"So, I'm Not A Surprise?"

"I hear people ask you that a lot," he said to her. "And when they ask they always have a weird grin on their face. Like they know something that I don't. What do they mean?"

"The question about if you were a surprise?" She stopped walking, looked him in the eye, and waited for his reply.

"Yeah. I don't get it. A surprise... of what?" He wondered.

"They are curious if I got pregnant with you by accident. You know, like if Dad and I didn't plan to have you." She started walking again. He walked next to her, his stride matching hers.

"Really? Why would they care?" he asked, curious.

"Not sure. My only guess is they ask because you are quite a few years younger than your sister and brother."

"Is having me 8 years later a long time to wait to have another kid?" He spoke slowly, the idea seemingly meandering around in his thoughts.

"Not for us. You see, many people want their children to be close in age. So they will grow up together. Play together. Go to school together. Those kinds of things," she told him, frankly.

"Why didn't you have me before eight years passed? It would fun to be the same age as my brother and sister. To hang out with them more. Drive like they do. Go to parties. Stuff like that," he inquired.

"Simply put, we weren't ready for you. We knew we wanted you. When the time was right. It took eight years for the time to be right to bring you into our lives," she told him, honestly.

"So, I'm not a surprise?" He knew the answer, he just wanted to hear her say it again.

"Nope. You are not a surprise."

They smiled at each other. Continued walking. Hand-in-hand.