Promises Fulfilled

"Well, Skip, I never thought I'd see the day," Colonel Clayton stated as Lee finished loading the dishwasher.

Lee dried his hands on the dish towel and tossed it onto the counter as he asked, "See what?"

"You, finally becoming a man," the Colonel stated as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He gestured the pot toward Lee who shook his head no.

Lee tensed immediately, the muscle in his jaw tightened. "I'm not trying to be disrespectful, sir, but I've been a MAN for quite a few years now," he grumbled.

The Colonel shook his head as he sipped his coffee. Lowering the mug, he replied, "No, Skip, you've been nothing more than a frat boy with a good job. You've finally stepped up. A family, kids. Your mother would be proud."

Lee was about to retort when Philip walked into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. Lee laughed and asked, "Didn't you fill that void at dinner?"

Philip turned and immediately tensed up when he saw the Colonel standing beside Lee. "Um, I did. I was just grabbing a drink," he mumbled. Lee watched as Philip's normal, casual demeanor shifted as he collected a cup from the cabinet and poured himself a small glass of milk. Philip stood, shoulders slumped, and quickly downed the cold liquid. He took his glass to the sink and immediately washed it before he turned to leave.

Amanda arrived in the kitchen just as Lee asked, "Colonel, do you mind if I have a word with Philip?" Lee looked at his uncle.

"Colonel Clayton, why don't we take our coffee outside. It's a nice night out. We can sit in the gazebo," she suggested as she guided him toward the back door. She looked at Lee over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. He pursed his lips and gave her a slight head shake in response. Once the back door was closed and Lee heard Amanda's voice fade away he turned to Philip and asked, "What's going on, Philip? You seemed pretty nervous through dinner." Philip shrugged his shoulders and studied the tile on the floor. "Is it my uncle?" Lee asked, and Philip just shook his shoulders again. "Listen, I know he comes across pretty abrasive-" Lee began.

Philip snapped his head up and cut him off, "Abrasive? He's rude. He corrected both Jamie and me on our table manners because we used our hands to eat tacos. How else are you supposed to eat tacos?" He exhaled loudly and leaned against the counter.

"I get it. He was like that my whole life. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him. This… this is exactly why I didn't want to invite him tonight," Lee explained. "Listen, I'll get rid of him and then you guys can come down for dessert, huh?"

Philip looked up at Lee, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, Jamie's hiding from him too. I actually asked him to help me study tonight."

Lee laughed loudly and asked, "What subject? Because if it's history, I think I can help you out on that one."

"No, French. I don't even know why they make us take this stuff. It's not like I'm going to use it," Philip lamented.

"I can think of a time or two knowing a few phrases in a different language came in handy. If you really need help, Francine is a whiz at languages. I think she speaks six or seven fluently, French being one of them," Lee offered. Philip smiled weakly back at him. "So, you head upstairs, and I'll call you down when the Colonel is gone, all right?"

"Yeah," Philip sighed as he jogged up the steps. He turned back before heading to his room and called, "Hey, Lee!" Lee whipped his head around just as he stepped outside. "Thanks!" Philip smiled.

Lee found Amanda, Colonel Clayton and Dotty sitting in the gazebo talking. "Thank you for finishing the dishes, Sweetheart. You didn't have to do that," Amanda said as she looked up.

"Just trying to do my part," Lee stated as he sat beside her.

"You never did that as a kid unless I threatened to punish you," Colonel Clayton stated with a tilt of his head. "Come to think of it, you didn't do anything without being told to. Dang near drove me crazy."

Dotty patted the Colonel's leg and joked, "Well, isn't that the job of children? To drive their parent's crazy?"

The Colonel just shook his head, "Back in my day, you did what you were told the first time, or you did things without even being told. You knew the rules and you obeyed them. Not this one. He tried to defy every last one of them."

Lee tensed his jaw once again. "Yeah, well, maybe if you were a little more understanding when I first…. No, you know what. I'm not going to get into it." Lee sighed loudly. He took one look at Amanda, smiled and said, "I do want to thank you, though. Amanda and I signed the paperwork for our new house yesterday. We'll have you over when we're all moved in."

Amanda covered his hand with hers and added, "And we hope you have a good time at the wedding on Saturday. Did you decide if you were going to be bringing anyone with you?"

"Nah, no one I can really trust, you know," the Colonel stated.

Dotty smiled and asked politely, "So Colonel, how long will you be in DC?"

"Well, I've been stationed here the last year or so, but I'm beginning to think about retiring. Find a nice little place close by. Then I can see Skip and all of you much more," he stated with a big smile.

Lee closed his eyes and shook his head before he said, "Well, you know, it's getting late. The boys have a ton of homework that I promised I would help them with." Amanda's head snapped up and she raised her eyebrows in total disbelief. "Here, Colonel, let me walk you to your car." Lee stood quickly, the Colonel immediately followed suit.

"Thank you, Mrs. West, Amanda. Dinner was… an experience. Skip's never cooked for me and well…. I've never seen him take charge like that before. That Mexican chicken with rice and black beans he and the boys whipped up was mighty tasty and if it's all the same to you, I'd like to do this again," he stated with a nod of his head.

"Well, Colonel, you're family and family's welcome anytime," Amanda stood and gave him a hug. Lee stood beside her scowling, uncomfortable with the thought his uncle would be coming to dinner again soon.

"Well, Amanda, we should wait until we're all settled into the new house," Lee replied through gritted teeth.

"Have a good night, ladies. Lee, you'll tell the boys I said goodnight, won't you?" the Colonel asked as he followed Lee down the driveway.

Lee shook his head yes, held out his hand and said, "Will do, sir. So, we'll see you on Saturday. Do you need a ride to the Cumberland? I can send someone to get you."

Colonel Clayton took his hand and held it tightly and said, "I'll get to the Cumberland. Don't you worry about me, Skip. I wouldn't miss this for the world. You're doing good, son. Now keep it up." Leaving Lee, with his mouth now gaped open in surprise, he climbed into his car and drove away without another word.

Lee stood and watched him disappear down the street. He didn't hear Amanda behind him and jumped when she put her arm around his waist. "Hey, you feeling okay?" Amanda asked.

"I think my uncle just gave me a compliment," Lee replied dumbfounded.