Chapter 50
I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.
Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.
Cody just sat there for a minute. A lot of things were going through his mind. To begin with, he tried to put himself back in the frame of mind of when he got his first kiss from Rebecca when he was 12. He knew to talk to Charlie about this, he had to remember how he felt at that age. Beyond that, he also knew that Bailey would want to know later what they talked about, and he feared her response to this. Beyond the fact that this was another step on Charlie's road to growing up, there was the issue of who Sophia's mother was.
"Dad?"
Cody shook away his thoughts and turned to his son. "Yeah?"
Charlie was concerned. "Did you hear what I said?"
Cody nodded. "Yeah, I heard you. I was just thinking." He paused. "So, tell me, Charlie...what do you think about it?"
Charlie sighed. "I don't know, Dad. I wasn't expecting it, and it just happened."
Cody smiled. "I know that feeling all too well."
"You do?"
"Yeah, it was kind of how my first kiss happened too. I was twelve when it happened, and when the girl kissed me, I was totally blown away..."
"Same here." Charlie paused. "Did you really like her?"
"I thought I did, but looking back at it now, I can laugh about it. I didn't know anything."
"What do you mean?"
Cody chuckled. "Well, I was twelve. I knew nothing of the world. I thought she was cute, but that's all I knew."
"What happened afterwards?"
"Nothing. She was only at the Tipton for a couple of days, and right after she kissed me, she left. I didn't see her again for almost six years."
"Wow...What happened then?"
Cody smiled. "By then, I had met your mother. And about a month after it happened, I stopped thinking about it."
"Oh..."
"Your situation is a little different. Sophia is still going to be around, so you will see her again. Tell me, Charlie...what are your feelings about Sophia?"
Charlie paused. "I have no idea, Dad. I mean, she's smart, she's cute and she's nice...but its like you said, I'm so young, so what do I know?"
Cody smiled again. "You are young, so you shouldn't make a big deal of it yet. It would probably be a good idea for you and Sophia to sit down and talk about it. Make sure you both know how you feel about this..."
Charlie nodded. "Good idea."
"This was a big milestone for you today. You've begun you path to manhood."
"How long of a path is it?"
Cody chuckled. "I'm still on mine myself..."
Charlie laughed before he paused. "Will I always remember this?"
"Well, it all depends on how much importance you give it."
"What do you mean?"
"To be honest, since I had forgotten about it when I was twelve, this is only the second time I've thought about it since."
"Really?"
Cody nodded. "Really. Now, the first time I kissed your mother, that is a memory that is permanently etched in my mind. I think of it often."
Charlie grinned. "That good, huh?"
Cody grinned back. "Oh yeah. I wanted to go shout it to the world. In fact, I did."
Charlie laughed. "No way!"
Charlie nodded. "I did. Charlie, I will tell you this. When the person you kiss is someone you have genuine feelings for, it makes it oh so much better. The first time I kissed your mother, I had butterflies in my stomach and I could feel this spark and surge of euphoria shoot through my body."
Charlie paused. "I didn't feel anything like that. Maybe I was just too surprised?"
Cody shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Charlie, you will know it when you feel it. Don't ever try to think there are true feelings there when they're really not. And you're still young. What you might think is something can really be nothing."
"What do you mean, Dad?"
Cody paused. He had to tell his son the truth. "Charlie, the fact is I knew Sophia's mother when I was in junior high. She and I even dated for a little while. I thought she was smart and cool and nice too. When I left for the ship, we even talked about making a long distance relationship work."
Charlie frowned. "What happened?"
Cody smiled. "Your mother. I met her, and it was like nothing I had ever felt before in my life. It was like the heavens had brought us both there to meet each other. After meeting your Mom, I completely forgot about Sophia's mom."
"Does that make things awkward?"
Cody sighed. "Well, things are awkward. You see, her mother didn't want to let me go without a fight. And she went way overboard and did some very bad things."
"Like what?"
"Well, I think if I tell you, you might hold them against Sophia. She is an innocent in all of this. I don't want you to blame her for her mother's actions."
Charlie paused. "I guess I can understand that...So, do you and Mom hate her mom now?"
Cody paused. "Hate is such a strong word and emotion. I try not to think about her. I have you, your brother, your sisters and your mother, and that's all I will ever need in my life." Cody grinned. "Well, until you and your siblings decide to make me a Grandpa..."
Charlie's eyes bugged out. "Dad!"
Cody laughed. "Don't worry. I'm willing to wait a while for that. And between you and me, so is your mother..."
Charlie paused. "Dad, when you kiss Mom now, do you still feel those same feelings?"
Cody grinned. "Every single time."
Across town, in the 'delivery van', the two men were still working on trying to trace the e-mail that Barbara had sent out.
"Any luck?"
The other man shook his head. "None yet..."
"I thought you were among the best!"
"I am! But its obvious that this Barbara woman knows her way around computers too. That's why it took me over five minutes to crack her computer. She's got this email bouncing all over the globe, so it may take me a while to find its final destination."
The man sighed. "Just keep working on it. The boss said we needed to go all out on this. I don't know why were doing this, but obviously he owed someone a big favor."
"Well, we'll just keep tracking this lady. Once she's asleep, we'll sneak in and bug her purse and put a spy program on her cell phone. By the end of the week, we'll have everything we need."
Back at the Martin home, Cody had left Charlie's room and returned back down to the basement. Bailey was reading a book when she noticed Cody had returned. Immediately, she put it down.
"Is everything okay?"
Cody sat next to her and smiled. "Yeah, everything is fine..."
"What did Charlie need to talk to you about?"
Cody paused. "If I tell you, will you promise not to freak out?"
Bailey shook her head. "No! This is one of my children we're talking about. I reserve the right to freak out. Its a mother's prerogative."
Cody sighed. "Fair enough. Charlie told me that Sophia kissed him today."
Bailey's eyes went wide. "She what!"
"Sweetie, calm down."
"Calm down? Cody, he's my baby!"
Cody paused. "He's almost the same age I was when I first met Rebecca..."
Bailey fell silent. "Did you tell him about that?"
Cody nodded. "I did. I wanted him to know I went through the same thing when I was his age."
Bailey wasn't sure what to say. She knew her children were growing up, but this wasn't something she wanted to be thinking about right then. They had enough going on to deal with besides this.
Cody continued. "I also told him about my past with Barbara. I thought he had the right to know parts of it. I didn't tell him everything as I didn't want him to hold it against Sophia."
Bailey sighed. "I can see that..." She paused. "But what if...?"
Cody took her hand. "Then we'll deal with that then."
Bailey nodded. "For Charlie's sake, I hope Barbara isn't involved."
"Me too."
"What else did you tell him?"
Cody smiled. "I told him that there are first kisses and then there are first kisses."
"What do you mean?"
Cody grinned. "I mean, in the twenty-five plus years since my first one, I've thought about it twice – when Rebecca showed up and when I was talking to Charlie. But, I received a first kiss in the lobby of the S.S. Tipton that I think about all the time."
Bailey smiled. "Yeah?"
"Uh huh...And when I do, I come find you so I can experience that same feeling all over again..."
Bailey grinned. "Good answer."
"I was hoping you would think so..." And with that, Cody leaned in and kissed Bailey, both feeling that same old feeling once again.
To be Continued...
Author's Note: I figured I'd go one night without a cliffhanger. Anyway, I've had some residents of Ohio not take kindly to my Ohio jokes. The reason I am doing them is because UK and tOSU play Friday night. And I hate the Buckeyes, so this is my make fun of Ohio week. Besides, isn't it easy to make fun of a state with a city whose nickname is 'The Mistake by the Lake' who had a river so polluted that it caught on fire? Anyways, the Suite Life Movie is now on demand. I watched it late last night, and I believe its now on Youtube. I encourage you to check it out.
