HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!
Mari & Ilna- you guys are the absolute best. Thanks for EVERYTHING! There are no two people I'd rather be on this ride with.
Sandy-what would I do without you?
REAL Worlders-I can never fully express what all your amazing support means to me. All I can say is that in our fourth calendar year your support and encouragement keeps me as enthusiastic as I was about this project day one.
Grandpa Boundaries (1/1)
McGarrett Rollins Home
6:30 P.M.
"You can say I'm seeing things if you want but I'm telling you, she looks just like Catherine and Elizabeth," Joseph insisted with a confident smile. There was no mistaking by the soft look in his eyes, focused on the desktop just out of range on the laptop's camera lens, what had caught his attention.
Steve looked skeptical as he adjusted his sunglasses and leaned back in one of the Adirondack chairs on the beach to get a better view of Cammie playing in the surf a few yards away. His tablet was propped up on the table beside him and he was Skyping with his father-in-law.
"I'm just … I don't know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's hard to tell what she looks like from the sonogram."
Not that Steve hadn't spent more than few hours staring at it himself. He was mesmerized by every inch of the grainy image.
His daughter.
Their daughter.
Growing strong inside the womb of a woman he loved more than life itself.
Her kicks were becoming stronger now. And more frequent.
Almost every night, if he was patient, he felt her move.
And when it came to that little kick, like nothing he'd ever experienced before, he could be very patient.
He was broken out of his reverie by Joseph's voice.
"Not for me," Catherine's father said resolutely. "I've been studying this picture since you sent it to us. Niblet definitely looks like Catherine and Elizabeth."
"I certainly hope you're right," Steve chuckled.
"Trust me, I've been lucky enough to look at this profile for a lot of years. Your daughter," he pointed at the screen and smiled, "is gonna be a looker. Just like her mother and her grandmother. Speaking of her mother ..." he said leadingly.
"The governor was Grand Marshal of the parade this afternoon and then they had an event afterward at the Friends of St. Patrick. She should be home around 8:00."
"You didn't want to go?" Joseph knew Steve had a standing invitation to the governor's after hours' events.
Steve shook his head. "Green beer really isn't my thing. Neither is corned beef and cabbage. Catherine said Niblet didn't seem opposed to anything on the menu but she stuck a few Pop Tarts in her purse just in case."
Steve heard the telltale ping of an incoming email on Joseph's end and watched as the older man scanned the subject line and smiled. "This is it," he said happily.
After taking a virtual tour via Steve and Catherine, Joseph and Elizabeth had decided to purchase the large, ground floor condo from Steve's old teammate Jack Hershey. They'd spent the better part of the last two weeks settling on a price and working out the details and now there was just one last piece of business to take care of before they could schedule a closing.
Joseph had stayed up late waiting for several documents he needed from the Hersheys' attorney in San Diego confirming the details of the sales agreement so that he could complete their application for the condo board. They'd already received preliminary approval but it needed to be finalized before the sale could be completed.
Since time was of the essence, and the condo board did not accept electronic document submissions, Steve had offered to print off the documents and deliver them to the condo office in person the following day.
"This is perfect." Joseph beamed as he scanned the documents to make sure they contained everything he needed. "Now I'll forward these to you … "
"And I'll deliver them to the president of the condo board first thing in the morning," Steve finished.
"I really appreciate this," Joseph said sincerely.
Steve waved him off "My pleasure."
"Did I tell you that Jack offered to sell us most of the furniture?" Joseph asked as he hit send on the email to Steve.
"No, you didn't." Steve swiped open his email on his phone. "I wonder why."
"He said it was cheaper for him to buy everything new in San Diego than to pay to have it shipped from Hawaii."
"He's probably right." Steve nodded.
"Elizabeth and I talked about it and we decided it would be nice not to have to worry about getting the place furnished the first time we visit. We plan on ordering new mattresses right away but other than that we'll wait until we get there. If there's anything we don't want or need we'll donate it to a local shelter."
"Sounds like a plan." Steve reached out to pet Cammie who was hot on the heels of a dried palm frond blowing across the yard. "Especially since by the time the semester wraps up and you guys get here it's gonna be close to Catherine's due date. You might not want to be worrying about furnishing a condo at that point."
Joseph smiled affectionately. "Excellent point. You know …" He hesitated, clearly attempting to gather his thoughts. "I'm really glad your daughter is gonna grow up in one place, surrounded by loving family and so many friends."
Steve watched a cloud pass over Joseph's features. He knew his father-in-law had regrets about not providing Catherine with a more settled childhood.
"Catherine always insists there's nothing she would change," Joseph continued, "and I take her at her word but … I don't know … maybe it's true what they say. It's different when it's the grandchildren. I like the idea of Niblet having a place to put down roots."
"I think Catherine would say, and I agree with her, that the most important thing about a family is the love, and that follows you wherever you go," Steve said, both to reassure Joseph and because it was true. "But I have to admit that thinking about Niblet growing up here on the island, in the same house I lived in as a boy … it just sounds right."
"Thanks for being so open to the idea of Elizabeth and I buying a condo ten minutes away from you. Not every man wants his in-laws that close."
"I've told you before," Steve smiled, "if the three of you ever decide to make it permanent I'll personally fly there and help you pack. Smokey's welcome too. Cammie is always happy to have a new playmate."
Joseph smiled.
He knew Steve meant every word.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"You do that." Steve reached down and took the tennis ball Cammie had retrieved from the deck and brought for him to throw. "It's a standing offer."
"Just promise you'll let me know if I overstep my grandpa boundaries."
"Never gonna happen." Steve shook his head adamantly. "You and Danny … I'm counting on you two to answer what I'm sure will be a million questions. Judging by results you've both got the dad thing down pat."
"Well, thank you for the compliment but I'm not sure you ever get it down pat." Joseph grinned. "The first time I was alone with Catherine and she was crying and I couldn't figure out why was scarier than any combat situation I've ever been in."
"Thank heavens for Creedence Clearwater Revival." Steve smirked.
"That worked with Catherine," Joseph chuckled, "but Niblet may have different musical tastes. Or she may prefer spoken word poetry or haiku."
Steve sat straight up and his face held a slightly panicked look. "Do you think that's possible?"
"You never know," Joseph teased, then decided to let his son-in-law off the hook before the poor boy spent the rest of the weekend watching poetry reading videos on Youtube. "Though I think most of the time it's the music they respond to."
"I hope so." Steve sighed. "Gracie had to write some free verse poetry for Creative Writing a few months ago. She read it to us for practice before reciting it in front of the class. She got an A so it must have been good but I just didn't get it."
Joseph's eyes lit up. "I know … maybe you should start playing Creedence any chance you get so Niblet gets used to it."
Steve relaxed slightly. "That's not a bad idea."
Joseph looked across the miles at his son-in-law. He'd never seen a man more determined to do everything right for his wife and child.
"You're gonna be a great dad, Steve."
"Thanks." Steve wanted to say more but he couldn't get the words out around the lump of emotion in his throat. To hear those words from a man he loved and respected as much as Joseph Rollins created a feeling of warmth and of confidence in him like nothing he'd ever felt before.
"And I can tell you from personal experience that when you have an amazing woman beside you it helps make things a little less scary."
Steve grinned. "Well, I definitely have that covered."
"You do indeed." Joseph yawned. "Ok, it's late here. I'm gonna get to bed. The email arrived ok?"
"Yep. I'm gonna print it out as soon as I go in the house," Steve assured him.
Joseph nodded. "Let me know if they need anything else."
"Will do," Steve promised. "Have a good night and tell Elizabeth and Grandma Ang we said hi."
Steve disconnected the call and stared out at the ocean.
In his mind's eye, he saw Joseph and Elizabeth playing in the sand with his daughter, building sand castles just to have them knocked down by a giggling Niblet, then rebuilding them again with a smile. Walking through their neighborhood, or the condo complex, pushing Niblet in a stroller and telling everyone who stopped to chat about her latest adventures or attempts at saying words. He thought of family Thanksgivings and Christmases with Niblet, and any siblings that might come along, and when he did it was the laughter and the overwhelming feeling of love that filled his mind.
And his heart.
The idea of Elizabeth and Joseph as slightly overindulgent grandparents brought a smile to his face. Sneaking Niblet sweets before meals, getting her an extra toy at the store, but most of all being a soft place for her to land and always ready with an endless supply of unconditional love.
He knew the affect the Rollinses had had on his life.
He couldn't wait for Niblet to meet them
Saturday
7:15 A.M.
As soon as the breakfast dishes were done the next morning, with Catherine resting on the couch looking at cribs online, Steve headed out to drop off the papers to the condo board and run a few errands including a stop at the farmers' market.
He parked his truck in the closest lot and made his way down a well-traveled path that hundreds of people walked daily. He glanced at his watch. The condo office wouldn't be open for another twenty-five minutes.
As he approached his destination his eyes welled up.
Happy tears Catherine would say.
He leaned over and wiped a few leaves off the granite stone.
He had just enough time for a quick visit.
He reached in his pocket and extracted a copy of a grainy image.
"Hi, Dad. I brought you a picture of your granddaughter."
THE END
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