Bedtime Stories

How I Met Your Mother

Stella Williams

"Mommy?" asked Avia as she crawled into bed. "Will you tell us a bedtime story?"

"Sure," I said. The girls had already brushed their teeth and changed into pajamas. Avia picked some chevron blue pants and a shirt that said "Daddy's girl." Belle was wearing a matching set of pajamas that had penguins and party hats printed on them. In their small room, we had shoved in two twin beds, a small bookshelf, a nightstand, and a rocking chair. Somehow, the girls always found more space for their toys, mainly on the floor.

"Oh! Tell us how you and Dad met," called Belle from across the room. She put the book she had been reading down on top of the bookshelf and crossed the room carefully, making sure not to step on any legos. She hopped into bed and pulled her pink covers over her feet.

"Do you want that one, Avia?" I asked, turning to look at her.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, nodding up and down so vigorously that she shook her bed.

"Okay," I replied, smiling as I tucked the matching pink covers around her and sat on the edge of her bed. "So there I was, a few days before my grandparents came home from their mission in Hawaii. You know Grandpa Paul and how he's a trickster, right?"

"Yeah," chorused the girls, snuggling down under all their blankets.

"Well, I wanted to trick him and Grandma; I wanted to trick them good. As I was planning and trying to think of things to do, I remembered when my Uncle Ty had returned from his mission.

We were all there waiting for him at the exit from the terminal. My Grandma was in front of us because she said she got the first hug. All five of his siblings were there with all their kids, including the newest cousin, baby Gavin. Gavin had been born while Ty was on a mission, but his parents, Nick and Jada, Ty's brother and sister-in-law, decided not to tell him.

We had signs that said 'Welcome home, Ty!' and some that said 'We missed you, Elder Williams!' Nick held Gavin in his arms and had taped a sign to him that read, 'I've been waiting my whole life to meet you.' The cousins had all helped make the signs; some were misspelled, and others had splotches and small handprints on them, but they were all made with love.

We were a little rowdy bunch, but our noise was lost in the crowd's bustle around us. We all strained to look down the corridor where Ty would be coming out. I remembered seeing a security guard there making sure that nobody else came back through. My parents explained that it was 'the point of no return.' I also stood diligently on the other side of the terminal, making sure that nobody was turning around or trying to sneak in and still looking for Ty. Finally, he came walking out of the exit, rolling his suitcase behind him, looking crisp in his suit, and his nametag clipped next to his pocket. 'Ty!!' my Grandma cried. He came rushing over and gave her a hug. There were lots of 'Oh, I missed you' and lots of hugs. Then he got to Nick.

'What?' a bewildered Ty asked.

'This is Gavin Wilson, and he's been waiting his whole life to meet you,' Nick said.

'No way.'

'Yes, way.'

'Who lent you their baby?'"

"Mommy," Avia interrupted, "Do you think anyone would have lent Nick a baby?"

"I don't know, honey. There would have to be lots of explaining to the parents, I'm sure."

"Do you think anyone would lend me a baby?"

"I don't know. Is there a reason why you would need a baby to be lent to you?"