CHAPTER 2

When the two cousins got downstairs, the first people they saw were Danny and Vicky. They were standing between the couch and the bottom of the stairwell, and the mile-wide grins on their faces said it all. "There's our graduates!" Danny proudly announced as he and Vicky held their arms out to them.

"Hi, Grandpa Danny; hi, Vicky," Tommy said as he and Pamela accepted the hugs. If there's one thing this family was best known for, that was it.

"How are you kids doing?" Vicky asked. "All set for tomorrow?"

"Oh, yeah," Pamela agreed.

"I'll bet you can't wait to take on Julliard in the fall, huh?"

"Oh, I so cannot wait. How was your trip to Cape Cod?"

"Great," Vicky answered when the embracing came to a stop. "You know, say what you will about the seafood here, but you haven't had lobster until you've been to Massachusetts."

"That good, huh?"

"And then some," Danny said as he hung up their jackets. "The taste, not to mention the shade of red, to die for."

"By the way, kids, where are your parents?"

"In the kitchen," Tommy said, pointing in that direction. "Uncle Jesse, Aunt Becky, and the twins are helping Mom and Steve get the food ready."

"Good deal."

"By the way, don't quote me on this, but I think they're also making sure Steve doesn't eat it all."

"In that case, I think I'd better give them a hand," Danny joked.

Vicky nodded, and the two of them headed to the kitchen to see if they could offer any assistance.

Just then, the doorbell rang. "It's always open!" Tommy called out. He'd heard DJ say it so often that he wondered if it would be on her gravestone.

The door opened, and a sharply-dressed middle-aged woman with long blond hair in a ponytail came in. Right away, Tommy knew who it was. "Aunt Michelle!" he exclaimed.

"Hi, you guys," she smiled as she hugged the two graduates.

"Hi, Michelle," Pamela said. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing all right," Michelle answered. "I just flew in from Bangkok last night, and you should've seen the looks on those kids' faces when they saw the clothing line's fall catalog. Don't get me wrong—the charity work we've been doing helps so many people, and it's been a great experience for me personally, but I think it'd be such a trip if we were able to open a branch in Thailand." Then she noticed how empty the living room was. "Say, where is everybody?"

Right on cue, the kitchen door opened, and out came DJ and Steve, with Jesse, Becky, Nick, and Alex close behind.

"Oh, Mylanta! Is that my baby sister?!" DJ shrieked, her voice shooting up almost two full octaves and decibels. And you'd better believe they were all covering their ears.

"Hi, Deej," Michelle said as the two of them hugged, then she got hugs from the others.

"Hi, Munchkin," Jesse smiled. "Did you just get here?"

"Yup, just got in last night," Michelle said. "God, Bangkok is such an amazing city! If you were there for just a few seconds, you'd never want to leave!"

"How long are you staying in town this time?" Vicky asked.

"Only until Tuesday," Michelle answered. "On Friday, I have a meeting with another fashion designer in Baton Rouge."

"That's wonderful."

"Oh, that reminds me," Michelle said as she picked up her suitcase, laid it on the couch, and unzipped it. "I have something I think you kids will like."

Did she ever! Tommy's present was a blue ceramic coffee mug with a picture of the Bangkok skyline on the side, and Pamela's was a white tote bag with "I LOVE BANGKOK" monogrammed in black letters. (And yes, there was a big red heart in place of the word "LOVE".)

"Wow, thanks!" Pamela grinned. "This'll definitely come in handy when I have dance rehearsals!"

"And I can only imagine how many gallons of coffee I'll be chugging out of this baby," Tommy added. "Thanks, Aunt Michelle."

"You bet."

"Oh, and I have presents for the rest of you, too," Michelle continued as she went back to rummaging through her suitcase. She had a snow globe for Jesse and Becky, a Thai cookbook for DJ and Steve, matching watches for Nick and Alex, a diamond pendant for Vicky, and a white lace-up long-sleeved shirt for Danny.

Just when Michelle finished handing out the last of the presents, the front door opened, and in came Stephanie, Jimmy, and their girls. "Hey, grads!" Jimmy greeted. And yes, another round of hugging ensued.

"So, you guys looking forward to tomorrow?" Danielle asked.

"I'll say," Tommy grinned. "And just think: in five years, it'll be your turn to get your diploma."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Stephanie groaned as she passed by them. "I'm still trying to convince myself that only yesterday, these two were learning how to walk."

"Mom's been going through the whole 'my babies aren't babies anymore' phase," Jessica explained to Tommy and Pamela. "I totally get where she's coming from, but it's getting old really fast."

"Tell me about it," Pamela said sympathetically. "I wish I had a nickel for every time Mom and Dad have made that kind of fuss over me."

Meanwhile, Stephanie and Michelle were wrapped up in their own conversation. "So, where will you be heading off to next?" Stephanie wanted to know.

"Baton Rouge," Michelle answered. "I leave first thing Tuesday morning."

"Boy, the fashion world really keeps you busy, huh?" Jimmy commented.

"That's the understatement of the year. Oh, before I forget, I got you and the girls a little something while I was over there."

Upon hearing "a little something", Danielle and Jessica were at their parents' side in one second flat.

"Well, aren't we a little anxious?" a clearly amused Stephanie commented.

"Yeah, maybe just a teeny bit," Danielle admitted. "Oh, and just for the record, we weren't really expecting anything."

"Not even these?" Michelle grinned as she started handing them their presents.

"Whoa, baby!" the girls exclaimed in unison, which they'd been told their Aunt DJ and Kimmy used to do. Their presents were personalized hand-woven bracelets, and Stephanie and Jimmy had gotten a dark red floral-pattern queen-sized blanket.

"Thanks, Aunt Michelle!" Danielle grinned as she and her sister hugged their aunt.

"Yeah, thanks," Jessica added. "And best of all, my bracelet goes with everything in my wardrobe."

Stephanie looked at Jessica's bracelet, and saw that it was black, grey, and white. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" she observed. "I hope this doesn't mean you're going to start rooting for the Raiders."

"Not a chance," Jessica reassured her mom. "I'm a 49ers girl for life. And by the way, what idiot decided to move the team to Vegas?"

"Beats me, kiddo."

Just then, the door opened again, and in came Jackson, Rocki, and their almost-three-year-old son, Malachi. "HI, EVERYBODY!" he squealed, and in no time flat, he was running around the living room like the Energizer bunny on a No-Doze binge and going completely hug-wild.

"Malachi, honey, inside voice," Rocki called after him. But that little guy wasn't about to stop for anyone. That's how excited he was.

"I seem to remember a certain someone getting this wound up whenever company came over," DJ smiled as she scooped up her grandson just before he almost collided with the corner of the couch.

"I wasn't that bad, was I, Mom?" Jackson asked as he hung up Rocki's purse. "I mean, sure, I was always glad to see everybody, but I was nothing like Malachi."

"I beg to differ."

"So, he really was like Malachi, huh?" a clearly amused Rocki inquired.

"And then some. Believe me, I have plenty of memories of your husband's hi-jinks, one of which ended with a nice purple goose egg right between the eyes," DJ laughed as she pressed her left fingertip to Jackson's forehead. Then, turning to her grandson, she asked, "And on that note, we don't want any goose eggs on Malachi, now do we?"

In response, Malachi turned his head toward the ceiling and started honking. Amidst his parents' and grandmother's uproarious laughter, Tommy came over. "I thought I recognized that sound," he remarked. Upon hearing who it was, Malachi started wiggling and holding his arms out to Tommy. If you looked up "social butterfly" in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of Malachi.

"Hi, Unkie Tommy!" he cried. And yes, he was one of those kids who had trouble pronouncing the word uncle. But Tommy didn't mind. He was always glad to see him. And a good thing, too, because DJ had just heard the oven timer go off.

"That's my ham," she said as she passed Malachi to Tommy and hurried to the kitchen. "And yes, I'm talking about the ham in the oven, not my comedian of a grandson."

"So, how's my little bro?" Jackson asked as the two brothers embraced—which was a bit of a challenge due to Malachi clinging to Tommy like a boa constrictor on a log. "All set to bid Bayview High farewell?"

"Oh, you'd better believe it," Tommy laughed. "Now I know just how you guys felt on your graduation day."

"That was the best day of my life, getting out of that hellhole," Rocki remembered. "Well, besides falling in love with you, Jackson."

"Yeah, that was a great day, wasn't it?" Jackson agreed.

"Say, I was just wondering: I haven't seen Max yet. When were he and Rose going to be here?"

As soon as Tommy asked that question, Jackson got a look on his face that clearly told him that he wasn't going to like what was coming next.

"I'm afraid he can't make it, with your graduation being so close to Rose's due date," he told him. "Yeah, I know; I think it sucks, too. But they told us to tell you and Pamela how proud they are of you, and their card should be in the mail first thing tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Thanks," Tommy said, a touch of despondence in his voice. He still wished Max and Rose could be there, but this was better than nothing. Plus, he had meeting his new niece or nephew to look forward to.

"Hi, Jackson! Hi, Rocki!" Pamela exclaimed as she came over to them. The door opened yet again, and this time, it was Kimmy, Fernando, and Ramona.

"¡Hola, Tanneritos y graduados!" Kimmy announced.

"Hi, Kimmy!" DJ called from the kitchen. "Hi, Fernando; hi, Ramona!"

"Hi, DJ!" Ramona answered after she finished hugging Tommy and Malachi. "Need some help in there?"

"Yeah, I just took the ham out of the oven. Can you help me slice it?"

"Sure, no problem," Ramona agreed, and hurried off.

"Ohh, little Tomás and Pamela!" Fernando gushed as he first laid eyes on the two cousins. "Oh, Kimberlina, it was only yesterday that they were drawing all over DJ's kitchen counter while Jackson and Max were having a ketchup fight!"

"Um, actually, it was the island," Tommy corrected him. "Well, that's what Mom and Uncle Jesse told us."

"Oh, yeah," Pamela recalled with a laugh. "That was when Dad was beating the crap out of the smoke detector, and his shirt was all filthy."

"Hey, in my defense, I really had my hands full that night," Jesse pointed out as he passed by them. "Besides trying to get you two little rugrats to go to sleep, I had to deal with my burgers spontaneously combusting, your cousins at each others' throats, a muddy and overly affectionate Golden retriever, and a fire extinguisher with a mind of its own. Also, I'm not too sure, but I think Ramona's still upset with me for making her look like a fugitive from the Jackson 5."

"Who?"

"They were before your time, sweetie," Jesse told his daughter.

"So, did you ever get that shirt cleaned?" Kimmy asked.

"Yeah, after running it through the wash about thirty-seven times. Oh, before I forget, Michelle's back from Thailand. Why don't you go say hi to her?"

"Good idea," Kimmy decided. "I've been meaning to ask her what it's like over there."

As Michelle finished giving the Gibblers their presents—a silver necklace for Ramona and matching teacups for Kimmy and Fernando—the door opened yet again, and in came Joey, dressed in the same outfit he'd worn on the day he and Jesse first moved in. Or at least a close facsimile of it.

"Hi, all!" he announced. "Is this the location of the pre-graduation soiree?"

"Come on in, Joey," Tommy answered as he set Malachi down.

After Joey made the greeting rounds, he turned to Tommy and Pamela"So, how are the graduates doing?" he asked them. "Ready to take on the world, I hope."

"I don't know if I'd call backpacking in Oregon taking on the world, but I am looking forward to having some free time before I start college," Tommy said.

"Well, I just want you guys to know how proud we are of you," Joey smiled. Then, without warning, he held up his hand as if he were holding a microphone, and started belting out, "Pomp and cir-ir-cum-sta-a-ance, pomp and cir-ir-cum-sta...AAAAAANNCE!"

The two cousins rolled their eyes and shook their heads, but they were still smiling. Thankfully, DJ had just informed everyone that the food was ready.