Sajani was on the phone as she packed up her purple day backpack and finished getting ready in Patrick’s apartment “Yes Papa, I’ll tell them. And that….are you sure you don’t want to just come with us……...He’s not going to be mad at you forever…..Dada (Grandpa) will get over it…..I know we can’t explain.” She sighs and holds her phone out just looking at it and then gives Patrick an apologetic look “You know Papa, you could just book yourself an appointment with Mary to unpack your father issues? Because we’re going to miss the ferry if we have to do it now on the phone.” She smiles “I love you too. Talk to you when we get back.” She hangs up and picks up the backpack and slides it on. She’s traded her big colourful purse for a small colourful purse so she can access things like her phone and cards without rifling through her whole backpack. She’s wearing her denim dress with a little mustard yellow v-neck t shirt and black mid calf leggings. She has a pair of black sandals ready to put on at the door and she does that next. She has a colourful beaded necklace on and matching earrings. Sajani kisses Patrick as he joins her to leave “Ready for the insanity of Little Punjab?” She teases.
Patrick Peterson was watching Sajani pack up a backpack like they were headed for a holiday in the Bahamas or something. On the phone with her father, he couldn’t help a grin. There was something incredibly cute about Sajani and her father therapizing each other. He was in jeans and an Alexandra Book Fair 2010 tshirt. He kissed her and arched his brows. “I don’t think anything can prepare me for Little Punjab … I swear it feels like half your relatives live there … but I packed my guts for the trip and will try not to say anything too stupid, I promise.” he takes her hand and toes into his runners.
On the ferry they walk on the outdoor decks and enjoy the salty breeze as it whips around them. At some point they spot a whale spray and watch, snuggled together at the railing as the whale surfaces a few times, shows off it’s barnacled tail and then disappears into the deep again. It’s a sweet time together and they leave the ferry holding hands and walking to the bus stop. As Sajani digs for her transit card a very clean cut blond hair blue eyed man approaches them looking furiously at Patrick.
Mark Abbott has been waiting for this confrontation, for years. He’s in his late 20s and he has on a light blue plaid shirt buttoned right to the top and dark brown cotton twill pants. He looks like a door to door bible salesman which is reinforced by the silver cross necklace around his neck. “The sinner returns!” He preaches at Patrick.”You ruined Faith. My beautiful sister, a treasure to God, now strayed from his path. You are the devil incarnate. The devil!” He shouts the last part a bit like he’s in some sort of evangelical fit.
Sajani’s jaw drops at the whole speech and she looks awkwardly at Patrick. Is this guy just some nutcase or do they know each other? She needs more information.
Patrick blinks at a man he’s never seen before in his life comes up to him and tells him that he’s ruined his faith. Then he realizes he must mean his sister who is named Faith. And that is the most of the sense making so far. “Uhhhh … I … don’t know anyone named Faith ….” he offers in as calming a voice as he knows.
Mark seethes “Oh I see….this how you’re going to play it. For the new girlfriend.” He looks down at his hand holding the Indian girl’s. “You got bored of corrupting the choir girls and branched out to more ethnic options Chris. Well good for you.”
Now Sajani’s eyes just go wide at the not even veiled racial slur but she also hears the guy call Patrick Chris. Clearly Chris has screwed some narrow minded Christian girl who was the sister of this tool. “Wow, just wow.” Is all she can comment to the guy. Even if Patrick was Chris, this guy was way out of line.
Patrick figured it out when the guy mentioned choir girls. But he confirms it when he calls him Chris. It doesn’t help he talked about ‘ethnic options’. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Patrick rolled his eyes. “You probably won’t believe this, but I’m not Chris. I’m his brother. His twin brother.” He turns away from the guy, moving Sajani to the side furthest away from this guy. “Now if you’ll excuse us…”
Sajani leans into Patrick and kisses his cheek, looking a little upset. Then she sees their bus pulling in and smiles “That one...number 351 to Langley. Perfect timing.” She shoots a glare back at the evangelical racist and lines up with Patrick and the other few riders.
Mark grumbles “Twin…..lord save us if there’s two…” He doesn’t pursue the couple though. But he looks uncertain if he believes the twin thing as he walks away.
The bus isn’t too crowded but Sajani pulls out a mask from her purse and offers another to Patrick. She had determined her family was safe as Her Uncle and Aunt both worked from home and the community had been safe from Covid cases so far. “That was insane!” She said about the guy who accosted them “Chris sure picked a winner there I guess….”
Patrick takes the mask and puts it on. He sits with her and shrugs. “Chris is the wilder of us. Or he was before … we got cut off … He told me about that girl … I got the impression she wasn’t as happy with her family as her brother apparently is.” he rolls his eyes and looks around. “Anyway, enough about him. We’re doing fantastic.” he kisses her forehead, even with his mask on.
The bus ride is a bit long but pleasant. Finally Sajani pulls the cord and nods to Patrick that this is the stop to exit at and then end up shoved with the crowd to exit through the back doors. As they step off the neighbourhood reveals itself to be very modern. There’s a sort of strip mall behind the bus stop with a giant supermarket, a few common take out food chains, a garden centre and of course a big Starbrews, because it’s still Metro Vancouver. On the other side of the street past the crosswalk is a tidy little neighbourhood with a series of cul de sacs off of one main access road in. Sajani pushes the crosswalk button and they cross over to the residential area. There’s a big cut stone sign that says Langley Meadows. They walk to the middle cul de sac and begin to make their way around. Sajani begins to point to houses “Most of the houses on this street are either Singhs or Bajwas. My mother’s maiden name was Bajwa so my parents grew up as neighbours…..it was a brand new development back then. This house here at the end was the original Bajwa house. ,I’ve talked about my cousin Priya? Priya’s parents inherited it. My grandparents, Sajani...yes she’s who I’m named after, and Varinder. He’s gone. She’s in a care home now. My Aunt Gita still lives here with Priya’s brothers but my Uncle moved out. They divorced, scandal in this family. Priya actually moved one cul de sac over when she got married to Shaun.” She laughs “i don’t expect you to remember all this…” she points around a bit more “Sharda, Dishan, Jazz, don’t call my Uncle Dishan Dish, ever, he hates that. Papa and Uncle Arjin do it to piss him off. It’s Arjin and Chani’s house we’re going to...the one in the middle there with the cedar trees out front.” They walk to the biggest of the houses and from the backyard the sounds of children playing carry over. Sajani leads Patrick to the door and rings the bell. Voices seem to be negotiating from inside about who’s coming to answer, many voices. Finally the door pops open and a man who can clearly be identified as Gurshan’s older brother answers with a huge grin “Saji!” He practically yells in excitement. He grabs her in a hug like he’s missed her and he truly has, for 3 years. Then he steps back and shakes the hand of the man with her “And you’re Patrick….hello, welcome….come in…” He shouts to the household “Sajani is here, with her boyfriend Patrick!”
A crowd forms around the doorway with Singhs of all ages looking both delighted and curious. Sajani tries to do a go around of names but realizes there’s about 15 people to point at as she does. A beautiful middle aged Indian woman in a traditional purple sari pushes through “Saji….Arjin you didn't tell me they were coming!” She swats at her husband “Did you say his name is Patrick. We have to feed him….and we just ran out of lentils.” She throws up her hands and then comes back smiling and shaking Patrick’s “I’m Chani...we’ll sort it out.”
In the living room there are two brothers who don’t look identical but act like twins, not different from Patrick and Chris. One of them chimes in “We could just order some pizza?”
His mother turns on him “Balraj...don’t be silly. Take Hardeep and go buy some lentils at the market. And make some room people...let them into the house!”
Sajani interjects “We still have our shoes on…..we can buy the lentils.” She looks at Patrick with a little shrug. “We know here the supermarket is?” She knows that not allowing her aunt to feed her boyfriend is not one of the options here so they’ll have to work with it.
Patrick enjoys the bus ride, and finds Langley Meadows quite nice. Then Sajani is bombarding him with names and histories and who lives in which house. Hie eyes are round by the time she tells him that she doesn’t expect him to remember it all, for which he is grateful. Then she continues with several more names and, while he listens, he doesn’t try and memorise it all. When they arrive and ring the bell, Patrick can hear a cacophony inside. Had they all shown up in advance, or as it always like this? He can begin to put faces to names, and smiles when someone … Balraj suggests pizza since they are out of lentils. Sajani volunteers them to go grocery shopping, and he doesn’t object, knowing how some families are about feeding guests. He nods. “Yea, it’s no problem. Back in a flash.” he smiles at them all and turns to go. Once They are about halfway back to the bus stop, he looks over at her. “Chani and Balraj. I got two names!” he knows he sounds impressed with himself, but considering the size of this family, he is.
Sajani hugs Patrick’s arm a bit as they walk past the bus stop and towards the market “You’re doing awesome. Here’s an easy one Chani and Arjin….Arjin is my father’s brother...then Balraj and Hardeep….well they’re fraternal twins, and really a lot like you and your brother. So that’s 4 names. The other important one is my Dada….Mandeep. He wasn’t in the room. He’s old and he may have been napping which he sometimes does. That’s who my father is freaking out about right now. We need to somehow see if we can get Dada to take Papa’s calls again. I don’t know how….” She walks through the automatic doors of the supermarket and let’s go of Patrick’s hand to reach down and get them a basket. It’s pretty quiet in the market so she skips putting on her mask. The bus was more crowded. Sajani starts scanning the signs over the grocery aisles “Beans….dried beans….there we go…aisle 6..” Distractedly she begins moving towards the aisle.
Patrick nods. “Arjin … OK … and Hardeep. Yea … and Mandeep. I can remember those.” he repeats them in his head. “Well, unless he’s a huge X-File or supernatural nut … we’ll think of something, Sudara.” he follows her to aisle 6 and sort of stands nearby as he sort of stands by and watches.
Kendra Strachan is in Aisle 6 looking for black eye peas. She moves along the aisle and finds them. Perfect, it's her favorite brand, too. She straightens, planning to put the bag in the basket hooked onto her elbow when her eyes see a tall well build man with a tiny Indian woman. Her eyes narrow. Oh, that motherfucker. Where the fuck had he been for three mother fucking years. She didn’t even have to think. Marching up to him, she snorts. “Well look whose back.” she rolls her neck a bit. “And still like us sistahs, I see.”
Sajani was doing mental math on what the best deal on the bigger bags of lentils was when she heard a woman talking behind them and turned with a large bag of lentils now held in her arms. This woman was speaking to Patrick and calling her a sistah? “Um hello?” She offered unsurely. The woman was black and muscular and taller than her. Sajani wasn’t great at confrontation at the best of times and this was completely confusing. She looked at Patrick for the second time, waiting for the tale to be revealed.
Patrick looks at the woman and blinks. “Do I know you?” he asks, but his heart sinks a little. This woman matched the description of a girl Chris had been falling for before the Fog. She hadn’t quite hit meet the family status, but it was close.
Kendra sucks air in through her teeth. “Do you KNOW me? You forgot fucking me for two months? So much for your checking that privilege at the fucking door, motherfucker.”
Patrick sighs. “You want my twin. I’m Patrick.” he tells her.
Kendra blinks. “Patrick … oh … fuck you, Chris.” she goes to slap him, completely forgetting that she has a bag of black eyes peas in her right hand. It breaks on impact and beans fly all over the place. She spins on her heel and marches out of the aisle and the store.
Patrick’s head snaps to the side as the bag makes contact. He loses his eyes and then slowly opens them.
Sajani watched and listened nervously and nodded with a sigh when Patrick said she wanted his twin. Chris again, dammit. Then she jumps and gasps as the woman slaps him in the face with a bag of black eyed peas and they break open. Before Sajani can even dream up a defence the woman is out of sight. She steps to Patrick and slides her hand gently over his cheek where he was smacked “Are you ok? Holy shit…” She kisses the cheek after and reaches to hug Patrick tightly, letting her own bag of lentils rest on his mid back in her hand.
Patrick stands semi-stunned in a sea of black eyed peas. He accepts the kiss and hugs her back. “You know what the problem is with having a sexy, charming, smooth talking twin is?” he asks her, not expecting an answer, because he has one. “People confuse the awkward, foot in mouth one for him. And Chris … he’s not even a slut or anything .. just that the girls he used to be into … get him into a lot of trouble.” he blows out a breath. “Are we done here?” he asks, trying to keep positive. “I have family to meet that never heard of Chris Peterson.”
Sajani can’t help but laugh at the whole thing “I can guarantee you Chris has never stepped foot on that cul de sac. We just have to survive my grandfather now….oh my gosh…” She grabs a second bag of lentils and goes with Patrick to pay for them and head back to her aunt and uncles. Once inside she hands them off to Chani who hugs both she and Patrick for buying them like they’ve just each won a nobel peace prize. As they’re taking off their shoes more relatives walk through the door.
It’s one of Arjin and Chani’s very much grown daughters, Sunpreet who corrects her mother’s introduction to the shortened form of her name as she shakes Patrick’s hand “Sunny, Sunny Hansen pleased to meet you. Look at you all grown Saji….” Two boys run by her and she points “Those fast creatures are Ethan and Jacob…” she pats her pregnant belly “And I’m secretly hoping this one will be a little girl. She’s clearly a Singh by birth but her hair is cut as short as Patrick’s and her surname and kid’s names are not Indian at all.
Arjin high fives his grandsons’ as they fly through the kitchen and then comes out to kiss Sunny hello before commenting to Patrick “You see, you won’t be the only white boy in the family. Sunny married one too. Is Clark coming for lunch?”
Sunny shakes her head “No he’s stuck at work. Let me help you Mami.” She waddles after Chani who’s slipped into the kitchen now.
Sajani smiles at Patrick and then sighs at Arjin “Where is Dada? Does he know we’re here?”
Arjin nods and looks awkwardly between them “Yep, and he’s not coming out of his room. But you can go up…” He laughs a bit “And good luck..” He gives Patrick a pat on the shoulder and heads off into the throng of Singhs in the living room.
Sajani reaches for Patrick’s hand and takes a deep breath “Ok here goes…” She begins to head upstairs, bringing him with her if she can. She climbs to a single room on the third floor. It’s open from the stairs with no door and in it is a single bed, a dresser and a rocking chair by the window. In the rocking chair is an old Sikh man with a faded yellow turban and a long grey beard. He wears a long tunic style white shirt over simple dark red cotton pants. On his feet are loafer style slippers like Gurshan sometimes wears around the house. Sajani takes a few steps in “Dada?”
The man doesn’t turn to them immediately.
Being secure in the knowledge that no one in Sajani’s family knows Chris except her father, he returns to the house with Sajani. He’s glad to meet more relatives and also glad he won’t be the ONLY white boy in the family. In the family. Patrick smiled at that, as he’s been thinking about the future. Then Sajani is taking him upstairs to meet her Dada. He holds her hand, because he gets how awkward this could be. He doesn’t reply immediately, he takes his chances. “Hello, sir.” he steps into the room with Sajani. “I’m Patrick Peterson. Sajani’s
Intended.” he winces at his word usage. “I’m glad to meet you.”
Mandeep Singh shifts his whole rocking chair now to look at Sajani and her intended? He looks the young man up and down “Intended what?” He still has a strong Indian accent after all his years in Canada but his English is perfect. He looks at Sajani and switches to Punjabi saying the following “I don’t hear from Gurshan in 3 years…...leaving me to think you had both died….and now he sends you to have your fiance tell me you’re getting married?”
Sajani had heard the word intended and blinked. What was Patrick doing? Then her grandfather reacted with a big tirade, assuming they were announcing an engagement. She awkwardly tries to answer him in English “Dada I know Papa feels very sorry...and Patrick is my boyfriend. I mean…” She starts to continue but is cut off.
Mandeep leans forward, his eyes boring into his granddaughter now “In Punjabi.” He demands in the language.
Sajani blows out a breath and wracks her brain for the vocabulary. She understood it way better than she spoke it. She fumbles it horribly but tries “We’re not engaged, but he is the man I will marry someday. Father misses you terribly. Please talk to him. We’re so sorry.” about half of it came out clearly and the other half was in the strong tense or unintelligible.
Mandeep frowns and thinks.
Patrick realizes that intended was the wrong word. But it seemed to get the old man talking, at least. Before Patrick can explain what he intends, the Dada and Sajani start talking in Punjabi. Patrick can see Sajani floundering. He clears his throat and steps forward. It feels like an insult for the man to speak Punjabi in front of the white boy Sajani brought around, and Patrick takes it like that. He opens his mouth and speaks in Punjabi. “Excuse me. Sir, but I will understand you even when you speak to Sajani in Punjabi. I learned it a long time ago because I loved her even then.” he takes in a deep breath and continues, still in Punjabi. “As for the lack of contact … it is a very long story and it’s probable that you would not believe it and call Sajani a liar. But she’s not. They didn’t mean any inst not getting in touch all those years. They didn’t have a choice ... none of us on Alexandra did. The story is unbelievable, but do you really think Sajani would lie to you, Sir? Or your son? Why would they do that when they love you so much?” he realizes he may be rambling. He steps back and leaves them to their conversation.
Mandeep raises an eyebrow as Patrick starts speaking to him in perfect Punjabi. It throws him completely off guard and he listens to the whole thing and then gives Patrick a little smile, his eyes twinkling before he turns to Sajani. He speaks to her in English now “Saji…..is this all true? I have missed you both so much..” His eyes begin to fill with tears and he looks at her with deep sorrow.
Sajani gives Patrick the most grateful look she’s ever given another human being and then she gets teary eyed too and runs to her grandfather and throws her arms around him “It’s true Dada...I’m so sorry we scared you. I don’t even know how to explain it because it just sounds insane.” she lets go and carefully sits on the arm of the rocking chair and takes hold of his hand “But we’re here now. I’ve basically sent Papa to therapy because he’s been so upset about you not talking to him.” She looks back at Patrick and smiles “And yes, he’s my intended.” She has to giggle a bit about it at this point.
Mandeep also begins to laugh and sniffs “Well i hope so Saji because you Punjabi is shit. You need this man to teach you.” Then he sighs “You sent the therapist to a therapist? I wish I could be a fly on that wall.” Mandeep gestures to the little bed “Patrick, come sit and talk with us. Tell me the story of what happened to Alexandra.”
Patrick sees Mandeep’s surprise as well as Sajini’s gratitude. He looks at Sajani. “Once I’m more financially secure I want to be more than that.” he tells her and then he nods and, taking Sajani’s hand, sits on the bed. “It started on June 21st, 2017…” he begins to tell the story, and immediately has to backtrack to the Cedar Point earthquake, which was the reason that so many Cedar Point residents were on Alexandra the day the earthquake happened. While he could easily keep it simple, he explained not only that all contact had been lost, but what they did as an island to survive it. It took longer than he planned, and he realized people might wonder where they all vanished to.
Mandeep listened very patiently and looked between Patrick and Sajani, seeing their connection clearly. He nodded in some places and in others his gaze went inward as he seemed to be sifting the information as it came in. He was a very present man and it was obvious where both Gushan and Sajani’s listening skills had trickled down from. He focused. In the end he just stroked his beard and looked thoughtful for a while and then said “Thank you for telling me all that. I am grateful to have them back.” He smiled at Sajani “I like him. He’s good for you...I can feel it. I can smell the dahl cooking. Let’s go let Chani feel she’s fed your intended and then I’ll give Gurhsan a call and let him out of his therapy.”
Sajani had laughed quietly at Patrick’s desire to be more financially secure. She had a job too and together they probably were quite ok but she appreciated the thought he was giving to the future, their future. She squeezes his hand and lets him tell the long and odd tale of the fog. She watches her grandfather who seems to just take it in and then in the end, accepts it. Patrick was magic. She giggles at the way he suggests they all go to lunch. “Yes Dada.” Her grandfather rises from his chair and heads down the stairs, not waiting for them and Sajani turns to Patrick “I love you…..so much. I love you more today even.” She’s both laughing and crying as she moves over and just sits down in his lap once she hears the footfalls of Mandeep round the second set of stairs.
Patrick is quite hungry by the time his tale is done, and he is amused at the idea of being fed as intended. When he and Sajani are alone and in his lap he hols her. “I love you too … and … sorry my plans slipped out o my mouth … I do INTEND to marry you.” it isn’t a proposal. He wants them to be completely secure and, of course he wants to be able to afford a ring on his salary. “They’re all going to think we’re engaged now, eh? And you with no ring.”
Sajani looks at Patrick with pure love “I know Patrick. I’m not rushing you on any of it. Maybe I should tell you some things that might be helpful though...for when we’re ready. A lot of Punjabi couples don’t do engagement rings. I mean the couple exchange wedding rings like people do here. I’ve never really gotten the whole engagement ring thing...it seems imbalanced to me and it honestly makes me feel a little uncomfortable because they’re stupidly expensive. And I don’t care if they think we’re engaged. We can correct them and they’ll just keep teasing us until we get there. We know, and that’s all that matters. Dada’s probably chuckling about it right now with Arjin because they’re like that. Does that make you feel a little better about going to lunch?”
Patrick smiles and actually looks visibly relieved. “I’m glad to know that because yea … they’re really expensive. Not that you’re not worth a months pay, but … it’s a months pay.” he kisses her softly. “Let them think. When the time comes I will ask you … officially. Maybe even on bended knee like a sap. Just … don't get too angry at me if I’m late or the ceremony.” he grins at her. “And let's go to lunch … so they can take all their shots at me.” he laughs.
Lunch was beyond chaos. Even more family had arrived and they all shook hands with and fawned over Patrick. Mandeep evicted a 14 year old grandson named Nanak from the seat beside him and waved Patrick over to sit with him. “He eats with his face in his phone. It’s boring. I’m old. I could die waiting for Nanak to look up from that stupid thing.” Everyone laughed and plates and dishes were passed. It was a huge feast but it wasn’t even a planned party, it was just lunch at Arjin and Chani’s house on a regular day.
Mandeep spoke to various people around the table in Punjabi and they chirped back at him. Only he and Sajani knew how much Patrick understood and Mandeep’s eyes twinkled as he let several people answer the question “What do you think of the new boyfriend?” Only to have a variety of replies, all good but some quite funny and all in Punjabi like “He’s handsome but he really needs to tame that cowlick in his hair?” And several “When are they getting married?” And even one from Jazz “Is she pregnant?” To which Sajani almost choked on a papadum piece and shook her head at her aunt vigorously. Mandeep just looked way too amused and happily ate.
After lunch Sajani and Patrick helped with the clean up as much as Chani would allow them to and then Sajani looked out the back window and saw the big old trampoline and couldn’t resist it. She hadn’t jumped on it in years. In fact it was probably a replacement from the one she jumped on here as a kid but she grinned and pulled Patrick out the back door “Come on humour me before we go see Priya. This was my childhood!” It was full of younger cousins who all looked delighted with the idea of Sajani and her boyfriend coming to join them.
Patrick found lunch to be nearly overwhelming. He’d listened to Logan Reinhardt joke about his family, the largest in Alexandra, taking over the country. Well this family was larger than theirs. Mandeep had told him not to let anyone know that he spoke punjabi, and so Patrick played dumb and was entertained as Mandeep asked the family their opinion of him. He played along, even looking concerned when Sajani nearly choked at one of her relatives suggesting that she was pregnant. He times his question. “You don’t need CPR, do you?” in time to her negative shake of the head, thus answering both of their questions at one time. He ate happily, loving the food and complimented the chef more than once.
Out in the back, he joined in the trampoline fun. He was an athletic man and loved swimming almost more than he loved ice sports. After a few minutes he leapt off and held his arms out for Sajani to leap into, if she dared. Then they could move on and meet … even more relatives.
Sajani let herself spring into the air enjoying Patrick being playful too. When he held out his arms she looked nervous for a moment and then took a deep breath and jumped into them. He caught her of course. She knew he would but it still made her feel extra safe that he did, that he always would. She begged her little cousin Libi to grab her backpack and their shoes so they didn’t have to go through the entire house and say goodbye to every single relative. Libi agreed and the yelled goodbye from the back deck, only having to hug Chani, Arjin and Mandeep while the others were just a group wave.
Patrick waved his goodbyes, grateful that he didn’t have to give the individually. He was only confident in maybe half a dozen of the names. The rest were blurs. Once they were a bit down the street, he took Sajani’s hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it. “I made it through lunch.” he grinned. “Almost didn’t after the pregnancy comment.” he winked at her then switched to Punjabi. “I love you, and I love kids, but I’m not sure about having one of my own yet.”
Sajani beams at Patrick “you did amazing...and no I’m not ready for kids yet either...hence the choking…” She laughs “And Dada...oh my god he’s such a little devil. I had no idea.” They approach a smaller grey brick house in the next cul de sac over. “Ok Priya’s house will feel more familiar to you. It’s just her and Shaun and two kinds, little kids. I’ve never even met them…” She winces and then knocks.
Patrick laughs. “Well, as soon as it doesn’t make you choke, we’ll talk about it again.” he promises. “And yes, I like the way he thinks. Now we just have to figure out if I’ll ever let the rest of the family know.” he looks at the house. “Ahhh … the other white guy. Gotcha.” he winks at her as she knocks.
Priya Duffy has a baby on her hip and the remote in her hand. At the knock at the door, she turns the volume down, hefts the baby and approaches. She is in jeans and a plain grey sweatshirt that is stained in three places. It’s been one of those days as a mother. She opens the door, looking a little exasperated, as if she were expecting some unsolicited visitor. She sees Sajani and freezes, staring. “Saji…..” she blinks in surprise.
Sajani looks both hopeful and apologetic “Priya...I know we’ve been texting and I waited too long to tell you we were coming in today. Um...this is Patrick, my boyfriend.” She looks at the baby on her hip “Oh my gosh this is Connor….he’s so cute. I know I didn’t call or text this week, but can we come in. You don’t have to offer us anything. We just came from a Singh house.” Even being from the Bajwa side of Sajani’s family, Priya would know they had been in a crowd of people and stuffed with food.
Priya blinks away tears while hefting the bundle on her shoulder up and down while patting his pack. “It’s OK, I just ..” she laughs. “Look a mess is all. And yes this is Connor.” the baby gives a massive bury in greeting. “Hello Patrick … oh please come in.” she leads them into the house and once their shoes are off, into the living room here the other child is watching cartoons. “Well I have coffee? And water for tea? Because you can’t possibly be hungry.” she laughs and the channel on the television changes to the news. “Ugh …. Can you hold him?” she asks depositing the baby at the nearest adult blindly. It’s Patrick.
Patrick smiles when the door is opened and waves. “Good to meet you, Priya. And Connor.” he comes in and slips off his shoes, moving into the living room. Suddenly he has a baby in his arms and he adjusts them to hold Connor in what feels right. “Um … hi.” he looks down at the baby and smiles. Connor sort of smiles back, looking at him curiously.
Sajani saw Priya blinking tears and had to fight her own. She had missed her so much “We don’t need anything but your company Priya...in fact….” She took in the work of parenting two little ones and how harried her cousin looked “Do you want me to make you some tea?” But before she could get an answer Priya had to attend to Reagan who was clearly a clever little bug with technology or at least remotes. She looked up and Patrick was holding Connor and looking both sweet and like a natural with him. Connor was smiling at him and suddenly Sajani realized this was what a baby of theirs might look a little like and she just stared and then exhaled and put out her finger by Connor’s hand and he wrapped his around hers and she smiled “Hi…..you’ve got quite a grip there Connor…”
Priya took the remote, changed the channel again and then took the remote and stood on tiptoe to place the remote on a shelf over the television. As she turns, Sajani offers to make her tea. “No .. I should …” and she blows out a breath. “Yes … yes, I would like tea. Please.” she watches Patrick holding her son. “Shaun spoiled me so much while we were isolating. With him back at work … I’m still learning how to deal with these two on my own.” she looks at them. “He likes you two. Thank god.”
Patrick smiles as Connor grips Sajani’s hand. He looks at the baby and sees both his mother and the Caucasian of his father in him. Lowering himself to the couch, he looks at Priya. “They must be a handful. Take the break. I can hold him for a while.”
Sajani can’t help but smile at Patrick with this baby in his arms and then she nods at Priya “Of course. I can’t imagine how you even pee….” She goes into the kitchen but the house is open concept so she’s not out of earshot. She finds a teapot and then the tea “Herbal or caffeinated Priya...what do you need?” While she’s looking she feels a little tug on her dress and little Reagan has wandered over to her curiously “Oh hello...Reagan.” Reagan reaches up her arms and Sajani bends down “I hope this goes well….I’m Sajani...Mommy’s cousin, and that’s Patrick.” She’s not sure how much the two year old is taking in but she takes a chance and picks her up. Reagan pats her hair and tugs on her face and then says “Cookie?” Sajani laughs “Oh I see, affection for cookie.I don’t know, do we have cookies?” She makes a show of looking around and then looks to Priya for permission or instructions.
Priya watches her cousin and her boyfriend with her children and laughs. “I put Connor in the car seat and take him in with me.” she explains. “And if I’m not fast enough, Reagan will come pounding on the door.” she laughs. She watches Reagan go to Sajani. “But it’s totally worth it.” she beams at her kids. “There cookies in a tin in the kitchen to the right of the microwave. Blue cover.” she knows her kitchen inside and out.
Patrick waves at Reagan and bounces Connor gently on his lap. “Well we can talk and distract kids?” he offers with a small laugh.
Sajani can’t help but laugh at the fact that she and Patrick just both said they weren’t ready for kids and now minutes later they were each holding one of Priya’s “Yup we can do that.” She gives him a little knowing look and then goes to the cookie tin with the blue lid “Ooooh what kind of cookies do you get to have…” She hands her one and they looks a little like oatmeal raisin.
“Waisin.” Reagan says and takes a big crumbling bite. Then she tries to shove the other side into Sajani’s mouth to share her cookie.
“Oh…” Sajani laughs “No sweetie it’s for you.” The toddler looks almost offended and she takes a little bite to appease her but assures Priya “I swear I’m healthy…if you trust the Singh house. Seems like most of them are home and Alexandra has had no new cases in ages. But I can get her a fresh one if you’re worried.”
Priya ha sat on the couch and was now clasping her hands, as if unsure what to do with them. “I believe you. So go and treat her like family. Reagan is just feeding you.” she chuckles. “And you’re like family.”
Patrick was rocking the baby as they all talked and the baby was clearly nodding off. He used, but Patrick was insistent. “I got this … let mama rest, Connor. She needs a break. Maybe just .. go pee all by herself or something.”
Priya laughs and nods. “Suddenly I want that tea more than ever.” she quips.
Sajani lets Reagan messily feed her half a cookie while she eats from the other side. Eventually Reagan just eats and mostly wears her portion and Sajani giggles at her and then at Priya. She has a melting look when she sees Connor almost asleep on Patrick and suddenly feels an odd pang in her being imagining the two of them with a baby of their own. She shakes it off “Right….tea….ok” She keeps hold of Reagan and takes the kettle to the sink and awkwardly fills it one handed. But she does it nonetheless. The toddler seems content on her hip so she keeps her there but is beginning to get why people have slings. She sets the kettle back in the base and leans Reagan over “Push the button?” Reagan does and then the red light goes on. But now she wants to push it again and adain and Sajani has to twirl her to distract her “Uh oh…”She chimes at her and the little girl giggles. “Priya have you ever shown her the teletubbies?” She says with a laugh. Both their mothers had an odd fascination with them and she and Priya had both watched them as kids. “Uh oh…” She says again and then picks through the teas in the cupboard “How about mint? I have a friend who’s really into mint…” She heads to the teapot and opens a mint tea sleeve and puts the bag in.
Priya smiles, watching over the counter Sajani with her daughter. “Yes. I’m probably scarring her for life, but I have. It makes me want my on Nu-nu.” she sighs and looks at her house, which looks like a baby and a toddler live within. “Mint tea sounds so relaxing. Yes, please.”
Patrick stares as Connor falls asleep in his arms. He doesn’t ask where he should put him, of give him to his mother. He leans back on the couch and rests the baby on his chest, just looking at him sleep.
Sajani watches Patrick and sighs and then makes the tea “Naughty nu nu…” She jokes at Priya.
“Nu nu!” Chimes Reagan and then wriggles in Sajani’s grasp. Sajani sets her down and searches for some mugs and brings the teapot and three cups into the living room. As soon as she sets down the teapot Reagan grabs for it and Sajani picks it up just in time “Shoot, didn’t think of that. Now I realize why Noelle does it in the kitchen….ok new plan.” She laughs and takes it all back to steep and pour at the safe height of the counter.
Priya smiles and watches Sajani and nods sagely. “With a baby around, everything suddenly becomes terrifying.” she tells her cousin. She stands and moves to the shelf with the remote, changes the channel and puts in a Telletubbies DVD. SOon the baby sun god is smiling down at all of them.
Patrick is watching everything around him while staying still with Connor asleep on his chest. He notes the almost tea problem. “Yea … man I never thought about that.”
Sajani nods at Priya “I bet…” And then when the teletubbies come on she giggles “I totally need to buy these DVDs before we have kids.” She realizes she said we and Patrick has a baby sleep on him and the gravity of her we becomes a little heavier. She pours the tea now and brings one cup at a time, strategically placing them so Reagan isn’t grabbing them with one made obvious to both Patrick and Priya. Reagan is distracted by the teletubbies so that helps immensely. She sits down beside Patrick and watches the baby sleep on him “Will Connor just crash on anyone? You said you were happy he likes us….is he a fussy baby?”
Priya nods at Patrick. “Yea … you have to consider everything with kids.” She looks at Sajani and then at Connor. “Well he only knows a few people, but he likes me, of course. And Shaun. His dad. My parents. And you two.” she grins, then looks at Patrick and gives a little gasp.
Patrick hears Sajani vaguely talking about their kids. “You should.” he murmurs, and then he closes his eyes to blink and falls asleep, his hands protectively around the baby on his chest.
Sajani listens to Priya and smiles and then hears Parrick confirm as he falls asleep with Connor. She chokes up a bit and looks at Priya, motioning to the kitchen while Reagan is distracted. She very carefully gets up so she doesn’t disturb Patrick because it’s so perfect it’s making her cry.
Priya sees her son asleep on this man and smiles, then watches Sajani get up and head for the kitchen. She takes her tea and follows. “Are you OK, Sajani?” she asks. “Your man seems very nice.” and she wonders if she’s missing something.
Sajani wipes at her eyes and sniffs “I’m ok...he nice...he’s perfect. You know just as we were walking here we were both talking about how we’re not ready for kids. Then your baby falls asleep on him and suddenly my biological clock ticks or something because that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen Patrick do. What is happening to me Priya.” She sobs again “By the way I missed you.” She throws her arms around her and hugs her “So much.”
Priya smiles and hugs her cousin. “I missed you too. I .. thought I’d done something.” she shakes her head, because now was not the time. “Maybe the universe is giving you a hint…” she suggests.
Sajani sighs “Oh Priya it’s so hard to explain. There was this weird thing on Alexandra, we were cut off. It sounds like a science fiction story. We were all cut off…...it sounds crazy but all I can tell you is it wasn’t anything you did, and I thought about you all the time.” She looks at Patrick and smiles “Maybe….we’re not quite there yet. Although half the Singhs think we’re engaged.” She laughs “We’re not but he’s the one. How fast did you know that with Shaun?”
Priya arches her brows. “It does sound crazy, but I know you are no liar.” she tries to wrap her head around it but can’t. So she moves on. “Maybe … a few months?” she looks over at Patrick. “Reagan was born nine and a half months after we were married. It wasn’t love that was the problem …” she blushes and lowers her voice. “It as the sex.” she whispers. “I think we’re still figuring it out … even after two children. It’s not bad it’s just … I’m … I mean .. I want …” she stumbles over her words.
Sajani looks relieved to be believed. And then she listened and then looks concerned a bit “Oh Priya….what do you want that he’s not doing? Are you guys just shy? I was shy at first and Patrick was very patient….And I feel almost bad saying ti but we just connected that way. But I know telling him what I want is very helpful, and he gets…” She whispers “really excited by it..” She giggles a bit. “So maybe just talk to Shaun. I mean he loves you. I’m sure he’d do anything.”
Priya bites her lip. “He tries to do everything. I mean he touches me and it feels wonderful .. but I stop him if its getting overwhelming. And he …” her voice lowers more. “He wants to lick me … There …” she looks around, but Reagan is still into the Telletubbies and the males are still sleeping. “And I know he wants me to touch him … but … “ she sighs. “He’s my first. And he is so patient but I just can't I mean get around … I mean … my babies come from there. I pee from there …” she is a full shade darker with her blush now.
Sajani has to work hard not to burst out giggling a bit and then looks reassuring “If it’s not your thing it’s not your thing. But if you’ve never let him…..maybe try it once?” She flushes “I didn’t think I’d like it….I mean the guy before Patrick enver even….ugh well he turned out to be gay so clearly my body wasn’t it for him. But Patrick…..oh my god Priya just let him try….you can always stop him if you hate it. I mean let SHAUN try.” She clarifies and then does have to stifle her giggling.
Priya watches her cousin, listening. “Gay? Oh my god, Saji.” Then she sees her and talk about … it … “No of course Shaun and not Patrick.” she bites her lip. Is it like hen he .. you know .. fingers me?”
Sajani laughs and then nods encouragingly “Ok so the finger is a good thing? Because I personally think that’s a good thing….the finger thing and the licking thing can even...happen together.” She beams a little about it “And that’s a very good thing.”
Priya drops her head into her hand. “But hat … about .. you know .. touching him?” she says into her palm. “I mean you have so much more experience than me it feels like … and I h ave kids!”
Sajani looks surprised “Patrick is really my first...i mean there was a guy before him but it was….empty and without passion. Again Dan was gay so it makes sense now. But Priya, the touching thing….I mean I’m not judging you at all. I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing with Patrick...he was pretty patient. But are you telling me you went from kissing to intercourse without much in between? That’s a huge leap….”
Priya sighs and shrugs. “I didn’t know there was the in between.” she admits. “Well the girls at school. And I was always the good girl, remember? Thinking tampons would damage me.” she chuckles a bit. “Shaun must be the most patient man in the world. I’m still learning, but with two kids, we don’t always have TIME to do more than kissing and intercourse.”
Sajani looks pained for her “Yes I remember the tampons. Let it be known that I had sex with Dan and he didn’t break through….he was small but still, bigger than a tampon, maybe not longer..” She giggles and then explains “I thought I was just lucky...no pain, no blood and then when Patrick and I got there, all of a sudden that happened and I was shocked. So in the cliche way I suppose I lost my virginity to Patrick.” Then she looks at the sleeping baby on her man and little Reagan bouncing around in front of the TV while Tinky Winky finds his bag and sighs “You and Shaun just need some babysitters. I mean how does the nursing thing work...can you be away from Connor...or maybe later….” She inquires “Because if they can be left overnight and you want to come visit on Alexandra, we can take care of them. Get a hotel room and just take the time.”
Priya looks absolutely fascinated at the idea that sex didn't break Sajani’s hymen the very first time. She drinks more of her tea and scoffs. “We don’t really have ANY babysitters.” she admits. “Since Reagan I’ve been home … which I love … I can work when they let me. So we haven’t needed a babysitter. I could pump…” she seems to ponder. “And … just having the time sounds … like a dream.” she grins. “Would you really take on my kids just so I could have a night alone with Shaun?” her eyes fill again, betraying how much she actually wants something like that.
Sajani hugs Priya “Oh my god yes! And come see our home. It’s safe now...even though it’s a strange place in so many ways. I’m not doing a very good job of selling it.” She laughs “It’s amazing and magical in ways that can’t be explained. And it’s very pretty. Nice big beach, playground..” She gestures at Reagan “Oh and Reagan might like to play with Blaze….he’s a little older. Patrick has a twin brother, Chris. And Chris’s partner, Noelle has a sweet little boy. Not Chris’s but from a previous...but to look at them you’d think Chris was his dad all along. What kind of work do you do from home? It’s been so long I wasn’t sure where you ended up even. I’m an OT, Occupational Therapist, which I studied as you know. Thankfully graduated and found work on Alexandra. And then I did my training and became a yoga teacher. I kinda love it.”
Priya hugs Sajani back, harder than she meant to, but it shows her gratitude at the offer. She laughs at the description. “Well if it vanishes again, at least we’ll be together. Shaun, ma and our babies. And you.” she smiles. “Oh Reagan might love a playmate that doesn’t have to leave after a couple of hours. A twin! Oh how wonderful that must be!” she smiles. “I’m a freelance IT. Shaun is a full time one at the local paper. And you picked the perfect career, as usual. I don’t have time for yoga.” she rolls her eyes.
Patrick groans slightly and presses the baby on him to his chest. He’s overheard the part about the twin. “It has it’s moments.” he grumbles and sits up to reach for his no cool tea and drinks deeply. “I didn’t fall asleep. I was just resting my eyes is all.”
Priya laughs. “You fell asleep. Shaun does it all the time. He blames the baby … cause it happened with Reagan also.” she looks curious at Chris’s first statement. “It isn’t a blast being a twin?”
Patrick looks thoughtful. “A sleeping pill with a pulse, eh? And … well not when your twin is a real ladies man.” he grumbles and drinks again.
Sajani beams at her cousin “That’s a great job to ebb and flow with kids. Well I have time fro yoga mostly because I teach it..” She laughs and then Patrick wakes up and she sighs at him “Resting your eyes….hmmm...it was super cute to watch you snooze with Connor. Oh I shoulda gotten a pic! Dammit...close your eyes again..” She jokes and then hears what he’s saying about Chris and explains “Priya, Patrick got accosted by people Chris had somehow wronged in his dating life today...two of them. One crazy angry brother of a religious girl. He was awful….wacko evangelical racist….he called me ethnic.” She scoffs but goes on “Then there was this black girl who seemed to think Chris was a racist….which I don’t get the impression he is from his protest signs and general rantings about politics and equality. And then Patrick survived a Singh lunch and my grandfather….who he won over. The man has been avoiding us for months! Sorry, I’m rambling.”
There’s a scraping of keys in the front door and a guy with shaggy red brown hair parted on one side and a little stubble beard walks in. His eyes are grey blue. He’s wearing a dark blue plaid button up shirt and khaki breen brown cotton cargo pants. He has a messenger style laptop bag slung over one shoulder and a lanyard on that says Press: Lion’s Gate Post Shaun Duffy. He does a double take at Sajani who’s in his field of vision in the room first “Woah...hey long time no see. Hi Sajani.” He looks lovingly at Priya “Love.” And then he steps out of his little brown oxford shoes and further into the house and sees a stranger holding their baby boy “Uh hiya….I’m hoping we know you.” He jokes lightly “I’m Shaun. Let me go wash my hands before I shake any hands. I was out in the dirty world…” He does his usual work to home safe routine and goes down the hall to their bedroom en suite and strips his work clothes right into the laundry before washing up thoroughly and changing into fresh clothes. He comes back in a pair of well worn blue jeans and a black Vancouver Canucks t-shirt a few minutes later smelling like soap and toothpaste. The first thing he does is go to Priya and lean in to kiss her sweetly. It’s obvious he adores her. Then he shakes Sajani’s hand, goes and pickles up Reagan high into the air and greets her with hugs and kisses and then goes to sit beside Patrick and carefully reaches out a hand as Connor is still zonked out.
Priya chuckles at the interactions between Patrick and Sajani. Then she hears about Patrick’s twin brother and her eyes go wide. “Oh … my … but you must be charming too if you won over Saji’s grandfather.” she is about to say more when Shaun comes home. “Love…” she smiles and her eyes follow him into the bedroom. When he returns to kiss her, she giggles. “I’m so glad you recognised me without a baby on my hip.” she teases.
Patrick shrugs, modestly. “I have my moments.” Shaun comes home and when he works around to the couch, Patrick shakes his hand. “I swear I am not some freak who breaks into peoples houses when they’re reuniting with long-lost family members to crash on their couch with their babies. Patrick Peterson. I’m Sajani’s cross to bear. And you are the other white guy in the family, I presume?” his blue eyes twinkle with mirth.
Sajani watches Shaun come in and greet her with surprise and then look at Patrick “Hi Shaun. Good to see you again.” And then she watches him wander off and replies to Priya about their previous topic “Yes Patrick is charming. And he speaks Punjabi so well I think Dada might like him better than some of his grandchildren now.” She laughs. “But he didn't let anyone know that and asked them all about Patrik at lunch. It was hysterical.” Shaun comes back in and she looks at him greeting Priya with a sweet smile. This man adored her cousin. She would do what she could to give them some alone time. Then she watches him and Patrick interact and sips the last of her tea.
Shaun winks at Priya “Well I have known you since before the babies so that helps…” He teases. Then he laughs at Patrick “Well hey man..the baby likes you. I may have to have you back over when we wanna work on the fence. I’ll share the beer. Nice to meet you Patrick Peterson. Yep the other white guy….well there’s one in the Singh’s too hey? Did you meet Clark? We should start a boy band or something,” He laughs and then says “So…” and he looks at Sajani and then Patrick “Cross to bear? I’m just gonna dive in for details. Dating? Married? Shacked up? Or the millennial favourite...it’s complicated?” Shaun is ever the nosy reporter.
Pryia giggles a little bit at his comment. She finishes her tea and smiles. “Well you two plan that sweet sweet boy band. I am going to the bathroom. All. By. Myself.” she looks impressed in advance as she leaves for the guest bedroom.
Patrick grins. “I like the baby, too. And sure. I’m pretty handy around the yard.” he snaps his fingers. “Clark, so you’re the … other white guy. I’ll figure it out.” he promises. He shrugs. “I’ve wanted to be with her since high school. I even learned Punjabi to impress her. Then life got in the way, and we sort of … avoided each other for years .. and then I got to ask her out again and .. life got in my way again … so I begged for the third date. I think she only said yes because I was on my knees in the middle of her open front door. So it MIGHT just have been to keep the neighbors from talking about the grown man crying on the steps.” he looks at Sajani and winks. “Because I was prepared to cry.”
Sajani giggles about the boy band and at Priya who she gives a little cheer to as she leaves for her solo bathroom trip. She smiles at Patrick and then looks sweetly at him while he talks about their getting together and laughs again when he says he was prepared to cry “The begging was enough...honestly. But I wanted to be with you just as badly by then so it all worked out.”
Shaun looks between them and awws dramatically “That is fu…..fricken awesome.” He catches as Reagan climbs into his lap and sticks her little finger right up his nose “Hey…..get outta my boogers..” He tips her back and she squeals “Well you two have clearly worked for your connection. So dating then I assume not all the others?”
Sajani chimes in with an answer “Yes dating...although I stay at Patricks more than home now. I still live with my father so...yeah.”
Shaun casually slides Reagan over his back and spins her around, not breaking stride in the conversation “Understood.” He gives a little smirk to Patrick as he sins facing his way “What’s going on? I’ve got something on my back…..it’s a bear…..are you a bear?”
Reagan growls and pretends to rip at her father’s shirt.
From the bathroom comes the sound of a flush. Thirty seconds later, Pryia comes out smiling. “I heard it all.” she announces. “That’s so sweet” she moves back and sits on the couch between Patrick and Shaun. Her eyes grow large. “Oh no!” she appears alarmed.
Patrick nods a bit. “Not all the others .. yet. I live with my brother. But he has a girlfriend too so … it’s sort of a wait and see who caves first.” Hie eyes also grow large in mock horror. “I … I don’t know what that is, Shaun. But … it’s got you. It’s been nice knowing you.”
On Patrick’s chest Connor stars nodding his head and making little grunting noises as he wakes. The more he grunts, the more upset he gets.
Pryia looks over. “Oh .. someone’s awake and hungry.” she leans over and lifts Connor off of Patrick. “You missed your chance, young man. I got to go to the bathroom without you and I did JUST fine, thank you very much.” she pulls up her shirt slightly and Connor roots, then finds the nipple and begins nursing happily, staring at his father and sister.
Patrick watches, fascinated how the baby woke up, his mother knew exactly what he wanted and gave it to him, easily. He blinks and looks up. “I’m sorry. I’m not being a pervert, I just haven’t seen a baby nurse before.” he apologizes.
By now Shaun has carefully fallen to the floor under the little bear as she continues her attack and pretends to eat his arm. “It was a good run…” He says weakly. Reagan is delighted with the game. He glances over though as Parick says he’s never seen a baby nurse with a little surprise. “Really?”
Sajani giggles about the bear “It’s an adorable way to go Shaun, brutal, but adorable.” Then she blinks in surprise at Patrick “Not even your little sister? I have so many cousins there was always a few nursing babies. I swear I could practically do it from how many times I’ve seen it done….” Then she looks self consciously at Priya “Not that I’m saying you have it easy. I mean eventually they grow teeth. I’m sure that’s no picnic.”
Priya looks up a little surprised. “Oh … well … It’s alright. I’m not THAT modest .. not anymore.” she blushes and looks at Shaun. “Can we buy … a pump and bottles?” she suddenly asks. “Saji and Patrick have invited us to their island and offered to take the kids for a night.”
Patrick nods slowly. “My mother had problems with Avery and stopped nursing. But I’m good with a bottle.” he watches Priya ask her husband about the bottles. “It can be the whole weekend if you want. One thing I DO know is that parents need breaks. My brother's girlfriend has a babysitter for her son while she spends the night at our place. Usually when I’m on my shift, because it’s 24 hours. I’m a firefighter.”
Shaun now has his body back as Reagan has found a little block puzzle beside them and become engaged. She’s still leaning on him while he lies there as she concentrates on it and he’s unconsciously smoothing her hair. He grins at Priya “I like the less modest you Love.” And he nods “Heck yeah we can.” Then he grins really big “They did…” He looks between the couple like they’re his new best friends. “Wow thanks...and cool job dude. I write about them..” he laughs “Fires that is.”
Sajani nods along with Patrick and now understands why breastfeeding was a new thing for him to see. “Yeah it really helps Noelle to have those breaks. And you two having one together…” She breaks off seeing Shaun’s grinning “Well clearly I don’t have to say it.” She giggles and looks at Priya “We’ve got you covered.”
Priya blushes when her husband mentions the less modest her. But she smiles. “We can start getting Connor being used to the bottle sometimes. And then maybe .. in a couple of weeks … go there?”
Patrick grins. “Yea … and it also helps I make myself scarce. I mean sometimes the girls wake up and realize we were both home the night before, but still.” he watches Priya and is reminded a little bit of Sajani. “There is a very nice hotel called the Parthenon … you can stay there … and we’ll take the kids. I love my job and maybe a kids tour of the fire house. And Chris is a cop so … there plenty of places to occupy little minds while Mom and Dad …. Relax.”
Shaun nods, smiling “Well now I’m really glad you two dropped in. And yes to bottles and vacations and hotels. You’re a firefighter and your brother is a cop? Is your sister like a doctor or something? Because you know what my brother Angus has been for most of our adult lives unemployed and asking me for a loan.” He snorts “I say no of course….my family first. I mean I wouldn’t let the guy be homeless but he could work a little harder to get off his overeducated ass and get a job. He has three degrees for fuck’s sakes…” He covers his mouth after he swears but Reagan is in her own little world.
Sajani smiles at Priya “Consider it a plan. I’m sure my father would love to see you too, as a short hello before or after your time to yourselves. Oh and we should plan it for when there’s a storytime! Noelle says Blaze and Olivia like those. Our library is being rebuilt...long story but there’s a mobile library, a bookmobile and they do outdoor storytime for kids.” She purses her lips about Shaun’s brother and sighs “Well don’t worry, we’re not inviting Angus was it? Good luck with that.” She beams at Patrick, so happy to reconnect with Priya and her husband. And it feels so natural to make that connection with Patrick. They’re a unit and she feels it now.
Priya smiles as she listens to the talk around her. “Oh the whole thing sounds wonderful.” sh snorts about Angus. “I don’t understand that one.” she glances down at Connor … but her head does not lift. Connor nurses on, oblivious to the fact that her mother has fallen asleep on them all.
Patrick nods. “Yea. He’s a cop. My sister works out at the local farm. Very nice place, actually.” he wines at the brother with three degrees. “He can find a job, surely.” he protests. He blinks and looks at Priya. “See … it’s not just me. But she probably has a better excuse than my lazy ass.” he winks at Sajani. “I think we should head out. Leave the family to be family.” he smiles ad Shaun. “It’s been amazing to meet you. Let’s trade information and make arrangements for your vacation soon."
Shaun snorts seeing his wife asleep with their baby still on the boob “Kid’s like a tranq dart I swear to god.” He pulls out his phone and opens up the contacts “Put er there Patrick. I’m totally stoked for it all. Awesome to meet you too, and Sajani, glad you’re back. Priya really missed you.”
Sajani gets a little teary eyed at Shaun’s words and nods “I missed her too...so much.” She nods at Patrick and walks over to Priya still sleeping and plants a tiny light kiss on the top of her head and then touches the baby’s head but not right beside the boob. Then she turns and hugs Shaun who hugs her back sweetly. And she leans down to say goodbye to Reagan who pops up from her puzzle and plants a little kiss on her cheek that melts her heart. When they’re at the door for a last wave she remembers what Priya said when she had Reagan and the cookie about her being like family. It felt odd then but now it cemented. The whole day with Patrick, reconnecting with the Singhs, Dada and now with Priya, Shaun and the kids, and even more deeply connecting with Patrick. They were…..like family.
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