Time passed quickly as it has a tendency to do. Alex and I came to enjoy Nick’s surprise visits. Alex learned very quickly, though against my wishes, Nick always brought a new toy when he came.

I laughed as Alex looked at me with bright yellow paint on the tip of his nose. He was putting the finishing touches on his latest water color masterpiece when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll be right back.” I said standing and heading to the door. I opened the door to see Nick standing with a large yellow and green play tractor in his arms. “Hi.” I said with a knowing smile.

“Hi!” He said grinning from ear to ear. I didn’t know where Nick found all the toys he found. “Where’s the little man?” He said walking through the door.

“He’s painting.”

“Oh, really?” He said grinning and looking at the back of the little easel that was placed on what was once a white, now multicolored, table cloth in the middle of the living room floor. “Alex.” He said sitting down the tractor on the floor. Alex squealed in delight when he saw what Nick had brought him.

“I wish you wouldn’t buy him these things.”

“Oh shush!” Nick said as he hugged me as we watched Alex roll around the living room careening into various pieces of furniture.

A few hours later we sat out in the backyard as Alex enjoyed his new toy, “I took him to have his picture taken, remind me to give you one before you leave.”

“Okay.” Nick said as Alex rolled toward us on his toy.

“Alex, did you say thank-you to Nick for your new toy?” I asked as Alex stopped in front of me. He climbed off the toy and hugged Nick’s neck running back to the toy and taking off again.

After lunch I had put Alex down for a nap, and Nick and I sat at the kitchen table looking through the new pictures of Alex. When I came across a picture of me and Alex, Nick stopped me, “I want that one.”

“But it’s not just Alex.”

“Exactly. I want that one.” He said as he handed me the scissors. I cut the picture from the page and handed it to him. He slipped it into his wallet and looked back up at me. “You have to tell him Liz.”

“I know. I promise soon.”

“It’s not fair to him for him to miss this.” He said looking at the picture.

“I know.” I sighed.