Page 20 of Awaiting

“So do I,” he replied, smiling. “Is it really just Mother driving you away? I’d understand if that were the case, but you’ve seemed down lately.”

Alex looked around his living room and saw the formal family portrait hanging over the lit fireplace. Then, she took in the actual photos of Lawrence with his wife and two sons, who looked so much like him, it was ridiculous.

“I want that, Larry,” she replied, pointing at one picture where Louis was about two and Henry was around three. Margaret was holding on to Louis, who was trying to put a paper boat into the water, and Henry was in her brother’s arms, pointing out at something over the water. They all had smiles on their faces. “I want the whole thing,” she added.

“I know you do. And I’m not like Mother – I know you’ll find her one day, Alex. She won’t be someone Mother thinks is right for you, either. Honestly,that’sgoing to be really funny, and I can’t wait.” Lawrence laughed a little.

“Where’s your wife? I’d prefer to have this conversation with her right now.” Alex glared at her brother playfully.

“She’s giving Louis a bath. You can go on up if you want, but he’s a splasher, and the whole bathroom is in the splash zone.”

Alex laughed and said, “I love that kid.”

“We’re thinking about having another one,” he revealed.

“What?” That was news to her.

“Don’t tell Mother or Father yet. We’re not sure, but we both want a daughter. We love our sons, but I’ve been feeling lately like a little girl would round out our family.”

“What if you end up with another boy?” Alex asked.

“We’ll love him, too, of course, but I think we’re going to start trying.”

“That’s great, Larry. I’d love a niece.”

“So would I,” he said, shoving at her shoulder lightly. “Get on that already. I’m thinking a nieceanda nephew. I want my kids to be able to play with them, so you need to get moving, Favorite Sister. The age gap is widening more and more every day.”

“Don’t be our mother right now,” Alex replied. “And I’m working on it.”

“What doesthatmean?”

“There’s a girl… Well, there’s a woman,” she corrected herself.

“Not Teresa, obviously.”

“No. But I haven’t spent that much time with her. I just know how I feel when she’s around.”

“And how’s that?”

“Lighter,” Alex said with a smile.

“Lighter?”

“Like she makes the world lighter for me somehow.”

Lawrence turned toward the fire to contemplate this.

“I can see that. I think Margaret does that for me, too.”

“Oh, she does. You were a little shit before you met her. Your ties had to be just right; your cuffs had to be the perfect length; you had to be fifteen minutes early to everything; and you took the whole world way too seriously. She made you lighten up a bit.”

Lawrence laughed and asked, “Why can’t a man care about how he looks in a suit?”

Alex laughed as well and then said, “I don’t know if she even remotely thinks of me that way, but she’ll be in Kleinland for a while.”

“Ah, so itisabout more than just getting away. You’re headingtowardsomething.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

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