A Cup of Kindness
"Anything else we need?" Tony asked when they reached the last aisle of the grocery store.
"Don't forget the kindness, Daddy," Tali said from her spot hanging off the front of the cart.
"Kindness?" Ziva gave her husband a puzzled look.
"It's our special drink for New Year's Eve," Tali explained.
"Sparkling grape juice, in actuality," Tony said.
"On New Year's Eve, we have a little party, just me and Daddy and Pop-Pop, 'cept this year, you get to party with us, Ima."
"What goes on at this 'party'?" Ziva asked as Tony pushed them towards the juice aisle.
"We eat popcorn and watch a movie. Then, we watch this big sparkly thing come down a pole while we count from ten to zero. When we get to zero, it is a new year. Pop-Pop makes a little speech like a prayer and then we drink some kindness out of these fancy glasses that Grandma DiNozzo brought all the way from England."
"That sounds like quite a party."
For the rest of the day, Tali was a perpetual ball of energy. Her every thought and action was geared toward the family celebration. Around 9:00, Tony made an announcement. "All those wanting to participate in the DiNozzo Family New Year's Eve Extravaganza have thirty minutes to be in their places." A whoop went up from his daughter. "Would you like to tell Ima the rules?"
"There are rules?" Ziva asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Uh huh. They are the same rules since Daddy was a little boy. You have to be in your pajamas and in your place so we can start the movie. If you have watched the movie b'fore, you can't tell what happens." Tali put her hand beside her mouth and said in a loud whisper, "That rule is for Pop-Pop."
"I see," Ziva said, working hard to keep a straight face. "Does he do that a lot?"
"Sometimes."
"Are there any more rules?"
"You can't drink your kindness until everybody does after we bump our glasses together and you can't bump them hard 'cause they may break."
"And…" Tony prompted.
The child thought for a moment. "Oh, and no talking about the bad things that happened, only the good things so we can start the new year off on the right foot."
Ziva could practically hear her father-in-law saying this and that was most probably the reason Tali could recite it word for word. "I see. Since you have already had a bath and are in your pajamas, what will you do?"
"I'm gonna help Pop-Pop make the popcorn."
"Okay, Rugrat," Tony began, "Ima and I will go and change into our pajamas. You behave until we get back." He punctuated his last statement by tickling his daughter's ribs. With the giggles still in their ears, he and Ziva made their way upstairs.
"Why does Tali call the juice 'kindness?'" Ziva asked as she gathered her clothes to change.
"It should come as no surprise that our daughter is very…inquisitive," Tony said. "A couple of years ago, we were watching It's A Wonderful Life and when they started singing 'Auld Lang Syne,' she heard the line about a cup of kindness. She consulted her go-to resource for information…"
"Your father?"
"Is there another?" he responded, eliciting a laugh from Ziva. "Senior explained that the first part of the song asks questions, should we forget our old friends and old times just because they're in the past? The second part of the song answers it; we should take time to remember the people and good times of the past, but look forward to making new friends and new memories." Tony shrugged. "I'd never thought about it, but it made a lot of sense. When we made our toast to the new year, Tali said, 'This kindness tastes good, Daddy.' I asked her what she meant. She pointed to the bottle and said, 'What we drank, a cup of kindness like in the song.' So, it's been 'kindness' ever since."
"That sounds so much like her," Ziva said.
"The child of a thousand questions," Tony said.
"I wonder where she gets that?"
"Senior?"
"Not quite."
When Ziva and Tony made it back downstairs, Tali and Senior were waiting on them. Tony pulled his wife closer to him when they were settled onto the sofa and started the movie, The Sound of Music in honor of Ziva being there to celebrate with them. At 11:50, Tony pressed pause on the remote. "Alright, potty break for those who need it while Pop-Pop and I get everything ready to ring in the new year." Tali scrambled from her seat and dashed upstairs to her bathroom.
"Do you need my help?" Ziva asked.
"We have it all covered," Senior told her. He patted her hand. "You forget, this is for you. C'mon, Junior," he said, leaving before Ziva could deliver any further protest. She could only shake her head and chuckle. Such was life with the DiNozzos.
Tali was stomping down the stairs with Kelev in tow when Tony opened the kitchen door and held it open for his father. Senior was carrying a silver serving tray bearing four cut crystal champagne glasses and a small shot glass filled with sparkling grape juice. He sat it on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Get yours, Ima," Tali instructed.
Ziva reached for a glass. "Tony, this is Waterford crystal," she whispered. She looked at the tray. "Served on a Gorham silver serving tray."
"My mother's wedding crystal," Tony explained. "On birthdays, we get cake on Wedgwood china plates."
"The shot glass?"
"Kelev's. Kelev never gets left out of anything. Tali loves this so much, so Dad takes every pain to make it first-class."
"What time is it, Daddy?"
"Time for you to get a watch," he replied. The child dissolved into giggles at this reply. He made an exaggerated effort at looking at his wristwatch. "It is…11:58 p.m."
"Turn it to the sparkly ball!" Tali was fairly bouncing up and down in excitement. Tony switched the television output and the screen was filled with revellers packed into Times Square. "Have you ever been there, Daddy?"
"Not for New Year's Eve, but I've been to Times Square."
"I'm glad we're not there," Tali announced. "I like being here with just us."
So do I," her grandfather agreed.
"One minute," a voice from the television said, "one minute left until the new year." The quartet watched in silence and the giant ball began its descent. When the countdown got to ten, Tali joined in.
"Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one! Happy New Year." Couples onscreen were kissing their sweethearts. Tony kissed Ziva. Senior placed a kiss on his granddaughter's cheek. Tali returned the favor. "Happy New Year, Pop-Pop." After her parents finished, she kissed each in turn.
"Happy New Year, Daddy."
"Happy New Year, Rugrat."
"Happy New Year, Ima."
"Happy New Year, my Tali," Ziva replied.
"Okay, Pop-Pop. We're ready for our cup of kindness."
The older man cleared his throat and stared at his glass for a moment. "Here's to family members who have left us, ones who have returned, ones yet to come, and the memories they give us. May we easily forget the bad and focus on the good and the blessings of having family near."
"Hear, hear," Tony said, extending his glass where it was met by those of his father, wife, and daughter.
The movie continued after the toast. By the time the Von Trapps were covertly making their way out of Austria, Tali was snuggled with her grandfather on one end of the couch; both were sound asleep. On the other, Ziva was settled against Tony, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. She picked up the remote from off the couch and stopped the movie. "I love that movie," she sighed. Nodding to the sleeping pair, she said, "I wonder what they thought?"
"Oh, they enjoyed it, trust me," Tony replied. "There wasn't a constant stream of conversation, questioning plot points or characters' motives. Not one 'Why would they go to the store when there is food at home?' or 'Why didn't she just shoot him instead of waiting to hit him with the gun?' or, my personal favorite, 'Is this even real?' When it comes to those two, silence is golden." Ziva laughed. "What about you?" he asked. "Did you like your first DiNozzo Family New Year's Eve Extravaganza?"
"It was wonderful," she said. Her mind drifted back. At times, all of the years blurred together. Save her stolen moments with Tony, there hadn't been anything to remember fondly, much less last two weeks changed all of that…changed everything. "Tony," she said, breaking the silence, "can we stay here for a while longer?"
"Sure," he replied. "Wanna watch some tv?"
"That sounds perfect." She passed the remote control to her husband, knowing the chance was very high they would soon be watching a detective show from the 70s. As she thought, it didn't take but a few clicks until she heard him say, "Ooh! Kojak!" She curled up against Tony's chest and felt him kiss the top of her head. Ziva's eyes landed on the table and the cups of kindness. Immediately, she appreciated Senior's rule of not using the time for bad memories. There were too many good ones with the people surrounding her.