Notes: Mari and Sammy – Here we go again, ladies! I am still amazed at just how seamlessly we became family. It's something I'm thankful for every day. (And thanks AGAIN to Sammy for the awesome title!)
Readers and REAL McRollers – I am thankful for all of you and the incredible outpouring of support you show us and the REAL World every day. We truly have the best readers I could ever imagine.
Apologies for the late posting (but not as late as Halloween!).
I hope you enjoy!
Seamless Expansion (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Steve and Catherine waited near baggage claim at the Honolulu International Airport, looking through the throngs of people arriving in the late afternoon on Saturday.
Catherine placed a hand on Steve's shoulder, raising up on her tiptoes slightly to search through the crowd.
Steve looked over at her touch and smiled affectionately at the anticipation on her face.
Her eyes lit suddenly, and she said, "There they are."
He followed her eyeline to see Joseph Rollins pushing Grandma Ang, wearing three colorful leis, in one of the airport's wheelchairs with Elizabeth walking along side.
Steve and Catherine walked forward eagerly to meet them.
"Aloha," Catherine said, smiling brightly.
Elizabeth quickened her pace and went right to her daughter, dropping her carry-on bag and wrapping Catherine up in a fierce hug as Steve greeted Joseph and Ang.
"Mom," Catherine murmured, closing her eyes and hugging back.
Elizabeth held her tighter and whispered, "Oh, my baby."
After a moment, she let Catherine go and cupped her daughter's face in both hands to look at her, tears shining in her eyes.
"Mom, I'm okay," Catherine said, smiling through her own watery eyes. "We're okay. You know that."
"I know," Elizabeth said and sniffed, wiping at her nose.
Joseph put a hand on his wife's shoulder and looked at Catherine. "Skype is fine for some things, but it's not the same as seeing you in person, honey."
She smiled, and he moved to hug her.
"Dad," Catherine said, feeling his strong arms around her.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too," she replied, stretching up to tuck her chin over his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Us, too." He pulled back enough to see her face. "You know we would have come sooner . . ."
She smiled. "I know you would have. And I love you for that."
In the meantime, Elizabeth had moved over to Steve, pulling him into a tight hug of his own.
"Steve," she said and squeezed his shoulders as he leaned down to return the hug.
After releasing him, she held him at arm's length and looked him over.
He smiled. "We're really okay, Elizabeth."
Tilting her head, she said, "I'm a mom. I have to check."
She hugged him again, and he didn't hesitate to hug her back.
Catherine bent to wrap her arms around her grandmother.
"I knew you were okay, my girl," Ang whispered. "The whole time. I could feel it."
Catherine smiled at her, tears in her eyes. "Of course you did."
"After all, you and Steve together?" Ang looked over Catherine's shoulder at Steve who had stepped closer. "Unstoppable team. I'd take that bet any day of the week."
Steve smiled, putting his arm around Catherine as she straightened. "Me, too," he said.
Catherine smiled warmly at him, and he kissed her temple.
"Bags," Catherine said with a little laugh, wiping at the tears in her eyes. "We should get your bags."
Steve took their carry-ons and went to get the truck while the others moved to the baggage carousel listed for their flight and waited to see familiar items. Catherine and Joseph grabbed their suitcases as they came around, helping some of the other passengers with their luggage in the meantime.
"Is that everything?" Catherine asked once they had three large rolling suitcases.
"It is," Joseph confirmed.
"Okay, let's get going," Catherine said.
"The Allens are still coming for dinner, right?" Elizabeth asked, taking her suitcase from Catherine.
"They are," Catherine said, pushing Ang's wheelchair toward the doors.
"I am so excited to finally meet them," Ang said with a broad smile.
Catherine grinned. "You won't have to wait long."
True to her words, the Rollinses and Grandma Ang had just enough time to deposit their luggage, change their clothes, and freshen up before boisterous knocks on the front door were heard.
Everyone was gathered in the living room as Catherine opened the door to welcome the smiling Allen family.
"Come on in," she said. "Everyone's excited to meet you."
Cammie happily greeted everyone, overjoyed to have so many people she knew in the house. She sniffed at the little purse Kaitlyn had draped over one arm. Kaitlyn leaned into Jenna, but petted Cammie's neck before the dog moved on to Casey.
"Look!" Jacob cried, waving his left hand. "No cast!"
"That's great, Jacob!" Catherine exclaimed.
"The doctor said I'm all fixed!"
Jenna gave him a knowing smile. "And what else did he say?"
"Not to jump off any more picnic tables."
Joseph nodded. "Sounds like good advice."
Jacob looked at the strangers in the room. "I had a cast and everybody drew on it. But after Halloween. 'Cause I was a bone guy!"
"We heard," Elizabeth said, smiling.
"You did?" Jacob asked with wide eyes.
"We did." She looked at all the Allens. "I kinda feel like I've known you all for months with everything we've heard about you from Steve and Catherine."
Jacob's eyes widened even more, his mouth gaping. "You talk about us, Aunt Catherine?"
"Of course I do," she said with a smile. "I tell them about all the great things you guys do."
Jacob laughed. "That's funny!"
His laughter was contagious, and Catherine joined in. "That's funny? Why is that funny?"
" 'Cause you're the grown-up!"
"Thank you for inviting us to dinner," Jenna cut in. She looked at Elizabeth, Joseph, and Ang. "I still think we should have waited till you all got settled. But Catherine and Steve insisted . . ."
"They insisted because I insisted," Ang said. "I didn't want to wait a minute longer to meet you all than I had to. I'm Grandma Ang. And I recognize all of you from your pictures." She smiled at each of the kids in turn. "Cody, Casey, Dylan, Kaitlyn, and Jacob, of course."
"And that's Mom," Jacob said, pointing. "Her name is Jenna."
Ang laughed. "I know that, too."
"It's absolutely wonderful to finally meet you," Elizabeth said. She gave Jenna a warm hug, then looked at the kids. "You call me Aunt Elizabeth, and this is Uncle Joseph," she added, motioning to her husband.
"You're Aunt Catherine's mom and dad, right?" Jacob asked.
"That's right."
Kaitlyn looked up at her. "You look like Aunt Catherine."
Elizabeth laughed. "You know, Grace said the same thing to me last year."
Kaitlyn beamed at that.
"And who do I look like?" Joseph asked, folding his arms.
Jacob studied him seriously. "Umm . . . well, you don't really look like Uncle Steve, but you stand up straight like he does," he said, imitating the two men.
Joseph smiled with a quick look at Steve. "Old habits."
"My dad was in the Navy, too," Catherine explained.
"Really?" Dylan asked.
"I was," Joseph said.
Jacob gasped. "You're a veteran, too?"
Joseph nodded. "That's right."
Impulsively, Jacob lunged forward and hugged him around the waist. "Thank you for being a veteran." He stopped suddenly and stepped back, looking up with wide eyes. "Is that okay?" He looked back at his mother who smiled at him.
Joseph, still a little surprised at the spontaneous hug, smiled and patted Jacob on the back. "That's absolutely okay."
Kaitlyn touched Steve's arm. "Uncle Steve, when's Joan coming?"
"Tomorrow," Steve told her. "She and Mary are coming with Aaron," he added, his eyes flicking quickly to Joseph's. He smiled at Kaitlyn. "They've been spending time with his family this week."
"You'll have lots of time to play with her," Jenna said, squeezing her daughter's shoulder.
"Should we go outside?" Catherine suggested. "My parents and Grandma Ang haven't seen the deck in person yet."
"That's right," Ang said.
"It's this way!" Jacob exclaimed, running for the back door with Cammie at his heels.
Cody shook his head. He glanced at Elizabeth beside him. "He gets a little excited," he admitted with a sheepish smile. "About everything."
"Now there's an understatement," she said with a laugh. She patted his arm. "I think it's wonderful he has that much energy."
He smiled, ducking his head a little. They walked with the rest of the group through the house and out the back door.
"Whoa!" Jacob cried. "New chairs!" He ran to the chaise lounges on the side of the deck.
"Yeah," Steve said. "We just got those this week."
"They were made by the same man who created the table," Catherine said. "He's an incredible artist."
"I'll say," Elizabeth agreed, running a hand over the hand carved design on the table.
"Oh, my," Ang exclaimed, placing her hands on the railing of the deck. "The pictures were nice but this . . ." She ran her hands along the wood. "This is beautiful."
"It really is amazing," Joseph agreed, looking around the entire deck.
Steve put an arm around Catherine as they smiled happily.
"Can you believe they made it themselves?" Dylan asked.
"I absolutely can," Joseph said with a proud nod.
"We had a lot of help," Catherine put in.
"Yeah!" Jacob said. "Cody painted these." He pointed to the spindles in the railing.
"I helped stain and seal them," Cody corrected. He gave a little shrug at the sudden attention. "It wasn't a big deal."
"Yes, it was," Steve said matter-of-factly.
Cody looked at him, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half smile.
"And this is a nice set-up," Joseph complimented, stepping over by the outdoor kitchen and admiring the grill.
"It'll get some good use today," Steve said.
"Ohh, and here's Cammie's Casa," Elizabeth said, folding her hands together in front of her in delight.
At the name, Cammie trotted over to her special spot and sat beside it. She woofed happily, her tail thumping against the deck.
Elizabeth looked over at her husband. She chuckled at his thoughtful expression.
"Are you getting ideas, honey?" she asked with a knowing smile.
"Smokey's Spot?" Steve asked with a grin.
Joseph nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe . . ."
"He'll have it designed before we leave," Elizabeth said, smiling fondly.
"Of course he will," Catherine agreed, leaning up and kissing her father's cheek.
Steve looked around at the gathered group.
"Well, you guys hungry?" he asked.
"Yeah!" the younger kids yelled excitedly.
"You better believe it," Ang added to chuckles from the adults.
Steve nodded at the kids. "Why don't you guys take Cammie out into the yard to play while we get dinner going?"
"Come on, Cammie," Joseph said, and the dog happily followed him to the grass with Jacob, Dylan, and Casey.
Steve looked at Cody. "Gimme a hand up here?"
Cody nodded immediately. "Sure."
Elizabeth stepped next to Catherine and Jenna. "So what's next? Last Thanksgiving we got to see your new kitchen, this Thanksgiving it's the new deck. What's on the remodel schedule for next year?"
"I don't know," Catherine said with a quick look over at Steve. "We've had a few thoughts but nothing for sure."
Elizabeth gave her a knowing smile. "Because if you're looking for ideas, I have a suggestion for one of the rooms upstairs . . ."
Catherine rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile. "I'm sure you do."
Jenna chuckled.
Catherine looked at Ang. "Gram, do you want to sit?"
"That's a good idea, Mom," Elizabeth agreed. "At the table maybe, or in one of the new chairs?"
"Oh, the table's fine. Those chairs look comfortable but I won't be able to get up!" Ang said with a laugh.
"You can try one later," Catherine teased. "Steve and Dad'll get you up."
She and Jenna moved to help Ang sit on one of the detached benches at the table.
Elizabeth noticed Kaitlyn standing by the edge of the railing and watching the others play with Cammie in the yard.
"Hi, Kaitlyn," she said gently. "Do you want to sit with me?"
She sat on the steps of the deck and patted the spot beside her.
"Come on," she encouraged.
Kaitlyn sat down, wrapping her hands around her knees.
After a quiet moment, Elizabeth said, "She's a big dog, isn't she?"
Kaitlyn nodded. "I'm getting braver," she said quietly. She looked up at Elizabeth. "I play with her a little sometimes. And I pet her when she comes by me. But when she's jumping around like that . . . I still get butterflies in my tummy," she finished, pulling her knees tighter against herself as she looked back at the group in the yard.
"And that's perfectly okay to take small steps," Elizabeth said, rubbing her back reassuringly.
"That's what Mom says. Small steps. With Cammie and with Scout." She glanced up. "That's Grace's dog."
Elizabeth smiled. "Those are two great dogs to have as friends."
Kaitlyn looked surprised. "Friends?"
"Of course. Dogs make wonderful friends."
Kaitlyn looked back at Cammie thoughtfully.
After a moment, she turned back to Elizabeth. "Do you have a dog?"
Elizabeth nodded. "I've had a few dogs in my life. Star when I was a little girl. Then Piper. We got Salty when Catherine was eight. And now we have Smokey. I've loved them all." Elizabeth squeezed her shoulder. "You just keep taking those small steps. Do whatever you're comfortable with, okay?"
Kaitlyn gave her a small smile and nodded.
"Kaitlyn, honey," Jenna called from behind them.
Both Kaitlyn and Elizabeth looked back.
"Grandma Ang wanted to ask you something," Jenna said.
Kaitlyn smiled once more at Elizabeth and got up to join her mother and Ang at the table.
Catherine passed her mother on the steps, reaching down to touch her shoulder briefly and smile at her before continuing into the yard. Cammie bounded up excitedly to Catherine who bent to kiss and rub her head. Elizabeth followed, joining the group in the grass.
Kaitlyn stood next to the end of the table.
"Would you play a game with me, Kaitlyn?" Ang asked, showing her the Rummikub box Catherine had retrieved for her from her suitcase upstairs.
"I don't know how to play that game," Kaitlyn said.
"I'll teach you," Ang assured her. "I taught Catherine when she was even younger than you. I'm sure you'll pick it up quick. What do you say?"
Kaitlyn smiled, looking at her mother. "Will you play, too, Mom?"
Jenna smiled warmly, running a hand over her daughter's hair. "Sure, honey."
She scooted over on the bench to make room, and Kaitlyn sat beside her.
Ang opened the box and dumped the bag of tiles on the table.
"First we have to flip them all over so they're face down," she said.
"Nice big numbers," Jenna commented as she started flipping the tiles.
"This is a special version," Ang told them. "And I got it from someone very special." She raised her voice at the last three words and looked over at Steve by the grill.
He smiled over his shoulder at her and winked.
Joseph joined Steve and Cody just as Steve looked at the teen and said, "There's a cooler of drinks in the garage. You want to grab it?"
"I'll give him a hand," Joseph offered.
Steve smirked. "You just want an excuse to see the Marquis."
"Maybe," Joseph said noncommittally, though there was a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Steve nodded to Cody. "Show him the valve cover we installed last month."
Joseph quirked an eyebrow. He smiled knowingly and turned to Cody. "Let's take a look."
In the garage, Cody lifted the hood to show Joseph what he and Steve had done lately on the car.
"You worked on this with Steve?" Joseph asked, leaning toward the engine for a closer look.
"Yeah."
Joseph looked over at him. "That's a big deal, you know."
Cody tried to shrug it off. "I dunno . . ."
Joseph straightened, facing him. "You know who's car this was, right?"
"Yeah, it was his dad's."
"That's right." He looked at the teen seriously. "He doesn't let a lot of people in it, let alone work on it with him."
Cody rubbed his neck. "When he was helping me practice driving, he showed me how to change a tire on it. And change the oil."
Joseph nodded. "That's good. Those are good things to know how to do."
"And we put in a new oil pump this summer," Cody added.
Joseph's smile grew, and he put a hand on Cody's shoulder. "He trusts you. And he likes spending time with you."
Cody looked down, a small smile on his face.
"But I think you already knew that," Joseph said.
Cody glanced up at him.
Joseph nodded toward the refrigerator and freezer. "Let's grab that cooler, huh?"
Cody smiled. "Yeah."
Out in the yard, Jacob and Dylan continued playing with Cammie while Elizabeth and Casey grabbed a volleyball from the pile of outdoor equipment Steve and Catherine had brought out earlier in the day.
The two passed the ball back and forth for a while, with Elizabeth giving Casey a few pointers on her technique.
"I really want to serve overhand, but it always goes crazy when I try," Casey admitted.
"Well, I can show you how, but what it really takes is a lot of practice, like anything else," Elizabeth said.
Casey nodded.
"You know how Catherine learned?" Elizabeth continued. "She was around your age, and she just kept serving a ball at our house all summer, trying to get it on the garage roof because she figured if she could do that, it would definitely go over the net."
Casey smiled. "And that worked?"
"That worked." Elizabeth grinned. "But check with your mom before you start hitting balls at your house."
Casey grinned back.
Up on the deck, Catherine was passing by the Rummikub game just in time to hear her grandmother say, "What is that . . . clubs?"
Catherine smiled and stopped to kiss her grandmother's cheek. "No suits, Gram."
"Ohh, she knows what I mean," Ang said, motioning to Kaitlyn. "You know what I mean."
Kaitlyn giggled. Jenna smiled beside her.
Catherine stepped over to the outside kitchen, placing a hand on Steve's back.
"How long?" she asked.
"Few more minutes," he said, nodding to Cody who was manning the grill.
"Okay, I'm gonna grab the sides from the kitchen."
Steve nodded, and Joseph moved to go with Catherine.
"I'll help you, honey," he said.
"Almost time to eat," Catherine called to the Rummikub players.
"We'll be done," Ang assured her. "Kaitlyn's very good."
Kaitlyn straightened in her seat, beaming, and Jenna rubbed her back affectionately.
"Maybe we can play again later and you can play, Aunt Catherine," Kaitlyn said.
"I'd love to," Catherine said, smiling warmly at them.
Ten minutes later, they were all seated around the table with grilled chicken and various side dishes to eat.
As they ate, Joseph turned to Dylan beside him.
"Hey, I saw pictures from Halloween," he said. "That was a great costume you made."
Dylan grinned proudly. "I got the idea from Cody's t-shirt. Uncle Steve and Aunt Catherine got it for him from the real Sleepy Hollow."
"I know," Joseph said, smiling. "They got it when they were visiting us."
Dylan's eyes opened wide. "You live in Sleepy Hollow?"
"Not quite. But pretty close."
"Raw." He paused, biting his lip for a moment. "Have you ever . . . I mean, I know he's not real, the Headless Horseman, but . . . have you ever seen anything spooky there?"
Joseph grinned. "Well, now that you mention it . . ."
Across the table, Kaitlyn gasped suddenly. "Uncle Steve! You're bleeding!"
She pointed to a small line of dried blood on his palm she could see from her spot beside him.
Steve looked at his hand. "Oh, it's just a little scratch, Kaitlyn," he assured her. "It's fine."
"I have band-aids," she said, opening her little purse in her lap.
"Really, it's okay."
Joseph peered over across the table. "Oh yeah, that definitely needs a band-aid," he said, holding back a smile.
Steve looked at him. He gave a little amused sigh and nodded at Kaitlyn.
"We had a special guest at school last week," she said. "She's a nurse. She gave us these." Kaitlyn took out out a small plastic band-aid holder from her purse. Removing the band-aids one at a time, she peered at each through the wrapper before setting them on the table in front of her plate. "This one is polka-dots. This one is stripes. This one is . . . hmm . . . I can't see this one. We'll call it a mystery one. This one is Hello Kitty. And this one is Angry Birds." She looked up at Steve. "Which one do you want?"
Steve caught Catherine's eye across the table where she was seated next to her father. She gave him a small, amused smile.
He looked back at Kaitlyn who was waiting expectantly. "Uh, I guess I'll take the mystery one."
She opened it to reveal a camo patterned band-aid.
Joseph chuckled. "Perfect."
Jenna looked on and smiled as Kaitlyn carefully took the bandage out and reached over to put it on Steve's cut.
"Thanks, Kaitlyn," he said quietly, giving her a genuine smile.
She smiled happily and set about replacing the unused band-aids in their holder.
Steve looked over at Catherine who was smiling fondly at him.
"Nice job, Commander," she said.
After dinner was finished and they'd eaten the brownies made by the Allens for dessert, Jacob sat with Cody and Grandma Ang at the table while the others were in the yard.
"You're Aunt Catherine's grandma," Jacob said to Ang.
"That's right."
"I don't have any grandmas," he said.
"Well, you have grandmas, Jake," Cody said. "You just didn't know them. They died before you were born."
"Oh yeah. Did you know 'em, Cody?"
"I knew Grandma Alice a little. That's Mom's mom. She used to watch me when Mom was working."
"You know what?" Ang said when the boys got quiet. "I didn't know my grandmothers either. Or my grandfathers."
"You didn't?" Jacob asked.
She shook her head. "No. They lived in a different country and I never got to visit them. I wish I had." She gave him a small smile. "But my mother used to tell me stories about them."
"I wish I had a grandma," Jacob said with a little sigh. "I mean, one that I knew."
"You do now," Ang said.
Jacob sat up straighter, his brow knitting in confusion. "I do?"
Ang nodded, smiling at him.
Jacob's eyes widened. "You?"
"Me."
Jacob slid from his seat and looked between her and Cody, gaping. "Cody, too?"
Ang chuckled. "Cody, too."
The corner of Cody's mouth rose in a half smile.
Jacob bounced in place. "So I can hug you and call you Grandma Ang?"
"You better," Ang told him, opening her arms wide.
Jacob wrapped his arms around her, but pulled back quickly.
"And Dylan and Kaitlyn and Casey, too?"
Ang nodded. "And your Mom."
"Wow!" he exclaimed, hugging her again. When he stepped back, he looked at his brother. "A grandma, Cody!"
Cody smiled, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"And you know what else you can do?" Ang said.
"What?" Jacob asked.
"You can ask your mom to tell you about your Grandma Alice. I bet she's got lots of stories she'd like to tell you."
Jacob smiled. "Yeah. And I'm gonna tell her you're our grandma now, too!"
Out in the yard, Catherine was standing with Jenna while Elizabeth and Joseph played catch with Steve, Cammie, and the other kids.
"Your mom reminds me so much of mine," Jenna said, watching Elizabeth stay close to Kaitlyn as they played.
Catherine looked at her. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. I don't think it's anything really . . . specific, just that . . . wonderful . . . mom-ness, you know?"
Catherine smiled. "Yeah."
"Your parents are amazing, Catherine. And your grandmother?" she continued, looking over at the deck where Ang was talking to Cody and Jacob. She sighed happily and joked, "Will they adopt me?"
Catherine put an arm around her. "Pretty sure they already did."
Jacob ran over to them. "Mom! Mom! Guess what?"
"What, honey?" Jenna said, catching him with a laugh as he barrelled into her.
"Grandma Ang is our grandma now!" he cried. "Yours, too!"
Catherine smiled. "Told you."
Jenna blinked at the tears in her eyes.
Elizabeth and Kaitlyn were nearest to them and came over at Jacob's exclamations.
"Kaitlyn, Grandma Ang is our grandma now!"
Kaitlyn smiled happily and clasped her hands together.
Elizabeth looked over to see Cody carefully helping Ang down the small steps of the deck. Her attention was pulled back by Jacob who grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the lantern path.
He pointed at one of the spindles.
"Did you see these?" he asked her. "This one is from us!"
Elizabeth squatted beside him to read the message written on the spindle.
" 'Families are born and also made. We can't think of a better one to join.' " She smiled at him. "Oh, that's beautiful."
"Did you make one?" Kaitlyn asked, joining them.
"We sure did." She looked along the path and spotted the three spindles from Mary, Aunt Deb, and Joan, Nonna and the Williams family, and them. "Ours was part of a longer message."
The game of catch stalled as everyone came over to join the group now by the spindles.
Elizabeth pointed to each as she read, "Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs: the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what."
"It's kind of like yours," she said, looking at Jacob and Kaitlyn and then at the rest of the Allens. "Families can be born . . . from blood, and they can be made . . . with the people who want you in their lives."
"Exactly right," Ang said, still holding Cody's arm.
Jacob was quiet for a moment. He looked over at her.
"Then you know what, Grandma Ang?"
"What, Jacob?" she asked.
"We got a big family."
Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow!
Note: The camo band-aid interaction happened to me with a girl at the library a couple days ago. Almost verbatim. I, too, chose the mystery one. :-)
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