Notes: Mari and Sammy – I'm as excited now as I was when we started, and that is saying something! Thank you for the squeals and the gibberish and the laughs and the happy tears and the absolutely unending support and enthusiasm. And THANK YOU for the title, Sammy!
Esther – Thank you for being you. I'm grateful every day for the brightness you bring to my life by being my friend.
Readers and REAL McRollers – Thank you so much for coming on this ride with us. Your support and enthusiasm mean the world. I'm so behind on responding to reviews and messages, but please know I'm incredibly grateful for every word of support.
Special thanks to my mom (the original Mrs. R) and alharpole for sharing their kindergarten graduation ideas with me for this story. All those details were very much appreciated!
Hope you enjoy!
Embracing Change (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Steve and Catherine entered the crowded elementary gymnasium/auditorium and scanned the hundred plastic chairs for familiar faces.
Cody spotted them first and half stood, putting his hand up in the air to get their attention.
Steve waved back, and he and Catherine moved toward the row where Cody sat with Jenna, Jadon, and Jadon's mother Kendra.
"Hi," Jenna said and motioned to the two empty chairs beside her. "We saved you seats."
"Thanks," Catherine said and sat beside her. The two exchanged a quick hug. "Sorry we're late."
"Yeah," Steve echoed, his hand moving to Catherine's back as he sat on her other side. "Court ran long."
"Not at all," Jenna assured them. "There's still a couple minutes before the program starts. Jacob is so excited you could both come."
"It was all he could talk about at breakfast," Cody said with a wry smile. He glanced at Jadon. "Well, when he wasn't rehearsing the songs they're gonna sing."
"Oh, man, I know," Jadon grumbled in commiseration. "Lil' Reggie's been singing all week."
"Boy, you were the same way when you were his age," Kendra said, pushing his arm teasingly.
He grinned. "But I bet I was on key."
"Ha!" she retorted. "Think again. You still don't sing on key."
"Aww, Mama," he groaned, and everyone laughed.
"Steve," Jenna started, "I know you've met Kendra and Jadon, but I don't think you have, Catherine."
"No," Catherine agreed. She smiled and waved to them as they were too far apart to shake hands. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"You, too," Kendra said.
"I've heard a lot about you, Jadon," Catherine said.
"Yeah, you, too," he said. His mother elbowed him, and he added, "Ma'am."
Cody elbowed him from his other side and threw him a look.
"I mean," Jadon continued, flicking his eyes between Cody and Catherine. "From Lil' Reggie, you know."
"Right," Catherine said with a smile. She winked at Cody who looked down but was smiling.
"It's great you guys were able to come this morning," Steve said to the teens.
"Yeah," Cody said. "J's done with his finals, and I just had one this morning."
"Our moms signed us outta school so we could come," Jadon said.
"Well, I know your brothers will be really glad you're here," Steve said, giving them a nod.
"Oh," Jenna said, pointing toward the doors. "It looks like the kids are getting lined up in the hall, I think they're about to start."
As she spoke, a woman walked to the front of the room and stepped up on the stage to stand behind a wooden podium with a microphone.
"Good morning, everyone," she said, and the buzz of conversation in the room died down. "Welcome to our Kindergarten Graduation program. I'm Ms. Naukama, the principal here for those of you who might not know me. If you could all take your seats, our graduates are about ready to come in, and we'll get started with the program."
The few audience members still standing made their way to their seats. Ms. Naukama motioned to the music teacher, and the traditional "Pomp and Circumstance" music began to play over the speaker system.
Cameras and cell phones came out in force as the two classes of kindergartners, dressed in their nicest clothes, walked in with their teachers and were guided up the stairs to their places on the risers set up on stage.
"Jake's messin' with his tie," Cody said upon seeing his youngest brother fiddling with the clip-on tie he wore with his short-sleeve button down shirt.
Jenna chuckled. "Of course."
"He looks adorable," Catherine said and snapped a quick picture with her phone. "They all do."
As if he knew they were talking about him, Jacob spotted the group and grinned, waving excitedly from his place in the front row. He wasn't the only kindergartner to see a familiar face in the audience and wave.
When all the students were on the risers, Ms. Naukama said, "Welcome again, everyone. I'd like to introduce Mr. Keoha, our music teacher, who has been working hard with our almost first-graders on a few songs for our program today."
"Thank you," the older man said as he moved in front of the stage. He smiled at the audience. "Our first song will hopefully be familiar to many of you. We would like to dedicate it to our families here with us today, and those who couldn't be here as well."
He turned to the kindergartners and raised his hands to prepare them to sing.
The group launched into two rounds of the chorus of "You Are My Sunshine," complete with hand motions.
" 'Please don't take my sunshine away,' " they sang the final line.
"Away!" Keone, who was standing next to Jacob and who was a little behind tempo, finished. A light laugh rippled through the audience, and his sheepish smile turned into a grin.
As the audience applauded, Mr. Keoha motioned for the kids to sit on the risers.
Ms. Naukama said, "Thank you, Mr. Keoha, and thank you, kindergartners." She looked out at the audience. "Welcome again to family and friends. We're so pleased you could join us this morning as we bring this year to a close. It's been a wonderful year of learning, and we want to celebrate the accomplishments of our students in Mrs. Rothenberger's and Ms. Sanchez's classes. I'm sure many of you in the audience were here on the first day of school last year. Like me, I'll bet you remember the expressions on the young faces starting school for the first time. Some excited, some a little nervous." She looked at the students and smiled. "Now I look at you, and I think about how much you've changed and how much you've learned this year. I'm so proud of each and every one of you, and I know your futures are going to be so bright." She touched the corner of her eye and laughed lightly. "Oh my, is it a little dusty in here?"
The audience laughed with her, and several of the adults could also be seen wiping a stray tear.
Jenna sniffed, and Cody put his hand on hers. She smiled at him and leaned her head against his briefly.
"Mrs. R and Ms. Sanchez, with the help of our media specialist Ms. Timmons, have prepared a little slideshow with some photos from the year," Ms. Naukama continued. "So let's hope the technology is going to cooperate . . ." She looked to where the other kindergarten teacher, Ms. Sanchez, was standing at the computer cart. Ms. Sanchez gave her a thumbs up, and the slideshow began on the large screen at the back of the stage.
Photos from both kindergarten classes throughout the year appeared as "Sing a Rainbow" played in the background. Excited murmurs ran through the room as students and audience members spotted familiar moments.
Along with everyday activities, there were photos from special events, field trips, and classroom visits.
Jenna smiled at Catherine when a photo of her reading to Jacob's class filled the screen and happy cries of "Lieutenant Catherine" could be heard from several of the kids on the stage.
A few slides later, Cody and Jadon laughed at a photo of Steve with dirt on his pants after Jacob had accidentally dumped his soda bottle greenhouse in Steve's lap.
"Why'd you wear khakis?" Jadon leaned over and asked, still chuckling.
"It's just dirt, it washed out fine," Steve groused, though the corner of his mouth twitched in a half smile.
Catherine smiled and squeezed his hand.
Towards the end of the slideshow, a photo of a smiling Jacob and Jenna seated at a table in the cafeteria appeared.
"What was that from?" Catherine asked. "It looks like you two had a great time."
"We did," Jenna said. "That was at the Mother's Day Tea. It was for moms, aunts, grandmas, and any other special women the kids wanted to invite. Jacob was bummed because he wanted to invite you, but you were in New York."
"Oh, I wish I could have been there. I'm flattered he wanted me to come."
"Of course he did," Jenna said, smiling at her. "You've become so special to him."
Catherine returned her smile, touched by her words.
Steve slid his arm around Catherine's shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.
After the slideshow, Mr. Keoha returned to the front of the stage and led the children in a Hawaiian song about friendship.
As the applause died down, Ms. Naukama said, "Now it's time for each of our kindergartners to be recognized." She looked at the students. "Just like we rehearsed yesterday, okay? When I call your name, carefully come to the front of the stage to where your teacher is standing with your lei." She checked to see that the adults were in place. "We'll start with Mrs. R's class."
Shifting the papers on the podium, she began, "Jacob Allen."
Jenna, Cody, Jadon, Kendra, Steve, and Catherine cheered loudly to be heard over the audience's applause. Jacob beamed as he stood and walked up to Mrs. R who stood at the center of the stage. She placed the lei over his head and held out her hand for him to shake.
Jacob misinterpreted the gesture and instead slapped her hand with a high five, then wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
The audience burst out with a mixture of "aww"s and laughter.
Jenna covered her mouth with both hands, laughing hard.
"Got it," Catherine said, having recorded the interaction on her phone.
Jacob returned to his seat with a skip in his step, and Ms. Naukama read the next name.
"Keone Alo."
They continued until every kindergartner in both classes had been recognized and given a lei.
"Congratulations to you all," Ms. Naukama said. "You've made me proud, you've made your teachers proud, and you've made your families very proud. But before we leave today, I want you to give a big round of applause to your teachers and your family who have helped you learn and grow every day."
The whole room joined the students as they clapped and cheered.
Three parents in the front row stood and presented Mrs. R, Ms. Sanchez, and Ms. Naukama with floral bouquets, and the cheers got even louder.
Ms. Naukama stepped back to the podium with her flowers and smiled broadly at the students.
"Now, there's one more thing we have to do before we go outside and enjoy our picnic. So stand up, kindergarten graduates, and let's tell the whole school what's next."
She waited for all the kids to stand, and said, "Ready . . . as loud as you can on the count of three. One . . . two . . . three!"
Forty young voices cried out with an exuberant chant:
"HERE WE COME, FIRST GRADE!"
The picnic was set up at the park across the street from the school and included a few carnival style games and an inflatable bounce house. There was food provided by the school and the PTA. Most of the kids had changed from their graduation clothes so they could run around and play without worrying about getting their nice outfits dirty.
"Cody, come on!" Jacob exclaimed, tugging on his brother's hand. "Let's go in the bounce house!"
"I think I'm too big, buddy," Cody said.
"Then watch me," Jacob said. He gave another tug. "Come on!"
"Okay, okay," Cody laughed.
"Lieutenant Catherine, will you come watch me, too?" Jacob asked.
"Sure," she said, smiling at him. "Lead the way."
Steve took her empty plate and fork, and she flashed him a smile in thanks before following Jacob and Cody toward the bounce house. Jacob was hopping on one foot, trying to take off his shoes as he walked.
"Commander Steve!" a voice called out.
Steve looked to see Sophia waving at him from where she stood several feet away at the ring toss game with her parents. She held out the heart pendant around her neck for him to see.
"I still got it," she said happily.
He gave her a thumbs up and smiled. "That's great."
Several other kids from Mrs. R's class had brought their families over to meet Lieutenant Catherine and Commander Steve while they were eating.
Jenna stepped up beside Steve, following his gaze to where Catherine and Cody stood talking outside the bounce house while Jacob played inside. They watched as Catherine spoke, and Cody laughed in response.
"It's nice to see them getting closer, too," Jenna said.
"Yeah," Steve agreed. He huffed an amused laugh. "Although that might not be so good for me."
After returning from the Allens', Steve stepped out onto the deck from the backdoor. Cammie bolted toward him from the yard while Catherine stood from where she had been bending over to pick up one of the balls on the ground.
"Hey, how'd paintball go?" she asked with an interested smile. "How'd Cody do?"
Steve greeted Cammie and stepped onto the grass, raising his eyebrows at Catherine as they stood close.
"You mean, your protégé?"
Her nose scrunched up. "You heard about that, huh?"
He folded his arms. "Yeah. I heard about that."
She smiled, her tongue poking out between her teeth.
"Well, come on," she said with a teasing eyeroll and a shrug. "I didn't want you to have too easy a time of it." She raised her eyebrows. "So how'd he do? I see you changed your shirt."
"Yep," he said, fighting a smile.
"So?" she prompted.
"He did really well," Steve said proudly, his hands moving to his hips. "The other guys . . ." He winced. "They've got a ways to go. Not sure any of them know the meaning of stealth."
She chuckled.
"But they all had a good time," he said.
"And so did you," she added.
He nodded. "It was fun."
"Good."
"And yes," he said with a smirk as his hands slid around her waist. "I can report your protégé took all your pointers to heart."
She smiled and ran her hands up and down his arms. "Glad to hear it." She tilted her head, her smile more serious. "But you know, he's yourprotégé."
Steve's expression grew thoughtful, and his gaze drifted past her to the water.
Catherine paused, watching his face.
"Did he like the wallet?" she asked softly.
He swallowed thickly.
"Yeah," he answered quietly. "Yeah, he . . . he did."
His eyes went back to her, and he swallowed again.
"He . . . he hugged me, Catherine."
"Oh, Steve," she breathed, bringing a hand up to his cheek.
"I don't know what I was expecting . . . but I wasn't expecting that."
She nodded, her hand sliding down his neck and resting on his chest.
"He hugged me," Steve repeated, still a touch of awe in his voice. "Not because of the wallet . . ." he continued. "Or not just because of it. It was like it was just . . ." He shook his head. "Everything from the last six months . . . it was like I could see it all in his face, you know?"
She smiled, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"That's you, Steve. You did that. The two of you together. And that hug just cemented the bond. Forever."
He nodded slowly, swallowing again.
"You know it was you . . ." he said, his thumbs moving unconsciously in slow circles on her waist. "All those years ago in the Mills' backyard. I told you about my dad sending me away, and . . . you hugged me."
"I remember," she said quietly.
"That was the first time in years anybody had really . . ." He sighed. "That reminded me what a . . . how important it can be to just . . . hug somebody. How huge that can be. I felt it again the first time Gracie hugged me, and now today . . ."
He sighed again and moved closer to kiss her temple.
"Thank you, Catherine," he said against her skin. "For helping me get on the path I needed to be on." He inhaled and shifted back to look at her. "For being on it with me. The path that got us here."
Her smile was bright through her tears, and she grasped his arms.
"Together," she said.
After a moment, he leaned down and kissed her softly before resting his forehead against hers. He felt her arms go around him in a tight embrace, and he returned it gratefully.
"Steve?" Jenna asked, pulling Steve from his memory.
He shook himself and looked at her. "Sorry." He smiled apologetically.
"Steve, I wanted to say thank you," she said seriously. "For everything. Things have never looked brighter for my family, and so much of that is because we met you and Catherine . . . and Danny and Grace and Chin and Kono and just . . . everyone. I'm so grateful for whoever or whatever put us on the path to meeting you all."
He blinked at the word and smiled to himself, his gaze drifting back to Catherine and Cody.
"Yeah, I know something about paths," he said quietly.
Inhaling, he refocused on Jenna beside him. "You're doing an incredible job with your kids, Jenna. We're all really grateful you're in our lives, too. All of you."
She smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Reaching up, she hugged him.
When he pulled back, he smiled and nodded toward the squeals coming from the bounce house.
"We better get over there," he said. "Can't let them have all fun."
They walked over to where Catherine and Cody were now standing with Kendra and Jadon outside the bounce house.
Steve put his arm around Cody and gave him a quick side hug. Cody flashed him a smile. With his other hand, Steve took Catherine's and intertwined their fingers.
"You know, next time you got some paintball tips . . ." Jadon was saying, "holla' at me."
Catherine laughed. "Tell you what, I'll do even better. Next time you guys go paintballing, I'll come, and you and I'll team up against those two," she said with a nod toward Steve and Cody. "What do you say?"
"Oh!" Jadon exclaimed. He pointed at Steve and Cody with a toothy smile. "Now it's on!"
Steve and Cody exchanged a look. Steve raised his eyebrows, indicating Cody should answer.
Cody grinned. "It's totally on."
Hope you enjoyed!
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