But I Love My Husband

It amazed Kori that she could still cook dinner with two babies at her feet. Miranda, Randi for short, was just starting to walk as she stood holding the leg of her mother’s stretch pants. Kori stood, sautéing mushrooms, celery, and onion to make a seasoned rice dish she had seen in a magazine. She had beef tips marinating in the refrigerator to serve over the brown rice with its special additives. She checked the clock over the oven to see if it was time to cook the meat. Walton would be home soon and he usually liked to go upstairs and change clothes before dinner. Wilson, almost four weeks-old, sat in his car seat carrier in front of the pantry. While it was a bit unnerving to have Randi grasping her leg, it was better than her new favorite pastime of rocking her baby brother. Being only fifteen months-old herself, she didn’t really understand the concept of a baby. She didn’t know how to be gentle. She could not babysit. She tried to give him her juice cup and her pacifier. She could say baby, but it would be a while before she learned to say Wilson. Randi, briefly mesmerized by the door chime that meant her daddy was home, ran as fast as she could to greet him in the foyer. Walton lifted her from the floor, “How’s my girl?” Kori stood with her hand on her hip watching as Walton planted a kiss on his daughter’s cheek. He walked over to her and embraced her waist with his free hand, then kissed her lips. Wilson excitedly kicked his feet in his footie pajamas as his dad approached. “And how’s my big boy, today?” Walton kneeled in front of the baby. Back at the stove, Kori responded. “He’s been okay. Everyday, it seems, he sleeps a little less. And he’s been a little fussy too. Randi keeps trying to give him her paci; I’m about ready to pop that little hand of hers.” Walton stood behind his wife brushing against her backside. “And how’s my favorite girl?” He kissed her cheek. “You holding up alright?” She sighed, “I guess. How was class?” “It was good. Got my paper turned in . . . thanks for staying up to proof it for me. I got it all fixed up soon as I got to work this morning.” He was holding Randi and touching Wilson’s feet. “Good for you! Walt, I’m ready to reinstate our date night. I miss that. I need it. We’ve taken time off for having babies, and I know we said we would wait until you finished the semester, but I really need it. I already called Janine. She and James will come over around eight.” “Eight tonight?” “Yes. I told her just for an hour or so. I just need to get out for a little while.” She kept stirring, “Oh, and we’re back in the Sunday School leadership rotation. Guess who’s teaching Sunday?” “Hmmm, let me guess. You and me?” “Yep,” she said still stirring, but smiling and looking at him now holding both children. “Well, that’ll be good. We’ll be ready. Okay, so you’re feeling pretty good!” “Yeah, ain’t no need in sitting around, might as well push myself a little. If I sit too long, I’ll get comfortable,” she said as she closed the refrigerator door. He sighed, “Where are we going tonight?” “I don’t know. Maybe get some dessert . . . just out . . . just us!” “Well, let me go change.” Walton carried Randi and Wilson in his arms upstairs to change out of his suit from work. I don’t know how working mothers do it. Walt practically had to make me resign, but he was right . . . two babies in two years, two C-sections, pumping milk, I would be crazy if I had to do all of this and try to make it to work in the morning. Lord, thank you for that man. He’s always looking out for me. It’s like he sees the world with a wider lens than me, ‘cause he knows what’s good for me when I don’t even know. She was preparing Walton’s plate when he walked back into the kitchen. He took his salad bowl over to the table, set it down, and fastened Randi in her high chair, and strapped Wilson in his carrier seat over next to the table. He then went back to help Kori bring everything else over to the table. Finally, once everyone was settled, Kori asked her husband, “How was your day?” “Uh, pretty good, a school group came through today, and I had to speak to them. They don’t usually start those fieldtrips until later in the year. Worried me a little, from the questions the teachers asked, I didn’t get the idea they knew anything about nuclear power, themselves.” Kori smiled, “What did they ask?” “Now . . . I’m used to getting some dumb questions from the kids, but this woman today asked if using the electricity in her house that was made at the nuclear power plant carried any danger of radiation for her.” He squinted his eyes as he looked at his wife, “What? That’s dumb! Ain’t no uranium running through the power lines . . . she needs to go back to square one and look at this process.” He shook his head and put a forkful of food into his mouth. Kori smirked, “That doesn’t sound too dumb to me! I mean . . . y’all do work with uranium . . .” “Come on now, I’ve explained this to you before. I’v been working in this industry for almost twenty years, and you’re still not sure how the process works! I went over this before, remember the uranium is split, the water is heated, the steam, the turbine . . . right?” “Yeah, I remember,” she ate a bite of food. Randi dropped her sippy cup and he reached to pick it up for her. “No, you don’t . . . I’ll sketch it out for you later on. What did you do today?” “Well, we went over to the mall for a little walk.” “Kori, you drove? This ain’t week six, you’re not supposed to be driving!” “I know, but Walt, I can’t stay in this house all day!” “Alright now . . . hard head makes soft what?” She smiled, sheepishly with guilt. After dinner, Walton sat downstairs with the children feeding Wilson a bottle of milk Kori had pumped. Randi played with her singing train. Kori headed upstairs to dress for her first date night in months. They alternated Thursday date nights with her sister Janine and her husband James. Kori and Walton went out on the second and fourth Thursday, and Janine and James went out on the first and third. She was glad to have moved to Winston-Salem six years ago. She was nearer to her sister, so they could see each other more often, and help with each other’s children, and when their mother was in town it was easier for everyone involved. They had found a nice church, had become involved as Sunday School leaders, and now Walton had decided to enter seminary school. Kori showered then sat down to lotion her legs. She went back into the bathroom to check her stitches. They were in the process of dissolving, but they were still somewhat visible. She dried that area of her abdomen very well, as her doctor had advised. She was excited and she wanted to be very feminine tonight. She wanted to wear a short skirt with a thin top, but she knew her husband would protest. “You don’t need to be out in that air with all that skin out, you just had surgery,” he would say. She rolled her eyes thinking of the comment he made about the outfit she had chosen to wear to church last Sunday. She decided on a pair of dressy capris and a tank top, but she had a thin sweater that would cover her arms. She was slipping into her sandals when she heard the doorbell. Janine and James were there with their daughters Reagan, who was almost a teenager, and their younger daughter Morgan. Kori hoped Randi would play for a while then soon be ready for bed. Wilson had not yet established a true bedtime, but she hoped both kids would be asleep when they returned so their date could be extended.