Chapter 71

"I've got something for you," Lewis said, pulling a large manila envelope out from under his coat. He handed it to Bobby, then shrugged his coat off.

Bobby rubbed the sleep from his eyes and turned the envelope over in his hand. He set it on the arm of the couch. "You want a coffee?" he asked his friend.

"Yeah, sure." As Bobby vanished into the kitchen, Lewis looked at the envelope. He thought the contents could really give Bobby some peace. He knew his friend, though, and he knew better than to rush it, or force it on him.

Bobby returned, handing him the coffee. Just as he started to sit down, the baby cried from the bedroom. He jogged back to the bedroom and returned minutes later with her in his arms. Bobby held her with one arm while he spread out a changing mat on the floor. He changed her diaper quickly, then handed her to Lewis, who held her willingly, though he wasn't quite sure what to do with her. Bobby tossed the dirty diaper in the kitchen trash, washed his hands, and returned. He took the now fussing Katie back, and she quieted almost immediately.

"Look at you," Lewis said. "First it's suits, and now this." He shook his head and smiled at Bobby. "Can you believe how much you've changed?"

Bobby just grinned, and opened the envelope with one hand. It was a series of notes and clippings about his mother's family. He read the first paragraph, then looked up at Lewis.

"You know I've been doing that genealogy stuff for a couple of years, now. When I heard… about the baby, I thought maybe you-"

"Thanks," Bobby interrupted. "Thanks, Lewis."

"Hey I don't want to push you to read it or anything, but there's a picture in there…" Lewis leaned in and took the papers from Bobby. He sorted through them, keeping the top pages face down on the coffee table. He showed Bobby an old picture of a relative in Italy. "Looks like you," Lewis said. "I couldn't believe it."

Bobby took the paper from his hand and studied it. It could easily have been a picture of him.

"He's your great uncle. I guess that explains where your height comes from."

"Height, weight, hair… I wonder what color his eyes were?" Bobby asked. "Wow."

Alex wandered out from the bedroom, wearing her robe over her nightgown. "Hi, Lewis."

"Alex." He stood and slipped his coat back on. "Hey, uh, I gotta get in to the shop. Uh, I've got the Mustang ready for you. She just couldn't handle that cold snap we had, that's all."

"Thanks, buddy."

"And I installed a carseat in the back. Just in case you want to… show Katie what a real car is like."

Bobby's grin widened. He stood up and gave his friend a hug, careful not to trap the baby between them. He thanked him again, and promised they would get together soon. Alex gave Lewis a friendly hug and Bobby showed him to the door.

"What's all this?" Alex asked, taking her daughter from him.

Bobby gathered up the documents into a neat pile. "Lewis… uh… he found some… information about my family."

Over the next few days, Bobby read and digested the information about his family. Although his mother's life had been difficult, some of his ancestors had done quite well. He learned that he had second and third cousins living in Italy still. He was proud to find that his great grandfather had been a decorated policeman.

He shared bits and pieces of the information with Alex. He got an extra copy of the picture of the man who looked so much like him, and Alex hung it on the fridge. She teased him about where he bought his clothes, or what happened to the little dog at the man's knee.

Now, on his daughter's one week birthday, he drifted off to sleep with her tiny body sheltered between his and Alex's.

It was some kind of a feast: a holiday maybe, or a wedding. Children chased each other happily around the room, in and out of the building, until a voice fussed at them to take it outside and stay there. He smiled. He knew that voice. It was his mother.

Frances caught his eye and smiled at him. He walked over to her, but by the time he made it through the crowd, she was gone. He felt a tug on his pants leg, and bent down.

"Daddy?"

He scooped her up into his arms. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you." When she smiled at him, he kissed her on the cheek. His attention was drawn away by applause. Alex walked over and took his hand. "We need to take pictures," she said, and led him to the center of the room, where his family gathered around him.

A boy of thirteen stood in front of him. Bobby took the boy's shoulder and spun him around. It was his brother Frank. Frank smiled proudly at him, and turned back around in time for the flash of the camera. As the crowd dispersed, people came to him, clapped his shoulders, kissed him, hugged him. His great grandfather, in uniform, kissed him on both cheeks, speaking in Italian. Then he kissed little Katie and tickled her tummy before walking off.

Reluctantly, Bobby opened his eyes. Katie slept soundly beside him, and Alex, too. The room was peaceful and quiet. He turned onto his side, where he could watch them as they slept. Little Katie was suckling in her sleep, her lips moving against the air. Alex lay on her side, her hands folded in front of her.

He sighed happily and resisted the urge to touch them. He thought about the dream and the people in it. He looked back down at Katie. If nothing else, he would leave her a legacy of love.

The End

A/N Thanks everyone for reading! I'd love to hear from you.