All familiar characters are Janet's. Mistakes are mine. A big 'Thanks' to readers, reviewers, and Guest reviewers, for helping this story reach 200 chapters. And to everyone who has stuck with Olive for the last 5 years, she and I can't thank you enough for your continued support.
"You know what that sound means, don't you, Olive?" Steph asked, from the carpet in front of where our baby is standing.
"Meeee meee," Olivia said in response to her Mama's question.
"Yep, the sound of your winter coat being zipped up means 'me me' and 'you you' aren't in the Caribbean anymore."
"But Mo and Gunny are only an hour or so away, Olive," Julie pointed out, finding a bright side to the end of our vacation. "I bet you missed your puppies."
"Puppies?" I asked. "They're almost bigger than you are."
"Size doesn't matter," my daughter declared.
The look my wife shot me said otherwise, and that she's pretty happy with the size of everything she married.
"You are right, Jules," she said to our eldest, "no matter how big our dogs are or how old they get, they will always be 'our puppies'. And you'd better brace yourself for when we get back home and they see you and your sister. You'll need a towel to wipe off their kiss-drool and a gym mat to cushion your fall when they knock you completely over in their excitement for your return."
"For some reason, I don't think you're joking, Steph."
"She's not," I added. "They are going to wag themselves into next week when they realize everyone's home."
Someone knocked on our door and we heard Edna's shout less than a beat after it. "Stephanie?! I need to talk to you!"
"Uh-oh," Julie said. "I'm going to save myself and head out through my room. Do you want me to take Olive with me?"
Steph got up and then picked Olive up. "I've got her. You just go enjoy your last few minutes on the ship."
She nodded. "I'll check with Mary Alice and Angie and see what we can get into."
"Uncles Tank and Bobby will be nearby," I warned her.
She grinned at me. "I know. I was thinking along the lines of fun, not trouble," she promised me, as she disappeared into the room connected to ours while Steph and Olivia opened the door of ours.
"What's up, Grandma?" She asked.
"Who's worked up is the better question. And your father is the answer. He's gonna pace his way through the carpet if he keeps it up."
"What's wrong?" I asked Edna, taking Olive so she'd stay more settled.
It drives Stephanie crazy, but there are times when my affect on our daughter comes in handy for her. Olivia has been known to just chill out with her head on my shoulder and her big brown eyes staring at me, not interested in any other activity.
"Frank wants to ask you something, but he don't wanna actually ask."
Steph sighed. "I thought we've made some progress, but maybe not if he's still nervous about talking to me."
"This ain't about you, Stephanie," Edna told her. "This time, it's all about him."
My wife looked at me. I have an idea of what may be happening, but I have no specifics to give her.
"Where is he now?" I asked.
"Still in his cabin, I think. I'll take the kiddo and we'll hunt down the others. You'll need to focus."
"Grandma, you're scaring me," Steph said, leaning over to kiss Olivia to center herself.
"You ain't got nothin' to be scared of. You already weathered this storm," she answered, sliding her bony hands under Olivia's arms to lift our daughter and bring her close, "it's Frank's turn now."
I could see realization pour down Steph's face as the blood drained from it.
"He's leaving Mom?"
"Now I didn't say that, but I know he wants to talk to the two of you about your apartment offer. I accept by the way. I want a place wherever you have room to stick me. I ain't gonna listen to Helen bad-mouthing everyone right and left, night and day. It's been real peaceful here on this boat, it'll be tough to go back to normal."
"Nothing in the Burg is 'normal', Edna," I reminded her. "And you're not going to be stuck anywhere. Before we left, I asked Ella to make two apartments comfortable in case they were needed."
"Look away, Stephanie," Edna ordered. "I'm about to plant one on your honey and you might not like it."
"How about I handle the thanks, Grandma? You just keep an eye on Olive for us until we talk to Dad and sort this out."
"Will do." Edna winked at me. "Raincheck," she said before walking out the door and apparently running into either Tank or Bobby. "Hey, hot stuff! Wanna escort a couple of ladies …?"
Her voice trailed away and I held my hand out to my wife. "You okay?" I asked, while I closed the door behind us and we started down the hall to Frank's cabin.
She looked up at me. "I'm fine, but I'm worried about him. I know I can handle my mom, I'm not sure he's strong enough to yet. He's still reeling from visiting Gioele's grave."
"Maybe that's a good thing, Babe. Needing time to say goodbye and then hello again to his friend ... could give him the break he needs from Helen. Accepting an apartment says he's accepted the fact that he can't mourn, heal, or act in his own best interest, around your mother. That's a good sign, he knows he deserves some of his own time."
"But she's going to double-down on their marriage if she thinks for a second it could be over."
I kissed the top of her head as I knocked on Frank's door. "That's where a security firm would come into play. But these are his rules to make. We can't force anything here without the danger of it breaking him."
"I know, but we can sloooowly maneuver something until it fits into the right place."
"I love you," I told her once again.
"I know," she said, and then turned towards Frank who had opened his door in time to catch our last exchange.
Before, I didn't care enough about Frank to analyze his thoughts. Now, I believe he feels some relief that Stephanie married someone who loves every inch of her, inside and out.
"Grandma Mazur said you wanted to talk to us?" Steph said to her father.
He opened the door wider so we could enter. And then he closed it immediately behind us so no one would overhear, I'd guess.
"I wanted to know if you were serious about letting me stay in one of your apartments?" He asked me, but shifted his eyes to include Stephanie in his question.
He is learning. Ignoring or dismissing Stephanie will have you instantly regretting it as well as being born.
"You and Edna are welcome to a shared place or separate apartments for however long you want or need them," I told him.
He didn't say anything for a few moments. "I don't know what to do," he finally admitted.
"For once, Dad, do what you need to do for yourself. If dealing with Mom's anger is going to set you back or keep you from dealing with things you really need to address, take a vacation from her too," Steph advised. "If she's who you love once you learn to love yourself a little, you can tackle those feelings and her later ... when you're sure about what you want."
His shoulders dropped at the realization that his marriage may have ended before he'd even left Trenton.
"It's scary to start your life all over again," my wife shared, "but sometimes you have to when the alternative is dying more and more every day. I'm not going to lie, it's HARD. But I promise you that you won't be able to describe how good you feel once you find yourself waking up with a smile on your face because you love your life so much, you can't wait to get started living another day of it."
"Those words rival the ones you spoke at our wedding, Steph."
"I meant those and mean today's from the bottom of my bones, too," she told me.
I gave her a smile before addressing her father. "It is scary, and this will be hard. The best things for you are never easily obtained, but you won't be alone as you face what you think you can't. I offered apartments in another building if you want space, but now I'm going to recommend you choose an apartment at Rangeman. My doctors will be nearby and there is always a team of men awake and on duty 24/7."
"And they're all great at listening if you find yourself awake at three AM ... too scared, jumpy, or thinking too hard, to sleep," Steph added. "Plus Ranger and I will only be a few floors away, so our response time to any SOS is fast."
"Do you think I can do this?" He asked me. "Start over after all these years?"
"I know you can. And that'll be enough until you know you can to," I replied. "We'll work out the details of what you'll need from where once we're back in Jersey and can start making a solid plan."
He's a little pale, but he did nod.
His eyes shifted to his daughter. "Thank you. I haven't been a good father, but it wasn't because I didn't love you and your sister."
She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I know, Dad. I've always felt on some level that you did care, I just didn't know how to access that ... place ... when mine was just as cordoned off."
He relaxed and some of his fear was beat back at least temporarily. From where he's standing, I seem to have an answer or solution for everything, and he's trusting that I'll continue to. He came with us to find Olive, Edna, and the rest of our family. As Steph said, it took careful maneuvering, but everyone on board has become family this past week, even Kloughn.
Bobby drove Valerie's family back to the Burg once we traded water for land, and Edna and Frank stayed with us in our two-vehicle-trek back to our building. I'd arranged to have my father's car waiting so my parents will have plenty of time to drive carefully to Newark while being anxious to be home. Like what happened at the cemetery in Saint Thomas, everybody in our vehicle spilled out into Rangeman's garage in record time, not appreciating the temporary confinement after being mostly free to roam for seven straight days.
"Okay, Olive Pie," Steph was saying after she got her unbuckled, "now you get Daddy in a good hug-hold. He's taller than Mama, and he'll keep Gunny and Mo from bumping you onto your diaper."
I took Olivia while Steph got an arm around Julie. "Just leave the bags, Guys," she told Tank and Bobby over her shoulder, "we'll get them later."
Of course they ignored her and went to the back of the SUV to gather everyone's things.
"Do you want me to go in first and protect you from the guys, furry and otherwise?" Steph asked Julie.
"I'm Dad's daughter, I can handle it," she said, flashing me a smile that I returned.
Edna and Frank were smart and decided to go in after us, with Brown and Tank coming up behind them. They were right to be concerned. Steph's warnings had merit to them.
"Hi, Guys, we're home," she said to the small group that had already formed when news spread that we had pulled in. "Did you miss us? Umph ..." She took a well-meaning hit from Ammo's body, which shot like a bullet out of the elevator. "Hey there, Mo. I missed you ... missed this kind of reaction. C'mere, Gunner. You're getting squeezed next, and then the girls can have you."
Julie stuck her fingers in her ears to try to block out some of the noise. "Jeez, Olive. Excited much?"
Our baby's squeals were louder than our dogs' barked-greeting.
"Looks like the gang's all here," Santos said, sounding grumpy until I let him hold Olivia.
It's always amusing to watch one of her Uncles try to convince her that she'd rather sit still with them than run wild with her dogs. Today is no different. She allowed Lester to hug her little body and then kiss her cheek, but then she was ready to move.
He consoled himself by dropping a now-empty arm across Julie's shoulder. "At least I know you'll never turn your back on me," he told my eldest. "You've got a lot to catch us up on. Where you went? What you saw? Who you brought back as souvenirs?"
"Grandma Mazur and my Dad have decided to extend their vacation and kick back here with us for awhile."
The men went quiet, which isn't unusual for them. But they already know most of the history between Stephanie and her family, so they all understand the Frank and Edna changing their home bases means something big has transpired.
Unfortunately for one man in particular, Olivia being busy getting kissed to death by canine and RangeUncle alike, and Julie telling the rest where we sailed to and her favorite parts of the trip, left my wife with no distractions. She had time to look hard around at our home and our men after not seeing everything or anybody here for a solid week.
Every person in the building, not just in the lobby with us, felt as well as heard the moment Stephanie realized something has changed.
"Calvin Ulysses Jefferson, what did you do when we were gone?"
Cal froze, not expecting to be thrust into the spotlight, never mind find himself in my wife's crosshairs, but he quickly manned up.
He went ramrod straight and bravely met her eyes. "I married Kenzie."
