Best Man

September and October are and have always been 'Indian Summer' months; the weather is warm and the fog disappears, making it the ideal time for tourists to come and visit. City life becomes busy with a season of Opera In The Park, usually held in Sharon Meadow or Golden Gate Park which is a free concert featuring a selection of arias; then the San Francisco Blues Festival on the grounds of Fort Mason, the Marina, which featured local and national musicians performing back to back during a 3-day extravaganza; and at the end of September is the Folsom Fair in SoMa, the local favorite for its kinky, outrageous, leather-and-skin gay centric blowout celebration. And since the latter event is hard-core, only open-minded and adventurous types ever head in that direction.

However, one event not on the annual social calendar of San Francisco was the nearing birth of the child of one Caroline Pritchard, née Woods.

Sprawled out on a lounge chair at home, she sat with Dave and Nef who laid on either side of her; each with a cell phone seemingly glued to their ears as they went about phone interviews. This was, after much insistence on the band's and other factors' parts, the middle ground they reached with the label. It was their way of fulfilling their obligations in promoting the new album which was fastly climbing the charts while being able to kick back and relax at home as Caroline awaited the bun in her oven to finish baking.

"What am I wearing?" Caroline repeated the question asked of her over the phone with an amused laugh. "A black bathing suit from Lane Bryant because I'm too vain to shop at any maternity clothing stores."

Mike, who was swimming up to the edge of their pool, via the breast stroke, looked up at his wife with a raised eyebrow. When she met his gaze she winked at him and he puckered his lips; blowing her a kiss. Caroline pretended to catch it with her free hand, then clasping her hand shut tight until she opened it up and placed the palm of her hand on her bulging stomach.

Transferring the kiss to their unborn child.

"No, we don't know the sex of the child, nor do we want to. We wanna be cliche and focus on having a healthy child rather than pull our hair out over whether or not it has a penis."

Mike laughed; shifting his eyes to Dave who had one leg bent and the other stretched out on the lounge chair as he nursed a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon with his own free hand. "No, I'm not currently seeing anyone," he rolled his eyes to his ex-girlfriend and bandmate's husband; making a gagging expression by sticking his tongue out, looking skyward and pretending to choke. "Because I haven't had the time, nor can anyone live up to my unrealistically high standards."

"I am seeing someone but that's my business," Nef was saying on the opposite side of Caroline. "And in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, 'That's all I have to say about that.'"

The interviews, which were mostly ridiculous, as most phone interviews were, went on, and Mike continued swimming alone in his pool as the sunlight began to wane. Water slicked skin glistened in the setting sun's goldish pink rays as he went about a back stroke; occasionally stopping dead and dunking under the surface of the water for a brief moment.

When the phone shenanigans were over with; it was eight at night and Caroline was trying to clamor to her feet as she complained about being starved; craving a Cappuccino Blast from Baskin Robbins and some Szechwan chicken salad.

Her odd cravings had not escaped her in the entire time of her pregnancy.

But at least the uniqueness of said cravings had become less...nauseating, to those without a child in their womb.

Nef offered to go find the food as Caroline began to scurry as fast as she could into the house to use the downstairs bathroom due to her bladder, while loosely quoting Rachel from Friends when she rejoined everyone in the kitchen.

"Holy shit," she murmured. "Does this kid think my bladder is a squeeze toy? I'm going every five minutes!" Caroline shook her head with a smirk. "I'm amazed I didn't have to do any of those interviews on the toilet."

Mike, dressed in naught but his damp swim shorts, ran a hand over his hair to slick it back as he walked around the kitchen island and pressed his equally damp chest against Caroline's dry back.

"'Cause you're strong like bull," he muttered with a Russian accent, worthy of Boris from Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Caroline smiled as she looked at the clock and then peered over at Dave who was still nursing his beer. "Ugh, that's gotta be so warm by now."

Dave shrugged. "You're just jealous because you can't drink."

"I'm not a big fan of beer anyway, so no loss there. Trust me."

Nodding with the truth in her statement -- that she never did like the taste of beer, The Sinners' guitarist walked over to the radio sitting on the kitchen cupboard and tuned the station from the local underground station Mike had clearly left it on to some classic rock.

Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" was just beginning and Caroline cooed as she began to groove side to side with her husband who had his arms wrapped around her chest; resting under her fuller breasts and on top of her stomach.

"Dear God, my guilty pleasure. Disco music," she commented as she glanced at Dave. "You know me so well."

Mike pressed his lips to the side of her neck, just below her ear as he kissed her skin and eyed Dave as well. "Hey. Let's not talk of who knows you so well in the presence of the man you wed, okay?"

Caroline laughed. "Jealous, honey?"

"No," he insisted with a playful pout.

After a few moments of silence, Dave nodded to the couple. "So, you're gonna name your kid after me if it's a boy, right?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "If we're drunk, then yes, we'll name the child after you."

"If it's a boy," he amended.

"No, if it's a girl," Mike corrected with a laugh. "I think David Elizabeth is extremely pretty."

"Hey, dude," Dave scowled jokingly, pointing his index finger with the same hand that held his warm bottle of beer. "My name is not pretty. It's...manly. It's got a penis."

"Your name has a penis? Is your name the English derived version of some name originally called Dapenis."

The married couple laughed at the 31-year-old guitar player who nodded as if what Caroline had spoken was truth.

The trio continued to joke around until Nef finally returned with food for all, and upon finding her order just the way she wanted it, she threw her arms around his neck, kissed his cheek a handful of times and eyed him up.

"Were I unwed and you at least bisexual, I'd have you right now."

"Again I plea for the not knowing!" Mike squealed desperately but teasingly.

The night wore on until at last the other two-thirds of The Sinners left to go to their own homes; leaving their lead singer and new bassist to spend the remaining hours of the day with her husband and father of her unborn child.

Cuddling together on the new overstuffed couch they just recently bought, Caroline snuggled against Mike's side.

They were watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon who was doing his cheesy -- but in a guilty pleasure sort of -- game called 'Lick It For 10." The Pritchards laughed as the show progressed but when it came to the end of the show, and the musical guest was set to perform, Caroline sat up straight with not just surprise, but contempt.

"That fucking turncoat!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the TV screen.

"What?" Mike questioned; quite confused by his wife's outburst.

"Look, it's Nick!"

"Nick? Your Nick? As in, Nick who used to be your bassist but left to be a cop in Buffalo?"

"The one and fucking only!"

Sure enough, on screen, playing bass and singing backup for some new band out of Rochester, Harlequin Jack, was The Sinners' ex-bassist, Nick Konsta.

"I can't believe him!" Caroline squeaked just as her cell phone rang. She leaned forward and strained to reach it, so Mike grabbed it for her and handed it over. Flipping it open she greeted the caller. "Hey...yeah. I'm watching it! I know! The fucknut! He said he was giving up the business to play cops and robbers back home and be an average Joe with a wife and baby when he turns around and joins a new band without at least having the goddamn balls to tell us!"

Mike kept switching focus from his wife to the television, soothingly placing a hand on her back and rubbing circles along her shoulder blades.

"I need to call him and kick his ass. He left us high and dry. Then, after he left he never had the decency to call us to see how we were doing, especially when we were in fucking Buffalo for a few months, recording. He was there too and never called to wish any of us well on the holidays! Cunt!"

"Babe," Mike muttered, trying to calm Caroline's nerves.

She shot him a dicey look and glared at the television. "I'm gonna bash him. I'm gonna go on another phone interview tomorrow and bash him. I will have a press release issued about how undependable he is! I mean, it's just as well...he was never a part of the band anyway. Remember all those times in the past, before we ever moved out here, when he constantly canceled practice because he wasn't 'in the mood?' I know! Jesus Christ."

Caroline grimaced as she shifted her weight on the couch and placed a hand on her stomach.

"Fuck, Nef? Let me call you back in a few, I really gotta piss. Okay, yeah..." she trailed. Pressing the 'end' button on her cell phone, she dropped the device on the cushion beside her and stood up slowly. Turning and looking down at Mike, she gestured to the TV without daring to glance at it. "Turn that shit off. I don't want to see it."

Without another word, she waddled out of the living room like a penguin, due to her enlarged stomach, and found refuge from what she'd seen and for her trembling bladder in the downstairs bathroom.

That was, until she suddenly cried out for Mike.

His ears perking, Green Day's lean bassist turned his head in the direction she was calling to him from and stood up. With a few long strides, he was at the bathroom door only to find her standing inside with the door and looking at him with shock and mild glee on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Caroline smiled. "It's time."

Mike followed her gaze down to the floor where a small puddle was encircling her right foot. The look of confusion on his face casually faded into the same smile his wife wore as he let out an exclamation.

"Oh, shit!" he grinned. "Uh...okay, I'll go get your things while you..." he trailed, gesturing to the puddle and her in general. "While you, uh...yeah, you know..."

Leaning forward, Mike and Caroline collided in a hungry but gentle kiss before he took off and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time to find her overnight bag for the hospital stay.

"I'm gonna be a daddy again, I'm gonna be a daddy again," he chanted over and over as he searched their walk-in closet for the bag in question.

When he finally found it and made his way back to the first floor, Caroline was already cleaned up and waiting for him with her purse slung over her shoulder and holding the car keys over to him.

"How are you being so calm?" he noted.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Sudden zen?"

Mike smirked and kissed her once more. "You're a sexy mama."

"You're a sexy papa," she retorted.

Shaking his head in a slightly shy manner, Mike threw the overnight bag over one shoulder, took the car keys and rested his free hand on the small of Caroline's back as he ushered her out of the house; locking the door behind them.

Waiting until she was seated in the BMW, Mike threw the bag into the backseat and then hurried to the driver's side where he hopped in and revved the car to life and almost peeled out down the long driveway from all his nerves and excitement.

"Mike, chill. I haven't had any contractions yet," she spoke. "My water simply broke."

"Sorry, I just haven't had to go through the birth of my own child in twelve years so I'm a little rusty."

"You're a little rusty? At least you've had experience in the matter! This is my first time!"

"Point taken," he replied with a smirk.

Looking at each other for a brief moment, they returned their gazes to the road before them, bathed in late night darkness; aware that shortly they would be welcoming their first child together into the world.