Well...Alright | Buddy Holly

Sports (V.H)

August 20th, 1960. The Holley apartment. New York, New York.

"Oh my god, why hasn't he stopped yet?!" Buddy exclaims, continuing to bounce James in his arms. "He's been wailing, I feel like my head is gonna explode!"

I take James from him and start to bounce him. "I don't know! He isn't hungry, he's clean, he's not tired, oh my god, I'm gonna cry too,"

Buddy shakes his head and rubs his eyes. "I'm so tired! Oh God, they didn't tell me how tired I'd be,"

"Shhhhhh," I pat James' back. "Please, hush, you're gonna kill mommy and daddy," I whisper. "Please,"

Buddy starts to rub his face. "God, I need to shave, I need to shave,"

He does have a bit of dad stubble. It's kinda cute, I admit. He never has facial hair, mostly because he can't grow much, but still.

"T.V, turn on the T.V. Maybe he needs the noise," I tell Buddy.

He quickly dashes over and flips it on.

I sit on the couch and have James sit on my knee, leaning against my torso.

He continues wailing.

He flips the channel from the news to some sitcom.

Still wailing.

He flips from the sitcom to the Ed Sullivan Show.

James screams louder.

Buddy frowns and flips to some baseball game.

Like magic, James stops crying and stares at the game.

Buddy's eyes go wide as he looks back to James, then at the T.V, then at James again. "Oh c'mon, man!"

I laugh at bit and carefully wipe James' face. "Sports fan?"

Buddy frowns. "Vi, we brought home the wrong kid, we have to had,"

I roll my eyes. "He looks exactly like you, and he's less than a month old!"

"Vi, he is watching SPORTS!"

"You idiot, I was in sports, Vincent plays baseball in college, Juliet did a stint in volleyball,"

Buddy shakes his head. "No, no, how is a little clone of me watching SPORTS?!"

"He's not a clone, he's going to be his own person,"

"But Vi, he looks just like me! You just said!"

"Well, he's a ginger you. Is it the end of the world if your son is sporty?"

He sits down next to us and grabs James' little hand. "You hurt my feelings, little man. You know your parents were ON the Ed Sullivan Show two times? Huh? And you have the AUDACITY to cry at it?"

I laugh and swat Buddy's hand away. "You were on two times. I was on once."

"Well, yeah, but you were there! You were backstage!"

I wipe James' face again. "Oh shut up,"

He crosses his arms and looks away from James. "He doesn't have taste, Vi."

"Whatever. You love him anyway."

Suddenly, Buddy's eyes light up. "He smiles when I sing to him, though!"

"Maybe he didn't like Ed's ugly face."

Buddy cracks a smile. "Maybe. Maybe. He needs another hat,"

I look at him. "Buddy he is twenty days old, it's august, he doesn't need a hat at all times,"

"Well what if I don't want people knowing he's ginger!"

"His hair will get darker when he gets older, I guarantee it. He's literally just like you."

"Except for the fact he likes sports!"

September 1st, 1960

"Thank God Dion agreed to take him," Buddy sighs as he sits next to me on the couch.

I move the blue baby blanket and set it on the table, laying back. "I'm exhausted."

"Me too," Buddy replies. "Vi, do you even think we were ready for this?"

I think for a moment. "No."

He sets a hand on my knee. "I don't think so either. If we aren't ready now, thank God we didn't have one at seventeen."

"I don't think anyone is ever ready for kids, they don't come with a handbook."

"You're right, babe. No one has any idea what having kids is like until you really have them." He pauses. "They don't tell you how much you'll love it, either."

I laugh for a momen. "He's perfect, isn't he?"

"He sure is, doll." He smiles. "Just really hard to raise."

"All kids are, I'm sure. I can't imagine running an orphanage, especially in Paris in the 30's. My respect for Madame and Monseur Martin went up," I sigh. "Imagine having triplets, my lord."

"No, oh God, don't say that. We're lucky James wasn't a twin, anyway!"

"Twins are in line, Buddy. We both know it!" I tease. "Your own mom is a twin!"

"Hush, Vi! We can barely handle one, let alone three!"

"Just saying, Bud. Don't be surprised when there's two buns in the oven and not just one."

He rolls his eyes. "I can't say I'll be surprised but I'll be overwhelmed."

"Whatever. Twins are next in line. I have the feeling."

"No! The feeling feeling?!"

"Yessir. The feeling feeling."

"Ugh!" He lays back on the couch. "Not for a while. We aren't having another one for a while,"

"Agreed," I laugh. "But I do really want a daughter..."

"Vi, hush before you get your wish!"

"We haven't had sex since James was born. What makes you think I'll get my wish anytime soon?"

"God, we haven't gone more than about three days without having sex ever!" He laughs, putting his hands behind his head. "Six weeks is really testing me."

"That's true. It's testing me too, would be harder if I wasn't so tired all the time."

"That's true, doll. Me too."

"So," I smile. "For our night while Dion has him... how about getting a full night's sleep?" I ask. We were going to have a date night but I think sleep sounds a lot better.

"Deal!" Buddy says sitting up. "Let's go to bed!"

May 10th, 1961, 9:10am. The Holly Apartment

I wake up and walk into the living room to see James sitting in his high chair, facing Buddy with his guitar on the couch.

"And this, James, is a G chord," Buddy strums. "And this is a G Minor," he strums again.

I laugh and roll my eyes. "Isn't he a little young?"

"Never too young to be a guitar prodigy!" Buddy smiles. "But maybe a bit small,"

James is half falling asleep in his chair.

"He sure doesn't seem interested. He really loves his Uncle Vincent, though!" So far, James has taken a liking to watching sports games on television and he's really good at throwing things for being barely nine months old.

Holy shit, he's already nine months old!

I decide to sit on the couch next to Buddy and watch the attempted father son bonding.