“Zachariah!” I yelled, waving towards the man at the end of the baggage claim. He hit the smaller man next to him who was leaning down and getting luggage from the conveyer belt. The second man straightened up and glared at him. The first one pointed at me and my daughter. Isaac then understood why he had been smacked and waved to me.
“Uncle Zac! Uncle Isaac!” Zoë cheered as the two guys walked towards us, their arms overflowing with luggage.
“Jeeze, one would think you’re spending three months here,” I joked with a wink, taking some bags from my brothers’ arms. Zac had already scooped his niece up from the floor and had tossed her onto his shoulders.
“Hah hah,” Isaac retorted.
“Hey bro,” Zac exclaimed, going to shake my hand and then hugging me tightly with one arm. He patted my back. “I hear I have two new nieces who are more than my brother bargained for.” He smiled at me with a jocular twinkle in his eye.
I had to laugh. “Oh yes, that they are.”
“How’s one of my favorite nieces doing?” Isaac asked the now-tall Zoë.
“I’m good,” she said, holding on to her uncle’s neck tightly so she wouldn’t fall off as we walked.
“I heard you were sick honey, you’re feeling better?”
Zoë nodded. “Is Amanda coming?”
Isaac laughed at her avoidance, “in a week or two she will be.”
“The car’s over in Lot B,” I told my brothers. “We have a bit of a walk but we can do it.”
“We’re Hansons,” Zac said. “Strong as oxen, hungry as dogs.”
“What the--?” I said looking at him like he was a bit more than crazy. “You’re the strangest boy I’ve ever met.
“I’m 25!” Zac whined. “I’m not a boy.”
“But you’re hungry?”
“Yes. I admit to that.”
“Didn’t they feed you on the plane?”
“Oh Taylor, Taylor, Taylor,” Isaac sighed. “You lived with this kid for over 20 years, one would think you’d know him by now.”
“Hardy har har,” Zac exclaimed. “Just because you two don’t have my healthy appetite and damn good looks doesn’t mean you have to be jealous.”
Isaac and I rolled our eyes and ignored our brother’s corniness. “So, Ike,” I
started, “how’s Andy?”
“She’s doing really well.”
“How far along is she?” I inquired.
“About four and a half months now,” Isaac answered. “There are no complications so far, knock on wood. She’s the ideal size and the baby looks perfect.”
“A little boy, huh?”
Isaac nodded excitedly. “We’re so thankful for him. We tried so hard for another kid.”
I nodded in agreement, remembering Isaac’s first children. It was no secret that Andy and Isaac had problems with conceiving, and not just recently. They had tried so hard for a child a few months after their marriage and when they finally did conceive, they lost the baby in the first trimester. Ever since then, getting past the third month was the goal in their family. They had the twins a little bit after that, but they had to try hard for those two as well.
“So there’s nothing wrong with, erm, your, um. . .” I stuttered.
“Uh,” Isaac said, “sort of. It’s a long story,” he said brushing my question aside. “One better left for the home audience with no id-kay.” He nodded towards Zoë.
“Gotcha,” I replied. We exited the airport and began our search for my car. Lot B was rather large and of course I hadn’t gotten a spot very close to the exit of the building. “So Zac, still no nieces or nephews in the works for Isaac and I?”
“Nope,” Zac replied firmly. “We’re waiting a few years. We don’t want to have any until we’re a little older. My wife is 22, you know.”
“There’s my car,” I said, ending what might have turned out to be a very long “From The Desk of Zachary Hanson” speech that usually lasted forever.