The Kid & Me: Chapter Nine: She'll Always Be The Kid

Author's Note: Hello, and thanks a million for stopping by. If you somehow just dropped in you are at the final chapter of The Kid & Me. If you would like to start at the beginning, or pick up where you left off at a previous chapter, use the links in the right hand column. You can also enlarge any small picture simply by clicking on it. Feel free to write to me at clydesplace@hotmail.com if you have any questions, or simply leave a comment. Thanks again for stopping by.

I remember...

That I raced up the stairs, skipping about half of them as I ascended.

"Frank, Arcadia, wake up! The baby is coming,” I hollered as I stuck my head in the door.

Frank began to stir as did Arcadia. For some reason they looked at me kind of strange and Arcadia began shaking her head.

"I'll call a taxi, and meet you downstairs,"

"Where's Bettie?" Frank asked.

"Taking a shower," I replied as I ran out of the bedroom, back down the stairs and back to the bathroom where Bettie was still in the shower.

"Frank and Arcadia are awake. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Joe; we've got plenty of time. I'll be finished in just a minute! My bag I packed is ready. It's on the top shelf of the armoire. Would you get it please?"

I raced to the armoire. The overnight bag she was talking about was no where to be seen.

"There's nothing on the bottom shelf but some old shoe boxes!" I hollered into the bathroom just as I heard the water being shut off.

"The top shelf, Joe! I said the top shelf!" she hollered back at me sounding totally exasperated.

I looked upward and there it was. I yanked it down and flung it onto the chair.

I raced to the phone to call a taxi. At that time of the morning they assured me it wouldn't be long.

"Taxi is on its way," I hollered to Bettie.

Frank, Bettie, and Arcadia arrived into the living room all at the same time. Just in time for Bettie to let loose with another loud moan. I ran to the bedroom to grab the overnight bag.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked her.

"I'm fine dad," I heard her tell Frank. "I don't think the father to be is doing so well though!" I paid her sarcasm no mind but grabbed the overnight bag running past them.

"I'll go wait on the taxi. Tell Arcadia goodbye and let's get going." I ordered. I think I heard both of them shake their head.

"Is there anything, I can do Bettie?" I heard Arcadia ask.

"Just look after the kids, and I'll make Frank call you on the phone to let you know what's going on." Then she gave Arcadia a hug.

"You've been just like a real mother to me over the past three years," I heard her tell Arcadia. "That means more to me than you’ll ever know."

Meanwhile, I stood outside anxiously watching for the cab. It seemed to be taking forever. Then terrible thoughts raced through my head. "What if it had an accident on the way here? What if it had an accident on the way to the hospital? What if the driver got lost? What if the baby were born in the cab?"

Finally Bettie joined me outside. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked.

"No, I have your overnight bag right here. You said it was ready." I could think of nothing else.

Then she put her hand on my shoulder and began laughing uncontrollably.

"Now if we were going up to River Canyon to make out, I'd say you were dressed quite appropriately. But I think the hospital staff might like it if you at least arrived dressed in something other than your underwear"

She laughed harder! I simply felt embarrassed. I raced into the house. When I reached the dresser, I grabbed the first shirt and pair of pants I came to and threw them on, along with my shoes and socks. When I arrived back outside the cab still hadn't arrived yet.

Bettie just shook her head again. "Well you won't win any fashion award but it's better than your underwear!" she said! Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the cab did arrived and we piled in for the ride to the hospital.

As it turned out we had plenty of time just as Bettie said. But once we arrived at the hospital, Frank showed he was just as nervous as I was and began taking walks around the hospital. All I could do was pace around the room like a caged cat.

"Will you sit down? You're beginning to make me more nervous than I already am!" Bettie finally said.

Finally Frank and I both managed to sit down. The nurse continually came in to check on Bettie and each time she would come in all she would say is, "You're coming along just fine, Mrs. Baker! Everything is happening just as it should. The baby's heartbeat is strong. No problems whatsoever"

As the pains became more intense I would go over and grasp Bettie's hand. Each time she would squeeze my hand longer and tighter. She would close her eyes and I would help her with her breathing. Then it got so bad she began to pull the pillow over her face to muffle her moans.

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" she said. "This really hurts! It's all your fault!" she said accusingly.

"My fault? Why is it my fault?" I asked.

"I have to blame somebody don't I? You made this thing grow in here!"

"Hey, I didn't tell you what to do with it after I put it in there. You had it last."

"Alright kid, come on it's time to come out. Enough is enough." I heard her say in between moans and screams. And not too long after that, the nurse arrived. After another quick examination she stood up.

"I do believe that your baby is ready to be born," she told us. And moments later we were scurried off to the delivery room. And so it was that late in the afternoon Franklin Joseph Baker came into the world kicking, screaming and making one heck of a fuss. And not a small kid either at 8 lbs 11 ounces. Bettie was exhausted, but when the baby arrived, and they placed him in her arms, all the pain was quickly forgotten. I had never seen her look so happy.

"I don't think he's a field goal kicker, though," Bettie told me.

"You might be right about that. I think we're talking middle linebacker or maybe offensive lineman."

"Perhaps," Bettie said, "or maybe concert piano player, or Olympic Diver. Or maybe he'll just be a chess champion."

"Well that would be alright too. Whatever he wants to be will be just fine."

"You did real good kid, real good," I told her.

"No, WE did good," she replied.

I remember…

Six months after the birth of Franklin, Nick finally came home for a visit after serving for almost a year in Iraq. It had been a tense year at times, and we tried to avoid the continual debate about the war on the television news. Every time there was a report of new casualties, or as the death toll for Bush's war continued to spiral upward we held our breath. When we received the phone call that he was finally coming home, it was a time for celebration.

He had a full month of leave, but his next assignment would be far away from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria. Physically, Nick had returned home intact. Mentally we weren't so sure.

Nick wouldn't talk about the war or much else. He seemed haunted. Sometimes he would sit in the game room in front of the TV, but you could easily tell he wasn't watching what was being broadcast. At other times he would lock himself away in the guest room. Not coming out for hours. Those were the worse days. We all began to feel as if we were walking on egg shells around him.

Bettie would do her best to try and engage him in conversation, but most of the time his answers would be brief or nothing more than a nod. I had never seen Bettie look helpless, but during those early days of Nick's return, she became frustrated by her own failures to reach him.

"I just don't know how to reach him," she told me one night. Then she cried herself to sleep on my shoulder.

Frank and Arcadia came over for dinner several times, but Nick usually sat silent while the rest of us talked. We talked about anything and everything, except the war.

Finally, one Saturday morning Nick had locked himself in his room upstairs once again.

"I can't let this continue," Bettie told me. She had been playing with Laurie but handed her to me and headed up the stairs. "Keep Dagmar and Laurie down here," she said. I nodded.

One hour went by, two hours went by and near the end of the third hour I was beginning to worry. I crept up the stairs myself. I was about to enter the room when I heard the sobs. They were sobs from Nick, long hard, gut wrenching sobs. In between he was speaking.

"You don't know, sis. You don't know what it's like to have your gun pointed at another kid, no older than you are and hold his life in your hands. Then you're never sure. Is he carrying a bomb? Is he an innocent civilian? Does he have a family like mine? If I don't pull the trigger will he kill me or one of my friends? I wish I'd never joined the damn army," he continued to sob and I quietly left them to go back down the stairs.

It was almost dark when she finally came back down stairs. She looked exhausted.

"Is he going to be okay?," I asked.

"I think so," she said. "I think it helped a lot for him to finally talk about it. I reached out my arms and pulled her to me, holding her.

"You are a remarkable woman," I whispered.

Nick did begin to show signs of coming out of it. Neither Bettie nor he ever told anyone, including myself, the details of what they had talked about that day. And so it was that a week later one of those not so coincidental coincidences occurred.

That was when Allison showed up at the house. Nick finally found someone to occupy his time. I remembered how they had spent almost the entire wedding reception together when Bettie and I had gotten married..

"You didn't have anything to do with her magically showing up like this, did you?" I asked Bettie.

"Who me?" she said. "Now, what makes you think I'm responsible?" I didn't need to say anything else. She had given me my answer.

Once Allison came on the scene, we didn't see a whole lot of Nick except for when they would come home right at our bedtime and turn on the TV. Most of the rest of Nick's leave was spent with Allison. In two years, when he was finally discharged, they were married, and have a son of their own named Matt after Allison's father.

I remember...

As Laurie grew older, she had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She was a whiz bang kid on the computer and could run circles around even Dag on it.

"We really should get Laurie her own computer," Bettie told me. We already had two computers in the house. The one in my room and another one upstairs that the girls shared and would soon be sharing with Little Frank. That would make three.

"As much time as she spends on it, I guess it would be alright. Just don't let it rule her life," I told Bettie. Bettie was just about to reply when we heard the scream. The famous Dag screams echoing from her room upstairs. Not once, not twice, but three times. It was something we had become used to over the years.

"Do you want to see, or should I go?" Bettie asked.

I sighed. "We'll both go this time." We turned and headed over towards the stairs where the scream became louder and more intense.

When we reached her room, Dag was standing next to her bed screaming for all she was worth!

"What's wrong, Dag. What is it?," I took a look around the room real quick. No Orlando anywhere in sight.

"Go away, Dad," she said.

"We just want to help Dag, what's wrong."

"Dad, please leave. NOW!" I looked at Bettie, she looked at me.

"Go ahead, dear. I'll see what's wrong."

"DAD! PLEASE!"

"I think I know what's wrong," Bettie whispered to me. "It probably would be best if you left."

"Okay!" I said. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." I left.

I was a bit perturbed. "I think I have a right to know what our daughter's problem is," I said. It's getting pretty bad when she can't talk to her father anymore."

"If you must know, she was excited because she got her first monthly bill!" Betty told me.

"Monthly Bill for what?" I replied. "She doesn't have any credit cards and we pay for her cell phone."

"Sometimes I wonder if you know anything at all about women!" Bettie said. "She got her first period dummy. Not exactly something a young girl likes to talk to their fathers about!"

"Oh!" I said. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh......hmmm...Isn't she kind of young for that?"

Bettie shook her head. "Actually she's kind of late starting. Many girls start way before she has. I did. She says she was proud to now be a woman fully grown!"

"Fully grown my foot," I said. "She's got a long way to go before she's that!"

"Not as long as you think, Joe. It won't be long before she'll be wanting to date, graduating high school, and moving on with her life."

"Date! She just turned thirteen for crying out loud!" I sighed. "I guess we'll have to watch her like a hawk. I know what guys are capable of and so do you. I can take solace in one thing though."

"What might that be?" Betty asked.

"She said that she would never do THAT because THAT was yeechy."

Betty laughed. "You have the memory of an elephant. But I think she'll change her mind about that. They usually do."

I sighed. Suddenly I was beginning to feel old. Had it been just yesterday she had been running around the house extolling the virtues of Orlando? It felt like it. The wheels of time were moving way too fast.

Later that evening, when I was up checking to make sure Laurie had turned her light out, I was just going to peek into Dag's room. Before I could even open the door she hollered for me.

"Dad," could you come in here for a minute." I walked into the room. She was relaxing on her bed. I pulled up a chair.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted this afternoon," she said. "I guess mom probably told you!"

I nodded. "Its okay, Dag. I understand. It's a woman thing."

"I bet you think all girls are silly," she said.

"Well, not your mother, not Laurie, not Arcadia, Erika, or Allison. I wouldn't know about the rest!"

Dag laughed at that. "What about Charlene?"



I laughed. "I'm surprised you still remember that. I thought your mother was going to whip her that day! No, Charlene wasn't silly. She was just a rude obnoxious bore."

"Then why did you date her?" Dag asked.

"Because I only wanted one thing from her, and at that time that's all I wanted. And that's the wrong way for any guy to be. It’s wrong for any guy to only think of women as a sex object. So when they come knocking at your door, you keep that in mind."

She laughed. "Don't worry, dad. Mom's already been reading me the riot act for a while now."

"Good, you listen to your mom. She knows all about teenage boys and how to handle them. I got up and turned her light out. "You better get some sleep, Dag."

"Sure dad," she said as she climbed under the covers. I walked toward the door but she stopped me. "Could you come over here for a minute?"

I walked over to her bed. She quickly jumped up, hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks dad. You're okay...for a dad!"

"I'm glad to hear I'm okay, Dag!"

I remember...


The day that we got our own pool table. We had a patio built outside, which enabled us to put the hot tub outdoors, which coincidentally, made room for a pool table. Bettie hadn't liked the idea. She liked the hot tub being in the house where she could use it despite what the weather might be like outside. She finally caved in though even now she seemed to be protesting the idea.

"I still don't know why you need a pool table when there's a pool hall right down the street!"

"Because, it's too noisy down there, too loud, too many young college kids down there, and Frank and I will be able to play in peace here without someone trying to hustle us."

"More than likely you two were the ones doing the hustling," Bettie said.

"You may learn to like it yourself, and the kids can learn to play. It'll be a family thing. I'll teach you right now!"

"You're going to teach me to shoot pool?" Bettie sighed. "Well, make it quick. I have to put Little Frank to bed for his nap soon."

"You'll need one of the cue sticks under the table," I told her.



"You mean one of these funny looking poles?" Bettie asked grabbing it out.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, one of those funny looking poles. Now pay attention."

I prepared to break. But as I did I instructed Bettie in the fine art of how to hit the cue ball, and the basic rules of eight ball.

"So the idea is to make the white ball, hit all the other balls," she said. "And then if you get a ball in and it's a solid, you get all the solid balls and I get all the stripe balls? Have I got that right?"

"Yeah, something like that. But even when you get all your balls in the pockets, you have to get the eight ball in."

"What if I put the eight ball in first?" she said.

"Then you lose," I told her.

"Well, I don't want to lose. Shouldn't we play for money or something?"

"It would be silly of us to play for money?" I told her.

"Then maybe the winner can give Little Frank his baths for the rest of the month? We should play for something."

Hmmm... A long break from giving baths sounded like just the ticket. I hated to do it to her but she had to learn. "Okay, we'll play for that," I agreed. "But being a good sport, I'll still instruct you."

I finally broke, and she watched as if she was bored already. A striped ball went into the pocket.


"I guess I'm stripes," I said. I made my next three shots. Each time though, I took a moment to explain exactly how to choose and line up each shot. I decided to save calling your shots for another lesson so she wouldn't have too much to think about. On my fourth shot I missed, which was okay since I figured I'd finish them and her off in a minute or two. Bettie walked hesitantly up to the pool table.

"I'm just supposed to put in the solid ones?" she asked. I nodded affirmatively. Hmmm, there sure are a lot of them." She finally lined up her shot and took it, and one of the solids dropped into the side pocket.

"I got one! I got one!" She yelled. I chalked it up to beginner's luck. "Well, you get another turn then," She lined up another shot. Took it, and this time her ball went firmly into a corner pocket.

I shook my head. Okay, surely she would miss now. She lined up another shot; the cue ball rolled down the table, bounced off the cushion, came back, hit her ball and dropped it into the corner pocket.

I stood helplessly and watched not only as solid after solid went into the pocket, but she also began calling her shots. In a matter of minutes, there was only the eight ball. My head was hanging low. I'd been hustled!

She looked at me and grinned. "Eight ball in the corner pocket, this one down here." The cue ball spun up, hit the cushion, and came back to hit the eight ball which rolled slowly towards the exact pocket she had called before rolling in.

I could never show my face again.

"I'd like to play some more, but it's time for Little Frank's nap," she said putting up her cue stick. "Oh, and he will need a bath later tonight."

I stood speechless as she picked up Little Frank who'd been watching the proceedings with amusement. She turned to leave then quickly turned back to face me.

"Oh, did I ever tell you about the guy I went steady with in high school that had a pool table in his basement? I thought I had, but maybe not." She could hardly hide her delight.

I remember...

That if there was one thing Bettie insisted on, it was that before they did anything, the girls were to do their homework upon arriving home from school. Most of the time she would stay with them, helping them whenever she could.

"Our girls will have a sense of responsibility," she said. "I don't want them to think they can depend on our bank account to get through life."

It was something I couldn't argue with. As the girls got older and more knowledgeable, I regretted the many wasted days I had spent in school. Dag's knowledge of things had already far surpassed mine, even though I had become prolific reader. But most of my reading time was spent on works of fiction. I was beginning to think I would be an embarrassment to them as they got older.


With the new patio out back we would often cook out on the gas grill, and eat under the moonlight. On one summer evening, Dag was unusually quiet. It was shortly after her fifteenth birthday.

"What's wrong Dag?" I asked. "You're not very talkative tonight."

"Nothing, dad. I'm fine," she replied.

"I know what it is," Laurie interrupted. "She wants to..."

"Shsssh," Bettie said sternly to Laurie. "It's none of your business."

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" I asked. "Why am I always the last to know?"

Bettie put her fork down. "I was going to talk to you about it later, but I might as well do it now. Dag wants to go out on a date."

"A date! Nope, she's too young."

"DAD! I'm fifteen! That's not too young!"

"Go on a date where?" I asked. "And with whom, and how are you going to get there. How old is this boy?"

"His name's Gary. He lives two streets over. We just want to go to a movie. We'll take a cab or a bus."

"I'm the only girl in school who hasn't been out on a date."

"Dag's got a boyfriend! Dag's got a boyfriend!" Laurie sang.

"That's enough, Laurie!" Bettie told her. "Unless you want to spend the rest of the evening in your room." Laurie quickly became quiet. When Bettie laid down the law, the girls knew she meant it.

"Look, Joe, you can't make her a prisoner. Sooner or later you're going to have to start giving her some freedom. Now I know this boy she's talking about and I know his parents. They're a good family. I don't see any harm in them going to a movie together. They could just as easily have sneaked and gone and we never would have known. You should be pleased she's asking permission."

"Please, dad! If I had ever done anything to give you reason not to let me date it would be different. We're just going to a movie, and then we'll get a hamburger or something."

Bettie was right. It was me wanting to stop time from advancing that was holding me back and nothing else.

The truth was that I knew she would be okay. I had been on my first date when I was fourteen. Bettie had been on her first date when she was fifteen.

"Okay, Dag. Just be careful and remember what I've always told you about guys!" Bettie nodded her approval.

"Then I can go?" Dag squealed.

"Yeah, you can go.”



Thanks Dad! Thanks! She jumped up from the chair and threw her arms around my neck, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Laurie took a bite of her food, swallowed then had to put her two cents in.

"Boys are yechy!" she said.

I couldn't think of where I had heard that before. I only knew that in a few years I’d be replaying this very same scene with Laurie.



I remember....

Late that night, as we lay in bed, Bettie thanked me for giving in.

"It meant a lot to Dag for you to give your permission,” she said.

"And if I hadn't?" I asked.

"She probably would have eventually just gone and met him there anyway. I would have when I was a teen. I'm glad she doesn't feel like she has to do that. And Joe, not every guy is going to be like you were when you were young."

"I know," I said. "I guess I just hate having her grow up. Laurie will be a teen soon. Franklin will be starting pre-school. We'll have a lot of time on our hands, what do you want to do?"

"We won't have that much time," she said.

"Bettie, do you ever have any regrets, even maybe a small one?"

She looked at me puzzled. "About what?" she asked.

"About starting a ready made family at so young an age. Getting married. Taking on so much responsibility. Do you ever feel like you might have missed out on a lot of things?"

"Regrets? I have none at all. Oh, sometimes I'll daydream about what I might have done if I had gone on to college but I've never regretted it. I knew I always wanted a family. What happened with Dag, Laurie and you just gave me a short cut to what I wanted. I consider myself one very lucky woman."

"I've been thinking," I told her. "When Little Frank goes off to school I might take some college courses. Learn something, you know."

She seemed surprised. It was something I had never spoken of before. "Why would you want to do that now?" she asked.

"Because I've never accomplished anything. I'm asking my kids to stand on their own two feet when all I've ever done is lived off the money that my father left me. I dont' want them always to be embarrassed by me. I watch you help them with their homework, and I don't have a clue as to what you're talking about."

She looked at me sternly. "You can take the college courses if you want but don't ever let me hear you talk about not accomplishing anything again! Those kids are your accomplishments. It would have been very easy for someone in your position to put Dag up for adoption, or even Laurie. Yet, you have become a father to all of the kids, and a damn good one. Look at the way they've turned out. That's plenty of accomplishment. And don't try and give me all the credit like you usually do. Those kids love and respect you as much as they do me. You've been able to raise them that way because you leaned from your mistakes, and because of the things you yourself went through as a kid. You made up your mind it wasn't going to be like that for them, and you've succeeded in every way imaginable. So don't ever say that, Joe."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" I said.

"Hmmmm! Let's see. Not for several hours at least!"

"Well, I do. And if such a thing is possible, I love you more each day."

"In that case," she said snuggling up to me, "Why don't you show me how much you love me?" And then she kissed me full on the lips. I was more than happy to oblige. There were some things we just never got tired of doing!

I remember...



I never again forgot my promise to Susan. I would often spend hours telling Laurie stories about Susan, Frank, and I. What I never did tell her was that her mother had chosen to carry her instead of seeking treatment for her illness. I just told her that her mother had been ill for a long time when she died and there was nothing the doctors could do about it. Telling her anything else would have been too much of a burden for her, and would serve no purpose. But as the years grew by and Laurie grew older and more inquisitive, I knew there would come a time that Laurie would need and deserved to be told the entire story. It was not a day that I looked forward to.


I remember...

That when little Frank finally started to school; he wasn't quite enamored of the idea as the girls had been.

"I don't see why I have to go to school for," he told Bettie that first morning. "Why can't you just teach me?"

"You have to go to school so you can grow up and be as smart as your sisters. You wouldn't want them to be smarter than you, would you?" Bettie replied.

Little Frank sighed. "No, I sure wouldn't want that!

"Then you have to go to school," Bettie told him. That pretty much ended that discussion.

There are also certain days that you remember more than of the others. They are not holidays or special occasions. Usually they are just the days that started out as any other day might have. But some unexpected event etches such days in your memory.


It was just such a day a day that started out as most days did. The kids had left for school, and Bettie and I had taken a walk around the yard. When we got to the swing set, she sat down.

"Push me like you did in the park,” she said.

I smiled. It had been over ten years since that day at Pagoda but it was still as vivid to both of us as if it had happened yesterday.

I was more than happy to oblige. She was now over thirty, but to me she would always

be the nineteen year old girl who took such great delight in the small things in life. She seemed especially carefree this morning, and it was easy for us to recapture that day so long ago.

"How high do you want to go," I yelled.

"To the moon! To the stars! Push me as high as you can!" And I did, the wind blowing her hair back as she rode the breeze.


Later we sat in front of the fountain that had long ago replaced the pond. The pond unfortunately hit a dry spell. We tried having it filled but it was to no avail. At that point we had the fountain put in.

"I miss the pond," I said. "We had some good times sitting out here by the pond, sometimes wading through the water."

"I like the fountain," Bettie said. "But it'll never be the same. Then she laughed.

"What's so funny," I asked.

I was thinking of that first Fourth of July when Dag first arrived. I was thinking about how your arm slid off the back of the bench and you were hoping I wouldn't say anything."

I laughed. "And you didn't either."

"Because I wanted you to keep it there but you never knew that either."

"If I had known, I'd have kept it there and pulled you close to me."

"Don't lie," she laughed. "You were scared to death of me."

"Yes, I was that. When did you realize that you were falling in love with me?" I asked. I had never asked it before.

"I guess I should make a confession," she said. "It's something I've kept a secret from you for all these years. Remember that morning I came in and found you passed out by the pool. Well something else happened that morning that I never told you about."

"What was that?" I asked.

She took a deep breath. After you finally got into your pajamas, when I finally got you up you literally fell on the bed taking me with you. And then, right before you passed out again you kissed me. It was a real good kiss and I’d even go so far as to say it was exceptional. I had never been kissed like that before. I think that's when I started falling for you."

I shook my head. "I actually did that! It’s a wonder you didn’t have me arrested. Well, at least I hope I enjoyed it. You must have been embarrassed!"

"No, I laughed about it. I guess I should have eventually told you but I never thought about it until now, What about you? When did you realize you were really starting to fall in love?"

"The night the telescope was supposedly broken, and we looked at the planets together. When I tried to convince you that Venus was Mars. I think that's the first time."

"And that night you were standing there in that black negligee, fixing those pop tarts, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And you are still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!"

"I bet you say that to all the girls," she laughed.

"Not like this," I said. And I kissed her, kissed her like I had that night up in the Pagoda Park.


Later we walked to the front of the house. Every time I looked at her I knew she would always be the nineteen year old kid to me. She had decided to go shopping and she wanted to buy something special. I had promised Dag I'd play some pool with her and she was due home from school in a matter of moments.

"Why don't you take a cab?" I told her. "I think we can afford it."

"It's a beautiful day for a walk," she answered. "I want to enjoy this weather while we still have it! I'll take a cab home though."

"What do you say if we take a walk together this evening?"

"Hmmm....do you have any place in particular in mind?"

"I was thinking we might take a walk up to Pagoda Park. We haven't been there in ages."

"I think that's the best idea you've had in a long time," she told me as I hugged her. And the hug lasted a long time, longer than they usually did. For some reason, I didn't want to let her go as if doing so would mean losing her. A chill rand down my spine.

"Are you sure you won't take a cab?" I said.

"Don't be silly," she said. "I won't be very long. I'll be back before dark."


I stood in front of the house watching as she walked down the street towards the shopping center. At the last second, before she was out of my sight, she turned and waved at me, then blew me a kiss. Then she was gone. Moments later, the school bus pulled up. I waited until the kids had done their homework before Dag and I headed back to the pool table.





Dag was becoming an excellent pool player. I think she was taking lessons from her mom. I could still beat her most of the time, but it was becoming more and more difficult each time we played. I kind of enjoyed the close games as it made the game more interesting and exciting.

On that particular afternoon, I don't know how long we had played but we both quickly lost track of time. Several hours after we had begun, the door bell rang. I heard Laurie run to answer it. Moments later she came back to game room with a worried look on her face.

"Dad, you better come to the door, quick. There's a couple of policeman there and they want to speak to you. They said it's an emergency."

I quickly dropped my cue stick and headed toward the front door. Dag was right behind me.


There were two officers at the door. One was a female officer and the other was a guy. It was the female officer who spoke to me.

"Are you Joseph Baker?" she asked.

"Yes, yes I am. Is something wrong?" I asked. Something made me look at my watch. It had been four hours since Bettie had left.

"Is your wife, Bettie Baker?" She asked.

I felt a sense of panic over take me. "What is it officer, has something happened to my wife?"

"I'm afraid there's been an accident Mr. Baker. Your wife was going through a crosswalk and was hit. A man was talking on his cell phone not paying attention to what he was doing."

"Bettie! Where is she? Is she all right?" I was literally yelling at the officer. A look of horror engulfed Dagmar's face.

"Your wife has been taken to Devonshire Memorial," the officer said. "She was very severely injured. I think you should go there as quickly as possible."


Dag screamed. It was a scream that would haunt me for a long time. Then she began to sob.

"Please, please tell me. My wife, is...," I was frozen. I could hardly speak but somehow I managed the question.

"My wife, is...is she alive?" I held my breath.

"She was still alive when they took her away in the ambulance, Mr. Baker. But she was unconscious. I think you better get to the hospital as quickly as possible."

I wasted no time. I stopped only long enough to call Frank and Nick to meet us there, only telling them that Bettie was in an accident and I didn't know anything more. I then called a Taxi, telling them it was an emergency and I had to get to the hospital. It showed up five minutes later and I grabbed the kids to get inside. They were silent during the entire ride, dreading what we might face when got there.

"Dear God, please let her be alive," I prayed it not once, not twice, but a hundred times over and over. When we arrived at the hospital they sent us to a waiting room, telling us the doctor would be with us momentarily. All I could do as we waited was to pace.

Finally the doctor entered the waiting room. Her name was Dr. Hannah.

"How's my wife," were the first words out of my mouth.

"Mr. Baker, your wife has suffered a severe brain injury. There was a massive clot. We managed to dissolve most of it, but she is in a coma."

"Will she be okay?" I asked.

"We don't know, Mr. Baker. These things take time. If she awakens within the next 48 hours, then she may recover. To what extent I don't know."

"And if she doesn't awaken?" I asked.

"Then she probably won't ever awaken," the doctor replied. A chill went down my spine. The kids began to sob quietly again.


Dr. Hannah started to walk away when she turned back to me the pulled me aside. "Mr. Baker,” she said in a low tone, “did you know your wife was pregnant?"

"No, no I didn't." I answered.

"We did a pregnancy test. It's the usual procedure before treating someone when we can't be sure. It helps dictate what we can and can't do. It's confirmed that she is pregnant."

"Can I be with her?" I asked.

"Of course you can Mr. Baker. But only one visitor at a time is allowed in intensive care. I'll take you to her."

I followed her down the hall to Bettie's room. She lay motionless and pale on the bed. It was as if I was reliving that last day of Susan's life all over again.

"Not this, time," I said. "You can't have her, God. Not yet. I won't let you take her from us.”



"And that was two days ago, my love. And I have been here by your side ever since. The kids are here and Frank and Arcadia and Nick. We all love you so much. Please, Bettie, don't leave us. I don't know what we will do if you're not here. I don't know if I can be strong. I've been telling you our story, hoping you would somehow here, that you would know how much we all love you, how much I love you. You have not only given me a life worth living, you are my life"



Joe closed his diary. There had been nothing written in it for over a month, and he had told the last part of his story from memory. And then he began to pray again.

And then he began to sob. Deep huge sobs. He was unaware that there were others in the room with him.

"I hate to see him like this," Susan said. "It's too painful to watch. I watched him go through this when I died. I didn't think he would have to do it again so soon."

"I wish I had known him better," Veronica told her. "Listening to his story just now, made me so glad that I left Dagmar in his care. I hadn't been sure at the time, but he's been a good father and husband."

"I knew he would be okay though," Susan told her. "He just needed somebody to care about him the way Bettie does. Of course if we hadn't been there that night at Pagoda Park giving him a little nudge he might never have gone up those stairs. That was close!"

"Why is Joe crying," Bettie asked from beside the bed. Then she saw herself lying in the bed for the first time.

"Is that me?," she asked looking at Susan. "What happened to me? I don't look so good,"

"You were in an accident dear," Susan replied. "A guy on a cell phone not watching what he was doing hit you"

"Am I dead? Am I dying?," she asked.

"No sweetie," Veronica replied. "You're not dead."

"Then what am I doing here, beside my bed? It hurts me to see Joe crying."


"Let's just say you're sort of in between worlds. You're in a coma, and you don't seem to want to come out of it."

Bettie looked at Susan and Veronica. "Why are you here? You're Veronica, Dagmar's mother. Dagmar has your picture. And Susan, you're Laurie's mother. We met many times when I was growing up."

"Well, let's just say that we've been here off and on over the years. We just pop in now and then to make sure things are going okay," Susan replied.


"We've been listening to Joe read his story to you. You didn't know Joe had written a story about you, did you Bettie?" Veronica told her.

"No, I didn't. He never said anything. I've seen him working on the computer off and on but he never said he was writing something like that."

"He wanted to surprise you on your anniversary. He's been reading it, hoping you would hear him and wake up. Come with us Bettie, we want to show you something."

Bettie watched as the two figures walked through the walls as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. She followed behind them, and was surprised to find she had the same ability.


"Laurie!" Susan exclaimed. "She's a teen! Was it only yesterday she was nine or ten! And she's quite pretty! You and Joe have done such a wonderful job raising her!"

"She's a wonderful girl, Susan. She studies hard all the time. Joe tells her stories about the terrible trio."

Susan laughed. "Only the good ones I hope. I wish I could hold her in my arms, just one more time."

"Dag is almost grown! Was it just yesterday she put that Teddy Bear in the pool to go for a swim?" Veronica asked.

"You know about that?" Bettie asked.

"Of course I do! I'm glad you and Joe put that partition up though. That day she almost drowned, I got an emergency call from the boss. I was there in a flash. You and Joe should be proud of what you've accomplished."

"We are," Bettie replied.

"Look around you Bettie," Susan said. "You have so much love surrounding you! Your family and friends care about you so very much. You're a very lucky woman to have people care about you so much."

"I love them all too," Bettie said.

"Well, our time here grows short," Veronica told her.

"Am I going with you?" Bettie asked.


"No dear. You are still needed here by your family. Our girls aren't completely raised yet. Come here, Bettie," Veronica motioned for her and Bettie glided towards her.

"You’re a wonderful mother, and a wonderful wife," she said softly. "But you have so much more to do. You’re going to have a baby soon, well two of them as you’re carrying twins. It's time for you to go back now."

When Veronica opened her arms, Bettie was no longer there.

When they reentered the room, tears were still rolling down Joe's face.

"It'll be okay, Joe. Very very soon!" Susan whispered to him.

Veronica reached down and touched Bettie's forehead. "Bettie, it's time to wake up now."

And then they were gone from the room. Joe continued to sob. And then he thought he heard something. He thought it was his imagination.

"Joe, don't cry. Please don't cry! I don't want to see you cry," He rushed over to the bed. He had heard it. Bettie's eyes were closed, but suddenly her head turned and she spoke again.

"Please Joe, don't cry. It'll be okay." He reached for the nurse button and feverishly pushed it. He ran to the door opened it and yelled out. "Get the doctor! Get the doctor quick." He ran back to the bed.

"Joe, I love you so much!" He grabbed her hand. "I love you Bettie. I love you so much!" He felt her hand give his a squeeze. Now his body was shaking. He bent down and kissed her. Would the doctor never arrive?


Dr. Hannah came rushing into the room. Joe stepped back so she could get to Bettie.

"Wait for me outside, Mr. Baker."

"I don't want to leave!" he told her.

"Please Mr. Baker. I need to examine your wife, and I can't be distracted. I will be with you shortly."

Reluctantly Joe turned and walked to the waiting room.

When he arrived, the kids, Frank, and Nick all stood up.

"What's going on?" Frank asked. "We saw Doctor Hannah rushing towards her room!"

"She spoke to me, Frank! She spoke to me! Doctor Hannah is examining her now!"

Both Frank and Joe began to pace nervously. He didn't think Doctor Hannah would ever return, but finally she did.

"How is she, Dr. Hannah?" Dagmar asked.

"Mr. Baker. I'm going to be honest with you. When you're wife didn't awaken last night, I had just about given up hope. What's happening now is nothing short of miraculous. You must have some very strong prayers or somebody is watching over your wife. Your wife is going to be okay. As a matter of fact, she'll probably make a full recovery."

A cheer went up through the waiting room!

"Is she awake? Can we see her?" Joe asked.

"She's awake. Quite groggy though. She wants to see all of you. I guess it'll be okay to bend the rules just this once, but only stay for a minute" Dr. Hannah said looking around the room. "She's still needs to get her bearings."

"The Baby, will it be okay?" Joe asked her.

"BABY!" everyone said in unison.

"You're child will be just fine, Mr. Baker."


Moment's later they stood around Bettie's bed. Her eyes were barely open, but she was alert.

"I guess I kind of gave all of you a scare," she said. "I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, you gave us a scare," Joe said. "But the doctor says you'll be fine!"

She turned to look at him. "Joe, I had the strangest dream. Did you know we're going to have a baby?"

"Yes," the doctor told me. "Did you know you were pregnant?"

"No, I just thought I was late again."

"I guess the doctor told you you were pregnant," Joe told her.

"No, no she didn't. I can't explain how I know."

"Rest now sweetie. You'll be up and around in no time," Joe said. He took her hand, clasped it in his and kissed her.

"Weren't we suppose to go to Pagoda Park?" she said.

And just three weeks later, it was as if the accident was a distant memory. Once again they stood in the tower of Pagoda Park, the world at their feet.

"You never told me you were writing a story," Bettie said. "Can I read it?"

"Of course you can," he said. But he was puzzled once again. "If you didn't hear me reading to you, how did you know about the story?"

"Maybe I did hear you," she said. "There are just some things in this world you can't explain.

"I know one thing I can explain," he told her. "And that's how much I love you. I don't know what I would have done if we had lost you."

"So Joe, how does your story end? Do they live happily ever after?"

"You betcha, kid. You betcha!," And with that he kissed her. To her father she was his daughter. To her brother, she was known as sis. . Her own kids called her mom and mommy. But to him, the woman that he loved so very much, the woman who had given him a life worth living, she would always and forever, simply be "The Kid"

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