Love, the Second Time Around Ch. 02

Many years ago, I did my best to avoid being in pictures. Especially after Maureen was born. I felt fat. My hair was always a mess. I wasn't wearing make-up. I always had an excuse.

But then I realised one day that I didn't have many pictures of me, my daughter and my wife for about a two year span. And that horrified me.

So now I take all the pictures I can. I take selfies. I have Maureen and Nichole share the pictures they take. I print out the ones I like. I put the rest on digital picture frames that litter my house.

I want to be surrounded by memories. I want to be surrounded by love. I want to see myself in the company of the people who mean the most to me.

Because the pictures aren't for me. They're for my daughter. They're for my wife. And they don't give a shit about how insecure I think I am. When I pass on to the next life, I just want them to remember how much I love them.

I'd like to think I don't spend my days staring at life through the screen of an iPhone, but I never pass up a chance to capture myself with my daughter, my wife, my siblings or anyone else who is important to me.

It took me a minute to find the perfect photo of Nichole, Stephen, Maureen and me. I posted it to my Instagram with the simple caption, "Mia famiglia"

As soon as she saw it, Nichole gave me a quizzical look. I smiled mischievously and blew her a kiss.

A couple of days later, we were waiting by the gate at LaGuardia under the monitor that read "Rome".

Stephen leaned against Nichole's shoulder, his headphones on, playing some game on his tablet.

Maureen also had her headphones on mouthing words and sentences in a foreign language; she was brushing up on her Italian. I also knew she had copied lessons in German, French and Spanish to her tablet.

In her youth, McKayla and I took her all over Europe; Maureen was almost fluent in Spanish and Italian, and was getting there in French. I also knew she could carry on a reasonably intelligent introductory conversation in German, Russian and passable Japanese. Whenever she is going to a new country, she learns at least the most basic phrases for a tourist to get around (ie-"hello", "please", "thank you", "good-bye", etc.).

She reminds me so much of her mother, although she has become so much more than either of us ever hoped.

Nichole was thumbing through a tour book of Italy on her iPad she had picked up once our destination was clear. She thought we might be headed to Asia, since she speaks Mandarin and a little bit of Japanese, but we didn't have time for an around the world trip. I am planning on taking them all to Asia for one of our future anniversaries, though.

My arm was intertwined with my wife's. We just seemed to fit together.

As a couple.

As a family.

Me. Nichole. Maureen. Stephen.

Ready to see how the rest of our lives were going to turn out.