throughout her labor, swearing she was never going to have sex again. I'm sure it was just a hollow threat. At least I hope it is.

Paula and I brought our daughter Erin home from New York Presbyterian yesterday. I'm finishing my narrative as I sit in my study. Paula and Erin are upstairs asleep. I'm having trouble sleeping. And with my typing. I've got to wrap this narrative up and go take some more aspirin.

Paula held my hand throughout labor. During the last push that heralded Erin's birth, Paula squeezed and jerked the two fingers she held so hard she dislocated the index and middle fingers on my left hand. Francesca laughed when I screamed in pain. I wanted to strangle her where she stood. To her credit, she stopped laughing when she saw the odd angles my fingers dangled at while I held my wrist. But she was still grinning when she apologized. She thought I cried out in sympathy for Paula's discomfort. After Paula and the baby were united, I got to kiss my two loves. Fran took me for imaging, then to a treatment room on another floor. An orthopedic resident put my fingers back where they belonged. Fran grinned widely when I winced as the young doctor popped the fingers back in place and applied a splint to immobilize them. I still have to follow-up to confirm no more serious damage was done to the ligaments.

Fran's last words to me before she left were, 'Remind me to buy Paula a drink next time I see her. That was the first time I've seen a father suffer real physical pain in the delivery room.' I heard her and a nurse laughing as they walked down the hall.

My splinted hand and I got to spend some time my wife and daughter again before a nurse chased me out so they could rest. Despite my mangled hand, I love Paula more than ever. Erin hasn't done much yet except sleep, nurse, and mess her diapers but every second I've spent with her has been a delight.

I've grown close to Vin and Fran in the last few months. Vin is always glad to see me. And Fran genuinely likes me. Always gives me an affectionate, sisterly hug and kiss when she greets me. But Dr. Francesca Carvalho MacDonough's amusement at my mangled fingers surprised me. I doubt she'd have laughed if it had been any other couple. I'm sure she let it show only because I'm family. And who doesn't occasionally find amusement in family's minor misfortunes? Though I'm sure her contrition was genuine, she still made no effort to conceal that she found the incident funny. And if I think about it, consider how many fathers she observed while the mother suffered the joyous agony of childbirth, I can understand why she found it so funny. But that doesn't mean I'll let it pass without exacting some kind of harmless revenge.