“Anybody home?”

“I’m in the living room. Cece’s down for a nap upstairs.”

Jim quietly took his shoes off and went upstairs to check on Cece. She was splayed out in the center of her crib snoozing gently when he cracked open the door. Stepping quietly, he made his way into the living room and rubbed Eeyore behind the ears when the rabbit hopped over to him. Helene looked up from her book as he sat down.

“Jim!” Her face lit up. “The cast is off!”

He had a wide grin on his face. “Yup all good to go!”

“I’m sure that’s a big stress relief from everything you’ve had to go through. What did the doctor say?”

“The x-ray looked great. He said the biggest thing is to go easy on it for a while. He had a physical therapist come in and give me some exercises to do here at home to help. Like this one.” Jim raised his left leg off the floor and pointed his toe at the TV. “He wants me to imagine I have a marker between my toes and write out the alphabet.”

Helene raised her eyebrows. “That’s clever.”

Jim nodded. “Yeah and more interesting than just up, down, left, right, circle. Though I have to do that too. Did Johnathan get out okay?”

“He did. Lovely guy but he had a flight to catch.”

“Yeah, I wish I could have seen him off, but that was the only time the doctor had open. Thanks again for coming over to keep an eye on Cece.”

“Oh, think nothing of it,” Helene waved him off. “You know how much I love seeing her. Are you sure you don’t need me more?” Helene’s eyes raised in exactly the same way her daughter’s did when she was trying to get something.

Jim laughed good-naturedly. “Thank you very much, but I’m sure. We’re finally able to get Cece into daycare next week and now that the cast is off, I can head back to work on Monday too.”

It was Helene’s turn to nod. “I’ll bet you’ve been going stir-crazy around here. Missing all the fun you and Pam get into at work.”

“Ehh,” Jim shrugged. “It hasn’t been all that bad. I mean, it’ll be nice to get back to normal, but it’s been fun being with Cece all the time too.”

“Hardest job you’ll ever love, right?” Helene had a twinkle in her eye.

“Absolutely,” Jim smiled back. He pointed to the book she’d set down when he walked in. “Whatcha reading?”

Helene glanced down at the leather-bound tome next to her. “The copy of Persuasion Pam got me for Christmas. It rounded out my Jane Austin collection and it’s one of my favorites.”

Jim nodded. “Glad you like it. I was never really one for big thick books like that to be honest.”

“No offense Jim, but I never really took you for someone who dives into British literature like that.”

“Yeah,” Jim admitted. “I was more of a comic book guy myself growing up. Batman, Captain Marvel, Flash. Things like that.”

“Do you still have any?”

“Only a few. I think I kept my copies of The Death of Superman, World Without Superman, and The Return of Superman, but that’s it. The rest were getting dog-eared or were starting to fall apart.”

“Why’d you keep those ones?”

Jim thought about it for a moment. “For one, they were bound more like a book rather than a standard comic since they’re all a collection of a bunch of individual issues. Made it easier to haul them around. Also, I just really liked the story line.”

Helene folded her hands in her lap. “How come?”

“Superman has always been my favorite character. A guy who always stands up for the right thing. A being who is immensely powerful but holds back that power to help people. Maybe it’s cheesy, but I like heroes and Superman has always been the greatest hero in comics. I thought nothing could ever beat him, so when Doomsday not only defeated him, but killed him, it was a huge shock when I first read the issue.
“Then as issue after issue came out after that and the world in the comics dealt with the loss of Superman, well it kinda felt like I’d lost a friend too. A lot of the characters seemed to just go numb and check out.
“Then later there were a bunch of imposters claiming to be Superman, but none were the genuine article. At last the real Superman comes back, but even he’s changed. He’s wearing black and silver rather than red, blue, and yellow. He’s not even at full power. The essence of who he was is still there though. So, he does what he’s always done and flys off to fight yet another impossible battle.
“This time he and the team he’s with prevail. He's back at full power and other than sporting a stupid mullet haircut, he’s essentially the same Superman we all knew and loved. A teammate gives him back his iconic costume and the first thing he does is fly right back to Lois Lane.”

“Sounds like a very captivating storyline,” Helene nodded.

Jim jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll let you borrow them sometime if you like. I mean they’re just comics, not you know, high literature or something you’d study in college or anything like that.”

She leaned over and patted his knee. “Thank you, maybe I will one of these days. But if I were you, I’d reconsider what you think of as high literature. True classics are those stories that stand the test of time to a reader. You must have read those comics for the first time when you were a teenager right?” She paused while Jim nodded. “Clearly they left an impact on you since you can still remember most of the story line so quickly.”

“That and I’ve re-read them I don’t know how many times,” Jim put in.

“Exactly,” Helene leaned back. “So, for you, your Superman comics are just as classic as Persuasion.”

“Huh,” Jim pondered her words for a moment. “I guess I never really thought of it like that. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Since we’re on the topic of literary works, I’ve loved those Journal updates you’ve been posting. The ladies in my book club and I have had a good time grinning with them all.”

“Oh, thanks,” Jim felt his face grow warm. “They were just something I started on a whim last week and just kinda kept going when I got a few good comments.”

“Well, I think they’re a lot of fun. Going to stop them now that this is your last day as Stay-at-home-Dad?”

Jim thought about it for a moment. “Well I don’t restart work till Monday. I’ll probably keep them going through tomorrow and Sunday, but then yeah, that’ll be it.”

“Seems like a good place to stop,” Helene agreed.

“Yup,” Jim glanced towards Cece’s room. “Since you’re still here and since Cece’s still sleeping, do you mind sticking around for a bit while I write up today’s entry?”

“I’d be delighted to,” Helene smiled.

She picked up her book again while Jim grabbed his computer and started to type.

Journals of a Stay-at-home-Dad. Day 11. There is an outside world! It exists! I'm sure the parents out there will think me mad, but I assure it's real, just like it was before we had children! Pardon my enthusiasm, but Mother-in-Law was able to arrive at the domicile today and watch over Small Human and Small Rabbit. At first, I was hesitant to venture forth. My usual hunting grounds are safe and secure. Venturing into the unexplored lands without the need to keep Small Human secure was an experience that brought back many memories. However, on returning to the domicile and seeing Small Human sleeping peacefully made me realize just how wonderful it is to continue my current expedition.

“Would you like to read it before I post it?” Jim asked Helene.

“Sure.” Helene put her book down again and read over the short note. She was grinning when she looked up. “Very cute. But no mention of our discussion on fine literature?”

“No, I like this a bit better.” Jim answered. “Is it alright that I talked about you though?”

“That’s fine. May I ask why you’re not mentioning our talk?”

“I’ve got an idea to surprise Pam when she comes home,” he told her. “Do remember that club Pam started a while back at work?” Helene nodded. “She invited me to join, but I didn’t really take it seriously. I thought books or art like what Pam was talking about were too high above me. So, I made a bad joke about something she really liked. Our talk today changed my mind about that. Pam reads these journals at work so if I mentioned it, the surprise I’ve got in mind might be ruined.”

Helene stayed for the rest of the afternoon and helped entertain Cece when she woke up from her nap. Jim took the time to tidy the house and start to prepare dinner. When Pam came home, she was met with Hamburger Helper ready in a skillet with a side of carrot slices and a glass of their favorite wine. They talked about the results of Jim’s doctor appointment and started plotting a welcome back prank for Dwight on Monday. Soon after it was Cece’s bedtime. Together they changed their daughter into a clean diaper and onesie and set her down to sleep.

“Okay, now that’s done it’s time to begin,” Jim told Pam as they shut the door to Cece’s room.

“Time for what to begin?” Pam had a quizzical look to her face.

“Follow me.” Jim led her back downstairs to the living room. He had her sit in her favorite spot on their two-person love seat. “Okay stay right there. I’ll be right back.”

“Jim? What’s going on?” Pam called as he disappeared back in the kitchen.

“Back in a minute,” he called softly.

He returned carrying two steaming mugs in his hands and had two books tucked under his arm.

“Your tea my dear,” he said as he bent over to hand her the mug of her favorite drink. He set the other mug on the end table. “And coffee for me. I call to order this inaugural meeting of the Beesly-Halpert Fine Literature Society.”

Pam ducked her head and giggled at the faux-formal tone he was using. “Oh really?”

“Yes, really,” Jim said in a very self-satisfied sort of way. “We shall each read a piece of fine literature and then discuss our thoughts about the work. I’ve taken the liberty of selecting tonight’s works for the two of us. You of course shall have the honor of selecting next time.”

“Oh ho!” Pam’s eyes grew wide. “And what pray tell, are the selections this fine evening?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Jim held up the first of the books he’d had tucked under his arm. “For you milady, a piece of classic Americana. I humbly present, The Death of Superman. Part one of a three volume series.”

Pam couldn’t help herself and leaned forward to laugh at his selection. “With pictures and everything? You spoil me good sir.”

“Quite,” Jim said with a smirk and raised eyebrows. Leaning forward he handed her his prized comic book. “And for me, a selection long overdue on my own reading list.”

Pam’s giggles ended and a lump caught in her throat when Jim held up Angela’s Ashes.

Jim’s voice lost its humor but was still warm. “I promise to actually read it this time.”

A warm smile bloomed on Pam’s face as she patted the cushion next to her. “Come and sit down.”

They quickly situated themselves on the love seat. Jim reached over and picked up his mug. “A toast before we start reading.”

Pam followed suit and raised her own mug. “A toast.”

“To all the many works of writing past, present, and future. May we enjoy them all surrounded by those we love.”

“Cheers,” Pam agreed her voice full of affection.

They clinked their mugs together and settled in to enjoy their books.