‹ Prequel: Dear God
Status: ACTIVE
Almost Easy
Hidden in the letters that were written to no name
Zack’s POV
Weeks. It had been weeks since we realized Liz was gone. Tour was looming over our heads and on a daily basis we plastered normal looks on our faces to make it through. Slowly it was becoming less of a habit of half ripping your pocket off your jeans to get your phone out every time it rang: just in case. Or one of the girls tearing their purse apart for the same reason. Matt was handling it as well as we could have expected. He showed up when we begged him and burrowed himself in to his cave of a home when we decided we could figure it out on our own. No one addressed the scent of alcohol sweeping in the door behind him each time he managed to stumble in to whatever house we were meeting in.
Currently I was sitting in the living room while Liddy was at preschool and Jacky was meandering around the house doing whatever it was she did while I was usually at the studio or with Liz visiting my Mom. Mom. She was doing alright but really no sight of coming back home soon, she wasn’t well enough to live with just dad yet. She took the news of Liz’s departure alright, but the next day asked when Liz was coming to visit so she could ask when she and Matt were going to finally get together. That was one thing that was never getting easier. But the doctors assured us it would improve over time, along with her independence.
“What looks better? This light green and white or blue and white?” Jacky walked over to stand in front of me, holding out two swatches of cloth, I blinked a few times and stared up at her, “It’s for a bedding set.”
“For who? The captain of the S.S. Childish?”
“Exactly, for our son’s crib you idiot. Green or blue?”
“Neither.” I grabbed my phone and opened my email, showing her a picture of a dark blue and grey striped set, “I ordered this set a few days ago, it’ll be here..” I paused and looked at the screen, “Saturday.”
“Oh, thanks for telling me.” She tossed the cloths down on my lap and plopped beside me, resting her hands on her stomach, “Do you think she’ll give him Matt’s last name or her’s?”
“Well, it really goes with either one so I wouldn’t put it passed her either way.” I reached out without even thinking of it and placed my hand on top of Jacky’s on her stomach, “We really need to finish the nursery before tour.”
“I know.” She moved her hand to gently smack mine, “I’m the one who’s going to be here alone on pop day.”
I laughed to myself, she had labeled her due date as pop day on our all house calendars, phone calendars, and the calendars in every one elses phones and kitchens, “We won’t be that far out then, a two hour flight home.”
“Not the point, Zachary. You could potentially miss your first son’s birth.” She pushed my arm, “It’s fine.”
There was a long silence before the front door was suddenly thrown open and not so surprisingly Jimmy’s loud voice followed the burst, “You two will never believe who I just got off the phone with!”
“Liz called?!” Jacky and I both turned on the couch to face the front entry way.
He stopped in his tracks and pointed in our direction, a less enthused look cover his face now, “No, but that would have been just as exciting. Leana!” He shouted, “She peed on a stick and she’s pregnant!.. I really should have worded that phrase differently shouldn’t I?”
“Yeah, should have.” Jacky mumbled.
“Why wouldn’t we believe that anyways? You two fuck like rabbits it was only a matter of time before somehow your magically non-potent sperm had a little life in them.” I laughed as he flipped me off, “So, a swimmer finally completed the home stretch? How far along is she?”
“Two months.” Jimmy smiled wide, “I can’t believe it. I had to tell you guys first, I figured you could use some happy news?”
“Thanks.” Jacky smiled, “Now that you’re here… you need the practice anyways, come help me set up the nursery.”
“Oh come on!” He rolled his eyes but stood anyways, reaching a hand out and pulling Jacky up with him, “You have a husband all your own to do that for you.”
“But she’s right, practice.” I smirked yet stood anyways, the look Jimmy was giving me made me slightly concerned for the level of safe any piece of furniture would be after he set it up.
“Yay! Now let’s conquer this like one big family.” He wrapped his arms around our shoulders, “Then you two can help me when it’s time.”
“Oh fuck.” Jacky face palmed herself and wiggled from under his arm span, “You two can handle this I need to go take a long bath until it’s all over.” She giggled and trotted down the hallway, making a small I love you hand gesture to me as she disappeared in to the bathroom down the hall. I groaned under my breath and sighed.
“She planned that, didn’t she?” Jimmy stopped in the nursery door and I nodded, “Fuck… do they just get sneakier with kids?”
“Yup.” I nodded, “She talks me in to doing so much random shit that I don’t even realize I’m agreeing to.”
“Oh god.. SO that means Leana’s going to be even more persuasive?” He picked up the side of the unfinished crib, “Fuck.”
Weeks. It had been weeks since we realized Liz was gone. Tour was looming over our heads and on a daily basis we plastered normal looks on our faces to make it through. Slowly it was becoming less of a habit of half ripping your pocket off your jeans to get your phone out every time it rang: just in case. Or one of the girls tearing their purse apart for the same reason. Matt was handling it as well as we could have expected. He showed up when we begged him and burrowed himself in to his cave of a home when we decided we could figure it out on our own. No one addressed the scent of alcohol sweeping in the door behind him each time he managed to stumble in to whatever house we were meeting in.
Currently I was sitting in the living room while Liddy was at preschool and Jacky was meandering around the house doing whatever it was she did while I was usually at the studio or with Liz visiting my Mom. Mom. She was doing alright but really no sight of coming back home soon, she wasn’t well enough to live with just dad yet. She took the news of Liz’s departure alright, but the next day asked when Liz was coming to visit so she could ask when she and Matt were going to finally get together. That was one thing that was never getting easier. But the doctors assured us it would improve over time, along with her independence.
“What looks better? This light green and white or blue and white?” Jacky walked over to stand in front of me, holding out two swatches of cloth, I blinked a few times and stared up at her, “It’s for a bedding set.”
“For who? The captain of the S.S. Childish?”
“Exactly, for our son’s crib you idiot. Green or blue?”
“Neither.” I grabbed my phone and opened my email, showing her a picture of a dark blue and grey striped set, “I ordered this set a few days ago, it’ll be here..” I paused and looked at the screen, “Saturday.”
“Oh, thanks for telling me.” She tossed the cloths down on my lap and plopped beside me, resting her hands on her stomach, “Do you think she’ll give him Matt’s last name or her’s?”
“Well, it really goes with either one so I wouldn’t put it passed her either way.” I reached out without even thinking of it and placed my hand on top of Jacky’s on her stomach, “We really need to finish the nursery before tour.”
“I know.” She moved her hand to gently smack mine, “I’m the one who’s going to be here alone on pop day.”
I laughed to myself, she had labeled her due date as pop day on our all house calendars, phone calendars, and the calendars in every one elses phones and kitchens, “We won’t be that far out then, a two hour flight home.”
“Not the point, Zachary. You could potentially miss your first son’s birth.” She pushed my arm, “It’s fine.”
There was a long silence before the front door was suddenly thrown open and not so surprisingly Jimmy’s loud voice followed the burst, “You two will never believe who I just got off the phone with!”
“Liz called?!” Jacky and I both turned on the couch to face the front entry way.
He stopped in his tracks and pointed in our direction, a less enthused look cover his face now, “No, but that would have been just as exciting. Leana!” He shouted, “She peed on a stick and she’s pregnant!.. I really should have worded that phrase differently shouldn’t I?”
“Yeah, should have.” Jacky mumbled.
“Why wouldn’t we believe that anyways? You two fuck like rabbits it was only a matter of time before somehow your magically non-potent sperm had a little life in them.” I laughed as he flipped me off, “So, a swimmer finally completed the home stretch? How far along is she?”
“Two months.” Jimmy smiled wide, “I can’t believe it. I had to tell you guys first, I figured you could use some happy news?”
“Thanks.” Jacky smiled, “Now that you’re here… you need the practice anyways, come help me set up the nursery.”
“Oh come on!” He rolled his eyes but stood anyways, reaching a hand out and pulling Jacky up with him, “You have a husband all your own to do that for you.”
“But she’s right, practice.” I smirked yet stood anyways, the look Jimmy was giving me made me slightly concerned for the level of safe any piece of furniture would be after he set it up.
“Yay! Now let’s conquer this like one big family.” He wrapped his arms around our shoulders, “Then you two can help me when it’s time.”
“Oh fuck.” Jacky face palmed herself and wiggled from under his arm span, “You two can handle this I need to go take a long bath until it’s all over.” She giggled and trotted down the hallway, making a small I love you hand gesture to me as she disappeared in to the bathroom down the hall. I groaned under my breath and sighed.
“She planned that, didn’t she?” Jimmy stopped in the nursery door and I nodded, “Fuck… do they just get sneakier with kids?”
“Yup.” I nodded, “She talks me in to doing so much random shit that I don’t even realize I’m agreeing to.”
“Oh god.. SO that means Leana’s going to be even more persuasive?” He picked up the side of the unfinished crib, “Fuck.”