Sunday, November 22, 2009

sixty-six: sign

Soundtrack Song - Natasha Bedingfield, I Wanna Have Your Babies

We walk back into the living room, and everyone looks up at us expectantly. I'm not sure what they're waiting for; maybe they think that we were going to fight or something. The old me would have flipped out on him because I would have wanted this meeting to be perfect, but the new me is less of a perfectionist and doesn't see the point in getting worked up over something that I can't control. Needless to say, their expressions ease when they see us return and we're hand-in-hand and smiling.

"Venez vous asseoir!" his mother invites, sliding down the couch some so there will be room enough for the two of us together. We do as she bids, and Mrs. Talbot, Max, myself, and Véro all sit together in a line. "C'est à ton tour, Maxime."

Max hands the glass of wine to me so his mother can hand him Paul. I expect him to put up some kind of fuss or act frightened to hold him, but that isn't the case. On the contrary, Max is a natural. I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised as I am, because Max is very much a family-oriented guy. Sure, he's loud and fun and a bit of a clown (okay, more than a bit), but he's this man, too, who's comfortable holding babies and cooing at them in French baby-talk.

My heart melts in a puddle of goo in my chest cavity. Max is no doubt going to be a great father someday. To my children. We had never really talked about the future, our future, but he's said things like "for the rest of our lives" and "forever." Forever includes babies of our own, and I try to picture in my head what it'll be like during Christmas a few years down the road, when Paul's old enough to run around in excitement over Santa's imminent arrival and maybe there are a few other of Will and Frank's kids to add to the clan. And maybe Max and I will have one of our own, too.

I lean my head against his shoulder and look up at him looking down at Paul. He tilts his head to the other side to watch me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," I sigh, looking up at him. "You're so good with him."

"I can't wait 'til he's older and I can teach him to do all the things that are going to annoy Frank," he laughs.

Frank cuts in and says, "All you have to do, then, is teach Paul how to be just like you." He then quickly says what I'm guessing is the same thing in French, so the rest of the family can laugh along.

Véro chuckles and says, "No offense, Max, but I don't think the world can withstand another person like you."

"Just wait until I have my own sons," he laughs loudly. "Mes fils vont être comme moi."

"I hate to break it to you," I interrupt, "but we'll be having daughters."

Max shoots me a stunned look. He's shocked and confused. "What?"

"My family is full of girls. My mother only had daughters, and her mother only had daughters. Our children will be girls."

He laughs quietly, so as not to disturb Paul as he slumbers away in his arms. "I hate to break it to you, but Talbots produce loud, hairy men."

I look around the room at Will and Frank, and I can't imagine having children that grow up to be like them. Not that this would be such a bad thing, but my sister and I always joked that if we ever had kids, they would be girls. "Nope. Sorry. My eggs will only accept sperm with X chromosomes. That's just how it goes," I laugh. "You're going to have to get used to that."

"No way. It's the man that decides the sex of the child, and I'm telling you, it's all about the boys. Me, Frank, Will, and now it's starting with the new generation in Paul. My manly sperm overrules your eggs. You're just going to have to get used to that."

Véro covers her mouth as she laughs. "You two are ridiculous. Why are you arguing about the sex of children you haven't had yet? Ils discutent à savoir si leurs enfants seront des garçons ou des filles."

Everyone around us smiles, and Lucie speaks up, "Je suppose qu'on verra bien." I look up at Max and wait for him to translate for me, because I don't understand. He smiles at me and presses his lips to mine very briefly as Will and Frank make obnoxious and loud kissing sounds.

"I'll be right back," Max says to me, standing up and passing Paul back to his mother, Juliette. "Une minute," he announces to everyone else, taking the stairs two at a time.

They all look at me, wondering what's going on, and I don't have an answer for them. I shrug and shake my head, just as confused as they are for his sudden departure. I guess the wine has finally gotten to him, and he needs to break the seal. I say to Véro, "Let's get this party underway. There's so much food. Can you ask them if they're hungry?"

"Sure thing. Est-ce que quelqu'un a faim?"

The boys all nod, and our party transitions from the living room into the kitchen. The bottle of wine gets passed around as everyone starts to pick at the plates upon plates of food. I hope that all the Talbots have as big of an appetite as Max does. Everyone's chatting and laughing and having a good time. Even Marc-André, who always seems reserved and quiet, is laughing loudly and clearly enjoying himself. The Talbot disposition is contagious, obviously.

Even though they are loud and probably won't notice the difference, I can't help but think we need a little Christmas music playing in the background. I slip out of the kitchen and head over to his stereo in the living room and turn it on. Music accidentally starts blasting through the speakers, and I yelp and quickly turn the volume down.

"What are you doing?" Max asks me, coming back downstairs.

"Trying to turn on some Christmas music. Trying to set the mood," I laugh, noticing that everyone in the kitchen has poked their heads into the living room because of the loud noise. Max steps beside me and turns it off completely. "Je suis désolé," I say to his family, apologizing for disturbing them. They all open their mouths in shock, and I wonder what I did that garnered that type of reaction. I meant to say that I was sorry, but maybe I said something offensive instead? I turn back to Max and the stereo, only to find he's gone down on one knee. It's my turn to ask, "What are you doing?"
______________________________________________________

"I hate to break it to you, but we'll be having daughters," Charlotte says matter-of-factly.

I'm taken aback by what she's just said. Charlotte never talks about the future; I'm always the one who brings it up. I'm afraid I didn't hear her correctly or I misunderstood. "What?"

"My family is full of girls. My mother only had daughters, and her mother only had daughters. Our children will be girls."

I laugh. I did hear her correctly, but I need to correct her line of thinking. "I hate to break it to you, but Talbots produce loud, hairy men."

"Nope. Sorry. My eggs will only accept sperm with X chromosomes. That's just how it goes. You're going to have to get used to that." She's laughing and her green eyes are glistening.

I banter back, "No way. It's the man that decides the sex of the child, and I'm telling you, it's all about the boys. Me, Frank, Will, and now it's starting with the new generation in Paul. My manly sperm overrules your eggs. You're just going to have to get used to that."

Véro giggles at our interactions. "You two are ridiculous. Why are you arguing about the sex of children you haven't had yet? Ils discutent à savoir si leurs enfants seront des garçons ou des filles."

My family is all looking at us and smiling. My mother is beaming and I'm afraid she's going to explode with happiness when she says, "Je suppose qu'on verra bien."

When she says that, it hits me like a tidal wave or crushing tsunami. I told myself that I would know when Charlotte was ready, when it was time to ask her the big question. I had no idea how I was supposed to know, but... I know now. I know. She's talking about kids, our kids, my family likes her, my mother loves her apparently, and I don't need any other indication to be sure that if I ask Charlotte to marry me, she'll say yes.

I also told myself that I was going to make the proposal special and romantic. Once I knew she was going to be receptive to the idea, I was going to plan it out and make sure it was going to be memorable and perfect. But now that I know, I can't wait. I have to do it now.

Giving her a quick kiss, setting Paul back in his mother's arms, and telling everyone that I'll be back in a minute, I rush up into my bedroom and look in the closet for that little blue box that's been collecting dust ever since I stashed it there. I have to take a few deep breaths to calm myself. I'm not nervous; I'm incredibly, unbelievably excited. My heart's pounding, and it almost feels like my first game back with the team this season. Almost, because this is way more thrilling and overwhelming.

I place the box in my pocket and take a few more deep breaths. Why am I so worked up over this? Mon Dieu, what am I going to say!? How am I going to ask her? Merde, I can't believe I haven't thought about this more. Maybe I should wait until I've thought more about it. No, I can't wait. I'm too excited. I have to do this now. The words will come to me.

Walking down the stairs, I see the living room's empty except for Charlotte looking at my sound system. My heart aches with love just at the sight of her. She presses a button and something wails out before she turns it down. "What are you doing?" I ask as I walk over to her.

"Trying to turn on some Christmas music. Trying to set the mood. Je suis désolé," she giggles, turning to apologize to my nosy family. I've got my girl, she's speaking in French, and my family's here. This moment couldn't be better. One last exhale, and I go for it and go down on one knee. My family reacts, but Charlotte's looking at them and not paying attention to me. She scrunches up her face, confused by them, and she turns to look at me, only to find I've suddenly gotten shorter. She peers down at me. Her mouth falls open in shock for the second time today. She whispers, "What are you doing?"

Just like I hoped, the words spew forth out of their own volition. "Charlotte, I knew from the moment I first saw you that you were someone special. I didn't know how special you were until you didn't want anything to do with me. Je ne peux pas croire combien tu m'as changé. Tu m'as transformé en un homme dont mes parents peuvent être fiers." I quickly glance over at my parents, and my mother's hands are over her mouth. They're all watching. I turn back to Charlotte and continue, letting all the words spill out. "I hope to be a man you'll be proud of, someone who you can love with all your heart until the end of time. Je ne suis rien sans toi parce que tu es tout pour moi. Je t'aime encore plus que ce que je croyais possible, tellement que ça fait mal. Je veux partager mes victoires et mes défaites avec toi. I don't just want you to be a part of my life. I need you in my life. I feel like our souls will always be connected, and I want to make it permanent, so everyone else will know how much I love you." I reach into my pocket and produce that trademarked blue box, opening it and presenting the ring. "Charlotte Marie Bickley, will you marry me? Veux-tu être ma femme?"

She stands as still as a statue, her mouth hanging open. Seconds begin to tick by, and I wait for her answer. With each moment that passes by in silence, I begin to get worried. I was so sure that she would say yes, but if her answer was yes, it wouldn't be taking her this long to say it. My heart begins to sink.

"Maxime," she whispers, finally reacting. Her eyes flicker down to the ring and then back to my face. "Je t'aime...." Her eyelids flutter shut, and I can see her eyes moving rapidly as if searching for the right thing to say. The polite words to tell me no. In English or French, the rejection is going to sound exactly the same.

I drag my eyes away from her face and wait for it. For the "but..." that's inevitably coming. Waiting for her to say "I love you, but I can't marry you." Or "I love you, but it's too soon." I was so sure that she was going to say yes. I can't believe she's about to turn me down.

15 comments:

  1. WWWHHHHHAAAAATTTTTT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

    why you gotta put me through this emotional strain lately?! guh! I knew he was going to propose when he took off up the stairs. And my heart was beating all fast, then I started crying, and everything was just perfect, The moment for them was perfect.

    WHY?! No 'but', just YES.

    She has to say yes... and I can't believe you threw a cliffhanger out at us. OMFG. She HAS to say yes.

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  2. ooooooo please dont make me wait....

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  3. she better say yes!!! eh damn cliff hangers. i can say that i have loved every new update a little more then the last and this one is just perfect, I can't wait to see what she says great Job Jay

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  4. Jay, don't do this. We need to know her answer today, like right NOW! And Charlotte, please say yes...

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  5. WWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!?!
    how could u do that?
    i need to know what happens does she say yes or no? ugh

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  6. you are a mean mean WRITER!!! you can't do this to me.!! i need to know!! I"m addicted!!!

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  7. WHAAAAAT THE HELL JAY? YOU NEED TO STOP WITH THESE CLIFFHANGERS, IT'S NOT FAIR! UGH FIRST WITH ASC AND NOW THIS? YOU'RE EVIL. E-V-I-L.

    Ok, jk, you're not, maybe you are, idk, but, ugh, that was mean. :(
    Charlotte, you better not overanalyze and ruin the moment, cause that was too freaking cute and perfect.

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  8. SAY WHAAAT?

    I was so sure she was going to say yes, It's MAX after all!!

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  9. Okay, as I go!

    "but he's this man, too, who's comfortable holding babies and cooing at them in French baby-talk."
    ^^ Aww I can picture it so easily... and I love it!! Hurray for men that love babies!

    "I can't wait 'til he's older and I can teach him to do all the things that are going to annoy Frank,"
    ^^ Should I be surprised that this is what he's thinking? No... probably not...

    "I hate to break it to you, but Talbots produce loud, hairy men."
    ^^ BAHAHAHA... the best kind of men there ever could be!

    "My manly sperm overrules your eggs."
    ^^ Ok, that might be the greatest thing I've heard today. Hilarious!!

    "I didn't know how special you were until you didn't want anything to do with me."
    ^^ LOLOLOLOL!! I can't say anything to that except laugh. I mean, this is the sweetest thing I've ever read but still... that's just too funny.

    "Je ne peux pas croire combien tu m'as changé. Tu m'as transformé en un homme dont mes parents peuvent être fiers."
    ^^Je serai toujours fière de toi... my big game 7 winner =D

    So I loved, loved, loved it! Well, up until the point where you decided to leave my dangling off a cliff face!!! UGHHHH need updates now... between this and ASC I might die... no joke!!

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  10. Wow!! Can't wait to see what she says but of course I'm so hoping that she says YES!!!!!

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  11. OH MY GOD JAY I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!
    whyyy did you cut it off there?!
    NOOOO
    ok. so as much as max thinks she's gonna say no, i desperately hope she says yes! i think she will!

    but max is freaking adorable when he's holding the baby!
    aww i can't wait for them to have little talbot babies running around... IF YOU POST THE NEXT CHAPTER WHERE SHE SAYS YES!!!
    UGHDKJ
    =]

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  12. No no no no no no no no!!!
    Please tell me she's not going to turn him down! Not after the amazingness of this chapter!

    Maybe she's searching for the right words in French to say YES!

    You're so evil for leaving us hanging like this! I'm slightly freaking out!

    That was just... awesome! I loved it! Completely!
    Except for you ending it*

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  13. Jay, I really hope that you read all of your comments because I really want you to know that I read this 7 TIMES tonight because I couldnt get enough of every word that you had written. I held it together until I began to translate all of the french and then I flat out cried over how romantic this entire chapter was.

    Now I'm going to go to bed as a bleary eyed mess but it was totally worth it. BEST chapter ever. I really hope that she says yes but after how perfect that chapter was, I think she will :)

    Thank you for writing something that gave me such entertainment tonight and made my heart ache simultaneously.

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  14. the father determines the sex of the baby... females have double XX chromosomes, so they will always supply an X to their babies chromosomes. males have XY chromosomes, so if they provide an X, it'll be a girl, and if they provide a Y, it'll be a boy. Families with multiple males will prolly have multiple males.

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  15. WHAT THE HECK? Mean, mean, mean to leave us hanging - please oh please say yes, Charlotte Marie Bickley!

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