Heaven Is

Story Time

Sav

"The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day." My wife's sweet voice rings as she reads to May.

I walk in from my mum's to see May sitting in Molson's lap on the couch. Molson is reading to our daughter. Sitting on the floor and armchairs listening to the story intensely is Phil, Steve, and Rick.

"Don't know about you but I didn't know that cats wore hats." Steve tells Phil and they both start laughing.

"Oi! Would the two of you shut up?" Rick wonders. "May and me are trying to listen to the story."

"Yeah!" May laughs.

It's the beginning of July, Molson is due any times now. We decided that we'll wait to find out the gender of the kid until they're with us. I want it to be a boy, I mean I'll be happy either way. Just having a boy would be fun.

I kiss Molson's cheek and I sit down beside her on the couch. May climbs into my lap revealing her mum's stomach. To my and everyone else's surprise (in the band at least) Molson didn't gain a lot of weight. Like you could tell she was pregnant but for being nine months pregnant she looked to about only about four or five.

May falls asleep before the story ends, I carry her up stairs as Molson puts the book away. As I make it up the stairs, I hear this conversation.

"Oi! Hand the book here." Phil states. "I wanna know how it ends."

I laugh as I get to May's room. I set her in her bed and cover her up. I kiss her forehead and look around the room. Pictures of our twisted family fill the walls and Montreal Canadiens posters are scattered about. Her toy box is over flowing and her desk is filled with drawings.

May is now four and started going to kindergarten. She's goes to this really good school that she has to wear a uniform to attend. I have never once doubted that she was going to be like her mother but this proves it. Her uniform is almost identical to the uniform that Molson wore to high school and May hates it. May also thinks it's funny to talk French at her teachers to mess them up. That was Molson's favourite game when she went to school.

Just then I hear someone run up the stairs. They open the door to May's room and stick their head in, it's Phil.

"Not to worry you or anything, mate, but your wife has gone into labor." He says and I give him a look.

"Are you sure?" I wonder.

"Me? No but Karlie, definitely. Considering Molson is arguing her I'm going to say it's probably legit." Phil explains.

"Did her water break?" I ask and he rolls his eyes.

"That doesn't always happen, mate. Didn't you read What To Expect If You're Expecting?" Phil wonders and I give him a look.

"Did you?" I ask.

"Well yeah! My friend is going to have a baby, it topped my reading list!" Phil jokes and I smile. "And I got bored while babysitting May one time."

We go down stairs to see Molson and Karlie arguing in French. I roll my eyes and get the bag ready. Rick, Steve, and Joe all come over to me.

"You aren't going to cut in?" Joe wonders and I shake my head.

"She's gonna be screaming at me enough in the next little while." I state.

Boy, I wasn't wrong. I'm so happy I can't understand French a bit. I'm about ninety five percent sure she was cussing me out the whole time she was in labor. Molson wasn't in labor for nearly as long as she was with May. Only a few hours.

At 6:15pm on July 2nd 1986, Xavier Claude-Richard Savage was born. He weighed nearly eight pounds and was 19 inches long. Xavier has little bits of brown hair and bright blue eyes. He's gorgeous like his mom and his older sister.

Molson is asleep when I take everyone to the nursery. I hold onto May as we get to the window. A nurse holds up my baby boy once we're all there. May lights up.

"Is that him?" She asks quietly and I nod.

"That's your baby brother, Xavier." I tell her and she smiles.

"What's his full name, mate?" Phil wonders.

"Xavier Claude-Richard." I say and Rick smirks.

"Richard like me or Richard like you?" He wonders and I laugh.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, to be honest." I laugh and May giggles.

"Oi! So your next kid has gotta be named after me." Steve says matter of factly. "You got you and Rick down."

"And if our next is a girl?" I wonder and Joe smiles.

"You could still name her after Steve. I mean Steve is pretty girly to start with." He laughs.

I'm a dad again. I wasn't there when Molson gave birth the first time and I should've been. I was there this time, I'm not saying I was fond of the woman I love screaming in pain but I was there and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Welcome to the world, Xavier Claude-Richard. Your life isn't gonna be normal but your family loves you like crazy already.