“Sue! Your dad and Sue are here!” Fuller called in through the screen door.
He looked back towards the path to the barn while Jen brought them to the house. She had gone to his universe to bring the two here for a visit. She had been doing this every week now that Sue was pregnant. Fuller was fearful of the stress it would put the baby under if Sue shifted to visit them so insisted she not go there.
When the three got close enough, he called to them, “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Fine, John. Beautiful day here,” Manny said as he ascended the porch steps.
“It was raining like crazy when we left,” said Sue, helping her father up the stairway.
“I can still climb a few steps by myself. I’m not that old yet,” Manny admonished her.
Sue looked at Fuller and shook her head. “His arthritis was acting up this morning because of the rain.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Why don’t you sit down for a minute?” said Fuller, motioning to one of the wicker chairs. “It’ll be a little while before lunch is ready anyway.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll feel better once I sit in this dry air for a bit,” said Manny, putting a hand on Fuller’s shoulder. “How are you and Sue doing, son?”
“We’re doing great. Sue gets uncomfortable because she’s getting so big, but the doctor said everything’s going well.”
Sue gave Fuller a hug. “I can just imagine. I’m sure I’ll go through the same thing someday, but I’m not looking forward to it.”
“You get that programming contract I sent your way?” asked Manny, sitting in the chair.
He had pulled some strings at the Gladstone Industries in his universe and got the opportunity for Fuller to bid on a contract to write a computer program. Fuller said, “Yeah I did, thanks for getting that for me.”
“Hell, son, I didn’t get that for you. All I did was get you the chance to put in a bid. You did everything else yourself. I knew you’d get it as impressed as Frank Conley told me he was with you.”
The screen door creaked open and Fuller ran over to help his Sue out.
“Stop it, John. I’m not that damn big that I can’t take a few steps by myself you know,” Sue admonished.
“I know, I know,” responded Fuller with a smile. “I just wanted to help carry the baby.”
“I can carry it just fine,” she said as the two walked over to the others. “I’m as strong as an elephant. I look like one too.”
“Oh, Sue, you do not,” said Manny. “You look beautiful, just like your mother did when she was carrying you.”
The other Sue chimed in, “I don’t want to sound conceited now, but I think you look beautiful too.”
Sue snorted. “Yeah right. When you look like this, I’ll lie to you too.”
As they sat in the comfort of the wicker chairs and the flowery breeze drifted across the porch of the old family home, the conversation flowed with small talk of weather and the coming baby. Soon it turned, as it so often did, to that of the latest discoveries of Sue and Jen’s research.
As Fuller tuned out from the shoptalk, he squeezed Sue’s hand. He felt the warmth of her love stream to him and reflected on his good fortune. Even though he sometimes felt left out of conversations like this, he knew, despite so many isolated years, he was among those who loved and respected him.
When it came time for lunch, they went into the house, Fuller holding the door for the others and being the last to go through. But when he did cross the threshold of the home that he had so long wished for, he entered it with a joy in his heart greater than any he had ever known.
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DEDICATION