The Dream Is Not Over

Al's Adventure

A couple of days after Olivia and River settled in at home, we jumped at the chance to see the new baby. Al and Sue are already there when we arrive. With Kaiya in my arms, and Lindsey at my side, we are invited in by our son. River kisses my cheek, then his baby sister's, before hugging his father. He looks happy, his brilliant blue eyes glittering in the dim light. He's a father now and he's positively beaming! He guides us into the living room and I try to be as quiet as possible. The space has the same energy as a church or a Buddhist temple and that's no accident. The fourth trimester, as the books called it, are the first 12 week's of a baby's life where they are still adjusting to the outside world. It is just as important as the previous three trimesters and I'm sure that had been engrained in Olivia by her mother, having been a doula.

Sue adjusts the pillow under the nursing baby in her daughter's arms and Olivia smiles appreciatively.

"Thanks, mama."

"Would you like tea? I made one to aid in your milk production and help tone and shrink your uterus."

"That would be excellent." Olivia caught her mother's hand, squeezing it lovingly. "Thank you again."

"No problem baby." Sue smiles broadly, clasping her hand over the wooden goddess idol on her long beaded necklace as she leans down to kiss her daughter's golden hair. "Al, would you like to tell your daughter where you were when Saylor was being brought earthside?" Sue asks in a syrupy sweet voice. Obviously, Al had done something and was definitely still in the doghouse.

He sighs heavily, pulling himself up from the chair and carefully sits next to his daughter on the couch. Saylor is asleep at her breast, and Olivia rubs the newborn's back gently. Saylor looks so peaceful, his full lips flared from just having nursed and his chubby cheeks pushed against the cushion beneath him. As I look down at my own sleeping baby, I notice how similar they are. Kaiya has the same full lips, the same chubby cheeks. Unlike her brother, though, Kaiya's eyes turned chestnut brown.

"Your mother isn't happy with me."

"Oh?" Olivia asks, smiling in a knowing way.

"Hey, I was doing what I thought was best." His eyes narrowed and he looked more serious than I have ever seen him. Lindsey leans against the chair I'm sitting in, knowing this is going to be good. "The chemical plant up north is signing papers to expand. They will chop down countless life-giving trees to build new stacks that pump out hazardous chemicals into the air, infecting residential areas, dumping into rivers, lakes and our oceans. They will be displacing wild life making food scarce and killing anything in its path just so big industry can have their way." He chuffed out an aggravated laugh, leaping up from the couch. "It's a gross use of power," he explains as he paces before his daughter. "The plant is lining the pockets of our politicians. No one can be trusted and I didn't want them to be able to go in there and sign those papers, setting this all into motion." He stops for a moment, looking her dead in the eye. "Think of your children and your children's children! Nothing is safe or sacred anymore because of greed! I'd happily chain myself to those gates for a month of it meant putting an end to this!"

"Right on!" Olivia exclaimed. "So what happened? I'm with you about the environmental repercussions but did you do it?"

Sue laughs, setting the tea cup down on the coffee table. "Tell her, honey. She's on your team."

"Well...uh..." He suddenly becomes bashful. Afraid to tell her what happened and that makes Lindsey and I that much more curious. "I ran into a couple of problems."

"And they were..." Sue urges. Al squirms a little, probably having dealt with her teasing over the situation before.

"The gate. The gate didn't work like I thought it did."

"Oh god..." Lindsey said under his breath. I look over briefly and I see him biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling or laughing.

"I chained myself to the gate, Sue helped. It was a worthy cause. When the guys tried to come in bright and early that morning in their armored, military grade SUVs, um..."

"The gate swung wide open when they hit the security button!"

"Hey! I thought they were going to open in the middle but just like their promises to the people, it was fake!"

Suddenly, Lindsey, River and Olivia all start laughing. The image of him chaining himself to the gate, then having it swing open as if he weren't there was funny enough but by the look on his face, I knew it was only going to get worse.

"Then what happened, honey?"

"Sue, let me save my dignity. My baby girl is laughing at me," he said looking for sympathy.

"She needs to know why were weren't here for her."

"Fine." He plopped down on the couch, defeated. "So not only was the gate still able to swing open, I....I lost the key to the pad lock. Sue had to ask these men, if she could use a telephone so she could call a locksmith or someone who could come out that early to cut through the chains and set me free." He buries his head in his hands. "My plan seemed air-tight! Fool proof!"

"Apparently not," Lindsey says and that set them all off in another round of laughter.

When the howling has ceased, Sue speaks. "They were sympathetic though, and they chose not to sign that day."

"That's true." Al says. "So I'm going back!" Olivia and Sue both shake their heads.

"If Al is anything, he's persistent. He tells me he has a new plan that will definitely work this time." She rolls her eyes and Al pulls her onto his lap. Sue looks over her shoulder, not wanting to disturb their grandson, and she giggles. Al kisses her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Enough teasing. You're going to help me this time...aren't you?"

"I will always help you. We're in this together." Al kisses her again, taking her hands in his.

"Thanks, honeybee."

"You're welcome, papa bear." She gives him a flirtatious smile and leans in to kiss him this time. Guttural chuckles and giggles escape the couple on the couch and Olivia gets up suddenly. If she's still sore from birth, she doesn't show it.

"Well, I know how this is going to go!" Olivia says, making it known we shouldn't be here any longer. "River, will you help me put Saylor down in his room?"

"Sure." River replies. "Mom, dad, would you like to see the nursery?"

My eyes light up and Olivia extends her hand to me. "Of course!"