My Best Boy

Five years ago today, shortly before dawn, I was in a corner of my bedroom sitting in a pool of warm water. Jimmy was kneeling beside me with love and anxious concern in his eyes. My mother was a few feet away looking on in pride and understanding. I had a midwife nearby and the only light in the room came from the amber glow of a bedside table lamp as soft and soothing music played in the background.

I remember the seering contractions. The burning. The pushing. The feel of the wrinkles in the rubber pool beneath my fingers as I scratched and clawed at its bottom. And then, finally, the instananous relief. The unmatched ecstasy like no other experience in the world is the moment a mother is delivered and a baby is born. Five years ago today that jubilation was mine. My boy. My son. My Roman.

Happy Birthday, buddy. I love you.