Shauna, Tyler, Pamela, and Arnold had enjoyed a cocktail at the apartment and then they’d cabbed to Il Tinello on West 56th Street, just off Fifth Avenue. Il Tinello was an upscale, elegant Italian restaurant. The dining room was comfortable, the food delicious, and the white-jacketed waiters were quietly attentive. It had an old-world feeling and Mario, the owner, always took good care of the Neys. They’d been dining there almost weekly for over fifteen years.
“I cannot believe this whole business about your dress,” Pamela said in her well-bred tone. She was dressed in a silk pantsuit and wearing some of her favorite pieces of exquisite jewelry-a sapphire necklace with matching earrings and a diamond bracelet. “Planning this wedding is quite an experience.”
Shauna smiled at her. “I don’t care what I wear. This has been so amazing, getting to know you and Arnold. That’s what is so important. And that Tyler and I will finally be married.”
Arnold sipped his wine. “What were you two waiting for? Why didn’t you get married a long time ago?”
Pamela looked at her husband sternly. “ Arnold, Shauna told us already. She doesn’t have family.” Pamela turned back to Shauna. “Are you sure that there aren’t any cousins you want to invite? Anyone at all?”
Tears glistened in Shauna’s eyes. “Honestly, I have no one. No one but Tyler. And now you.”
“What about you, Tyler?” Pamela asked gently. “I’ve been going over the guest list. I just wish that there were some people who you could share this day with.”
“Whoa,” Tyler answered as he took a bite out of his dinner roll, then looked off into the distance as he chewed.
Normally Pamela would have winced at the sight of someone biting into a roll instead of breaking off a delicate piece, but for Tyler she felt nothing but affection. His breach of manners was almost endearing. He knew the Heimlich maneuver and had saved her life. He could lick his knife for all she cared.
Finally Tyler swallowed, took a sip of his water, then put his hand over Shauna’s. “Before Shauna and I met, we both felt like we were alone on this planet. Then we found each other. It was as if we were the only two people in the universe, man. You two are teaching us what it means to have family.” He paused and stared into Shauna’s eyes. “Should we tell them?”
“Tell us what?” Arnold demanded.
Shauna giggled. “ Tyler, you can’t tease them like that. Now we have to tell them.” She turned to Arnold and Pamela. “We didn’t know whether we should wait until after we were officially married to tell you because we were afraid you’d disapprove. But you know we have been living together.”
Arnold and Pamela both shrugged as if to say “What can you do?”
“The thing is…” Shauna continued.
“We’re pregnant!” Tyler interrupted, then banged the table excitedly with his fist. “We’re pregnant, and if it’s a boy he’ll be Arnold; a girl, Pamela. And we hope to have a couple more. We’ll keep trying until we get an Arnold and a Pamela.” He banged the table again and looked around. The people at the next table looked over with disdain as the silverware jingled.
Pamela’s mouth dropped. “Ohhh,” she said. “Ohhhh, my word.”
“We are so happy,” Shauna continued. “We thought we couldn’t have children. But I’m convinced it’s the love that you’ve shown us that has made this happen for us. We want you to be our child’s surrogate grandparents.”
Even Arnold smiled.
Pamela’s mouth quivered as she said, “I’ve longed to be a grandmother. And I know Arnold would love to be someone’s Papa. Our son is married, but I think that he and our daughter-in-law have gotten used to a life without children.”
Shauna brought her hands together as if in prayer. Soulfully, she said, “I know that I’m at an age where it isn’t so easy to have a child. That’s why I’m so grateful.”
“We had our Alex later in life,” Pamela noted. “I didn’t want to ask if you had plans for a family. I thought it might be a sensitive subject.”
“Ask us anything,” Tyler exulted. “We’re family. This baby will be all of ours.”
“There’s nothing that would please us more than to spoil a child. Isn’t that right, Arnold?”
Arnold nodded.
“That means that over the holidays this year we’ll have a new baby in our midst,” Pamela said joyfully. “Oh it’ll be so wonderful.”
Tyler raised his glass. “Here’s to little Arnie or Pammy! They’ll be here by Thanksgiving!”
They all laughed and clinked glasses.
After coffee and a dessert of raspberries covered with whipped cream, the two couples sauntered up Fifth Avenue. The April air was cool and fresh, and they decided to walk the nearly twenty blocks home. “That was some rain we had today,” Pamela said, shaking her head. “ Tyler, I saw your black raincoat hanging in the back hallway. It was soaked. So were those big black shoes of yours. You always seem to get stuck in the rain! Couldn’t you get a cab today?”
“I was out running errands and couldn’t get a cab when the storm hit. It doesn’t matter. I like walking in the rain.”
“Well, at least you were wearing a raincoat! That storm came upon us so suddenly I think it caught most people unprepared. When I left this morning I had no idea it was going to rain.”
“It comes from living out in the open,” Tyler explained. “You get in tune with nature. You just know what’s coming.”
“I suppose. I just hope you don’t catch a cold.”
“I’ll be fine,” Tyler assured her.
“We don’t want a bridegroom with a case of the sniffles,” Pamela laughed. “Or a Daddy. When we get upstairs, I’ll give you Vitamin C.”
“You’re the best, Pamela,” Tyler murmured. “I wish my mother had been as caring.”
Pamela smiled. “I always loved being a mother.”
“I know I will, too,” Shauna said serenely. “I just hope everything turns out okay. I’m not that far along.”
“Everything will be fine!” Pamela insisted.
In the apartment, Pamela and Arnold said their good nights and retired to their room. After they got ready for bed and turned out the light, Pamela reached for Arnold ’s hand. “Honey, I’ve been thinking. Maybe we should change our will and provide for Shauna and Tyler. They are starting a family, and it’s so tough these days. And they do plan to name their children after us.”
In the dark, Arnold made a face. “I suppose we could do that. But I’d like to see them enjoy money while we’re both alive. Maybe we should get them a decent place to live and set up a trust fund for the baby. But what about Alex?”
“There’s plenty of money to go around. Our son has enough money of his own, and it doesn’t look like he’ll ever have to worry about supporting children.”
Arnold grunted. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll call the lawyer on Monday.”
Pamela closed her eyes. “I can’t believe we’re finally going to have a baby named after one of us.”
“Took long enough,” Arnold said. “We may as well make the most of it before we die.”
The two of them fell fast asleep.