blue (book one) - h.s. ✔️ watty's 2019

chapter 18

The event concludes marvelously. Old neighbors, family friends, and my parent's coworkers all show up. People drank, conversed, and just enjoyed one another's company. I was more than delighted to see some of my old school friends. Several of whom were already married and expecting. It was bittersweet seeing how much they have changed over the course of only two years.

Time sure does fly.

"Parker dear, come and meet the Akards. They're very fond of your environmental work and would like to help in any way they can," my mom says ushering me towards a female couple.

Talk about being on the cover of a magazine. Both women are incredibly beautiful. The taller, more blonder one has a posture poised to utmost perfection. Her long hair is flowing down her back in cascades, adding more volume to her already voluptuous figure. And the woman beside her, although not as beautiful commercially, has a more natural beauty. From a distance, it looks as if she has little to no makeup and yet a certain radiance emitts from her being.

"How very nice to finally meet you, Parker," the taller one whose name I just learned is Jenna starts.

"My brother, Jerry, has told me so much about you and your work. I have to say I am very impressed, young man," she continues, shaking my hand. My mom excuses herself from the conversation to greet others I'm sure before walking away.

Her big, doey eyes stun me for a bit before I am able to form a coherent sentence.

"Jerry?" I finally find the voice to question.

"Jerry Childers," she adds for clarification.

"Jerry Childers," I say to myself, trying to remember the familiar name.

"Ah!"

"Professor Childers, the environmental science teacher at Penn," I announce once I finally have the pieces put together.

"Yes deary, he seems very fond of you. He speaks much about your recent contributions to forest preservation," she continues.

I am utterly surprised. I've never had him for a professor, and I only remember him coming to two of our awareness events. Or has it been more.

"How kind! Send my thanks, will you? I don't see him much around the school, and I fear I won't see him at all this semester what with all of my responsibilities."

Now that I think of it there is a resemblance. I'm not sure where though.

"But of course!" she exclaims happily, laughing obnoxiously.

Well, there's one thing that I would have surely remembered.

"Now now, everyone. Quiet down, please," my dad announces over the speakers.

It takes only a quick second before the chatter throughout the house begins to die down. After a moment, the room is so quiet my dad's heavy breathing can be heard through the mic.

"First, I'd like to thank you all for coming. It's a pleasure to see so many lovely faces, and to be reminded of our many friendships," he continues.

"I'm sure that many of you are wondering why we called you all here tonight," he carries on gesturing to my mom and himself.

"For those of you who've been with us a little longer than a decade or two, you may remember the last time we invited so many friends and had similar colors strung about."

My dad's voice is strong and confident as his voice carries throughout the room and I'm sure that I inherited my public speaking person from him. Although my mom hasn't said a word yet, her attention is undivided as she takes a small sip from her glass of champagne.

"And no, I'm not talking about the night of our honeymoon. That was a different kind of celebration," he jokes openly, eliciting several whistles from men - I'm sure - and some laughs.

"No, for our family, occasions such as are rare.  They're a reminder to us of just how blessed and grateful we are," he continues, voice quivering only slightly. I'm unsure if anyone else picked up on the small fluctuation as I look around.

What is going on?

"Many if you are aware of the problems Joan and I faced in the early 90s,"

His body turns to face me and I swear it feels as if he's staring directly at me. I shift uncomfortable and confused.

"After being told that Joan was basically carrying around an inhospitable environment and that my," he wanders off, looking for the right word.

"Swimmers,"

The crowd lightly laughs at his word choice, but are silent right after captivated.

"Were immobile. We were afraid that we'd never conceive."

I look over to my mom perplexed, but her attention is solely on dad as she wipes away a tear.

"Twenty years ago we were told we couldn't have children and it was about eighteen years ago on a summer day we were told we'd be having a beautiful baby boy," he continues, voice shaking slightly.

I never knew that my parents had troubles trying to conceive. I mean, I was always told that I meant so much to them and all of that, but I only thought it was because I was first, their child, and two, their only child.

"Parker was such a pleasant surprise for the both of us. When Joan's pregnancy test came out positive we didn't want to believe it. And then morning sickness came. And then after morning sickness, the strange fish and chocolate cravings," my dad cringes, earning a laugh from the audience.

"The second trimester. Seeing your tiny little hands and feet through the ultrasound was enough to make me confident that we were blessed with a miracle."

Why am I so emotional?

I don't even notice the tear sliding down my cheek until it touches my lip and I have to wipe it away.

"A couple of weeks ago a different, pleasant miracle sounded through our patient room. One in which their was one strong heartbeat offbeat to two smaller ones," he continues, causing an eruption of applause from the audience.

I once heard that, "not knowing is the greatest life motivator. That it is important to enjoy, endure, survive each moment as it comes to you in its proper sequence -- a surprise."

And that is beautiful.