Chapter 6

The next big happening in the Martin clan would be the birth of Kyle and Penny’s second child. Penny was due March 10th. Mom and Marilyn Edwards, Penny’s mom, conferred in February. They decided Mom could get off work easier than Marilyn could, so Mom would head down to Landenberg after work on Friday, March 4th.

Mom was taking two weeks of vacation. She would be down there to help until the baby arrived. She would be available to help Penny once she got home from the hospital for another week. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really necessary. Kyle was off from football too, like me. He was taking history courses at Penn three afternoons a week for his doctorate. Will and Abby lived next door to Kyle and Penny and could look after David while his mom and dad were at the hospital. Mom went down mostly so she could spend more time with her other three, soon-to-be four grandkids, Rose, David and Danny.

Dad, Noah, Connor, Hunter and I would have to look after ourselves while Mom was gone. Dad was the designated disciplinarian. I was chief cook, bottle washer and laundryman. The five of us could manage without Mom for two weeks.

The first weekend on our own went fine. The three boys were pains-in-the-asses to get off to school on Monday, but we made it. I had classes of my own at Newark, so I made plenty for Sunday dinner, figuring on using the leftovers for dinner for the five of us. Things went haywire with our plans after that.

My smartphone vibrated in my pocket a little after two o’clock, roughly mid-lecture. I ignored it. Thirty second later it vibrated again. I slipped the phone out of my pocket and saw it was Dad. I stepped out of the classroom to return his call.

“What’s up, Dad?” I asked when he answered.

“Penny’s on the way to CHOP,” Dad answered. [CHOP – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia] “Can you pick the boys up from day care?”

“I have class until 4:30,” I explained. “I don’t usually get home until close to 5:30 PM. Will that work?”

“Not really,” Dad answered. “I really wanted to get down to the hospital before rush hour. Is there any way?” I knew how bad Philly rush hour traffic could be. “I’ll make it somehow, Dad.”

“Thank you,” Dad replied. “I owe you a big one, Andy.”

‘Wish Penny my best when you see her,” I added before we ended the call. I went back to the lecture and waited for a pause. Dr. Shoemaker did take breaks during the lecture. I explained my predicament to my professor. He graciously allowed me to take off early so I could take care of my duties at home.

Hunter was surprised but delighted when I showed up in my newer Honda to pick up the kids from day care instead of Dad in our older family mini van. My car’s backseat seatbelts are rated for youth over forty pounds. The older mini van required Hunter to be strapped into a booster seat while Noah and Connor did not need the booster seat. They met the older car’s sixty pound weight limit a few months ago.

“Can you pick us up every day, Andy?” Hunter asked. “I like riding with you.”

“Where’s Pop-Pop?” Connor asked.

“I thought he was pickin’ us up,” Noah added.

“Pop-Pop went to Philadelphia tonight,” I explained. “Penny is having her baby now.” I braced myself for the next question I anticipated, ‘Where do babies come from?’ To my relief, it didn’t come.

“It will be just the four of us for the next day or two,” I said. “Can the three of you manage to behave for me for a couple days?”

“Of course, Daddy,” “Sure, Andy,” and “Sure, Daddy,” echoed from my backseat.

The boys did behave well for me. I fed them dinner and got the house cleaned up. I halfway expected to hear from Mom or Dad sometime in the evening but didn’t. I got the boys bathed and to bed on time. Dad called around a quarter to nine.

“How is everyone?” I asked.

“Kyle is more nervous than the last time,” Dad answered. “Penny is holding up well. Abby says she isn’t fully dilated yet, so it could be a few more hours before the little one arrives.”

“Text me the news, unless there’s an emergency,” I said. “This is my fourth niece or nephew. You don’t need to wake me the second she’s born.”

“I understand,” Dad said. “This is my sixth grandchild. But your mother feels differently. I suppose it is because Penny is having a girl. Mom, Liz and your sisters-in-law won’t feel quite as outnumbered in our clan.”

“Probably,” I agreed. “Try to catch a little sleep.”

“I will,” Dad agreed. “Do you need to me to pick the boys up from day care tomorrow afternoon?”

“No, Tuesdays are my easy days – no classes,” I responded. “I’ll get the kids tomorrow. You get them Wednesday, so I don’t miss more of my business leadership lecture.”

“You got it, Andrew,” Dad said.

I expected news before bed. I was surprised when my phone rang and it said Dylan Harris instead of Dad.

“What’s up, Dylan?”

“Did you hear the news?” Dylan asked.

“I had class this afternoon and my sister-in-law went to the hospital to have her baby,” I answered. “I doubt that’s the news you are calling about.” Dylan laughed

“No, it isn’t,” he said. “I wanted to know if you heard about Terry.” Terrence Jones, an eight year veteran, was the dean of the Rams receiving corps. He helped us young guys learn to play at the NFL level. He got hurt in the eleventh game of the season. I took his starting spot for the remainder of the season while Terry coached us from the sideline and healed from his severe ankle sprain.

“What’s the news?” I asked.

“The team cut Terry today,” Dylan said.

“Oh ... wow!” I gasped. Terry had mentored me last year, helping me get ready to play at the NFL level. He was a good guy who was genuinely helpful even though he knew I was drafted to replace him someday.

“He is going to be missed,” Dylan said.

“He was one of the good guys,” I agreed.

“Terry did pretty good,” Dylan added. “He stuck for eight years in the NFL.” He laughed. “It beats getting a real job.”

“That it does,” I agreed.

“It looks like you’re going to be starting next season,” Dylan said. “Get ready.”

“I’ll be ready,” I answered, “but don’t put me down as a starter yet. I have to earn that.” Dylan laughed again.

“The media out here penciled you in as the starter right after the last season ended,” Dylan said. “You have the right attitude. Stay humble. Give Kyle and Penny my regards.”

“I’ll do that, Dylan,” I agreed. “Thanks for letting me know about Terry. I don’t get much Rams news here in Pennsylvania.”

My alarm woke me at 6:30 AM on Tuesday morning. I checked my phone before waking the boys.

“Jessica Sharon Martin, 7 lb 2 oz, 19.5 in born 3:28 AM”

I texted Kyle immediately, “Congrats, bro. Give Penny and Jessie a kiss for me. A”

My phone buzzed seconds after I sent the text.

“Thanks A. Whole family meeting at Ldbrg 4 wkd. CU then. K”

I went next door to wake the boys up. I shook Hunter awake first. He was always the hardest to get out of bed.

“You’re an uncle, Hunter,”

“Umm...” he grunted. “Can I sleep more?”

“No can do, little brother,” I insisted. I pulled the covers down, so he had to get up otherwise he’d freeze in the cool bedroom. “Noah! Connor! Let’s go! You have a brand new cousin. Her name is Jessica and she was born early this morning.”

The boys were unenthusiastic about the news. Really, they were unenthusiastic about getting up. I dragged them through cleaning up and dressing for school. The boys warmed to the idea of another cousin or niece as they woke up and prepared for the day. By breakfast time, they were enthusiastic for the weekend trip to Kyle and Penny’s house in Landenberg.

“Can we go play by the creek when we’re there?” both Connor and Noah demanded.

“Probably,” I allowed.

“I love Kyle’s pool,” Hunter added. “Can we go swimming?”

“It’s March,” I answered. “It’s much too cold to swim outside in March.”

“But Kyle’s pool is cool!” Hunter said.

“Why don’t we have a pool, Daddy?” Connor asked.

“We don’t have a house of our own yet,” I said. “First things first. A house comes before a pool. A mom and a wife come before we get a house.”

“You could put the pool behind our house,” Hunter suggested.

“I’m sure you’d like that,” I teased. “Houses, pools and wives are all long-term things. Let’s concentrate on getting through a week without Mom-Mom.”

“When’s Pop-Pop coming home?” Noah asked.

“He will be with us for dinner tonight,” I replied.

I got the boys fed and off to school on time. Thankfully, Hunter had morning kindergarten, so I only needed to make one stop to take care of the kids. Hunter caught a bus to the day care center when his class was done at lunch time. I headed over to Pro Train to work out.

I was in the middle of dinner preparations that afternoon when I got a call from Dad. He was going to be tied up in Philly longer than expected. He would be home later that evening. Hunter would have to go to Cub Scouts that evening. I knew my little brother would be “heartbroken” to be forced to go to Cub Scouts – not.

Hunter was delighted at the news when I informed him over dinner. Not only would he go to the meeting. He would get to be a full participant in all the activities. What choice did I have? I was running the Tiger Den meetings this month. I couldn’t sit in the back and entertain Hunter while someone else ran the den meeting.

The boys did a good job reciting the Scout Oath for the opening. The still stumbled reciting the twelve points of the Scout Law. They had eleven more years before they aged out of Scouting. They would get it well before then.

I reviewed Leave No Trace principles with the boys briefly to prepare them for the hike in a couple weeks. I drilled them on “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” We did leaf rubbings. I finished the meeting up with a brief story about Abe Buzzard and his gang of thieves. Local folklore had it that the gang hid out in Money Rocks, where we would be hiking. The gang supposedly hid their money among the rock formations at the top of the Welsh Mountains, a mile or two from their homes. The story about the chicken and horse thief gang fired the boys up for our hike, exactly as I planned.

Bill Aument, out Tiger Den coordinator, worked with Ryan Landis and Kathy Kirby to set up the treasure hunt we planned to place around the rocks the day we did our hike. Ryan and Kathy would hike ahead of the group and get things set up before the Tigers arrived.

We concluded with meeting with a snack provided by Abby Sweigart, Carter’s mom and Karl’s wife.

I hustled the boys out to the car after the meeting. We were tight on time to get them home, bathed and ready for bed on time on Cub Scout nights.

“What did you think of Cub Scouts?” I asked Hunter as I checked his seatbelt to make sure he was secure.

“When can I join?” Hunter answered with a big grin.

“September, after you start first grade,” I replied.

“I am glad Will and Abby are letting me spend a weekend with them when Noah and Connor go to camp,” Hunter added.

“You will have fun,” I agreed. I didn’t tell my brother that Mr. Holloway, the camp director, had approved having Hunter tag along with the other Cub Scouts and doing the same activities they did during the Cub camp weekend.

Dad arrived from Philadelphia in time to have the honor of reading the boys their bedtime story. I caught up on the news after the boys were asleep. Penny and Jessica were doing well. They were coming homefrom the hospital tomorrow morning. Dad related the plans for the extended Martin and Edwards clan get-together at Kyle’s house over the weekend.

The boys and I would be sacking out on the floor of Kyle’s family room. Kyle and Penny’s oldest son, Davey, would join us, along with Penny’s sister’s son, Christopher. Penny’s sister Nikki and her husband Adrian would take over Davey’s bedroom. Jim and Marilyn Edwards would take Kyle and Penny’s spare bedroom. Mom and Dad would have the spare bedroom in Will and Abby’s house next door to Kyle’s. It should be an interesting weekend.

I received my copy of the Campbells Soup contract on Wednesday. I reviewed it briefly. Max had sent copies off to Blake, Taylor and Mays, the sports attorneys I shared with Kyle, so my reading was strictly for my information. Kyle, Mom and I wouldn’t sign anything until the attorneys said everything was proper. I marveled at the value of this five year contract - $22.5 million dollars. My family wasn’t going to have to worry about money in the future. Mom’s copy of the contract arrived in the mail too. I would take it down to her over the weekend.

I helped the boys pack their clothes and sleeping bags for the weekend on Thursday night. Dad was bringing the boys down to Kyle’s after work. I would go straight from class in Newark to Kyle’s house. His house was less than twenty minutes from campus.

I pulled into the long, wooded driveway to Kyle’s house a little before five o’clock on Friday afternoon. No cars were in front of Will and Abby’s summer house. One car was parked in front of the garage at Kyle’s house. I marveled at the beautiful two and a half story stone farmhouse every time I visited.

My brother had a wife, two kids and two beautiful homes. I had the two kids but no wife and only a condo in LA. I lived at home with my parents. I needed to get serious about getting serious with a girl. My boys and I were missing out on a special part of our lives as things were.

I headed inside. Mom got a hug in greeting. Penny was seated at the couch in the living room, nursing Jessica.

“You look lovely,” I commented.

“You’re being silly, Andy,” Penny retorted. “My hair’s a mess and I still feel like I did a few rounds in a prize fight.”

“You and Jessica look beautiful,” I disagreed. “You’re perfect together.”

“Hey, bro!” Kyle gushed as he arrived in the room. We did our fist bump, handshake before exchanging hugs. Our greeting was interrupted by the call of a small voice below us.

“Unka Andy!” Davey gushed. “You here!” I spun around and hoisted my nephew up.

“Hey, little man,” I gushed as I gave him a hug and a kiss. “It’s good to see you. You’ve grown.” I gave Davey a “plane ride” overhead. He stretched out his arms and giggled as I waved the boy overhead.

“T’ank you, Unka Andy,” Davey said politely as I set him on the ground. My boys had loved plane rides when they were Davey’s age. At 61 and 62 pounds, they were entirely too big for even Kyle and me, dedicated workout freaks, to play with them that way anymore.

I gave Mom her mail from home. Kyle pulled me aside right after I handed over the mail. “Do you have a minute for a private talk?”

“Sure, bro,” I agreed. I followed Kyle back to the front of the house to his office. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk about how we split the Campbell’s money,” Kyle said. “If it were strictly up to me, I would let Mom have all of it.”

“I’d be good with that,” I agreed. “But Mom will never accept that.”

“I know,” Kyle said. “I’ve offered to get them a nicer house. No dice. I’ve offered to help them fix up the place they have now. No go. Mom and Dad insist that, ‘it’s your money. Take care of your family. We’re fine.’”

“I know,” I said.

“I can see Mom insisting you and I take most of the Campbell’s money,” Kyle continued. “The only way Mom and Dad will accept any of our good fortune is if we can convince them they’ve earned it themselves.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Three of us work equal time on the Campbell’s commercials,” Kyle said. “We take equal shares of the money.”

“Your name is why Campbell wants Mom and me,” I said. “In all fairness I can see where you deserve a larger chunk than the two of us.”

“I don’t need the money,” Kyle said. “For Christ’s sake. I got a $32 million signing bonus last fall when I signed my big contract. Penny and I have enough money for the rest of our lives already. Hell, we have enough for our kids and our kid’s kid’s lives too. I want to funnel as much to Mom and Dad as I can. I see the Campbell’s contract as a way to get them $7.5 million and be able to tell them with a straight face that THEY earned it.”

“I agree,” I said. “$7.5 million will take care of anything Noah, Connor or I may need in our lives.”

“We have to be absolutely firm on this,” Kyle said. “Three of us are in the commercials so we do three equal shares of the money.”

“Done,” I stated. Kyle and I shook on the agreement.

Dad and the boys from home arrived around 6:00 PM, followed shortly after by Abby, Rose and little Danny. Will and Liz didn’t make it from Princeton until close to seven o’clock. Mom took charge of our late family supper. She even kicked Penny out of her own kitchen with the directions, “Your job is to rest and recuperate for the next week and a half.”

It was nice to have a family dinner together, though it is fortunate that Kyle and Penny had a huge dining room. Kyle, Will and Abby were kept busy feeding Davey and Rose. Danny, at almost seven months, wasn’t any trouble. He didn’t do solid food yet. I was thankful that my boys were past the high maintenance stage at mealtimes. At most, Dad or I had to cut their meat for them. Otherwise they could take care of themselves.

Jim and Marilyn Edwards arrived while we were serving dessert. Kyle pulled two more chairs in and we shifted around to make room for them. Liz and I dismissed Mom after dinner. We took care of cleaning up and doing the dishes.

Noah, Connor, Hunter and I all got a chance to hold our niece or cousin before bedtime. Kyle helped me organize the family room “bunkroom” when it as bedtime approached. Noah, Connor and I took turns reading a Curious George story to Hunter and Davey. All the boys were bedded down and asleep a little after 8:30 PM, close to their schedules.

It was close to ten o’clock when Adrian and Nikki Murray arrived from central Virginia. I helped Adrian carry his sleeping three-year-old, Christopher, into our temporary bunkroom and get him settled for the night.

I woke up too early to the sound of Sponge Bob laughing. Little Davey had turned on the family room TV and was watching his Saturday morning cartoons. Noah and Hunter were awake too. Connor and Christopher awoke and joined the others in cartoon gazing. I accepted the inevitable. I was done sleeping. I headed upstairs to shower and dress for the day.

I found Kyle downstairs in the living room when I came back down. He looked like he had about two hours of sleep last night.

“Jessica doesn’t sleep through the night?” I asked. Kyle laughed heartily.

“I’d be happy if she slept two hours,” Kyle explained. “Even with Penny and I taking turns checking on her, the nights have been real long.”

“I know how it is,” I agreed. “Been there, done that – in stereo – with twins.”

“I remember,” Kyle replied, grinning. “I was there for the beginning ... before I could escape to summer camp and then college.”

Slowly the family assembled. We ate a light breakfast. Kyle had big plans for us. He wanted to show off the Brandywine Valley and all its glories. Kyle missed the chance to show case the area when Davey was born in the two week gap between Kyle’s AFC Championship Game and his Super Bowl.

Mom and Marilyn Edwards volunteered to look after Rose, Danny, Christopher, Davey and Jessica while the rest of us explored southern Chester County. They had a ladies’ weekend planned the following weekend for the grand moms, along with Penny and Abby.

Our group headed for Winterthur first. It was Henry Francis DuPont’s mansion before it was turned into a museum. The grownups found the contents of the 175 room mansion fascinating. Noah, Connor and Hunter, less so. Dad and I took them on a tour of the grounds where they could run around and explore. That suited them better. We had lunch at the Pavilion at Winterthur before heading on to our next stop, Chadds Ford.

We checked out the Brandywine River Museum, with all the Wyeth art. My boys and Hunter looked at some of it before heading outside. They enjoyed tossing sticks in the Brandywine River and watching them float downstream towards Wilmington and the Delaware Bay more than they enjoyed looking at art. Our final tour was at Longwood Gardens. The boys enjoyed all the trees and space to run around.

Kyle had everyone stop off at Tulula’s Market in Kennett Square on the way home. We bought some bread for our dinner. Kyle filled us in on the four bell dining place. Even Kyle with his national fame couldn’t get us a seat at the daily farm table.

Tulula’s seated ten to twelve people a night, seven days a week. They accepted reservations exactly one year in advance, first come, first served. Well, served one year later. There were no exceptions in the policy for anyone, including three-time Pro Bowl wide receivers. Based on the samples of cheese and bread we had, we all agreed Kyle should call immediately and see about getting our group a reservation for next year. We would make our schedule work.

Marilyn Edwards made spaghetti and a tossed salad for dinner for the crowd. The bread from Tulula’s went great with the meal. Everyone agreed Kyle had to try for reservations there next year.

The family gathered in the living room to talk and relax after dinner. Everyone got a chance to hold little Jessica, Hunter, Noah and Connor included. The boys had careful supervision while they held their delicate, little niece or cousin. The smaller kids wandered off to the family room when they got bored with the grown-up talk.