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Chapter Three: The Naming

They left the room and joined their parents in the kitchen, where Cally had prepared a light lunch. After a short grace, they tucked in.
“Well, we’re all here now,” Bruce announced, setting down his cutlery. “Let’s attend to the business at hand. Names, please. And no far-fetched or awkward names that will cause them misery throughout their lives.” He eyed them individually, a hint of his old firmness returning, though softened by new fatherhood.

The process was chaotic. Names were blurted out, creating an air of mixed agreement and rejection. Some suggestions were “scrapped” immediately; others were “butchered,” as Timothy put it, after a short discussion outlining a host of reasons for rejection. This went on for quite a while, and it was only the sound of the babies crying that brought them back to the present. Rose and Cally were up and off to the nursery in a split second to perform the needed diaper changes.

They returned to the “conference” table, each with a baby in hand. Cally, handing the baby she was carrying to Bruce, called a time-out, as she needed to start preparing supper. Bruce, however, preferred to order in. “I think we deserve a break, Cally. Let’s order delivery—some pizzas. My treat.” Everyone agreed, and the order was placed.

Rosemary used this opportunity to take the twins back to their room to feed them. Her mother accompanied her to assist; two hungry babies were definitely a two-person job. Father and son saw this as an opportunity to continue the name search, hoping to settle on the all-important names before the pizza arrived.

Pizzas delivered and the boys fed and fast asleep, they were put to bed. All four adults tucked into their meal before returning to the discussion, which quickly morphed back into a passionate debate.

Timothy, bouncing in his seat, spoke up, “Dad and I have a suggestion. We’d like Rose to consider the names Caleb and Joshua.”

Rosemary looked at her mother, searching for approval or disapproval, as she herself was double-minded. She recognized the Biblical significance; they were the two spies sent out by Moses who returned with a positive report, a symbol of hope and faith. They did not make a final decision, but the family realized that time was running out; by law, the boys had to be registered soon after birth.

Life at the Ascott home smoothly morphed into a new routine. The twins quickly—and completely—dethroned Cally as the grand queen of the house, replacing her as the centre of their collective existence. None of them minded the new direction their lives were moving in.
The twins’ names were finally settled as suggested by Bruce and Timothy. The eldest twin, by six minutes, was named Joshua, and the younger one Caleb. As their hair grew, covering Joshua’s birthmark, Rosemary was still able to tell them apart due to her strong maternal instinct. For the others, they knew them as Joshua, the one with the noticeable birthmark (a half-inch diameter blemish on his left temple), and Caleb as the other. It took a bit of time, but the boys eventually started responding to their given names, embedding themselves completely in the family’s fabric.