All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine alone.
"Beeee ... beeee ... beeee," Olivia sang, happy to be sitting on her Mama with her own bare toes within grabbing and playing range.
After any kind of outside influence threatens to insert itself into our meticulously-guarded world, circling the wagons has become our family's way of combating it. Sticking close to home would normally sound like a tedious proposition, but my home will never be called boring. A life lived alongside Stephanie had its own set of adventures, but adding in a daughter just like her, plus two dogs that remind me of Santos and Ramon in personality, has taken active to a whole other level.
"You just ate, and you didn't wear your Uncles out enough to need a bath," Steph was saying to Olive, lifting up a little leg to press a kiss to the bottom of our daughter's foot. "So that's not what you're talking about. I hope you're not fixating on an insect or a B.B. gun."
"Unless it's in one of her books or right in front of her, I don't believe she's pining for it, Steph."
It's evenings like this one that reminds me that my career was worth every wound, scar, and bad memory, I have. I used to say I do what I do so others can live the lives they want, but turns out ... I was also protecting the family and a way of life I never thought I'd get to have.
After a day of meetings I could've passed off to Tank but still feel like they're my responsibility, I got to come home to a warm-breathed welcome and a toy from Mo and Gunny, immediately followed by a full-body hug from my daughter and more than that from my wife. Steph had an early day, leading to Olivia having her afternoon up here on seven so not only is she ready to play, just like her Mama ... when she's home, shoes come off and getting comfortable becomes the ultimate goal.
Olivia is still wearing her 'Wonder Baby' onesie and pastel Wonder Woman logo leggings, but her arms and feet are now free to play since our apartment stays the temperature she's the most comfortable in.
"I wanted to be an Intergalactic Princess when I was little and I never saw one of those before," my wife said, poking a hole in my theory.
"Touché, Babe," I said, kissing the top of her head, doing the same to our daughter when she tipped her head back to smile up at me.
Not being able to resist either one should be a problem, but I refuse to believe it will ever become something that needs to be fixed. Julie being older puts a limit on the amount of affection she'll allow in public. Thankfully, she hasn't reached the stage where I'm an embarrassment just for the fact that I'm her father.
My pocket buzzed and Steph sighed. "What now?"
I checked what turned out to be a text from Gene. "It's nothing bad this time. It's actually good news. Gene just let me know that my mother is on her way up."
Steph took Olive's hands and made a double raised-arm gesture of celebration. "Yay! Your Abuela is here!" She exclaimed excitedly enough that Olive started kicking her feet and squealing, which of course caught Gunner and Ammo's attention.
"You want your mother-in-law to experience the full force of a Manoso household-welcome, don't you?" I asked, wading through the canines to get the door before my mother could knock or ring the bell.
"Yup!" Steph called out with pride. "She deserves the best!"
And she's about to spend some time with 'the best', I thought to myself as I let my mother in.
"There's that handsome face I love so much," Mama Manoso said, kissing my cheek and giving me a hug.
"Did you expect my face to be somewhere else?" I asked, amused at her always over-enthusiastic greetings.
Something Mo and Gunny know a little something about, I noted. They beat me to the door and jumped up on their hind legs when they realized she was on the other side of it. As she's gotten in the habit of doing, she handed each an oversized and homemade peanut butter dog treat.
To pay tribute to how amazing a person she is, Gunner and Ammo didn't take off down the hall as soon as they received their expected treats. Instead, they flanked her and waited to head back to the living room until she had pet each head and began moving down the hall herself.
"I was hoping I'd see you here," my mother was saying, "but I know sometimes your work does not allow for a lot of free time. Now ... where are my girls?"
"That's typically my line," I told her.
My parents are worse than my men at occupying my ladies' time.
"We're right here," Steph said at the end of the hall, waving Olivia's hand so she could say 'Hi' to her grandmother, since the vowels Olive is saying didn't come together into a recognizable hello.
Mama Manoso stopped in her tracks, causing our dogs to give each other matching looks of confusion until I gestured for them to go on ahead of us and enjoy their snacks.
"My Olivia just gets more beautiful every time I see her."
"She takes after her Mama in that regard," I added.
Steph rolled her eyes but the look in them told me my words had hit their mark. "If I didn't thank you for having him," my wife said to my mother, "thank you for having your son and raising him to be this specific man."
"You are quite welcome, my dear Stephanie. I thank God for Carlos, for all of my children, everyday."
I could've rolled my eyes just like Stephanie had done over my comment, but I wouldn't. Like I had been stating a fact about Olivia being beautiful like her mother, my mother wasn't kidding. She wanted every single child she and my father have, and she has never taken for granted what she calls the good fortune they've had by having the six of us.
"I understand why you do now," Steph admitted, kissing Olive before letting her grandmother take her.
"How's my little one?" She asked Olivia, nodding her head as if she understood what was being said when Olive answered as only our baby can at this age.
"She's more than great," Steph added. "We were just hanging out and enjoying a little family-time while we have it. It's been a long week despite just coming back from a mini-vacation with Julie."
"I hope you don't mind that I just dropped it without calling first. Carlos' father has decided that you're never too old to learn. He's taking a course on Literature over at the Community College. As much as I do enjoy a good book and learning something new, I'd prefer spending time with my family, especially my granddaughter,over discussing long-dead authors' intentions."
"You say that," I told her, "but we all know you'll be pumping him for details on the lecture as soon as he comes home."
"You know me well."
"I do."
"We're glad you chose us to come visit," Steph told her. "I don't mind saying that there's something about you and your son ... where just seeing you makes me really happy."
