The Trojan Lasagna Ch. 02 - Second Helping

Since flying was not recommended due to the high-risk pregnancy, we rented an SUV to handle the snowy roads and drove up to Thompsonville, Michigan for a brief honeymoon. While there, we stayed at the Crystal Mountain resort for a few days, where we relaxed, made a snowman, tried some skiing -- bunny slope stuff, of course - and got pampered with couples massages, a couples pedicure (yes, dudes can have them too) and gorged ourselves at the many fine restaurants.

Additionally, being a top-notch student I did the appropriate research on intercourse with a pregnant partner; I'd read a book entitled The Pregnant Kama Sutra from cover to cover to prepare myself. I demonstrated my newly-learned skills by performing my husbandly duties at every opportunity.

For her part, Donna required no encouragement. Now in her 2nd trimester, she was experiencing increased lubrication and sensitivity in her lady parts. Any kind of contact, like me kissing her neck or rubbing her butt, would quickly awaken her lust.

I thought to myself that if this was what my Dad experienced during my Mom's two pregnancies, I was amazed I didn't have more siblings. I felt a pang of regret at the thought of not being able to talk father-to-son and ask him about it, but quickly swept those feelings aside.

One night after a particularly passionate session, as we lay snuggled up together Donna asked me, "Do you ever think about Rosalie?" I wasn't sure where she was going with this, and I didn't particularly like this line of questioning. I'd long ago turned the page on the relationship I had with her daughter.

I answered quietly, "Seldom if ever, since I met you, no. Why would I? Rosalie's long-dead to me, and with good reason."

"Dorothy told me after she and Robert reconciled, they and the kids had moved back into their old house on the West side. She moved to the East side to save money since she didn't know how much she'd get in the divorce settlement, instead of moving in with me or asking me for help. She's always been stubborn and independent that way."

Just the mention of Rosalie had put me in a foul mood. First she'd crushed my heart, now the bitch was hurting Donna by preventing her seeing Etta and Jayden.

"Yeah, she was independent all right, and she treated us both like shit because of it," I grumbled. I rubbed Donna's baby bump. "Forget about her. This baby's the daughter who matters." The last ultrasound had revealed we had a girl on the way, and I was over the moon about it. I leaned in and gave my wife a long kiss, but afterwards there were tears on her face.

She whispered an apology. "I'm sorry, Josh, I know you despise Rosalie, but I'll always be her mother. I can't forget her. I do miss her." I saw her point, but damned if I'd admit it. As she snuggled closer into me, I pulled the covers over us both and we soon fell asleep.

+++++

Fairburn, Indiana, Hoosier Community Hospital -- March, 1987

After 14 hours of labor, with one final push our daughter Adeline Nicole Lujack came into the world. (Naming our daughter after the woman who'd repeatedly advocated us keeping together was the least we could do.) The nurses cleaned her up and laid her on Donna's chest for some skin to skin contact, and the baby was so beautiful I could barely breathe. I leaned down, kissed my wife's wet forehead, and whispered "I thought it was impossible for me to love you any more than I already did. I was wrong."

She turned to me and managed a smile as she stoked the baby's head. "I'm worried that you're becoming forgetful, dear, you accidentally left this in my vagina." At that moment, if I scoured the globe I seriously doubt I could find a more perfect woman on the planet than Mrs. Donna Lujack.

A few hours later, our little family was together in Donna's hospital room, resting and waiting for the anesthesia to wear off. Since this had been a high-risk pregnancy, the doctor wanted Donna and Adeline monitored for the first 24 hours just to make sure there were no issues.

I was sitting in the room's recliner, taking my turn holding my sleeping daughter while Donna rested. Since I couldn't find a baseball game on, I was trying to watch the soap opera All My Children on the room's television but couldn't make any sense of it. That's when I heard a light tapping on the door followed by my brother's voice asking, "Can we come in?" He peeked around the door and, seeing me holding Addy, his face lit up.

"Sure, come on in, meet your niece," I said softly, "just keep your voice down, Donna's asleep." He came in, followed by my new sister-in-law.

I handed the baby to Terry, and he stood there for a minute speechless as he gazed in wonder at her little pink face before finally shaking his head and uttering, "I can't believe my baby brother's got a kid and I'm really an uncle."

Janine then took Addy from Terry, kissed her forehead, and giggled, "She smells so good, I can't wait to have one of our own." While Terry had a good job at the Indianapolis headquarters of a global pharmaceutical company, I knew they'd held off on having kids until Janine finished getting her PhD.

As Janine handed the baby back to me I remarked offhandedly, "Waiting's got to be tough. I don't know about your parents, but I'm sure Mom and Dad have been pressuring you guys to crank a grandkid out."

Terry and Janine exchanged an uncomfortable look after I said that, then Terry said, "Yeah, about that. I accidentally let it slip that to Mom that Donna had the baby." My eyes got wide. I should have known my well-meaning idiot brother couldn't keep a secret! That he told our mother could only mean one thing, and that was confirmed by Terry's next question. "Would it be OK if Mom came in?"

Because Donna was asleep I couldn't shout, but I hissed loudly, "Are you for real? She's HERE?"

Wearing a pained expression, Terry answered, "Yeah, I hope you don't mind, bro, when she found out we were coming to see you, she begged to come with us. She's waiting in the coffee shop."

Putting the baby back in her crib, I got up close to my brother, poking my finger in his chest as I whispered angrily, "Yes, Terry, I DO mind. You dumbass, Mom skipped my damn wedding and hates my wife, remember? Did you totally forget we haven't spoken to her since your wedding? Why the fuck would you think..."

"Josh, that's enough." Donna's voice, as soft as it was, stopped me before my diatribe had even gotten started. Turning, I saw she was now awake and sitting upright. "She may have been rude, but she's still your mother. I don't want to be the reason your family's divided."

Addressing my brother and his wife, she pointed to the door. "Terry, please go get your mother. Janine, it's good to see you again, dear. Please give me my baby."

I wasn't happy with this decision, but there was no way I was going to argue with Donna, given that she'd just spent 14 hours in excruciating pain bringing our little wonder into the world. Thinking it over, it dawned on me it had been nearly a year since Rosalie had shut Donna out of her life, and even worse, out of Etta and Jayden's lives. Now Donna was basically putting aside her own pride in order to spare my mother from suffering the same pain. I had to admit, I did not deserve this woman.

It only took 5 minutes until there was a slight tapping on the door and I heard Mom ask, "May I come in?"

Donna gave me a commanding glare, making it clear that Maria was my mother, so I should be the one granting permission, and I quickly obeyed. "Come on in, Mom."

Mom stepped in, a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Terry was right behind her. I took the flowers as she greeted my wife. "Hello, Donna. Congratulations. How are you feeling?"

Donna was cool but polite. "As well as can be expected, thanks, Maria. You're a veteran of the delivery room yourself, so you know how it feels the day after." There were so many unspoken messages going back and forth between the two women, I felt like I was watching a game of 3-dimensional chess. If Mom thought this was going to be easy, she was wrong. For the moment at least, Donna ruled her hospital room and had other plans for my mother. "I was sorry you missed our wedding. I guess Josh's impression that Terry was your favorite son had some merit."

Wow, that was a cutting statement. I looked at Terry, but he was busy concentrating on a speck of floor dirt, looking like he wished he was somewhere else. Taking the remark as gracefully as she could, Mom took a deep breath and replied, "Parents make mistakes. I've had plenty of time since December to think about the ways we failed Josh." Mom's eyes were tearing up now. "He's always been intelligent and independent, and a little remote. He never seemed like he needed our support the way Terry did, so we just left him alone."

"And yet when your intelligent and independent son went his own way and fell in love with me, you punished him," Donna gently scolded.

"As I said, we failed him. I realized all he wanted was our praise, but what we gave him was our criticism." Wow, as painful as it was to hear Mom's admission, it pretty much confirmed what I had always felt.

Mom looked like she needed me to hug her, but as far as I was concerned, that wasn't happening. Instead, remembering her words from Terry's wedding, I snarled at her. "Look at my beautiful wife and your perfect granddaughter, Mom. Do you and Dad still believe she's trying to manipulate me?" Then it occurred to me to ask, "Speaking of the old man, where is he?"

At this point, Mom didn't look so well. Her face became pale, and she took a seat in a chair next to the hospital bed. Reacting quickly, Donna snapped, "Josh, your mother's not well, give her some water." I quickly poured some water from Donna's pitcher into a foam cup and held it out to Mom. She took it with one hand, clutching my wrist with the other.

"I'm so sorry Josh," she said in a low voice, "I really am. Your father has gotten more bitter as he's gotten older. I went along with him for as long as I could, but when he insisted we ignore your wedding, that was the final straw. It was bad enough not being able to contact you, but the guilt of not being there when you got married has tormented me every day." She choked back a sob.

"When Terry told me you and Donna had a baby girl, I had to see her. I begged your father to reconsider and come as well, to put aside his anger and remember he had two sons, not just one, but he refused. He called me a traitor and kicked me out. I'm staying with Terry and Janine for now. When I get some money saved, I'll file for divorce."

Mom let go of my wrist, then stood up, took Donna's hand, and kissed it. In a tight voice, she managed to get a few words out. "Donna, I want to apologize for all the horrible things I've said. I see now that you're a wonderful woman, allowing me to be here despite how badly Josh's father and I treated you. Thank you for making my son so happy, and for giving him such a beautiful daughter."

I was incredulous at what I was hearing, speculating that Hell had just frozen over. In a gentle voice, Donna asked, "Maria, would you like to hold your granddaughter?"

+++++

A week later, my whole world had changed. Donna and Addy were back home; my wife had put Mom in a West side rental unit she owned, so she no longer had to sleep on Terry and Janine's sofa. I also gave Mom my Galaxie to drive around in. Donna referred Mom to (and quietly paid for) a family law attorney and an old friend so my father could be given the divorce papers he deserved.

Donna and I fell into a daily rhythm of life with a newborn: diaper changes, Donna expressing milk and breastfeeding, erratic sleeping, bathing the baby, trimming her nails, rocking her to sleep, then repeat.

After six weeks, Donna's OB/GYN gave us the green light for romance, and while a newborn made it challenging, we still managed to revisit a few early chapters in The Joy of Sex. The months flew by, the baby thrived, and overall, my family was happy.

Of course, statistically speaking, there are always fluctuations in everything, highs and lows that repeat over time, including happiness. For Donna and I, our first peak was when Addy was born. Our first valley was to come a year and a half later.

~To be continued in The Trojan Lasagna: Dessert~