Excerpt: Chocolate Kisses

Sometimes my dad will tell me a story before bedtime. He leaves out parts but I have heard the story countless times that it does not matter. I can reiterate the entire tale by heart. It is really not that difficult to do. My dad has an obsession that he shared with my godfather; planning weddings. Uncle Luke had this knack of being able to know which people had the best chances of falling in love. He said that he just knew who was meant to be together. I never really had a choice in who I was going to marry. I had what one may call a modern day arragend marriage. Now my dad and Uncle Luke meant well, but they are two of the worst hopeless romantics I know. I, however, would not change anything, because in the end everything worked out…

“Did you bring it?” Luke asked Oscar the moment he arrived through the front door holding Jeff, who was squirming to escape, in his arms.

“Of course I brought it… both of them actually.” Oscar replied as he placed Jeff on the ground and proceeded to take off his coat and shoes.

“Good. Jeff can play in the living room while you and I get to work at the dining room table.” Luke spoke as he led Jeff to the living room which had been fenced off so that the little boy would be safe.

Jeff was seated in front of the television with one of the Winnie the Pooh movies playing. He was also given an assortment of toys and his slightly worn plushie of Winnie the Pooh. The boy sat down happily without making much of a fuss. He clutched the stuffed animal as soon as it was palced in fornt of him. The two adults seated themselves at the dinning room table at the far end so they were able to keep an eye on the boy.

The table was littered with papers, wedding magazens, dress designs as well as colour swatches and palets. Oscar added the envople he had brought over as well as “One hundred and two perfect names for your child”. Luke smiled as if the book held the answers to life’s hardest questions. The two men began to pour over design and aspects of the wedding they were planning. After all that’s what they did in their business. Their wives had given up on the two hopless romantics, letting them get together and plan the wedding so long as they watched Jeff as they went out shopping. They were hoping that it was just a phase and it would soon come to pass.

“Okay, we need to make a final dessicion.” Oscar looked up from the few colour palets he had been poiuring over. “We need to pick a colour scheme or else all the other desicsions can not be made.”

Oscar nodded his head solemnly. He knew that Luke was right, but how were they suppose to pick out wedding colours if they did not know everything about the couple? “Luke, perhaps its time to open up the envelops. Just so that we can make the proper decision on what colours to go with. After all we can only choose this once.”

Luke looked at Oscar for a few minutes before shifting his gaze towards the two pristine white envelops that were sitting side by side on the cluttered maple table. Finally he reached out a hand and grabbed the envelope cloest to him, as Oscar grabbed the remaning envelope. “On the count of three.” Luke’s voice was bearly more then a whisper and he sat possed to open the letter. Oscar nodded his head in agreement. After all both their wives already knew. It was time they found out. “One. Two.” Luke pasued for a samll breath before three. “Three.” Both men ripped open the envelops and puled out slightly ripped stark white paper with one word on it.

Luke’s paper read, “Boy”, while Oscar’s read “Girl”. Both men looked at each other before simultaneously screaming, “White, pale sky blue and black”.

At the sudden outburst of his dad and godfather, Jeff looked up staring at both with wide eyes. His dad walked over, still gripping the piece of paper. “Jeff,” Oscar began as he settled down on the floor beside his son, scooping the boy up and placing him on his lap, “you remember that mommy is having a baby and that you are going to be a big brother?” Jeff nodded his head once; he took his soon to be role as big brother seriously. It was a big responsibility and his parents expected him to do the best he could. “Well we know what mommy is having now-”

Before Oscar could explain any more to Jeff, the two year old cut off his dad. “Mommy said it was a girl but I can not tell you, so shhhhhhh do not tell you.” Oscar looked hurt for a bried second. How could his wife had told their child but not him? Oh right, he told her that he was not ready to know. The little boy hugged his daddy, climbed off his lap and went back to playing with the tigger and piglet toys he had been playing with before his dad interrupted him.

Oscar watched his son go back to playing with an added glow to him. Yes, Jeff would make an enthusiastic brother if not a wonderful one. He smiled as he thought about the little girl he would soon welcome into the world in about three months. He had wanted a girl to hold and faun over, someone he could protect.

“So now that we know that we are not dealing with a same sex couple, do you want to pick out a dress?” Luke’s thoughts cut through Oscar’s. The meaning of the words took a few minutes before the two men began to relize their full meaning. Oscar jumped up to rejoin Luke at the table. Slowly, piece by piece, information by information, the wedding was taking shape.

All the two men had to do to make sure that it happened was to make their unborn children fall in love.