Right Place at The Right Time

"Yes, I'm positive."

"Do we want more children?"

"I'm certain that I do."

"You do know that if you insist on fucking me in the ass, we'll never have kids, don't you?" This being said with a huge grin.

"How are we, or just you going to explain how another child just might appear, soon?"

"I haven't thought about that, but I'd sure like to start trying."

"Do you think we should get married, first?"

"Are we both 100% positive? I know I am."

"Oh, Jim are you sure, knowing my track record?"

Nodding, and holding her in my arms. I guess this etched my decision in stone. I was certain I was doing the right thing. I had discussed this, at length with my parents, and after meeting Amanda several times, fully supported our decision.

All that was left to do was plan a wedding. My house was large enough for us three, with enough room for several more children, if we decide to go in that direction.

Amanda's parents were overjoyed at our news and told us there was a community center not far from our houses that would be perfect for our wedding.

One night as we neared our big day, we were laying in bed, when I took both her hands and asked if it was OK with her and her family if I started adoption proceedings, for Jenny. She had already started calling me daddy, so I figured we might as well make it official.

I had checked with a lawyer friend of my parents and found out what I needed to do to get the ball rolling.

I put a notice in The Daily Journal of Commerce to see if anyone who might be Jenny's father would answer. After seven days without any response, my petition could go forward.

It didn't shock anybody that no one came forward. Wow, in a few months it would be official. Jennifer Rollins would become Jennifer Benson.

All we had to do was wait for our big day. About sixty family and friends joined in our celebration. The community center was ready. Both families were ready. Jenny was running all over telling everyone that mommy and daddy were getting married. All both of us had to do was settle our nerves and say a few very important words.

The ceremony went perfectly. My older brother and sister, along with their families were there. A couple of Amanda's cousins were there. Everyone was celebrating. We had a DJ playing some soft dance music, when we heard someone pick up the microphone and start singing a song from the late 60's.

"This girl is a woman, now" And in walks my mom's uncle, Gary Puckett. Along with his band, The Union Gap, he was a huge star in the late 60's and early 70's. And contrary to popular thinking, his band was NOT named for the Civil War, union army, but for a suburb of Yakima, Washington, where mom and her family grew up. The suburb was named Union Gap, Washington.

After singing this huge hit of his, our precocious four year old runs up to him and tells everyone, "mister, you sing really good."

Uncle Gary picked her up and told her, tongue in cheek, that just maybe he might give this singing thing a try. He then walked over to my new wife and I, congratulating us on our big day. We thanked him for traveling all the way from South Florida for us.

After this little commotion died down, we continued on with our reception.

As people were leaving, she put her head on my shoulder and whispered, "I hope this dream never ends."

Stepping even closer, she started singing, "Tonight you're mine, completely,,,,,,,, But will you love me tomorrow?" This from the 1960 smash hit, Will You Love Me, Tomorrow? by the Shirelles.

"I will love you until time stands still."

We knew we weren't taking a honeymoon, just now, so noticing we were the only ones left, her parents having left with our daughter, we just stood in the middle of the floor, holding on to each other.

"Let's go home, Mrs. Benson."

We spent the majority of the next day in bed. Using every position you could imagine. And some you might have trouble imagining. We stopped just before we literally passed out.

Within another two weeks, Amanda found a job helping out answering phones at one of the building materials companies that I did happen to use, on occasion. I had to explain to friends who thought I had something to do with her getting this job. I did not. She got it all.on her own.

As the months started to fly by, we agreed for her to stop taking her pills. We both truly wanted another child in our house. We never let up on our sex life, always keeping in practice.

It took nearly six months before we found out we were going to be parents, again. Boy, did we find out!

Not only was Amanda pregnant, we were having twins. Did we want to know the sex of them? Not at first. But as she began to grow, we changed our minds.

At her next appointment, we found we were going to have one of each. Now, we had a few months to come up with names.

Regarding that question Jenny had about shopping for a sibling? We found an age appropriate book explaining where children come from. Luckily, we held the embarrassing questions to a minimum.

As mommy's tummy grew, Jenny's questions seemed far above a four year old level. Also, as her tummy grew, our sex life shrunk. Not that I was complaining, as I knew with these two, are family would be complete.

As her due date was nearing, and we knew she more than likely wouldn't carry full term, we decided on names. Mary for our new daughter, and Bryce for our son.

Just as we were waking up, one morning, and Jenny was getting ready for pre-school, Amanda gave me the look that meant our twins wanted to meet us.

With my mother-in-law meeting us at the hospital to watch Jenny, off we went to meet Mary and Bryce.

I think I was about ten times more nervous than my wife, but this wasn't her first time. I was right there, coaching like I learned. And just under two hours later, Mary Benson joined our world. A nice head of nearly white blonde hair, just like mommy had as a baby, and letting us all know her displeasure at being cold.

As she was being cared for, Bryce made his entrance. Almost the identical hairdo, but darker like mine was when I was born.

While both were being cleaned up, I just held my wife's hands, telling her how beautiful our babies were. She barely had the energy to smile, she was so tired.

That ended as soon as Mary was placed in her arms. Talk about a quick recovery! They were talking, well Amanda was talking and Mary was staring up at her, with her little pink hat and her bright blue eyes.

Just then, the nurse put Bryce in my arms, with his little blue hat and brown eyes. After a few minutes, we traded, and started getting ready to get the family settled in a room, for a short stay.

When Dana brought Jenny into our room, she looked at the two little bundles in their incubators and commented how small they both were.

After all, to a five year old, everything in their world was instant, so she figured she would have two instant play mates.

With just a short stay, we were soon back home. Having both cribs in the same room proved to be a great idea, as they both had similar sleep patterns.

We did have to caution Jenny about going into their room, seeing if they were ready to play, yet. Even though the twins were very sound sleepers, their sister was none too quiet.

It didn't take us long to teach big sister that one of her most important jobs was to let them both sleep, because we convinced her that babies grew while they were sleeping.

Being a very bright child, she told us she would do what we asked, but she just wanted to watch them grow.

When the twins were old enough to lay next to each other on the floor, Jenny was right there, with them, talking to each one, making sure they knew everything she could teach them.

She watched mommy doing each and every task, and had questions with each new thing she'd observed.

When both twins learned to sit up by themselves, it was older sister who bragged to anyone who would listen that it was her instruction that did the trick.

Both twins started walking during the same week. It was then we had to 'kid proof' our room, or run the risk of being interrupted during our nearly nightly bouts of loving sex. With me getting fixed during Amanda's last few weeks of pregnancy, we didn't have to worry about adding to our family.

One sunny afternoon, as I was coming back from getting some supplies for an upcoming job, I knew Jenny was home from school, but was a bit curious why she wasn't outside to greet me, as was her custom.

I thought I heard some yelling coming from the twins room, so I quietly snuck in the back door.

"Get out of our house, Donald," my wife screamed.

"I want my daughter!" this creep yelled, right back.

As I looked inside the room, my family could see me, but this unwanted creep could not.

I just launched myself across the room, hitting him square in the chest, as he turned to face me. I hit him with a force that knocked the wind out of him, with me landing on top of his prone body. Before he could even try to take a breath, I rolled him on his stomach and yelled for my wife to grab a few electrical ties, I had all over the house.

Having him totally subdued, we waited for the Police to arrive. I held both my wife and older daughter, as Amanda told me this might be the biological father of Jenny. All this time, the twins were jumping around in their cribs, thinking this was the afternoon entertainment.

A day or two after this incident, we get a call from some shyster lawyer telling us Donald Wattmore wanted shared custody of his daughter.

"Even if he could prove paternity, we completed all the necessary steps for adoption, so, in truth, he's shit out of luck!" I then hung up before he could get a word in edgewise.

To aid in our case, as if we needed any, the King County Sheriff's department found an outstanding warrant from Montana, telling them that one Donald Wattmore was wanted for violation of The Mann Act.

For the uninformed, that's transporting a minor across state lines for immoral purposes.

It took less than two hours for his extradition process back to Montana to begin.

It took a few more days to return to the calm we were used to.

The next huge change in our house was the twins starting to walk.

Jenny was in full big sister mode, helping them at every turn. She made sure to let everyone know she was teaching them both to walk, so she could have two new playmates.

With my business booming, and Jenny in school, Amanda started helping out in her class. There were even some days when she would take the twins with her, giving me some very quiet solitude to work in.

All during this time in our lives, our sex life flourished. It was as if we were both teenagers, with nearly boundless sexual energy. It was on very rare occasions, that we were too tired to continue.

All of a sudden, to my way of thinking, Jenny, who now wanted to be called Jen, was in high school. She was learning to drive, and talked about dating. Yes, she was past sixteen, but I was a bit old fashioned and balked at this request. If Amanda hadn't reminded me just how responsible she was, I might not have agreed so quickly. I did insist on meeting any potential boyfriends.

I also hoped if she was considering dating any young man, she would need to meet his parents.

Into her Junior year, one afternoon, Jen and Amanda were talking quietly, when I returned from doing some errands.

When I asked what was up, they both became very quiet.

"Dad, I've been asked to go to our school dance, this coming Friday."

"Sounds fine to me. Can we meet this young man?"

"Um, dad, you do remember saying I could date anyone who I wanted, as long as he was nice, correct?"

"Yes, does this young man have three eyes or five arms?"

"No, dad, he's black."

"So what, that's OK with me."

After the huge hug she laid on me, she was off to the phone.

I couldn't wait to meet this young man on Friday.

Sitting in our living room, Friday evening, just when the doorbell rang. I thought I was going to swallow my tongue, when I saw her date.

Do any of you readers remember the sit-com Family Matters? And the star of the show, Steve Urkel? This young man looked like Urkel's twin. With the exception of wearing full length pants. Very large glasses, maybe 5'7" or so, and not an ounce over 135. I was very glad Jen wasn't wearing heals, or she would have been taller.

"Daddy, this is my friend, Gerald Butler."

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Benson."

"Gerald, are you driving, tonight?"

"No, sir, my dad is driving us. I'm getting my driver's license as soon as I turn 18."

Wow, score one for this kids parents.

As soon as they left the house, Amanda was in my arms, sniffling, "our little girl is going on a date."

"Jeez mom, she's not running off to get married," both twins said, in unison. For twelve year olds, they were far too 'up' on things for twelve year olds to be up on. But, I'm still considered old fashioned.

After a few more dates with Gerald, they both were studying in our living room, and asked to talk with the two of us.

"Mr. and Mrs. Benson, I want to tell you just how much I like Jen. And after talking at length with her, we both know our like just may never go any farther than that."

"So, mom and dad, we just want you to know we have every intention of staying just that. Great friends."

"That's all."

Wow, being told that our daughter's first boyfriend was just that, a friend.

They went back to studying, and we both heaved a huge sigh of relief. We did notice when Gerald left, they did give each other a light peck on the lips.

As her senior year was starting, so was her search for colleges. We had talked about what she wanted to study, and were very surprised when she told us she wanted to be an elementary school teacher. She said she already had a great deal of experience with her younger siblings, and she actually admired several of her own teachers.

Getting into Western Washington University, just ninety miles from us, made both of us proud. With the twins finishing up Middle School, we started having a great deal of free time on our hands.

With my parents up there in years, and set in San Diego, we helped my wife's parents fix up a retirement home on the Washington coast. Actually, it was a nice condo that suited them just fine.

My wife still worked a couple of days a week, at the same supply store she started at when we got married.

Just under a year later, with Jen flying through her classes, we celebrated our fifteenth anniversary. We were still in our same house. The twins were going into high school. My business was going great guns, with one of the twins showing great promise helping on some jobs.

Not the one you might think, but Mary, our daughter. She was absolutely brilliant picking up on whatever I showed her. I figured her four years of high school would be like an apprenticeship, and some day, soon, take over my business.

Now Bryce, was another story, altogether. During middle school he didn't exactly burn up the books. His grades were good, but never great. Once he started high school, he took a wood working class, and bam, he found out he could build anything.

My wife and I never steered the twins in any direction, but on their own, here were two fifteen year olds planning to go into business some day building houses. Bryce would design and build, and Mary would do all the wiring. A ready made team.

For our twentieth anniversary, we surprised the twins helping them start their own company. Amanda even started doing their schedules, and with Jen starting at a nearby elementary school, we all stayed close.

The one thing that never faltered was our love for each other. Were there bumps in the road? You bet. Did we work through them as a family? Again, you bet.

Amanda was my hero. Giving birth at fifteen, basically living on the streets. Serving sixteen months in Juvenile Detention. Coming out of this such a solid citizen, wife, mother. and soon to be grandmother. Yes, Jen got married, just a few months ago. And much to our surprise, she and Gerald Butler, after so many years as friends, fell in love in college.

Did it bother us to have a black son-in-law? Not a chance. Gerald proved to be not only Jen's best friend, but eventually her lover and husband.

With our kids all flourishing life has truly been good to the Benson family.

Yes, we welcomed a granddaughter, and two years later, a grandson. All we had to do, now was go through the dating game with our twins.

All in all, we all had to admit the Benson family turned out just fine.