I Can't Say No

Unlike Ado Annie, however, who couldn’t say no to kissin’ her peddler man or her beau, Will Parker, my inability to utter that one syllable word is for an altogether different reason. I can’t say no to my godson, Nathaniel.

I was there the day he was born, the day his parents brought him home from the hospital to help give him his first bath…with him turning purple from screaming at the top of his lungs the whole time. I was there, holding him, while he slept soundly and peacefully in my arms through his baptism, and I was there the day he dropped to his knees to kiss and hug his mother’s casket good-bye the day they buried her twelve years ago. She was forty-four and he was fourteen. It broke my heart to see his heart so utterly and completely broken, and I thought they were going to have to put me in the ground with her...such was the intensity of my own anguish.

So, yeh, don’t tell the kid – well, he’s twenty-six now, but that’s what I call him – but he’s got me pretty much wrapped around his little finger. I’d do anything for him.

I was supposed to meet Nathaniel and his dad – Ralph – today for lunch before we all went down to the Bengals game together, but when I woke up and dragged by tired old body out of bed, I knew I didn’t have it in me. Way too much walking and standing for these old knees, and frankly, the thoughts of spending four hours with 65,000 of my “nearest and dearest” friends didn’t sound overly appealing.

I called the lads before they set out on their trip to Cincinnati to let them know I had undergone a change of plans, so they wouldn’t have to rush to get here. Ralph asked me if I wanted to meet them for lunch even if I didn't go to the game, and I said no…I’d just “hang out” at my place. Five minutes later, the phone rings and it’s “the kid,” telling me he wants me to go to lunch with them because he looks forward to that when they come to Cincinnati since he doesn’t get to see me very much any more. (Nathaniel has never really gotten over the fact that I moved away ten years ago and wants me to come back home and find a job there. He’s sweet.)

Needless to say, I met them for lunch. I always let Nathaniel pick the restaurant, so we enjoyed a delightful repast at The Cheesecake Factory. A wonderful time was had by all, and –yes – we all had dessert and sampled each other’s cheesecake.

The reason for this post, you may ask? Well, partly because it’s my blog and I’m in a mushy, melancholy sort of mood this weekend. But mostly it's to let you know if you want something from me or want me to do something for you…the most certain way to get me to comply with your wishes is to get Nathaniel to approach me on your behalf. Because...I'm just a girl who "cain't" say no...to her godson.