It’s not even the middle of the night, but I still don’t know if I’ll ever get used to interrupted sleep. Q seems to be a natural though. He’s the first up. He comforts Peri and calms her. I take over, allowing him to get back in bed while I give Peri her bottle.
She’s full, but still squirming. A quick diaper change knocks her right out and we all get more sleep.
It’s noon before Q gets up for his daily jog. Only, the heat cuts it short.
I bring Peri into the front room to be with us while we eat breakfast. Q lets me know that his parents and his sister will be coming by to meet her. I change her diaper, then go to the bathroom to get ready.
The thought of being face to face with Q’s parents again makes me extremely anxious. I first met his dad at the gym on the night when Q ended up being late for a family dinner. The first meeting with his mom was under even worse circumstances. I’m sure they weren’t left with very good first impressions of me. This evening will probably not be much fun at all…for them or me.
Q runs into his family when he goes outside to check the mail. He’s expecting an important work package, so he tells his mom to head inside while he continues on to the mailbox. She’s followed by his dad. Q walks over to give his younger sister Sophia a special hip bump greeting.
Here we go…I come out of the bathroom to a full room. Q’s mom is the first to greet me…
Alice: Ah…there you are! I’m Alice…Q’s mom and this is his father, Quincy Sr. It’s nice to see you again.
I pause waiting for her to say anything else about our first meeting, but she doesn’t.
Alida: Hi…I’m Alida. Nice to see you too.
Q walks in at that moment.
Alice: *to Q* So…is this how you greet me now. Just tell me to go inside…no hug or anything?
Quincy Jr.: Sorry ma. *gives Alice a big hug* I’m glad you’re here.
Alice: I’m glad to be here too – meeting my first granddaughter.
Q’s sister finally makes her way into the house. Q is too busy talking to his mother to introduce us, so I take the initiative.
Alida: Hi…I’m Alida. You must be Q’s sister. Nice to finally meet you.
Sophia: Yes…I’m Sophia.
I wait for a ‘nice to meet you too’ but it doesn’t come. I can’t tell if she left that out on purpose…or if she’s just a bit socially awkward.
Peri finally wakes up, probably due to all the noise in the room, and begins to cry. Quincy Sr. doesn’t miss a beat. He walks right over and tries to calm her.
Quincy Sr.: Hey there! It’s your pop-pop. No need to cry sweet one. We’re all here because we love you! You’re the star of the show.
Quincy Sr’s words are sweet, but of course it does nothing to calm Peri down. Still…I allow him his moment. Suddenly, he addresses me without even looking up.
Quincy Sr.: So…what did you all name her?
Alida: Her name is Prosperity Wade – Banks.
I sort of cringe as I say it. I’m sure he’ll hate the name, but he surprises me.
Quincy Sr.: *rolls the name around his tongue a few times* prosperity wade-banks…hmmm *louder* Prosperity Wade – Banks! I like it. I like it a lot. It breeds success.
I’m relieved because that’s exactly what I was going for.
Alida: Thanks. We call her Peri.
So far, so good. This visit with Q’s parents is nothing like I expected.
Alice: I have news! Your father will be retiring soon…so we decided to sell the Airbnb and use that money to move to Sulani.
Quincy Jr.: Really?
Quincy Sr.: Can you believe it? …We just had our first grandbaby and now she wants to relocate across the world!
Quincy Sr. finishes his complaint and sits down on the couch to watch TV. I pick Peri up to give her a bottle, while Alice continues…
Alice: True…we will be moving away, but I was hoping you and Alida would consider bringing the baby and staying with us for a while.
Quincy Jr.: I don’t know ma…we’d have to think about it.
Alice: Okay…put a pin in it and let us know. We’d love to have you! Maybe you can stay just for part of the summer.
Q and his mom finish their discussion then hurry over to the TV to watch the premiere of a new season of Game of Llamas. Based on their reaction, I’m guessing it’s a show that they’ve been into for a while.
I know nothing about the show, so I see this as an opportunity to search the forums for a fairly quick programming job to work on. I find one…it’s odd, but the pay is decent so I get started.
Q and his family are glued to the TV. Q stops watching briefly to order a pizza, then gets right back into the action.
(Generation 1a Chapter Summaries)
