Piece of Family History

The other day Todd came home and asked me if I'd seen the day's Post Standard.

"There's a part of our family history in there," he informed me.

It was one of those days where I hadn't yet grabbed it off of the porch. I found it and looked at the headline. I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Keep reading," Todd told me.

There it was. A story on the front page; the bottom corner. A quick item about a restaurant closing because the owner owned forty plus thousand in back taxes. The Fireside Inn in Baldwinsville.

The first time I met Todd's father was at Canale's. Todd was excited, like a little kid, to have his Dad and me meet. I could tell. Though stuck carrying around an oxygen tank, Charles Butler had a twinkle in his eye I instantly recognized as Todd's legacy. I spilled wine on him as he flirted about taking off with me. Very old school charming, kind of like Todd but 40 years older.

Todd often met his Dad for breakfast on Sundays and I started going, too after we moved in together. His father loved Wade's (as did my Dad), the Port City Diner (which neither Todd nor I liked) and The Fireside Inn. He lived in Hannibal in the winter and in Cato on Cross Lake in the summer, so wasn't really that far from him.

We spent many Sundays going there. The food was excellent though there were days the service was VERY slow. Kathy usually called for a reservation because it was so busy and we celebrated a couple of birthdays and holidays there, too. Different family members joined us; my family all lived in Virginia so if anyone was visiting they'd go. Kathy's various sisters, an occasional member of the extended Butler clan. Todd's brothers Dale or Charlie and occasionally Alan would come. Colin, our nephew, was the person who came the most. He was still in college and one of the youngest Butlers, but is very extended family oriented.

Kathy would worry about Charlie taking his medication and Charlie would discuss who had what dumpster with Todd. Yes, a piece of our history. These are the kinds of things I don't want to forget and I want my children to know about.

Many of these Sundays, I was pregnant. With Adam, I was particularly nauseous all the time and my iron was low. Charlie suggested I try oatmeal, something I had loathed as a child. It's now one of my favorite breakfasts.

After he died, two years ago in May, of course we never had the heart to go there again. Sad that it's closed. The food was good and we had fun going there. But in a way, it seems fitting. I don't think we ever could have gone back.

And it's interesting that Todd and I have been together long enough to have a history or a past. For the first four years, it seemed like it was the present. But now he is a part of a history as well as the center of my present and the promise of my future. Nice to be there.