Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy for everything, as always. Special thanks to Mari for bouncing and providing some great lines.
Readers and REAL McRollers - thank you for your continued support. It means a lot.
Hope you enjoy!
On Board (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Wednesday evening, as they waited for the Skype call to connect, an impatient Angie tried to wiggle out of Steve's lap.
"Where you going?" he asked. "Don't you want to see Joanie and everyone?"
Looking around at the sound of her cousin's name and not seeing her, Angie resumed her squirming. Thwarted by Steve's secure grip, she reached instead for Catherine, trying an alternate form of escape.
"Mama!"
"Ah ah," Catherine said. "You're fine with Daddy. Look!" She pointed at the laptop, trying to distract her. "Here they come!"
Angie looked toward the screen where Catherine pointed and was rewarded by the sight of Mary, Aaron, Joan, and Aunt Deb appearing in the videochat window. Her face immediately brightened.
"Noni!" she cried, pointing.
"Hi, Cousin Angie!" Joan said excitedly, waving at the screen from her spot on her knees right in front of the screen.
"Say 'hi,' Angie," Catherine encouraged.
Angie stretched a hand toward the laptop. "Hiiii!"
"Oh my goodness," Deb exclaimed. "Look how big you've gotten since the last time we Skyped."
Angie leaned toward the coffee table, taking a swipe at the laptop keyboard. Steve caught her hand and kissed it.
"Let's not accidentally close the window like last time, huh?" he said with a wry smile.
Angie grinned at him and patted his mouth with her little hand. He grinned back, puckering and relaxing his lips as she pressed her fingers to them. She giggled as that moved her fingers and then touched her own lips. Now content, at least momentarily, to sit in Steve's lap, Angie settled back against him and pulled up her t-shirt, nonchalantly displaying her tummy to everyone.
"How are you all?" Catherine asked. "Did you have a nice dinner?"
"Yeah!" Joan said, bouncing on her knees. "Aunt Deb is here!"
Mary chuckled. "I think they can see that, peanut."
"I love when Aunt Deb is here!"
"Awww," Deb said, leaning forward and giving her a little squeeze from behind.
"Aunt Deb came to my school today!" Joan bubbled. "And Grandma Sue and Grandpa Ramon! It was Special Grandparents Day!"
Angie clapped at Joan's excitement. "Ahee! Noni!"
"Grandparents and Special Friends Day," Aaron clarified.
"We had cookies!" Joan told them.
Mary laughed. "Clearly the most important part."
"They were very good cookies," Deb said, straight-faced.
"You also got to show them all the things you do at school, right, pumpkin?" Aaron said.
Joan nodded. "I showed them my cubbie and my name at my table and my square on the carpet."
"You did," Deb said, smiling at her
"That's wonderful," Catherine said. "What else did you show them?"
"I showed them the letter people and …" She tapped her chin as she thought. "And the calendar and the helper board."
"The helper board is where they list all the jobs everyone does for the week," Mary explained.
Joan nodded. "This week I get to take the breakfast baskets back to the lunchroom. Me and Jye take them together."
"Sounds like an important job," Steve said.
Joan held her hands out in an exaggerated gesture, shaking her head. "If we don't take them, the lunch helpers won't have them for tomorrow."
Mary let out a soft snort, smiling fondly at her daughter's earnest explanation.
"Show Aunt Cath and Uncle Steve and Angie your picture frame, Joan," Aaron said.
Joan gasped at the reminder and reached out of view. She held up a bright pink frame that had been decorated with multiple sparkly shapes right in front of the screen. "Grandparents and Special Friends Day 2018" had been printed on the bottom beneath the photo of Joan, Deb, Sue, and Ramon.
"Ooh!" Angie said, leaning forward and reaching toward the screen.
"Ohh, what a special picture," Catherine said. "And a wonderful frame to keep it in."
"I decorated it," Joan said proudly from behind the frame.
"We never would have guessed," Steve said with a grin. His smile softened. "That's really great, Joanie."
She lowered the frame, smiling at him.
"We all got to make one," Deb said, holding up her own keepsake. Her frame was green with decidedly fewer sparkles, but held the same photo of the four smiling faces.
"What a great idea," Catherine said. "Now you all have a memento of your special day together."
"It was such a special day," Deb said, smiling at Joan. "I loved seeing all the things you're learning and how much you love kindergarten."
Joan beamed.
Still in Steve's lap, Angie lifted her shirt again. This time Catherine gave her tummy a little tickle and Angie giggled.
"Well, we're very glad you're really enjoying school so far, Joan," Catherine said, turning back at the screen. She looked at Mary. "What about you, Mary?" she asked. "You're about a month in. How's it been?"
"Harder than I expected," Mary admitted. "And I was expecting it to be hard. I was ready to drop Intro to Statistics after that first week, but luckily Elizabeth talked me out of that."
Steve and Catherine waited for her to say more.
"So yeah, it's hard," Mary continued. "There always seems to be more reading and every time I turn around there's another assignment to do or quiz to prepare for and I'm exhausted all the time, but … I don't know, somehow it's energizing at the same time."
Beside her, Aaron put a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her a supportive smile.
She smiled back at him, reaching up to squeeze his hand. "Aaron's been great," she said, looking back at the screen. "He's taken over the lion's share of stuff around here so I have time to study."
"And I'm helping too, right, Mama?" Joan said.
Mary smiled, leaning over to kiss her daughter's head. "You've been such a great helper, peanut. I couldn't do it without you."
Steve and Catherine smiled, knowing that Mary's desire to set a positive example for Joan was a huge motivation for her.
"I don't regret my decision for a second," Mary said firmly.
Deb reached over to squeeze Mary's free hand. "We know. And we're all so proud of you."
"Absolutely," Steve agreed.
"Thanks," Mary said sincerely. "It helps to have so much support. Here at home and long distance."
"You've got it," Catherine said. "We all believe in you."
"100 percent," Aaron said, leaning over and kissing her temple.
Mary smiled a little self-consciously at all the attention, then grinned as Angie lifted up her t-shirt once again.
"You're showing your tummy quite a bit there, munchkin," she said.
"Yeah, that's her new thing," Steve said with a little sigh. "She'll walk around like that, holding her shirt up." He tried to pull the material down but Angie squawked in protest.
"Wait, let's see if she'll do the tickle thing," Catherine said. She reached over and tickled Angie's bare tummy. "Tickle tickle tickle!"
Angie giggled, pulling her shirt down and then back up, looking at her mother in anticipation.
"Tickle tickle tickle!" Catherine said again, obliging her with another tickle.
Angie giggled again, this time putting her own fingers on her tummy and moving them in imitation of Catherine's. "Kik-al kik-al!"
Catherine smiled broadly while the L.A. contingent laughed at Angie's antics. Steve chuckled, shaking his head.
"That is the cutest thing," Mary said.
"Cousin Angie is ticklish!" Joan cried.
Aaron grinned mischievously. "She's not the only one." He leaned over and tickled Joan who shrieked with laughter.
Angie laughed in response. "Noni! Kik-al!" She pulled her shirt up again.
It was now Mary's turn to grin mischievously as she looked at Steve. "Look out, big brother, naked phase is next." She laughed at his stricken face.
He looked down at Angie. "I think we'll skip that phase."
Mary bark laughed. "Like it's up to you."
"If I remember right," Deb said with her own knowing smile, "you had a naked phase yourself, Steve."
Catherine snorted and muttered, "You're still having one."
Steve glanced at her with a smirk.
Turning back to the screen, she said, "Well, we should probably say goodnight. I know it's getting close to Joan's bedtime and Angie needs a bath."
"It was so good talking to you," Deb said.
"You, too," Catherine said. "I'm glad you got to go to Joan's school and had such a great time together."
"Can you come to my school next time, Aunt Cath? And bring Cousin Angie?" Joan asked.
"We'd love to," Catherine said. "Next time we visit."
Joan practically vibrated with excitement at the prospect. "Cousin Angie can sit with me for carpet time!" She looked at Angie. "But you have to keep your shirt down in school, Cousin Angie, okay?"
"Bah me!" Angie said.
"Okay, say 'bye-bye,' Angie," Catherine said.
Angie flapped her hand in a wave. "Bye!"
"Bye, honey," Mary said. "Love you."
"Can you blow them a kiss?" Catherine asked Angie, demonstrating.
"Like this, Cousin Angie!" Joan said, blowing a kiss.
Instead Angie lifted her t-shirt up and tried to tickle her own tummy again.
Steve sighed ruefully, shaking his head and smiling at the screen. " 'Night."
"Love you all," Catherine said. "Talk to you soon."
"Love you back," Deb echoed. "Bye-bye, Angie!"
"Bye, Cousin Angie!"
"Good night," Aaron said, and reached over to end the Skype call.
"Noni!" Angie cried as soon as the image closed out. She reached for the laptop.
"We'll talk to them again soon," Catherine assured her.
"Yep," Steve said. "Right now, it's bathtime." He lifted Angie, turning her to face him. When she reached for her t-shirt, he raised her above his head and blew a raspberry on her tummy.
She laughed brightly. "Mo!" she cried. "Dada!"
"More, huh?" he repeated, grinning at her and blowing another raspberry. "Your new habit does make that easier." As he settled her against his side in preparation to head upstairs for her bath, he looked over at Catherine.
She smiled. "It's great Deb was able to go to Joan's school for Grandparents and Special Friends Day."
"Yeah, clearly Joanie couldn't have been more excited. And it sounded like Aunt Deb had just as much fun." His smile was soft as he looked at their daughter. "You know, it doesn't feel like that long ago that Joanie was this age."
"It goes fast," Catherine agreed. She moved closer, running a hand across his back and brushing her other over Angie's hair. "So let's enjoy every moment."
He smiled his agreement, leaning over to kiss her. "I'm definitely on board with that."
Hope you enjoyed!
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