Niles looked around the table. It was so good to be with his entire family for a change. Even Frasier had managed to return to Seattle for once. Since it had been a while since Frasier visited, they were all going out to dinner. Niles, Daphne and David of course, but also Martin and Ronee, and even Roz. Niles had reserved a table at one of Seattle's finest restaurants. Nothing less than the best would do for the Crane boys.
"Daddy, why did I have to get so dressed up just to eat?" David asked. It was clear he wasn't used to wearing a tie. Daphne gently loosened it for him.
"This is what people do when they go to a fancy restaurant," Niles explained. "When your uncle Frasier and I were your age, we used to love to go to places like this."
Frasier smiled. "Yes. Mom always took us out for our birthdays. You always hated that, didn't you, Dad?"
"You bet I did," Martin said. "And I know we've all gotten so much closer, but I still hate it. What was wrong with the Timber Mill?"
"Dad, please don't bring that up," Frasier said immediately, recalling the disaster when Martin took his two sons to one of his favorite restaurants.
Daphne was used to the Crane men bickering, so she barely paid attention. She'd been studying the menu, trying to decide what to order, when she noticed something. "Niles, look." She pointed to an item listed under the Specials.
Niles was confused when he saw what Daphne was trying to show him. "Eels? Daphne, you don't even like seafood!" If he hadn't known better, he would think his wife was trying desperately not to laugh.
"Don't you remember?" Daphne asked. "That night when you and Frasier wanted to open your own restaurant? Look, it even says here that they're served fresh, and made to order. I bet they have a tank back there in the kitchen!"
For a moment, both Crane boys were perplexed. But then the memory came back to them. "Ah, yes, our opening – and closing - night." Frasier laughed as he recalled the incident.
"Well, I certainly could never forget it," Roz said. "I must've been in the shower for hours trying to get those cherries off of me! Oh, God, it was awful!" But even she couldn't help laughing.
David looked around the table. The grownups were talking about something that happened a long time ago again. They did this all the time, but it never made sense to him. "What are you guys talking about?"
Ronee laughed. "It's OK, David, I have no idea what they're talking about, either. I only came into this family about the same time you did."
Martin smiled, kissing his wife. Even now, he couldn't imagine what a woman like Ronee Lawrence could see in an old guy like him. But, whatever it was, he was grateful for it.
"Years ago, way before your mother and I got together, uncle Frasier and I wanted to own our own five-star restaurant. We bought one that was closing down, and we were all set for our grand opening," Niles explained.
"What happened?" David asked.
"Well, in short, everything that could go wrong did go wrong," Frasier said. "The waiter and bartender both got injured."
Daphne nodded. "Roz and I came to eat at the restaurant, but suddenly, we were both working to help your father and your uncle out. We didn't have a clue what we were doing."
"What'd you guys do?" David asked.
"Well, I waited tables, and your mom and dad worked in the kitchen," Roz said. "It was a disaster pretty much from the start. We got people's orders wrong. And your dad was afraid to kill a live eel."
"You had to kill an eel?" David asked, looking at his father in disbelief.
"I didn't kill it. Your mother did. She saw me struggling and came over and grabbed an eel from the tank. The next thing I knew, she slammed it down on the counter. It was the bravest thing I'd ever seen anyone do." Niles slipped his hand in Daphne's.
Daphne smiled in embarrassment. "We needed eels to serve the guests, so I just did what needed to be done. It was no big deal."
"It was to me, my love," Niles said. "I would never have dared to touch an eel, much less take one out and just kill it like that." He could not resist caressing her face and leaning over to kiss her. It had taken several more years after this incident for Niles to make his feelings known, but he'd loved her from the very start.
"Things pretty much went downhill from there," Frasier said, after everyone spent a moment watching Niles and Daphne. "Someone ordered cherries jubilee for dessert. Niles and I had added a great deal of alcohol to the cherries, without being aware that the other had put some in. The cherries are supposed to be served after lighting a match. So they were….a fire hazard, to say the least."
"It was like something out of a war movie, except with cherries. People ran for the exit as fast as they could, just as the sprinkler system came on. Oh, it was awful," Roz said. But even she couldn't help laughing at the memory.
"After that, your dad and I knew our future as restaurant owners was over," Frasier said. "Your grandfather gloated for a few days after that, and I'm positive I heard him mutter I told you so a few times around the apartment."
"Hey, I could've gloated a hell of a lot more, considering how much this thing backfired on you," Martin said. "I mean, literally backfired." He laughed loudly, making an "explosion" gesture with his hands.
"All right, Dad, I think you've made your point," Niles said. "Boy, this is a memory I hadn't thought of in years. There was a time when I never would've thought you and I would sit here reminiscing." He smiled fondly at his older brother.
"I feel the same way, Niles. Every day, I'm grateful that I returned to Seattle when I did. Leaving Boston was hard, but just look what we'd all have missed out on if I hadn't." Frasier looked around the table. He couldn't help remembering the night when everyone said their goodbyes just before he'd left to follow Charlotte.
Daphne looked over at David, and it was clear the young boy was still confused. "I know it's hard to understand all these things that happened so long ago, before you were born. But we all spent eleven years together as a family. Not a perfect family, mind you, but we've all made some wonderful memories. These moments are what we hold onto, no matter what's going on in our lives now. And all of those moments led us to you." She kissed the top of her son's head, ruffling his hair. "You're a miracle none of us were expecting."
"Well, I sure wasn't," Ronee said. "I knew when I married Marty, I'd have to put up with these two," she motioned to her two stepsons. "But I didn't think I'd end up being an instant grandmother!"
Martin gave his wife a look. "Oh, come on, you love David a lot more than you'll admit."
"OK, he's not a total brat," Ronee reluctantly said. "I've never been part of a big family like this. It's kind of nice."
"Well, gee, Ronee, don't overdo it on the sentiment," Frasier said sarcastically. But he couldn't really be mad at his former babysitter turned stepmother. Yes, those years he'd spent out here were filled with more ups and downs than he could ever remember. But, sometimes, even a disaster can turn into a beautiful memory.
The End