From what she said, and the tone of her voice, I didn't doubt that she could (and would) do just as she said. That left just a few more points that I figured we needed to all get clear on.
"Okay, it can happen. What about when it does? You've said that you've got 'some' insurance… I'm figuring that it provides enough coverage to handle two pregnancies. But there's still after to think about: how much are you going to want – or let – me in their lives? Who am I going to be to them… 'Uncle Jim' or something else? Do you tell the kids who their father is, and if so, when? Who gets listed as their father on the birth certificates? How much of my medical history do you need or want? How much, if any, financial support are you thinking? Those are just for starters; I'm sure other things would come to mind for ALL of us, if this happens."
Elisse fielded the questions, answering "We have no plan or desire for any kind of financial assistance from you – and we're ready to put that in writing, in a contract. How much you're involved in their lives is something I think we'll have to work out; we both know that you'd be a damn good influence on them, and we don't have any problem with you taking them to the park or to a movie or anything like that. We aren't looking for – and don't want, honestly – any kind of lifetime commitment from you, either, though. Like I said, we'll just have to work that part out. Same thing on who you are to them… I think we'll just have to see how it works out. We'd prefer to tell them who their father is when they get older, but if you have any objection, we'd understand. Ditto on being named on the birth certificates. As for medical history, we'd like however much information you're willing to provide; not so much for this, as for the kids, later. From what we've seen of you, and know, we figure that if there was any reason that you shouldn't have kids, you'd say something – you're just too honest not to."
"We figured there would be other things that we haven't thought of yet, too, so we're expecting a lot more back-and-forth on this, too", Gina added. When she recognized the double meaning of what she'd just said, she surprised me by blushing faintly while Elisse just grinned.
The two of them sat there patiently as I thought about what they'd asked, and the answers they'd given in response to my questions. After a few minutes, I told them "Of course, you know you're asking a lot – but you've told me what you want, and why, and covered the 'big' issues. It's a pretty damn serious thing you're asking, and I'm going to have to think about it for a while."
Both gave me small smiles before Gina said "Of course, Jim. We certainly didn't expect an answer right away, and wouldn't have been happy if you'd tried to give us one. Yes, it is a big deal, and we know that. And we know that if you have to tell us 'no', then it won't be because of our relationship."
I smiled back before answering "No, that's the last thing I'd trouble myself with. I don't doubt that either, or both, of you would raise great kids – the only question, really, is whether I want them to be MY kids, too."
With that, we all finished our drinks and got out of the booth we were sitting in. Saying that there were a few things that they still needed to take care of, Gina let me out, and gave me a little wave after I stayed to make sure she locked the door behind me.
It was summer time, and I was kept busy for the next couple of weeks ferrying assorted visitors, tourists, conventioneers, and so on around town. While I couldn't devote all my time to their request, it damn sure filled in the empty spots between everything else I was doing. I had lunch in their place a few times, and neither one of them ever said or did anything to see if I'd made a decision; they seemed to know that I'd let them know when I knew, and were content with that.
It was nearly 3 weeks from the time we'd all sat down that I was finally able to discreetly tell Elisse "I've settled on what to do about that question you had for me. We probably need to talk about it; will you be here after I get off shift about six tonight?"
Her eyes widened slightly, and she answered "No, we're usually home by then." She quickly wrote something on an order pad, then tore the sheet off and handed it to me; when I looked at it, I could see that it was an address. She told me "Come there. We can talk after we have a nice supper – both of us want to thank you for at least thinking about it."
I thanked her, and asked "Would it be easier if I showed up a little later?"
"Oh, no, six is fine!", she assured me. After telling her that I'd see them later, I headed back out to my rig.
The address Elisse gave me was for a modest little house in an older suburban area. The streets were quiet, and the neighborhood looked to be pretty decent: middle-class, but well-maintained, and somehow feeling 'neighborly'. I knocked on their door just a few minutes after the hour, and it took only a few seconds for Gina to open it for me. After inviting me in, she guided the way into their living room, where Elisse was sitting at one end of a couch. After I'd taken a seat in a chair facing it, Gina asked if I'd like something to drink. After she ran down the list of choices, I said that a beer would be fine, thank you. She disappeared toward where I figured the kitchen must be, and was back in a couple of minutes with beers for all of us.
After we'd been chatting for a few minutes, I could see that while both of them were doing their best to be gracious hostesses, they were all too aware of why I was there. With that, it took only a moment to throw our plans for the evening out the window in favor of telling them "You can relax. I'm going to help."
It took a couple of seconds for what I'd said to sink in; when it did, both of them quickly set their beer bottles aside so they could rush over and pull me out of the chair and hug me. All things considered, I wasn't reluctant about hugging them back, and quickly decided that both of them made for a nice armful of curves. When they'd gotten themselves calmed down again, we all sat down again before Elisse told me "Thank you, Jim. I guess you know how happy that makes both of us."
Gina laughed, and said "If he didn't, he sure does after that!", drawing chuckles from me and Elisse.
"Jim, after so much time, we were afraid that you were going to have to tell us 'no'; dinner tonight really was our way of trying to thank you for at least thinking about it. But now it's going to be a celebration dinner!", Elisse exclaimed.
Just then, I heard a kitchen timer go off; both of them stood up and Elisse said "That's supper. If you'll give us just a couple of minutes to bring it out, we can sit down to eat."
The promised couple of minutes went by before Elisse came in to let me know my presence was requested. When I got into the dining room, I was surprised at the spread that they'd laid out: it looked like they'd prepared a five course meal for just the three of us. After I sat down, Gina told me "As much as both of us want to hear what you have to say, we've gotten into the habit of suppertime being about just talking to each other, like friends and family."
I smiled before answering "That sounds like a wonderful habit to get into, and I certainly don't have any problem with it."
After Elisse learned that I didn't have any need or desire to say a prayer, we had a delightful time just chatting with each other as we ate. The food proved to be even better than what they served in their place, and early on I had to remind myself to leave room for the rest of the meal – and was glad that I did.
After our second cup of coffee after dessert, we all stood up. I offered to help clear the table, and was politely informed that if I attempted to do so, I would be severely dealt with. Too chicken to find out what they'd do, I gave in; when I went back into the living room, Elisse came along to keep me company. Several minutes later, she and Gina traded; a bit longer, and both of them were again seated on the couch, facing me.
Elisse got us started by saying "You said we probably need to talk, this afternoon, so I guess it's up to you to let us know what's on your mind."