Mr. Monk, the Lucky Man, Part II

FATHERS ARE PEOPLE TOO

"You look fine, Monk," Stottlemeyer said.

"Are you sure?" Monk asked.

"Yes, and if we don't leave soon, you'll be late. And we don't want that, now do we?"

"No."

Stottlemeyer smiled, "No sir, you can't be late." He pointed to the table, "don't forget the corsage."

"Right," Monk grabbed the corsage, took one last look in the mirror, and darted after the Captain, who was already on his way to his car.

In the car, Monk was silent. Stottlemeyer patted him on the shoulder, "breath."

"What do I do when I'm there?" Monk asked.

"Well," the Captain thought, "I've never been to one of these things, but I do have kids, and I know kids don't like hanging out with fathers when their friends are around. So, I'm guessing the daughters will be hanging out together while the fathers are exiled to a corner of the auditorium."

"So, do I have to talk to the fathers? I don't know what fathers talk about. Just turn the car around and take me home."

"Fathers are people too, Monk. They talk about the same stuff other guys do."

Monk winced, "that's reassuring."

"Right," Stottlemeyer said. "They'll talk about sports, but don't worry, okay. Just tell them you don't have time to watch sports anymore, because you're time is taken by all the murders that you solve."

"That will work?"

"Well, maybe, at least they'll know not to talk to you about sports."

"Okay."

"So Monk," the Captain said, "you and Natalie getting along fine?"

"Yes, we've always gotten along," Monk said.

"That's not what I mean," he raised an eyebrow. "I mean, is your romantic relationship with her progressing well? You know what I'm saying?"

"Oh," Monk nodded his head, "I still don't know what you mean."

The Captain smiled, "never mind. I know you know this, Monk, but I'm going to say it anyway. Natalie is a wonderful, beautiful person, and she could have any man she wants, but she has chosen to give you a chance. That is a big deal. She has chosen you, just like Trudy did."

"I know."

The car slowed, then stopped in front of the Teeger house.

"This is your stop," Stottlemeyer said. "See you later."

Monk got out of the car, and before he shut the door he said, "Thank you."

"No problem, it was on my way home."

"Not just for the ride," Monk said. "Thank you for everything."

The Captain smiled, "Tell Natalie I said 'hi'."

"I will."

Monk rang the doorbell and Natalie answered. "Hey, right on time," she said.

He entered and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"Julie is almost ready," Natalie said. "This is very kind of you. I can't tell you how much this means to me and Julie."

"It is my pleasure."

Natalie hugged him and lingered against his body for a few seconds. When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt safe and warm. In his arms she felt was a protected place to be. "Well," she said, pulling away and looking him over. "You look very nice." He was wearing a solid white dress shirt under a dark coat, and dark pants.

She stepped back and looked at him again, "do you have a tie?"

"No, I never wear them. I don't like ties."

"I know, but it is kind of a formal event. It would be nice if you had one."

"Well," he said, grabbing his collar, "they're never perfectly straight."

Natalie nodded her head and smiled, "I'll go tell Julie you're here."

She told the nearly ready Julie that her father-for-the-night had arrived. Natalie then went to her room and opened one of the dresser drawers. In the drawer were some of Mitch's old clothes, it was a collection of his things she couldn't through out. She shuffled through some of his T-shirts—ones she sometimes wears to bed—and found the item of her search.

"Adrian," she said, returning to the living room, "did you know Mitch also hated wearing ties?"

"He didn't like them? Good man," he beamed.

"He really didn't like them," she smiled. "But, when he had to wear one, Mitch would wear this white one," she held out a stark white silk tie. "He liked it because if he wore it against a white shit, it was harder to see it. Almost as if he wasn't wearing one."

Monk looked at the tie, "I never thought about that. It would be difficult for others to tell if it was straight or not…though, I'd know."

"Exactly. So, I was thinking you might want to wear it tonight?"

Monk nodded his head hesitantly, "okay." He took off his jacket and filliped up his shirt collar.

Natalie moved forward and draped the tie around his neck to methodically tie it to perfection. He watched with great fascination, she was glorious in her simplicity and mysterious in her complexity—Natalie was dynamic, and Monk liked it. He loved how she smelled, it was so simply uninhibited by perfumes that it enchanted him. That, combined with her fingers lightly gracing his chest as she tied the tie, was putting him into a trance.

"All done," she said, straightening the tie and folding down the collar. "Take a look and tell me what you think."

Monk walked to the mirror and looked at his new clothing item. Natalie then moved behind him helped him slip back into his jacket.

"I like it," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you can hardly see it," Monk said, though he could see it, but he wanted her to be happy. And the truth was Monk was deeply touched that she wanted him to wear it.

As they were inspecting the tie, Julie walked down the stairs and joined them. Monk and Natalie both stopped what they were doing and looked at Julie, she was beautiful. Natalie felt a bit of nostalgia flutter inside her, only a few years ago—though it seemed yesterday—Julie was just starting kindergarten, time was moving much too fast. After a bit of a pause, Monk handed Julie the corsage.

"This is for you," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Monk."

Natalie darted to the next room while saying, "wait! I need to get to a picture." She grabbed the camera and ran back to the living room. "Okay, you two. Stand in front of the fireplace," she directed.

They did as they were told.

"Smile," she said. After a few pictures, Natalie set the timer on the camera and ran over to join them for one last photo. Skippy managed to get in the picture as well.

After a short drive, Natalie pulled into a parking spot just outside a path leading to the school's auditorium. She turned the car off and looked to Monk in the front and Julie in the backseat, neither moved.

"Well, you two, I'll pick you up at eleven. Have fun," Natalie said.

Monk got out of the car and shut the door before he began nervously straightening his clothes. Natalie then whispered to Julie, "he will be on his best behavior, I promise."

"I hope so," Julie said with a weak smile. She then gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and got out of the Jeep.

Natalie watched as Monk and Julie started down the long path to the building that had a large hand painted sign above the doors that read "Welcome Fathers and Daughters." She continued to watch until they were just about to the door, then she noticed Adrian slightly jetting his arm out to the side, bent at the elbow. Julie looked up at him and looped her arm through his. Together, arm in arm, they entered the under the large sign.

As Natalie headed home, the image of the two entering together was branded into vision. It brought tears to her eyes.

The tears were both happy and sad. The tears were initially happy because Julie had a male role model in her life that cared enough about her to take her to a dance. That was a very happy thought. But the tears were also sad because Mitch was not around, that would always be Natalie's huge source of sadness. On top all this Julie was not so little any more making Natalie's emotions a bit fragile. In her driveway, she sat in her car for a little while wiping the tears from her eyes trying to view the pictures on her digital camera she had just taken of Monk and Julie, and the one of all three of them.

When Natalie entered the empty house she smiled thinking about all the great times spent in it. But more than that, she knew there were good times ahead. All the sadness that had accompanied her home left in an instant. She felt as if something were about to change, or maybe things were already changing.