The brilliance of the characters here belongs to JE. I'm not in it for money or fame, I'm just enjoying the ride.

Chapter 14 – Meet the Parent's Lester Style PART 1

(A/N: Sorry, this story has too much in it to put it all in one long chapter. I'll keep typing to try and get it all out there today, but I wanted to give you the first 24 hours separate from the rest of the weekend. Let me know if you think this path works so far. There is still a lot to cover.)

"Gramps!" Lester yelled as we walked out of the airport and straight to the open arms of an older gentleman leaning against a beat up and rusty old Chevy pick-up. This was a car I could feel comfortable riding in.

When the two ended their embrace Lester pulled me toward his grandfather and said, "Gramps I want you to meet my Stephanie. Beautiful, watch yourself now, this is my Grandfather."

I put my hand out to say hello, but was drawn into a tight hug instead. "I could never shake the hand of a beautiful woman. If you are here with our Lester then you are family." He cackled as his hands began to descend my back. Just before they slipped too far below my belt Lester called out, "Gramps!" and pulled me back to him. Perhaps he was just like Grandma.

We threw our luggage in the back of the truck and I was hoisted into the cab to sit between the two men. In such close quarters I could not help but notice the similarities between the two. Although Lester was taller and his muscles were much more developed their body styles were similar. They both shared laugh lines around their mouths making them look friendly and approachable and they both had the same green twinkle in their eyes. For a man of 85 Gramps was in remarkable shape. I wondered if I should be nervous about him driving, especially when he got on the interstate, but Les seemed relaxed so I assumed it would be alright. If his heritage includes aging as well as his grandfather had, then Lester would be sexy for many years to come. Yum!

At that moment both men burst out in laughter. I felt my face flush from more than the Florida heat and realized that last sentence or two was said aloud.

"I am a lot like Gramps which can be both blessing and curse depending upon how you look at it. As for the 'yum' part, you will have to tell me," Lester said around his laughter.

I managed to keep my thoughts to myself for the rest of the ride. When we entered the reservation there were signs and a lot of art around the entrance, but once we had driven for a mile or two, it seemed like any other little town.

We parked in front of a one story ranch style house painted a faded yellow. There was a short older lady with her hair neatly pinned up in a bun, wearing an apron, watering her flowers by scooping an old peanut can in a bucket of water and pouring it directly on the stems of the plants. She smiled at me when Lester pulled me from the truck with his hands on my waist.

Approaching us before we had a chance to walk to her she sat her bucket down and said, "Stephanie, welcome to our home." Then she kissed my check and said something in a language I did not recognize while patting my cheek.

I looked at Lester for an explanation only to see him smiling bigger than I had ever seen. "She likes you," he said when his grandmother turned away.

"What did she say? And what was that language, it didn't sound like Spanish?" I asked quickly.

"She said, 'thank you for bringing love to our home' and she was speaking in one of the dialects of the Seminole tribe. Not many people speak it anymore but my Grandma does and she made it a point to teach me when we came to stay with her." He explained while pushing me forward.

"You will carry the cases in and settle in with Gramps," His grandmother said when we reached her. "Stephanie will help me with the flowers."

I didn't think this was an offer I could refuse so I picked up the bucket to show my willingness to help. Apparently Les had heard this tone of voice before and didn't bother disagreeing either.

"We will go to the side of the house to work where the plants don't have ears." She said leading me away from the driveway.

"You have come at a good time, my dear." She began.

"Yes, Lester was excited about seeing his grandfather for his birthday." I commented to show I knew what was going on this weekend.

"They will have a good time – they are both children at heart. But the old man has nothing to do with the timing of your visit. It was just a good excuse to force Les to bring you down to meet us. I could hear his heart when he spoke of you of late and I knew I needed to meet you soon to see you and read your heart as well. I will get to know you and see if I have a dream about you as a mate for my grandson."

Here we go. It was like dealing with a softer, although equally intense version of Joe's Grandma Bella. At least she hadn't threatened me with the eye yet.

"You want to know why I water the plants this way?" She asked pulling me from my mild panic.

"Yes, I was curious why you don't use a watering can." I admitted.

"A watering can is easy, but wasteful. The water spills and you get lazy just standing there pouring. This," she said scooping another can of water and pouring it on ground at the stem, "puts the water exactly where I want it and where it needs to be. I get to look at the flowers when I am so close to them and when I bend down I breathe on them which passes some of me to the plant. It makes them grow stronger and connects me to them."

Her flowers were beautiful. "I don't have much of a green thumb," I confessed.

"Gardening is not about thumbs, it is about heart." She instructed while removing a pair of sheers from her apron pocket and snipping two blue blooms from a bush in front of us. "These will fade soon so we will carry them inside to enjoy the remaining life they have to share."

With that, we finished our watering and went inside.

Les was sitting on the floor near his grandfather but stood up when we came in the den. He pulled me over to the floor to sit next to him. I was curious why we didn't sit on the empty couch but for once my mouth cooperated and stayed silent.

"You should let your girl sit in a comfortable chair. She is not bound by our silly customs." Grandma said.

"But she always shows respect to those who deserve it at home and I knew she would want to do the same here," Les replied while cleverly explaining why we were side by side on the carpet.

I smiled at him to convey the message was received. Maybe I do have ESP; I'm just not as subtle about it as the Merry Men.

We visited for a while and I had to endure Lester telling them about my most recent SUV casualty. Gramps got a big kick out of the story and was wiping his eyes when we heard the front door open.

Lester got up and ran to meet the beautiful woman who entered. "Ma, it's so good to see you," he told her while holding her in a tight hug lifting her feet off the ground. This family was certainly not shy about expressing their emotions.

I stood up and slowly approached them knowing Les would want to introduce us.

"This must be Stephanie," his mother said while practically pushing Les away once he sat her down in order to get to me. I had to chuckle as the force of her push must have been unexpected enough it nearly made him fall over.

"It is so nice to meet you," I managed to get out before I was drawn into a hug of my own.

"My boy did you no justice. You are absolutely beautiful," She said.

"Ma!" Les complained. "I told you she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever met. I even call her Beautiful as a name."

"Yes, but that is just her outside. Look at these eyes," She corrected him. "You can see all the way into her soul in these eyes. And, she is so soft," she finished running her hand over my arm.

Les came over and put a hand on my back. His long fingers were spread and it felt with that one touch he was supporting my entire body. I leaned slightly into his hand to soak up the way it felt. He must have noticed because his other hand went to my shoulder and angled me slightly so that I could see his face when he spoke. "You are right, Ma, she is all that."

"Come, we will eat now," his grandmother called from the kitchen.

Les pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit down. He took his place to my left and after Gramps pronounced a grace lids were pulled back from the table. There was a fish dish mixed with potatoes and herbs, some fried corn cakes, and beans that his grandmother had snapped that morning from her garden. I expressed my trademark pleasure with the flavors of the food. They were not familiar tastes or fancy fare but they were delicious in their simplicity.

Gramps was the first to comment. "Boy how do you make it through a meal with those sounds. Why if I were your age, I would have to throw-"

But before he could finish that thought he was cut off by his wife and daughter. "Enough of that foolishness. Stephanie is just thanking the earth for what it has given her to eat. This is a beautiful way to send back her gratitude."

When it was time to call it a night Lester's Mom and Grandmother walked me back to what would be my room for our stay. Apparently it was his room as a boy and it was filled with pictures of his childhood and small tokens and souvenirs of the boy who grew into the man I knew. It fit him perfectly. There was a small twin bed that had a dream catcher hanging from the headboard. I touched it when I turned around to take in the room.

"Silly superstition," His grandmother said seeing where my hand was resting. "We should not be afraid of our dreams; they are how the spirits tell us what they want us to know. Sometimes it is frightening, but it is always important to listen. You will sleep well here and we will talk tomorrow." She informed me before walking out.

"You will have to forgive my mother," Lester's mom began. "Sometimes she takes her role as the head of the family a little too seriously and she comes across like Yoda. But it is clear that she likes you, we all do."

"You said she is the head of the family?" I asked. "Why is it her and not Gramps?"

"In our culture the head varies by family. My mother came from a strong family and as you can tell she is a very dominate person. My father is dear and good and loving, but not exactly what you would call a leader. A great deal of our tribe looks to her as a community leader and she is often called upon as an elder to settle disputes and give her advice. I guess that role in the community carried over to our home too. My father is so laid back that it works for them. But having that model, I'm not surprised to see Lester chose a woman who is also strong. You will match well together, I'm sure of it. Now make yourself at home and we will visit more tomorrow."

I showered and changed for bed into a light tank top and cotton boxers and looked at the pictures on the wall smiling at the little boy in the photos. That is how Lester found me when he came in to say goodnight.

"Where will you sleep?" I wondered.

"There is a chickee in the back yard I like to sleep in when I am home." He explained.

"What is a chickee?" I asked.

"I'll show you tomorrow, it's hard to explain, but it is a straw roofed lean-to kind of structure. It is partially open to the elements on the sides, but covered up top. There is a hammock type bed for me and I have always loved to sleep there when I can. It is like camping in comfort." He smiled at his last comment knowing me well enough to know camping was not on my list of preferred activities.

He then leaned down and kissed my forehead, allowing his lips to linger for a moment preventing the kiss from feeling like brotherly affection. "Sleep well Beautiful. I'm just outside if you need me," He said and then walked out.

I put my hand on my head and could feel the warmth where his lips had touched me.

The next morning I awoke to the feeling I was being watched. I carefully pried one eye open and saw Lester's grandmother sitting patiently on the side of the bed.

"Good, you are awake." She beamed. "We will get my grandson up and take a walk so I can tell you of my dream."

I didn't feel I could say no so I quickly threw on some denim shorts and yellow tank top before slipping my feet into some keds and pulling my hair back in a low ridding ponytail.

Lester was pouring the cream into my coffee when I walked in the kitchen. He was wearing a white ribbed tank top and low riding basketball shorts. He was a vision of muscles and manliness and his eyes still appeared sleepy giving off a sexy bedroom vibe as he handed me a mug of caffeinated goodness.

He noticed me run my tongue across my bottom lip before blowing on my coffee to take a first sip. He grinned at me and his eyes immediately changed to take on their trademark playfulness. "Maybe later I'll give you a reason to wet your lips Beautiful."

Not waiting for us to finish, Grandma announced we would take a walk now.

"I had a dream last night," she began as we walked down the street.

"What kind of dream?" Lester asked sounding uncertain if having her share with us was a good idea.

"A dream of your future," she answered pointing at Les, "and yours" she finished with a finger in my direction.

"You were flying as a hawk as you always do in my dreams." I assumed she was referring to Lester as she would have no reason to dream about me in the past.

"You were free and happy and calling out to the earth. There was a young woman on the ground and she was crying, broken as she watched you fly. Seeing her distress you came closer to the earth to be near her. A coral snake came near to take her life but you saw it and swooped down to kill the snake before it could strike. She saw you but did not understand you were acting as her protector. Nevertheless she understood you meant her no harm and she was not afraid. Again a black snake came near and even without poison she was threatened so you came down and attacked the snake driving it away. This time you landed near and looked at her directly, giving her time to adjust to your beauty and your presence. She reached out a hand to you and stroked your plumage. As she did so she began to understand you would watch over her and as she came to understand who you were she began to change. When I saw her again she was no longer bound as a human to the ground. She was flying with you in the sky." Here she stopped her story.

"Was she a hawk too?" Lester asked like a kid eager his favorite story to continue.

"No, my son, she was too strong to be a hawk. She was an eagle. Although you were not the same bird you are similar enough to live together and different enough to compliment each other's weakness." She explained.

"That is beautiful," I told her in awe of her storytelling but a little unsure of what she was really trying to say. I was no eagle, although I felt her analogy described Lester perfectly. Apparently he was used to hearing himself described in this way as he asked no further questions.

When we stopped walking I realized the road had ended and we were at a wide stream. "You will stay here to talk" she instructed us. "Not every word spoken between young people needs to have elders listening to it."

"You need to be honest with her. Tell her who you are and what you want." She said sternly to Lester. "Protecting her is not the same thing as loving her."

Then she softened completely when she turned to me. "You need to listen to your heart. You are not sure of giving yourself to my grandson. Your heart is caged still afraid to hope. But your heart is too strong to stay in bars. You were meant to fly. Listen to your own heart and you will know what to do."

With that the wise old woman walked away leaving us alone. I turned and thought to myself, "Why is Lester watching me like a hawk?"

"I would have thought after that story the answer would be obvious Beautiful."

Oh boy.