Jordan & Dylan, Age 18

            August 20^th, 2042; the 2042 baseball season had been underway and in full swing for a solid five months now. Today when Jordan and Dylan were the newest set of kids to turn eighteen. They had spent the weeks and days leading up to their eighteenth birthday looking at the home games the Washington Nationals had around their birthday. The only home game stint the Nationals had at their home park; Nationals Park was a four game stint against the Atlanta Braves after the Braves finished their series match up against the New York Yankees at their home field. So as a collective birthday present to the boys; Kasey, Jaylyn, Jethro, Jenny, the boys’ sisters and their cousins all chipped in to buy the boys front row seats on the first base line just behind the Nationals’ dugout.

            So the days leading up to the boys’ birthday were quite suspenseful for them. When August 20^th finally rolled around Jordan and Dylan were up as early as humanly possible. They changed into their Nationals jerseys before one of them checked on the Nationals’ website to see who the starting pitcher was for the Nationals as well as the Braves, this afternoon while the other twin made breakfast. While Dylan cooked and Jordan checked the starting pitchers, Jordan also checked the standings for the National League East division. The boys already knew that the Nationals only needed today’s game to sweep the Braves and to move into the first place slot since the New York Mets had just lost their three game set to their rivals from across the Hudson river in New York.

            Jethro would be over to pick the boys and Kasey up for the game soon. Downside was that Kasey was still in bed fast asleep next to his wife.  By this point Jordan was done with what he had been doing and joined his brother in the kitchen for breakfast just as Dylan finished cooking the eggs and sausage.

            “Dad still sleeping, Danny?”

            “Of course he is. Where else would he be?”

            “I swear if they are up and they are…” Jordan trailed off as the image in his mind came into focus and completely disgusted him.

            “Thanks a lot for that mental picture bro.”

            “Even if we were doing that, we as two married adults have every right to do such things within the walls of our home as well as our bedroom.” Jaylyn said putting her sons’ in their place as she and Kasey joined the boys.

            “Happy Birthday boys.” Kasey said to his sons in a somewhat subtle way of telling his wife to lay off a bit.

            “Subtle Kase. Happy Birthday, my boys.”

            With that the group heard a car horn honk from outside.

            “That’s Uncle Jethro.”

            “We’ve got to go.”

            “You guys go, I’ll be out in two seconds; three at the most.”

            The boys ran out to the car after they picked up their baseball mitts. Kasey quickly helped Jaylyn clean up from the boys’ breakfast before he did a quick change in the hallway bathroom.

            “So how are things going for Kyle and Bella?”

            “As well as things can go for two unmarried twenty-three year olds with a five year old can be.”

            “Okay, we’ll finish this later.”

            “Don’t we always.”

            “I have to go…”

            “Before Jethro and the boys kill you, I know.”

            Kasey kissed his wife good bye and left.  Jaylyn washed the boys’ breakfast dishes before she poured herself some red wine.

            Those boys of yours turned out quite well, my love. They are just as perfect as their sisters.

            A smile came across Jaylyn’s face as she put the pre-game on for the game that her husband, sons and brother-in-law where on their way to. While Jethro, Kasey and the boys were taking their seats as Jaylyn sat down on the couch in the living room with the television on and her wine in hand.

            After finishing her glass of wine; Jaylyn had inadvertently fallen asleep on the couch. The daydream she had been having the past few days had turned into a dream of hers after she closed her eyes. At first she had thought that she had entered into the alternate reality that Jethro went to when Michael Rose fired at him at the diner back in thirty years ago. Clearly it wasn’t the diner in some alternate, imagined reality.

            Jaylyn was on the back porch of what she believed was either her home or Jenny’s. She was sitting on a porch swing that was facing the backyard. Before long when a summer breeze blew a familiar scent of vanilla and freesia with a small hint of freshly cut lavender orchid tickled her nose. Only one person smelled like that and that one person had been dead longer than Jaylyn’s father had been.

            “Mom, is that you?” Jaylyn asked as she turned to see who was sitting next to her.

            “Who else would it be baby girl?”

            “How can this be? You’re dead. Am I?”

            “My sweet, crazy girl; you aren’t dead. You just fell asleep on the couch in your living room.”

            “Okay then why are you here? Why am I here sitting on the porch swing from Aunt Jayda’s Hamptons’ home?”

            “So you can see what I see every day.”

            “Then why the hell am I here?”

            “Jen?”

            “Yeah J, it’s me. Now why the hell am I here, Mom. My girls are adults and are happily married. You’re a bit too late with me.”

            “It would be the first time she was late or that you were late I should say.” Jaylyn said cheekily.

            “Jennifer, Jaylyn; please let’s be civil here. I don’t have much time before either of you wakes up.”

            With that reprimand Jaylyn, Jenny and their mother sat on the porch swing from their mother’s sister’s Hamptons’ home watching various scenes from past events in Jenny and Jaylyn’s lives. But the trip down memory lane was instantly interrupted by the sound of the plasma screen television from Jaylyn’s living room and the sound of Jenny’s private line at work ringing.

            “What’s that?” Jenny asked her mother as the trio watched the scene of the quads bonding over drinks in the living after Kelly had put Kate and Kassidy to bed the night before their fifth birthday.

            “Well my dear, while your sister fell asleep in her living room at home; you dozed off at your desk.”

            “Jethro is probably calling from the game.”

            “Go my loves, return back to the world of the living. Enjoy your lives, your husbands and those beautiful grandkids of mine.”

            “But Mom…” Jaylyn said trailing off.

            “Baby girl, it’s time for you to go and be with your family. Besides I’m always watching.”

            Jenny and Jaylyn both woke up in their respective places. Jaylyn watched the game while Jenny answered her phone. After Jenny hung up with Jethro, she dialed her sister.

            “J, did you just have a dream about mom and us?”

            “On Aunt Jayda’s porch swing from her Hamptons’ home?”

            “Yeah…”

            “Yeah I did.”

            With that Jenny and Jaylyn left the conversation as is. The duo returned to the activities that had been preoccupying their attention before they took their nap.