Chapter 9: Family Day
Four weeks after finding the serum named Project Mother and injecting it into Valentina's body, Peyton was waiting for someone with her father. The two of them were waiting for Owen's parents Geoff and Candace, who were coming for Family Day, a day during which the employees of the park and their children would meet the family they could hardly meet. As for Valentina, she was pouting next to her older cousin's leg. The four year old wanted to play with dinosaurs, what her cousin and uncle flatly refused, even if Claire reprimanded the two of them.
Speaking of Geoff and Candace, they were on the ferry carrying them to Isla Nublar. Once the ferry arrived on the island, they stood up and exited the ferry before going to their oldest granddaughter, for whom they had a surprise, as it was also Peyton's birthday.
Peyton, who knew today was her birthday, waved at her grandparents who came closer to her and her father. As Geoff came close to his oldest granddaughter, he gave her a green box.
"What the heck is that?" Peyton asked, not carring there were toddlers nearby.
"Open it. It's for you." Geoff told his granddaughter.
Peyton opened the green box and saw a pocket knife with 'For Peyton.' engraved on it. The teenager put the pocket knife on her belt and hugged both of her grandparents. Then, Owen tapped his daughter's shoulder and gave her a brown pouch which Peyton opened, revealing a family's Ka-Bar knife. The knife had the USMC logo on its grip and the same logo engraved on the blade.
"This belonged to Geoff's father, then to him and finally to Dad. It's yours now." Candace informed her grandaughter.
"Gee, you shouldn't have spoiled me." Peyton exclaimed happily when she heard Valentina's voice.
"Why awe thewe no pwesent fow me? Only Cwaiwe gave me pwesents fow my biwthday."
"Because you humiliated Grandpa. You also humilitate Poppa." Peyton drily replied to the pouting little girl.
"Why did both of you give Peyton his wifwe?" Valentina asked everyone in her remaining family.
"We both felt it was time for Peyton to know who her grandfather and father were. She was fifteen back then. And she always wanted to follow the armed forces one way or another." Owen replied when he suddenly saw Peyton's happy face.
"Why you so happy?" Candace asked her granddaughter.
"My ASVAB score is okay, but the Air Force turned me down. Good news, is I'll be a US Marine." Peyton replied.
"Gosh, I didn't expect that. You're breaking some ice." Candace replied hugging her granddaughter.
"It is a vewy bad idea to be among twoops in the fiewl, because the sowdiews awe going to shoot you in youw back." Valentina provoked her cousin./
Peyton showed her little cousin a piece of paper which read 'I don't mind what you said. So please, just shut up.' The little girl didn't say any more word as Owen drove his jeep to Main Street, where he took his niece to the Tylosaurus Arena. In the bleachers however, the conversation was not a peaceful one at all.
"Daddy told me the Vietcong sowdiews wewe hewoes. Cwaiwe towd me hew fathew dodged the Vietnam Waw dwaft by thwowing himsewf fwom the thiwd fwouw of a five-stowy buiwding. And I have to admit, he was a hewo, unwike gwandpappa." Valentina bragged.
"Shut the fuck up!" Peyton yelled her toddler cousin, causing Claire, who was nearby with her nephews and sister, as well as with the latter's new boyfriend to intervene.
"Peyton, your cousin's right. The Vietnam vets are assholes, they fought against the Vietnamese heroes, who won. This proves the Vietnamese soldiers are the best in the world." Claire lied.
"No wonder Owen broke up with you." Candace began. "You praise the ones who killed Geoff's brother in '69. You also praise those who locked and torture Senator John McCain."
Claire just smirked to the Gradies while Valentina ran next to her and stuck her tongue to Peyton and the rest of the family before giggling. Peyton gave the park operations manager the finger before letting out her Ka-Bar and sharpening it.
Peyton then turned to her family before she heard someone speak. It was an elderly WW2 veteran who had fought with Peyton's great-grandfather.
"I knew your great-grandfather Wylder Grady. He was an exceptionnal US Marine."
"Who are you? And did you serve with him?" Peyton asked in a testing voice.
"Name's Benjamin Little, and yes I have proof of serving with your great-grandfather." Benjamin replied displaying a photo of him and Wylder alongside their rifle squad.
"Can you tell me more?" Peyton asked.
"It was in 1943, on an island named Tarawa. I was part of the first wave, mounted on LVTs. I just landed on the beach when I saw two of my friends killed by small-arms fire from a Japanese bunker. Suddenly, some crazy guy stood up, ran to the bunker, tossed a Mk2 grenade inside and shot the two Japanese attempting to charge him by exiting the bunker. Needless to say, he shot all of the two remaining Banzai chargers dead with his M1 Garand. Then, he rushed to another bunker, where he ducked in cover, reloaded his empty rifle and flanked that bunker before emptying his Garand into the pillbox. When we finally had or bridgehead, I went to him and introduced myself to him. He introduced himself as Wylder Grady. We befriended and kept on through the Gilbert Islands, Saipan, Tinian and Guam until Iwo Jima. There, he once again proved his valor on the first forty-eight hours of the battle by charging an anti-tank bunker tossing a grenade inside and firing into the fleeing Japanese. He did the same to a machine gun pillbox, then a second one and a second AT position. He also guided a Sherman tank through the maze and directed its fire, all this while being fired upon. He also rescued some Marines while being targeted by sniper fire and machine gunners for the entire duration of the battle. Your great-grandfather was crazy, but he was brave." Benjamin recalled.
"He was awarded medals?" Peyton asked.
"Hell, yeah. The Navy Cross, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star with V device, the Silver Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Navy and the Marine Corps Medal. Because he saved a Marine's ass when the guy got burned by an accidental fuel leak in the camp at Pavuvu." Benjamin explained
Owen gave a box Peyton promptly opened, revealing all of her great-grandfather's awards during both World War Two and the Korean War. Peyton's grandfather had the very same awards for serving with gallantry in Vietnam, Panama, Kuwait, Kosovo and Iraq. The teenager now knew she was right being proud of her military lineage.
Now, it was Peyton's turn to join the US Marine Corps, like her father, grandfather and great-grandfather before her. A perspective which made Peyton check her phone as soon as it vibrated, revealing Adalyn was the caller.
"Peyton Grady here." the teenager replied turning the loudspeaker mode on.
"This is Adalyn Walker. Thanks for your message. You and your father finally give Valentina's custody up if I'm right." Adalyn summed up.
"Yes. And I also suggested you someone named Claire Dearing for the little brat." Peyton informed Adalyn.
"It's a good choice, because we had Ms. Dearing in our mind for Valentina. She will be given custody over Valentina." Adalyn announced.
"Thanks Mrs Walker. Dad had enough of her anyway." Peyton politely answered before Adalyn ended the call.
Peyton also hung her phone up before seeing Claire talking on the phone and excitedly thanking her interlocutor, hanging up and hugging Valentina. Peyton uderstood the Child Service examined her endless complaints and finally gave in.
After the feeding show, Peyton made her way through the crowd to Claire, who she called
"Hey, Claire. Congrats, you now can keep the little brat. But check THIS out."
With that said, Peyton displayed her great-grandfather and grandfather's awards to Claire, who was genuinely impressed by the former two's bravery while still unimpressed by Peyton's news of enlisting as Claire Dearing always hated violence and the military. Valentina pouted, understanding Peyton would finally join the US Marine Corps instead of staying home, which Valentina prefered so she could play with the teenager's nerves.
Peyton then made her way to her family, with whom she spent the rest of the day talking about the events her grandfather lived. The latter then began to speak.
"In Vietnam, I was assigned to the 26th Marines. Our task was to defend Khe Sanh from Vietcong attacks. The siege began on January 21st 1968 and lasted for 77 days. We fought bitterly and it was more a battle of big guns than an infantry battle. But in 1969, the year your great-uncle died, we were involved in Operation Bold Mariner. I saw him charging a machine gun post, tossing a grenade inside and getting killed by the blast as were the bad guys inside. Me and my squad had to go through Operations Russell Beach, Linn River, Oklahoma Hills, Pipestone Canyon and Defiant Stand without him. Then, I served a second time in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971, the year of Operation Lam Son 719. Lam Son 719 was a complete disaster with the ARVN losing most of their talented officers and capable soldiers."
"The other wars went a little better for you." Peyton correctly deduced.
"You got it right, Peyton. But Grandpa needs to go." Candace told her granddaughter.
Peyton hugged her grandparents who in turn hugged their most helpful son before heading back to the ferry which would take them back to the mainland.
"The little brat will be no more problem for us." Peyton told her father.
"It's right. Valentina was also playing with my nerves, as well as the other guys' ones. But now, it's over." Owen said his daughter before the two of them went back to their once-again rearranged house, with Valentina's item having been shipped to Claire's home in the two Gradies' abscence and Peyton's items moved back upstairs. Once they reached their home, Peyton and her father saw their garden had been re-arranged to its former state, when Valentina wasn't on the island with all the child items moved to Claire's home.
Peyton then texted Barry for a movie night. Twenty seconds later, Barry had texted back he would be glad for a war movie. Peyton and her father then enjoyed a good meal for the first time since Valentina arrived, right before Barry's arrival./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="dd7c83dc4bfdf9737407bf195b2b5c95"The two Gradies and their friend spent the rest of the evening watching a movie named 'World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles' alongside Peyton's friends, with whom the teenage girl watched 'Saving Private Ryan', 'The Battle of Long Tan', 'The siege of Firebase Gloria' and 'Full Metal Jacket' before going at home for a good night of good sleep.
Meanwhile, after lunch, Claire was watching a children's program alongside Valentina, making the toddler giggle uncontrolably before Claire took Valentina to the shower, then to bed. In Valentina's new bedroom, there were plenty of children-friendly items, like stuffed dinosaurs, Barbie dolls, princess clothes and obviously, all of the toddler's clothes. Claire also painted erything pink, like Valentina wanted it.
At the same time, Marco was enjoying some time with his daughter Quinn, whom he has moved with to Jurassic World before the two of them went to bed, as they had spent the entire day doing school revisions, like all the other children living in Jurassic World in preparation for September and the first day of school.