— Dad, this is André. He’s my boyfriend.
My father slowly lowered his hand.
— Your what?
— My boyfriend.
— And why does he look like a man who is already paying off a mortgage?
André smiled politely.
— Because I am indeed repaying a mortgage.
Dad thought for a moment.
— Well, at least he already has one good quality.
Mom invited us to sit down at the table.
She watched André with suspicion.
— And how old are you?
— Thirty-two years old.
Dad choked on his tea.
– HOW MUCH ?!
— Thirty-two years old.
— Véronique, you’ve decided to bring one of my old classmates home?!
— Dad, you’re forty-eight years old!
— Exactly! A little longer and he’ll be discussing his blood pressure with me!
Grandma, who had come to visit us, quietly remarked:
— At least he’s a grown man. Maybe someone will finally teach Véronique how to close the toothpaste tube.
I took a deep breath.
— We have some news to announce.
Mother immediately became on her guard.
— Have you decided to get married?
— Perhaps. But first…
— You bought an apartment? — asked Dad, suddenly enthusiastic.
– No.
— A car?
– No !
— So what?!
I looked at André.
He took my hand.
— Véronique is pregnant.
A total silence fell.
Dad slowly put down his cup.
Mom pressed her hands against her cheeks.
Grandma stopped knitting.
My father was the first to speak.
— Véronique…
— Yes, Dad?
— Haven’t I always told you that you’re still a child?
– If.
— You see! And now, this child is going to have a child!
Mom finally breathed her last.
— My God… Well, then, we’ll help you.
I smile, relieved.
— Thank you, Mom.
But André cleared his throat.
— There’s yet another piece of news.
Dad looked at him in horror.
— Don’t you dare tell me you’ve already taken out a loan!
— No. We had an ultrasound.
— So what?
I replied softly:
— There will be three babies.
Dad froze.
Then he slowly removed his glasses.
He wiped them.
handed them over.
– How much ?
– Three.
– AT THE SAME TIME ?!
Grandma couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
— No, my son! One at a time, every Thursday!
Mom started laughing.
First, gently.
Then stronger and stronger.
Dad looked at her.
— Why are you laughing?!
« What else do you want me to do?! » replied Mom through her tears.
She wanted to prove she was an adult! Well, now we’re going to have three pieces of evidence at once!
Grandma slapped the table with the flat of her hand.
— Véronique, my little darling, you’ve decided to skip all the steps to become an adult all at once!
I was as red as a tomato.
André asked cautiously:
— You’re not angry?
Dad looked at him.
— Young man, right now I’m trying to figure out where we’re going to put three cribs. I don’t have time to be angry!
Mom wiped away her tears.
— Okay, we’ll think about how we can help you.
Suddenly, I started to cry.
— You’re really not angry?
Dad let out a deep sigh.
— My darling, we are worried. Of course we are worried. But you are our daughter. And these three little ones are our grandchildren.
He looked at André.
— As for you, young man, don’t you dare disappear. We now have a real family business to run.
André smiled.
— I have no intention of doing so.
Grandma added:
— All that remains is to find a name for this venture. For example: « The Three Little Heroes and Their Two Sleep-Deprived Parents ».
Everyone burst out laughing.
A few months later, André and I got married.
The wedding was modest.
Dad made a toast:
— I always wanted my daughter to grow up as quickly as possible. But now I understand that I should have been more specific about the timeframe!
Grandma gave us three identical rompers.
Each one was written:
» Surprise ! «
When our children were born, our lives truly changed.
We almost completely stopped sleeping.
André learned to change diapers so quickly that his dad suggested he participate in competitions.
Mom came to help us every day.
And one day, Grandma declared:
— In my entire life, I’ve never looked after so many babies at the same time! Véronique, you’ve decided to complete the whole family’s schedule in just one year?
But the funniest thing happened when the children were three months old.
Dad came to our house.
He saw the three cribs.
The three baby bottles.
The enormous mountain of layers.
And here I was, trying to rock two babies to sleep at the same time.
He stood for a moment in the doorway.
Then he asked softly:
— My dear Véronique, have you eaten something?
I watched it.
And suddenly, I burst out laughing.
— No, Dad.
Without saying a word, he went into the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, he returned with a plate of soup.
— Eat, my darling.
I took the spoon.
And for the first time in my life, I did not protest.
Because I had understood one very simple thing.
One can become a wife.
One can become the mother of three children.
You can even learn to sleep for twenty minutes at a time and consider that a real night’s rest.
But in her parents’ eyes, she will always remain their little girl.
And you know what?
Sometimes, it’s not so bad.
Especially when that little girl grew up and now had three little chefs at home.
In fact, Dad recently stated:
— Véronique, I’ve always told you that you’re in way too much of a hurry to become an adult!
Grandma immediately replied:
— Don’t worry, son. With three kids now, she’s certainly not in a hurry to go anywhere. Not even to the bathroom! 😂❤️