The next day Leon, Sharon, and Nicole got up bright and early to see that a taxi was waiting for them to take them to the airport. However, Leon signaled for Sharon and Nicole to go on ahead since he had to take care of the checking out procedure at the hotel and told the person at the front desk to reserve a shuttle for Rita and her family since their flight was at a later than Leon's group. With things set in motion, Leon then proceeded to get into the taxi to head for the airport with Sharon and Nicole.
Once they had reached the airport to check-in for their flight, getting their bags checked and past security screening is when Leon, Sharon and Nicole tried to look for a place to eat a quick breakfast. After finding a bagel shop and placing their orders, Leon got a message from Rita stating, "Thank you for the trip, Leon. I know that you guys left really early this morning to get ready for your flight and all, so we'll see you when we get back home." This put a smile on Leon's face while he was carrying the bag of food to the area where Sharon and Nicole were sitting at. Upon handing Nicole her plain bagel and Sharon her everything bagel, they noticed the facial expression on Leon's face.
"What is making you happy all of a sudden, Leon?" Sharon said before taking a bite of her bagel.
Leon in response handed Sharon his phone to show her the message that Rita sent him while he was getting out his chocolate chip bagel. Once Sharon got done reading the message she looked happy and gave the phone back to Leon.
"That was very sincere of your sister, you know." Sharon said with a smile on her face.
"Yes it is, Sharon." Leon said after taking a bite of his bagel.
Nicole after taking a couple of bites of her bagel took an interest of looking at her father's bagel. Leon and Sharon were appalled at the look Nicole was giving until upon further glancing at what she was looking at directly.
"Daddy?" Nicole asked out of curiosity.
"Yes, sweetie." Leon answered.
"Why does your bagel look like a cookie?" Nicole replied out of curiosity.
"You see this is a chocolate chip bagel and the reason it looks like the kinds of cookies you see in cookie jars is because that's the way they are made. Also, just like freshly batched chocolate chip cookies, the chips in these bagels can be a bit messy too." Leon answered while showing Nicole his bagel.
"Oh, ok. Have you ever tried one, Mommy?" Nicole asked out of curiosity.
"I have a couple of times, sweetheart. But I just mainly prefer the bagel that you see in front of me." Sharon said in an honest tone.
Then Leon, Sharon, and Nicole proceeded to finish eating their breakfast before heading to the gate where their flight is departing from. Right as they made it to gate area Leon, Sharon and Nicole noticed that all of passengers were getting ready to go on board the plane for the flight. "Wow we timed it just right then." Leon thought to himself while standing in line to be boarded for the flight from Calgary to Detroit.
Once Leon, Sharon, and Nicole handed their tickets to the staff member and got on board is when they found suitable seats near the middle of the plane. Then their flight proceeded to take off just a short time later. Upon getting situated in their seats is the moment Leon and Sharon noticed that Nicole looked out at the airplane window.
"I guess she likes the view of the sky, Leon." Sharon said with a smile on her face about Nicole looking out at the airplane window.
"Yeah, she was like that on our flight to Calgary as well. Maybe it builds her imagination seeing the clouds high above, you know, Sharon." Leon said with a smile on his face.
"I suppose so, Leon." Sharon said while holding onto Leon's hand.
"Mommy, look. That cloud looks like a land of cushy pillows." Nicole said while showing Sharon what she saw through the airplane window.
"It sure does, Nicole. You know you can imagine just about anything while looking at clouds." Sharon said with an encouraging tone.
"Oh, that's so cool, Mommy. I want to show Daddy what I saw." Nicole said with a smile on her face.
"Umm...sweetheart, I think your dad is taking a nap right now. How about we tell him once he wakes up ok?" Sharon said upon noticing that Leon started to take a nap.
"Ok, Mommy." Nicole said with a calm manner.
An hour and half passed by, the plane was within distance of Detroit and got announced on the intercom which woke Leon from his nap. Leon turned his head to see that Sharon and Nicole were looking a magazine together which put a smile on his face.
"Hi, Leon. How was your nap?" Sharon asked out of curiosity.
"It was ok. I didn't mean for that happen it just occurs from time to time on these long flights, you know. Probably been used to them for so long it was like second routine or something. So, what have you and Nicole been up to?" Leon answered after stretching his arms and legs out.
"Well, Nicole was telling me the sight of clouds reminded her of pillows and I told her that you can imagine anything with clouds. Then after that we decided to read some magazines that were in the seat pockets before you woke up." Sharon honestly answered with clarity.
"Hmm...that's interesting." Leon said in a calm manner.
"Do you want a sip of my water, Leon?" Sharon asked as she offered the cup to Leon.
"Thank you, Sharon. Can I ask you something?" Leon asked after taking the sip of water.
"Yes, Leon. What is it?" Sharon answered out of curiosity.
"Did you bring your own car to the airport or did Karen drop you off at the airport?" Leon answered in a calm manner.
"Karen drove my car to the airport so she could drop me off since she parked her car at the house as a part of the moving process. So, my car should be at the house and if we see Karen later I got to ask her what she did with the keys." Sharon answered honestly.
"Ok, I think we better get that straightened out once we get your mom and dad's, so we don't go hunting for replacement keys because they're not cheap to make." Leon said with a sigh.
"Yeah, I agree with that idea." Sharon said with a calm look.
A few minutes had passed before the plane safely landed at Detroit airport. Leon, Sharon, and Nicole then headed for the baggage claim to get their suitcases before heading to the parking garage to get into Leon's convertible. Before heading out the airport parking lot, Leon had to pay the parking fee for keeping his car in the garage. While that was going on, Sharon notified her parents about her, Leon and Nicole landing safely and that they were on their way to their house.
Once they got out of the parking garage is when Leon, Sharon, and Nicole left Detroit. While on the highway, Leon had a smile on his face as he looked at both Sharon and Nicole. However, they decided to take stop at a rest area before venturing onwards to use the bathroom and for Leon to fill his convertible up with gas.
"Do you want to get lunch here or wait until we get to your parents?" Leon asked Sharon once she got out of the car while he was pumping gas.
"Well we're about an hour or so from their house and my mom told me that they were going to have a big lunch later. So, I'd hold off on eating until we get there." Sharon answered with a calm look.
"Yeah, you're right. Besides we don't even think Nicole is hungry yet. So, I'll finish pumping up the gas and we'll be heading our way." Leon said with a smile on his face.
Sharon nodded before she got back into the convertible. Leon after paying for the gas, started up the convertible and headed back out on the road for Sharon's parents house. Once they got into the town where Sharon's parents lived at, Leon almost had a hard time remembering which street the house was on until Nicole pointed it out to him once she saw familiar landmarks. By the time they saw a big brick house, Leon recognized a couple of the cars on the driveway and knew that it was the right house before he parked on the left side of the driveway.
"Thank you, sweetie. For helping me back there or else I would have been lost." Leon said to Nicole with a smile on his face.
"Yes, Nicole, sweetheart. Thank you for helping your dad out. I almost forgot as well." Sharon said with a calm demeanor.
"You're welcome. Papa and Nana taught me a long time ago about the landmarks in case if I ever got lost where to find their home." Nicole said in a calm manner.
"They taught you right after all." Sharon said under her breath.
"Is something wrong, Sharon?" Leon asked out of concern.
"No, nothing's wrong, Leon." Sharon answered.
Then Leon, Sharon, and Nicole got out of the convertible and started to walk up the front door of the brick house. Leon knocked on the door a couple of times before two familiar faces opened the door-Sharon's mother and father.
"Papa, Nana." Nicole said as she greeted her grandparents with a hug before entering their house.
"Hi, Mom and Dad." Sharon said while hugging her parents prospectively upon entering the house.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Carter." Leon said while shaking the Carters hands.
"It's great to see you guys. Take a load off on the couch. So, Nicole, tell Papa and Nana about your time in Canada." Mr. Carter said as he led Leon, Sharon, and Nicole to the living room while Mrs. Carter was finishing up cooking the big lunch.
"Well, Papa. I got to learn where my daddy trained to become a wrestler, he showed a venue called the Saddledome where a moment for him happened, and got to watch a wrestling Q & A event live that my daddy participated in with my mommy sitting right next to me." Nicole said with a smile on her face.
"That's awesome to hear, Nicole. How did you think of your Mommy reuniting with you and your daddy in Canada?" A familiar face asked as they entered the house.
"It made me really happy. Aunt Karen!" Nicole answered before realizing that the person asking the question was Karen.
"Hi, Karen." Leon said with a smile on her face.
"Hi, Karen, you made it in time before lunch was about to be served." Mr. Carter said in a calm tone.
"Hi, Sis." Sharon said as she hugged Karen and walked with her to the kitchen.
Then Sharon, Karen, and Mrs. Carter started to get the plates out for the big lunch since the main course was almost done cooking. Leon then signaled for Nicole to wash her hands since it was getting close to time for the big lunch.
"Leon, me and the missus heard about what happened with your father and we're here for you if you ever need anything." Mr. Carter said in a calm manner.
"Thank you, Mr. Carter. I appreciate that so much." Leon said with a smile.
"How is your family holding up?" Mr. Carter asked out of curiosity.
"Well, my sister and her family have been taking it rough to be honest with you. You see they weren't originally supposed to be on the Canada trip with me, Nicole and later Sharon but somehow my nieces and nephew stowed away on my flight which I got upset about so they had to be a part of my agenda but their back home flight isn't until right around now. However, in my extended family the only person I've wanted to contact but didn't have time since my dad's passing was my Aunt Ruth, who was my dad's sister. I mean she always liked me or was the supposed favorite between me and my sister when we were kids in her eyes." Leon said with a sigh.
"I see, Leon. Wait a minute you mentioned Ruth, didn't you? I think the missus saw her not that long ago and brought up your name. You should ask her about it. Speaking of which. Honey." Mr. Carter said before getting Mrs. Carter's attention.
"Yes, dear. What is it?" Mrs. Carter asked out of curiosity.
"I was telling Leon that time not that long ago you saw that lady named Ruth who is his aunt." Mr. Carter said in a calm manner.
"Oh, that. It was about two days ago and I bumped into this lady named Ruth at the supermarket a few miles south of here. Well, me and her were talking for a while before suddenly I mentioned that she partially looks like you and this was when she brought up the fact about you being her nephew and all the things she saw you do as a child. Then she talked about your dad's passing which I'm so sorry for and how she viewed it was rough on the whole family. After that she started to leave before giving me her phone number to give to you since she knew how sad you were at your dad's memorial service." Mrs. Carter said before giving Leon the card containing Ruth's number and a supportive hug.
Meanwhile, Sharon and Karen were placing the plates on the dining room table before heading back to the kitchen to grab the silverware. However, Karen gave Sharon back her car keys in which she put in her pocket and then saw the sight of Leon letting go of the embrace of Mrs. Carter.
"What was that about?" Sharon asked out of curiosity.
"Sis, Mom and Dad were giving Leon their condolences about what happened to his father. They heard about it two days ago from Leon's aunt while Mom was at the grocery store. Based on what they were saying, he took it very hard." Karen answered before handing Sharon silverware.
"Yeah, Karen. I kind of noticed it myself while we were on the trip to Canada. Whenever Leon mentioned something about his dad's passing it would make him feel upset. It will be a long time before he can recover from it and I feel that this trip was to get his mind off that sobering pain." Sharon said before she and Karen placed the silverware on the dining room table.
"As long as you and Nicole are there for him. Then he will have nothing to worry about, Sis. I mean that's what Mom would always say if we or Dad were down in a situation like this." Karen said in a pleasant tone.
"I wouldn't ever have put it like that but close to it, yes, Karen. You're just like your dad when it comes to advice giving an A for effort but a C in explaining it well." Mrs. Carter said as she came into the dining room overhearing the conversation and placing the food on the table.
"Oh, Mom." Karen with a sigh knowing that Mrs. Carter was teasing her.
"LUNCH IS READY!" Mrs. Carter shouted so that everyone in the whole house can hear her.
The lunch consisted of enchiladas, refried beans, rice, chips, and homemade salsa. Sharon was the one that cut up Nicole's enchilada portions so it would be easier for her to eat. Then everyone began to eat the lunch feast and talked amongst themselves for a while.
After everyone had gotten done eating the lunch feast, Sharon insisted that Nicole helped her and Karen with clean up in which the others had no objections to it. So, Leon and the Carter parents went into the living room.
"It seems that Nicole really enjoyed the trip, Leon." Mr. and Mrs. Carter said in unison.
"Yeah, she did, and she really loved looking out from the airplane more than anything while we were a mile above altitude." Leon said with a smile on his face.
"It sure could be and might have been from the stories that Karen used to tell her about you and what you did mainly for travel is what piqued that interest, Leon." Mr. Carter said with a calm look.
"Very interesting." Leon said in a calm tone.
"Leon, Sharon had mentioned to me earlier while we were in the kitchen that when you two reunited that you were at a cemetery?" Mrs. Carter asked out of curiosity.
"Well I wanted to pay respects for one of my closest and dear friends who was buried in the cemetery in Calgary. Which was one of the key reasons other than showing Nicole where I started my wrestling days at was to visit the gravesite of my dearest friend for the first time in almost 20 years. After I said my peace to him and how much I've changed, it was when I was about to leave the cemetery before getting the message from Karen about Sharon and her ultimately finding me." Leon answered honestly.
"You were getting closure with one chapter in your life and it helped you lead straight back to our sweet Sharon. Well I guess there are miracles in life after all." Mrs. Carter said with a smile on her face.
"I had never thought of it like that until she convinced me strongly on how much she has changed from the last few years." Leon said before looking at Sharon who was about to come in from cleaning-up lunch dishes.
Sharon came into the living room sitting right next to Leon preparing to unwind for the first time since they got off the plane earlier in the day.
"I presume you left Nicole in there with your sister." Leon said with a calm tone.
"She wanted to spend time with her aunt. So, I let her do that, Leon." Sharon said with a sigh.
"Speaking of aunts. I need to step outside for a moment to make a call." Leon said upon realizing that this was an opportunity for him to talk to Aunt Ruth and decided to walk out on the front porch.
"What is that all about?" Sharon asked in a panicky tone.
"Sharon, sweetie. There's a reason why Leon's doing this, so don't overreact, ok." Mr. Carter answered based on looking at his daughter's facial expression.
"But why?" Sharon asked out of concern.
"Sharon. Will it help you calm down if I told you the reason why?" Mrs. Carter responded.
"Yes, Mom." Sharon answered as she started to regain her composure.
"Ok, I have told Leon that I saw his aunt not that long ago in a grocery store and the conversation we had where his name was brought up. Anyways, she winded up telling me to give him her number for him to contact her since we all know that's the only important person extended family wise he's got left that cares about him other than his sister and her family." Mrs. Carter answered honestly.
"Oh, ok. I didn't mean to act out the way I did. Now I understand why Leon's out there on the phone with his aunt." Sharon said with a smile.
"It's ok, sweetie." Mr. Carter said with a smirk on his face.
"Are you guys heading on home after a short while or what's the plan?" Mrs. Carter asked out of curiosity.
"I honestly don't know to tell you the truth, Mom. That would be something I have to talk to Leon about once he comes inside. Speaking of which, I think he's coming back in now." Sharon answered right before Leon came back inside the house.
"Sorry about that. It was a real long phone call catching up with my aunt and such. So, what did I miss?" Leon asked once he entered the living room.
"Oh, nothing really. By the way, I was wondering. What time do you think we should head to the house, Leon?" Sharon asked out of curiosity.
"Hmm...how about in five minutes? Does that work for you? I mean we got to remind Nicole as well so she can be ready to go." Leon said with a calm look.
"Yes, that works fine with me. I'll go get Nicole and tell her to get ready." Sharon said as she got up from the living room to the kitchen area.
Sharon then went into the kitchen area to see that Nicole was helping Karen put away the towels. "Nicole, sweetheart. We're about to leave in a couple of minutes. So, finish up what you're doing and get your shoes on." Sharon said with a calm look. "Ok, Mommy." Nicole said as she folded some towels and handed them to Karen. Then Sharon made it back to the front room and put on her shoes while Leon put on his shoes; this was when Sharon told Leon that Nicole had to finish up with a quick errand for Karen before she could come their way.
Then a minute had passed, and Nicole made it to where her parents were to put her shoes on. So, Leon, Sharon, and Nicole said goodbye to Karen and Sharon's parents before stepping out of their house. Once Sharon and Nicole were situated in the convertible is when Leon drove off and they headed off for home in Royal Woods which was a two- and half-hour drive.
"I thought the lunch that Papa and Nana made was really good today." Nicole said with a smile.
"I thought so too, sweetie." Leon said.
"Me too, we'll thank them for it once we notify them that we got to the house alright, ok." Sharon said with a smile on her face.
"Ok, Mommy." Nicole said in response.
Sharon then noticed a peculiar look on Nicole's face and got Leon to look at it on the visor above him. This led to both Leon and Sharon being concerned about Nicole.
"Nicole, sweetheart. What's wrong you look a little off?" Sharon asked out of concern.
"Do you want me to slow down a little bit, sweetie?" Leon asked out of concern.
"No, Daddy don't do that. I don't know it's just that I feel sad about not telling Nana and Papa about the other place I saw on the trip, that cemetery. It just makes me a little sad after losing a Papa that I barely know and then suddenly see another cemetery in a short time frame." Nicole answered in a gloomy tone.
"Leon, she was at that cemetery where Owen was buried right before I got there, and you didn't tell me. How could you? I can't believe you did that not knowing how emotionally scarred the situation this could bring." Sharon said in a stern voice.
"Sharon, please. Now's not the time for this for pity's sake. Yes, I know I caused one major mess up which I do apologize for. I mean..." Leon retaliated in response.
"Stop it, please. Stop it." Nicole said as she was about to cry.
"Sharon, look at what we have turned into right in front of our own daughter. Nicole, sweetie, I am so sorry for acting this way in front of you." Leon said as he admitted his own faults.
"Oh, you're right, Leon. Nicole, sweetheart, I'm so sorry for acting out in front of you. We will try to do better for you." Sharon said with a calm manner.
Leon had his left hand on the steering wheel while the other hand was comforting Sharon for a moment.
"Nicole, sweetie. I know that visiting a cemetery can bring a lot of sad emotions immediately after losing somebody that you have known for a while. I want you remember to something that you should cherish which helped me overcome these sadness situations. If you're paying respects for someone that you've lost, think of the good times that you spent with them and tears start to run down on your face let them flow don't fight it." Leon said with a smile on his face.
"So, it's ok to cry in a cemetery?" Nicole asked out of curiosity.
"Of course, Nicole. It shows how much you deeply cared for the person when they were around your company. So, it's normal in other terms." Sharon said in response.
"Ok, that made me feel better. Thank you, Mommy and Daddy." Nicole said with a regained smile.
Then Leon and Nicole saw a familiar welcome sign in which they pointed it out to Sharon. It was in that moment when they had made it back to Royal Woods and Leon was explaining to Sharon some of the things that the town has offer. Once they turned on the block before Franklin Ave., Nicole got excited as she saw the sight of the house getting closer and caught the attention of both her parents.
Sharon knew right away that they were at home once she saw her car in the driveway without a single scratch. Leon then proceeded to park his convertible barely into the driveway on the left side opposite where Sharon's car was.
"Well, here we are, home sweet home." Leon said once he got out of the vehicle.
"Yay, it's good to be home." Nicole said with excitement.
Then Leon, Sharon, and Nicole walked inside the house to see that some of the boxes with Sharon's name were in the living room. This puzzled Sharon completely which caught Leon's attention immediately.
"Take it easy, Sharon. I'll unpack these boxes for you since it looked the people that helped your sister bring your stuff here didn't do anything else. Nicole, can you give your mom the tour of the house." Leon said right before he started to carry the first box up the stairs.
"I can do that for you, Daddy. Come along, Mommy." Nicole responded as she held onto Sharon's hand.
Leon proceeded to carry most of Sharon's boxes up to the master bedroom and by the time he got done with that he opened them up to be unpacked. After sorting and putting everything away which took about an hour- and a half, Leon made it downstairs to unpack the last two boxes which were kitchen supplies and put them in a storage closet since they were new. With that out of the way, Leon began to unwind on the sofa while Sharon and Nicole joined him a short time later.
"The house is pretty nice, Leon. You look beat." Sharon said upon noticing how tired Leon was.
"Yes, I am worn out from the unpacking. Man, oh man. I got your clothes in the dresser next to my dresser, your towels are in the bathroom, your personal things I left in the box on the floor by your dresser since I didn't know what you want to do with them, your kitchen supplies I put in the storage closet in case if the ones I have out here ever break. That's basically about it." Leon said with a sigh under his breath.
"Thank you for doing that for me, Leon. I love you." Sharon said before kissing him on the cheek.
"Daddy, here's some water." Nicole said while handing Leon a glass of water.
"Aww...thank you, sweetie." Leon said while rubbing Nicole's head and taking the glass of water.