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Bananas

Elizabeth held a finger to her lips when Catherine entered the condo. She was seated on the sofa with Angie's head on her lap as the toddler dozed in the afternoon sunshine.

Catherine placed her bag and keys on the end table. Whispering, "Can you Scoot over a little, Smokey?" she took a seat next to the dog in the overstuffed chair and kissed his snoot when he nuzzled her face before repositioning himself with his chin on her knee and closing his eyes.

As her daughter stroked the dog's soft ears, Elizabeth gestured to the sleeping toddler. "She dozed off about two hours ago."

"And you haven't budged an inch since," Catherine said knowingly, and pressed her lips together in amusement when her mother gave a small shrug of agreement.

"When he dropped her off, Steve said she only took a half hour nap this morning." Elizabeth ran a gentle hand over her granddaughter's hair.

"Yeah, we have new neighbors a few houses down and their son was helping them get settled in," Catherine explained. "Mrs Tai brought him over to say hello and he had his four year old with him." She lifted her chin to indicate her sleeping daughter. "Angie had woken up from her nap early, then once she met Niko she was having way too much fun showing him her playroom to go back down." She smiled at how Angie started chattering happily to the the little boy right off. "Thanks again for watching her when Steve got called in. I couldn't get out of the lunch reception for the Tokyo Mayor and Grace is volunteering at an art therapy fundraiser in Kahuku Hospital with Gabby."

"Don't be silly, sweetheart, you know it made my day." Elizabeth waved a hand. "She had lunch about one o'clock - grilled cheese and about five cut up cherry tomatoes."

When Catherine raised her brows expectantly her mother added, "And two Girls Scout cookies," unapologetically, causing her to shake her head with a smirk. "She deserved them, she put her blocks away and she did eat all her lunch."

"And she didn't try to scale the refrigerator?"

"Not even once."

Angie chose that moment to stretch, open her eyes and smile up at Elizabeth who said, "Hello there, Grandma's angel," before pointing at Catherine, "Look who's here."

"Mama," Angie's smile widened and she reached a hand out as Catherine kneeled at her side to kiss her forehead.

"Hi, baby girl. Did you have a good nap with Grandma?"

"Ama ah ba eek book." She pushed up to crawl fully onto Elizabeth's lap. "Cookie?"

Catherine grinned and clucked her daughter's chin. "Too close to dinner, but how about a banana?"

Angie thrust a stray curl off her forehead causing both women grin as it flopped right back when she nodded. Coming full awake she said, "Want 'nana."

"Did somebody ask for a banana?" Joseph said as he entered the condo with a grocery bag.

"Apa!" Angie pointed, making sure everyone knew he was home, and he smiled broadly.

"Grandpa bought some extra bananas just for you." He pulled a bunch out and handed one to his granddaughter, saying, "There you go, sweetheart," after he kissed her hello.

"Ama, do." She held it up to be peeled and her grandma obliged.

"Thanks, Dad." Catherine stood to greet her father, knowing he probably stopped at the store to replenish Angie's current favorite fruit. "Is Gram winning already?"

"We were running low." He answered as he kissed her cheek. "And probably. When I dropped the ladies of the building off at the BINGO tournament, your grandmother was greeted like a celebrity." He continued over his shoulder as he put the milk, eggs, pudding cups and added the rest of the bananas he'd purchased to the two in the kitchen basket. Returning with a few napkins, Joseph passed them to his wife who wiped Angie's chin so deftly the little girl didn't miss a beat … or a bite of the ''nana" she was consuming with gusto.

Taking a seat on the sofa next to Elizabeth, Joseph looked between his granddaughter and daughter with a soft expression as toddler offered a piece of fruit first to her grandpa who ate it from her little hand and then to Smokey, who'd taken up a post at her side when she was given her snack.

Swallowing the slightly squishy bite, he glanced at Elizabeth as he said, "Do you know what this just reminded me of?"

She nodded and they spoke their next words in tandem,"Catherine's banana greeting."

"The banana greeting."

Catherine studied them for a second. "I have no idea what that is but I think Angie and I need to hear that story.

Finishing her last bit of fruit, Angie said, " 'eeen, Mama," and held out her hands to be cleaned. Pulling a wipe from the ever present pack on the end table, Catherine cleaned the little fingers and turned to her dad. "So … banana greeting?"

1981

The energy was high as the ship approached homeport. Elizabeth and three year old Catherine were among those gathered on the pier see the crew manning the rail. Although too far to make out faces, family and friends cheered and waved at the men and women standing in the customary elbow-to-elbow stance along the ship's perimeter in dress uniforms.

Well versed in how the typical order of liberty began with the sailor who won the on board raffle for 'first kiss' disembarking first, Elizabeth pointed and said, "Here comes Daddy, sweetheart!" to her excited little girl who was holding a carefully made Welcome Home, Daddy! We love you! sign that she'd proudly decorated mostly all by herself.

After the first kiss winner came any new dads meeting newborns followed by the rest of the crew by rank. As the sailors began to disembark, the crowd cheered wildly. Elizabeth and other members of the Family Readiness Group had arranged for a variety of tents to be set up on the pier with refreshments for all and activities for the kids including a free photo booth.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Catherine was waving wildly with one hand and displaying her sign with the other. After an at sea deployment of four and a half months away from his family, Lieutenant JG Joseph Rollins ran - sea bag and all - at top speed to embrace them.

"There's my girls!" He lifted Catherine and leaned over to kiss Elizabeth while holding them both close.

"See my sign, Daddy?" Catherine asked when he placed her back on her feet.

"See it? I saw it all the way from the gangplank. It's the very best welcome home sign I ever saw." He couldn't resist lifting her again for another hug. "And look at you. You got soooo big and you look more like Mommy than ever."

Elizabeth leaned into his side for another kiss. "Are you hungry for non-mess food? There's a tent with everything from pizza to Polish sausage to ice cream."

"I got you a snack." Catherine announced. While hopping in place to the music coming from the DJ who'd volunteered to meet the ship and provide entertainment the three and a half year old kept one hand tightly in her daddy's.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart? Let's get you something yummy from the tent that I know your amazing mommy had a lot to do with arranging."

Elizabeth smiled. "It was a fun project."

"And a ton of work." He pecked her lips again. "Thank you."

"Daddy, I got snack fo' you." Catherine tugged on his hand and Joseph kneeled at her side. The questioning brow he raised at his wife yielded an 'I don't know what she means' shrug.

"You do? What do you have?" He turned his little girl to face him fully and smiled again at how she was wearing a tiny peacoat-style jacket.

""Nanas, they is yummy."

"Bananas?"

Catherine's eyes danced with delight as she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a half eaten banana and offered it up. "See?"

Joseph and Elizabeth's smiles were instantaneous and amused. The banana was one their daughter had grabbed before they left the house and stuffed into her pocket.

"Eat, Daddy you hun'gee."

Joseph Rollins took the partially mashed banana which thankfully was still in its peel, from his beloved little girl's hand, blew off the lint and happily ate it. "Mmmm, thank you sweetheart, how did you know I really wanted a banana?"

" 'Cause 'nana's nummy," she said with the logic that would follow her into adulthood.

Joseph picked her up again and kissed her cheek until she giggled. "You are the best daughter in the world. Daddy loves you, Catherine."

"I love you, Daddy," she echoed happily while slinging one arm around his neck.

As Elizabeth's heart melted for the thousandth time at her husband and daughter's absolute joy in being together, she smiled at the little girl who was her spitting image when she uttered her next words.

"Mommy?" Catherine pointed to the refreshment tent.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"We have ice cream now?"

Present Day

Catherine was laughing and holding Angie, who'd moved into her lap during the story. The toddler was studying the picture of her mother and grandparents Elizabeth had gone into the bedroom to get. In the photo booth image of the family taken later that same day on the pier Angie pointed at Elizabeth and said, "Mama?"

"Nope, that's Grandma, baby girl. Mommy's right there." She pointed to herself. "I was little like you. And that's Grandpa.

Angie looked between the photo and her mommy as Catherine said, "I have no memory of the banana incident, but thanks, Dad." Her eyes were full of love as she smiled, happy her daughter would get to experience her parents' presence as she grew. "For making me feel special, as usual."

"Hey, it was a yummy banana." Joseph's soft look matched his wife's.

"Mama, ahh be a bek 'nana?" Angie asked and the adults all chuckled.

"Exactly," Joseph agreed as though he understood every word. "She shared her banana because she was very thoughtful, even at three." Opening his arms, he had his granddaughter running into them. Kissing her as he wrapped her in a hug he looked over her head at Catherine. "Your mommy's a a very special person. Just like Angie."

# End. Thanks for reading!

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