2.33 Like Father, Like Son

Phil

He was perfect. In my entire life, I’d never thought I could love anyone more than I loved Allie, but there he was. Little Oliver. Allie had insisted that we name him after my dad, which had made me tear up more than once. But every moment with him was even better than the first. Seeing his little hands and feet flailing about, seeing the careful beginnings of a first smile, looking into his curious but trusting eyes… I never imagined it’d be this great.

 

Like everyone had expected, Allie was a great mother. She woke up with a smile at crazy times in the night to feed him or just to cuddle him, as if to convince herself that he was still here, that it wasn’t just a dream.

 

And something in our relationship seemed to have changed. Everyone says that once you have kids, sex is pretty much off the table. But Oliver being born a happy and healthy baby, had given Allie a huge confidence burst, and she was flirty like a teenager in love.

 

Matt and Evelynne were over the moon with their first grandchild and spent most of their time arguing who would get to watch Oliver when Allie and I went to work again. Since my mom had moved away, she didn’t get to see him quite as much, but she still came by every few weeks and played with him for hours.

 

On one of those visits, mom and I took a few hours to take a walk through the park. Although Oliver stayed at home, the conversation quickly centered on him.

“I can’t believe how much he’s grown already!” I exclaimed.

Mom laughed. “That’s what babies do, honey. Gosh, in three months you’d changed so much.” A flash of sadness crossed her face. “I wish your father could’ve seen you…”

“We don’t have to talk about that now, mom,” I quickly said. That’s what I usually said to make sure mom wouldn’t get sadder thinking about him.

 

But this time, she smiled. “It’s okay, honey. We should talk about it. Seeing you with Oliver just reminded me so much of how your dad used to be…” She sighed. “You look a lot like him, you know? I know everyone says we look alike, but when I see you… It’s like I’m watching your dad.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry mom. That must be terrible.”

“Oh, not at all. I’m so thankful that I at least have a part of your father with me forever.” She thought for a second. “He loved books and writing as much as you do. You definitely don’t get that from me. It’s a shame he never pursued that.”

 

“I never knew that,” I said softly. Mom gave me a teary smile. “I never told you. It hurts to talk about him. But you should know. Now that you’re a dad, especially. If you ever want to ask me something – anything – about him, don’t feel shy. I’ll answer your questions as best as I can.”

I had to swallow back tears myself. “Thanks, mom.”

She looked at me earnestly, and simply said: “He loved you before you were even born. And he would be so, so proud of you. Don’t forget that.”

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Author’s Note: Hi guys! Next week, university is starting back up again. During the summer I’ve had a pretty frequent/consistens uploading schedule, but I can’t promise how that will be during school days. I hope you guys keep checking up on my family and still enjoy the chapters I do put out! I will try my best to make them as frequent as possible. Thanks for reading ❤