I.
“Oh, Jenny, isn’t this cute?”
“It’s a duck,” Jennifer says, clearly bored with this.
“Oh, come on. I always thought it would be a cute little bathroom motif.”
“You are such the artist. Motif? Seriously?”
“I mean, look. They have rubber duckies for the bathtub, little soap dispenser – oh look, little things for the shower curtain.”
“Pam. I hate to break it to you, but you are thirty. Not three. Rubber ducks should not fascinate you this much.”
Pam, dejected, puts down the soap dish she was holding. “I mean, maybe when Jim and I get a new place…”
“Jim is thirty one. Again, not really age appropriate.”
“Jenny! I mean, maybe if we have kids.”
“You guys are talking about kids?”
“Well, not with each other!”
“Okay, Pam. This is how it works. When two people love each other, they talk to each other about kids. They don’t go shopping at Target and comment on how cute rubber duckies are.”
“I know. Maybe later. It’s just – it’s too soon right now. I mean, we haven’t been dating that long.”
“Yeah, but he was in love with you for years before that. Seriously, talk to him. Feel him out. Maybe he’s thinking about kids also.”
“Nah… he couldn’t be. I mean – could he?”
II.
Now, Jim knew he wasn’t the manliest guy around, but if anyone knew that he was checking out the baby shoes when he was supposed to be buying some new sneakers – well, he would never live that down.
The little sneakers caught his eye first. They were just so small and perfect; Jim couldn’t imagine the teeny feet that would fit it. But, he could imagine the face. She would have Pam’s hair, Pam’s eyes, Pam’s nose. She would be perfect. He would spoiler her rotten. She would be a daddy’s girl. He would teach her the perfect three-pointer. She would inherit his sense of humor and her mother’s dorky dance moves.
Jim sighed and put down the sneaker. They had only been dating a few months. Last time he had been forward, they hadn’t talked for nearly a year. “Yeah, better wait on mentioning the whole baby idea, Halpert,” he mumbled under his breath.
As he moved on to the adult sneakers, he passed the dress shoes. A fleeting image of a little girl all dressed up passed through his mind. “Maybe just a little longer…”
III.
“Wow! Little Pam Beesly, is that you?”
“Leslie! Is that Chris? How old is he now?”
“Ten! Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday he was crawling around in diapers.”
“Oh yeah, I remember those days.” Pam’s nose scrunches up, clearly remembering too many diaper changes.
“And who is this?” Leslie motions to Jim.
“Oh, this…” The smile lights up Pam’s face. “This is my fiancée, Jim. We’re just in town to talk wedding plans with my parents.”
“Nice to meet you.” Leslie reaches out to shake Jim’s hand. “Oh, that is just great. Wow, you’re engaged. I mean, we always thought – well, I can’t believe it. That is just great. We should totally catch up. How long are you in town for?”
“Just the weekend – ”
“You know what, you girls can go talk now… I mean, I could shoot some hoops with Chris?” Jim motions to Chris down at the bottom of the driveway.
“Sure, sounds great, I mean, its okay with me…” Pam adds.
“Yeah, let’s go inside, I’ll get some tea on.”
Jim walks down the driveway, and Leslie and Pam head inside.
Once inside, Leslie asks, “So you like him, I take it?”
“Yeah, he’s… he’s just perfect. I mean, I know no one is perfect, but you know what I mean.”
“Perfect for you.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, he seems to have made fast friends with Chris. Look.” Leslie nods to the window, right above where Chris and Jim are playing. Already they were playing around like they had known each other for years. “He would make a great dad.”
“Yeah. Yeah, he would…”
IV.
“Oh, look how cute this onesie is…” Katie held up the onesie decorated in a cowboy theme. “For cowboy Cody,” she read for the card. “Thanks Megan. It’s just precious.”
Pam got up from the festivities and went to get something to eat. “Abbs – why am I here again? I barely know Katie.”
“But she knows you. Listen. Just enjoy yourself. This could be you soon.”
“Abby – ”
“Pam, listen, you just got married… You’ve always wanted kids. You said Jim was good with kids. It’s bound to happen.”
“She’s right Pam. I think you’d be a great mom,” added Lindsay.
“I just – ”
“Oh, Pam, are you and Jim thinking about kids? It’s hard work, but it’s just great,” exclaimed Anna
“I – ”
“Pam. Seriously. I know you say it’s too soon, we haven’t talked about it yet, yada yada yada. Just keep it in mind. It isn’t coming from left field here,” Abby added, always the voice of reason.
“Okay, I promise, I will think about it. I will even talk to Jim about it. Just, let’s get back to the party now, please. Focus on Katie. She is having a baby now, unlike me.”
However, for the rest of the shower, Pam couldn’t help but think about what it would be like if it was her shower. “Yeah, maybe I’ll talk to Jim tonight…”
V.
“Jim, look at that baby over there.” Pam pointed to a one year old toddling around not far from them.
“Aww. Cute. You want potato salad?” Jim scoops out some for her plate. It was a beautiful spring afternoon, and they couldn’t stand to be inside one moment longer, so they decided a picnic was in order.
“You are such a guy. I mention kids, you think of food.”
“What can I say, my stomach rules my brain.”
“Oh really, your stomach? Last night it seemed like something else…”
“Well, last night I didn’t have this potato salad right in front of me,” Jim takes a bite. “Besides, last night was – ”
“Jim, do you want kids?”
Jim nearly choked on the salad. “What?
“Do you want kids?
“Okay… sudden. I mean, yeah, I guess I do. Okay, yeah, I do. I’ve thought about it.”
“Really? You aren’t just saying that?”
“No. I mean, no, I’m not just saying that. I would love to have babies with you.”
“Okay… good.”
“Do you want kids?”
“Will you be around to help make sure I don’t suck?”
“Never miss a minute.”
“Yeah… I think I do.”
