5
BENJAMIN
Nick was visiting Jesse with Patrick, who had just turned two weeks old. I had excused myself as soon as I politely could. I knew how the conversation would go: Nick would marvel at the joy of being a parent and how amazing and precious babies were. Jesse would respond with how eager he was for their little one to get there, and I, had I stayed, would have sat awkwardly in the corner with nothing to contribute. If Kit were here, she and I could have discussed something else, like books or movies, but she had gone up to Columbia for some shopping today.
To tell the truth, I was dreading the arrival of this child. In part, it was the lack of sleep and long nights with no one to help, but more than that, it was the fact that Charles wouldn't be here for any of it. He wouldn't se
