So sorry. I suck. Between work and real life being hectic and getting distracted with other stories and reworking this one I didn't realized how long it had been since I posted an update. I will try to get better about that. Thank you SO MUCH for your patience. :-)
"Thor, no, off the table." Angela shooed the cat away and rolled a toy across the kitchen floor, relieved when he chased after it. Eric and Georgia were still sleeping and she was trying to take advantage of the quiet house to finalize her shopping list for the barbecue tomorrow. Eric had offered to help with any prep work, but he had pampered her so much on Mother's day she wanted to return the favor for Father's day. He worked hard to provide for their family and gave her the opportunity to stay home with their daughter, to really learn how to be a mom and embrace motherhood. He deserved a little spoiling.
Of course while she was making a list for the barbecue she thought about Georgia's first birthday in a couple of months and dug out that list as well. They weren't planning anything big, they didn't want to overwhelm her, but they wanted it to be fun.
While in the midst of oohing and aahing over some adorable first birthday cakes, Topanga sent her some- pressure free, according to her- pictures of winter wedding bouquets for inspiration. So out came her wedding to-do list, which made the other two lists look like child's play.
"I don't think I've seen you concentrate this hard since you were studying for your SATs."
She jumped up from her chair. "Hi, dad," she said, throwing her arms around him.
"Good morning, sweetheart."
"How are you feeling?"
"Better than I have in a while," he answered honestly. "I'm not missing the chemo and radiation."
"When do you start your next treatments?"
"I'm not sure yet. I have a doctor's appointment when I get back home. We'll see how things look and go from there. But enough talk about bad things. That's not why I'm here. Is there tea?"
"Yeah, let me-"
"Sit. I'm not an invalid. I said I feel better than I have in a long time and I mean it. I'm perfectly capable of preparing myself a cup of tea." It was one side effect of chemo he hadn't been prepared for. He knew foods would taste different, but he hadn't expected coffee to become so gag inducing.
She nodded and went back to her chair. "I'm sorry I was asleep when you and Eric got home. Georgia is finally going to bed at a decent hour and I passed out after I put her down."
"It's okay. I remember how you were at that age. You're entitled to sleep." He glanced around the room. "I'm guessing from the quiet that my granddaughter is still asleep?"
"Surprisingly, yes. Though she had to have woken up at some point because when I got up she was in her crib and when I checked her a little while ago she was in bed with Eric." She held out her phone and showed her dad a picture she snapped. "I don't know why she has to hold our shirt collars in a death grip when she's asleep, but she's done it since the day she was born. If she's not holding the collar she's got her hand tucked just inside."
He smiled. "She's getting so big."
"I know. It's going so fast…too fast. Some days I want to stop time and keep her little. It's easy to protect her when she's this small, you know? But then she learns something else fun or understands a new thing and it's cool to watch her brain process it all." She shook her head. "Am I making any sense?"
"You sound just like a parent." He glanced at the spread of papers across the table. "So what's all this? Anything I can help with?"
"Just my to-do lists. Barbecue, Georgia's birthday, and wedding," she said, pointing to each notebook.
"You know it would probably be easier to focus on tomorrow first."
"I know, but one thought led to another, then Topanga texted me about flowers, and then…all this."
"You've never been one to half ass anything, I'll give you that."
"The next six months of my life are going to be insane."
"Can I offer a suggestion?"
"Sure."
Alvin took two of her notebooks, closed them, and pulled them over to his side of the table. "You get these back after tomorrow."
"But-"
"Everything else can wait. Focus on tomorrow." If she needed permission to take it easy he'd give it to her. "That's an order."
She could argue, but found that she didn't want to. Instead she was relieved. "Thanks, dad."
"You're welcome."
"But you're totally going to be running interference when Topanga, Morgan, and Rachel come at me with wedding ideas."
"I think I can handle your friends."
"Famous last words." Angela smiled when she spotted Eric headed for the kitchen with Georgia in his arms. Their sleepy expressions were nearly identical. "Someone decided to sleep in, huh?"
"Cut me a break. It's Saturday."
"Not you, silly. I meant Georgia."
"Yeah, she woke up a couple hours ago, but after a diaper change and raiding the Cheerios stash she went right back to sleep."
"What Cheerios stash?"
"I keep some Cheerios and her puff snacks in my nightstand in case she gets hungry. Not super hungry, but just needs a few to get rid of the tummy rumbles so we can go back to sleep. Right, Georgia," he asked, kissing the top of her head. "It's bought us some extra sleep more than a couple times."
"Wow, that's brilliant."
"I know, right?"
"Georgia, hi, do you see who's here? Look, it's grandpa. Can you say hi?" She waved at the baby, hoping she'd repeat the action. "You do it all the time on Skype. Say hi to grandpa." The baby appeared mildly interested, but wrapped an arm around Eric's neck and pressed her face against his. "Are you playing shy, little miss?" She tickled the sole of Georgia's foot, which got a few quiet giggles, but that was all. "You don't do shy. You're like daddy: life of the party."
"Angela, it's okay," Alvin reassured her. Of course he wanted to be greeted by happy squeals and a granddaughter who flung herself at him, but that wasn't realistic. They hadn't seen each other in person in months. "Let her wake up a little." He noticed some writing on her clothing. "What does her shirt say?"
"Pants? Oh, you mean leg prisons," Eric answered. "Really, does it get anymore perfect than that?"
"I don't get it."
"Georgia decided she hates pants. It's not a big deal now that it's summer and she can just sleep in a t-shirt and diaper, but you can imagine how much fun dressing her has become."
"I saw it online and knew it was perfect and honestly, I wish they made it in my size because I agree. Pants are leg prisons forced on us by society."
Angela rolled her eyes and went back to the list she was making. "What time do you have to be at the station today?"
"Not until three or four. On Saturdays we only do the six o'clock and eleven o'clock news. Why?"
"I have to do some grocery shopping and that's a lot easier without little "Sticky Fingers Matthews" over here."
"Trying to get the cookies and candy already," Alvin asked.
"No, more like the entire produce department. Last week I thought she was going to tip the cart trying to grab all of the sweet potatoes."
"Trust me, you don't want to get between her and sweet potatoes. She'll cut you. The girl loves her sweet potatoes. The only other thing that comes close is avocado."
"At least she's going for the healthy stuff, even if it is messy."
"But you're going to be home to watch her while I run to the store," Angela clarified.
"Yeah, take your time. I was going to take her with me when I go to the pet store. Thor needs more food and litter and she loves watching all the animals. You should see how much she laughs at the guinea pigs. Plus the reptile lady is going to be there today and we get to see the snakes and lizards up close."
"You let her near snakes?"
"She doesn't hold them, she just watches. I got the idea after Max told me Gina can hardly walk into a pet store to get their dog's food knowing there might be snakes. I figure the less Georgia's afraid of the better. Is that a problem?"
"So long as you don't bring a snake home, no."
"Please, like I want to worry about keeping the cat from getting into a snake cage? No, thank you." Georgia whined in his arms. "What's up? Are you hungry? You want to eat some food?" The baby brought her hand to her mouth. "Okay. Daddy will make you some pancakes. I feel like blueberry today, how about you? Does that sound good?"
"Mmm!"
"She understands," Alvin asked, amazed.
Angela got up to move the high chair closer to the table. "We like to think so. Either that or she just knows the kitchen means food."
/
/
"That's it? Seriously? And so mean about it, too?"
Topanga briefly looked away from her laptop. She was trying to get some work done before they went back down to Philadelphia later. "What's wrong?"
"I sent Shawn a text the other day asking him how Vancouver was. Then when he didn't respond I sent another. Now, a few days after the second text he finally decides to get back to me and do you know what he said, huh? Do you?"
"No. What?"
"He said, and I quote, "Vancouver's great. Glad you're not here." Can you believe that?"
"Cory, he is on his honeymoon. I'm sure he and Naomi would much rather focus on each other than respond to random texts from family and friends. Remember how we were on our honeymoon? We barely left the room. If cell phones were common place back then I highly doubt we would've been happy to text back and forth. "
"Please, Shawn and Naomi have lived together for four years. They've been there and done that with all the fun you can have on a honeymoon. There's no novelty left for them."
"Huh. So following your logic when we go off to the Caribbean next month we should have no issues being called, texted, and emailed at all hours because, after all, we've been married for over ten years and been together much longer. What else is left for us to see and do with each other?"
"Whoa, wait a minute, now…"
"In fact, we might get bored and we wouldn't want that. Maybe we should invite some others to go along, don't you think? I'm sure some of our family and friends would love a tropical vacation. They can even room with us."
"Ha-ha, Topanga, very funny. Not. Joke's over now. I get it. I need to leave them alone."
"Don't you think they deserve their privacy? Give them time to relax and enjoy each other. They're going to be back in the real world of work and other people soon enough."
"I'm not other people! I'm Cory."
She put her hand on her phone. "I'm this close to inviting our parents along on our trip."
"Please, please, please, no," he begged, falling to his knees. "I'm sorry. This is the longest I've gone without speaking to Shawn since we met. I guess I'm not taking it very well."
"Why don't you do some work to keep busy?"
"It's the weekend and it's summer. Not exactly a hopping time for a guidance counselor. I have a few meetings next week and then after that I'm pretty much free for a month aside from a conference call and meeting here and there."
"Clean the house."
"By myself?"
"It's not that bad. It wouldn't take long."
"Maybe not, but you always get on me for putting things away in the wrong spot. It kills my urge to be neat."
"The broom and dustpan don't go in the linen closet with the clean towels. I don't know why that's hard to understand."
"It's not like they're touching the towels," he muttered, when suddenly an idea came to him. "Hey, I've got it!"
"That's great." She'd returned her attention back to her computer. "Go do it."
"Don't you want to know my plan?"
"Cory, I really have to get this done before we leave for Philadelphia. I just need an hour or two uninterrupted. Please."
"Okay. I'm going to run to the store. I'll be back in a little bit."
"What are you getting?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out." He picked up his keys and wallet and headed for the door.
"Seriously?"
"You said keep busy. That's what I'm doing."
"Cory?"
"I'm just going to buy some soil and grass seed so we can seriously do some work on our yard. We've been spending so much time going back and forth to Philly we haven't been able to work on it like we planned. I know it's probably too late to pick flowers or vegetables, but we can save those for when Mr. Feeny can visit and give us advice."
She smiled at her husband. Their half of the yard resembled a vacant lot and drove her crazy most days, especially compared to their neighbors in the adjacent townhouse. But they hadn't had the time to devote to fixing it up yet. "That's sweet. Pick up some potted plants or some kind of flowers though. Angela said it seemed to brighten Mr. Feeny's mood to garden again."
/
/
"Okay, so we have everything for burgers, hot dogs, and sausages to grill tomorrow. Amy is making coleslaw and potato salad and Topanga is bringing something she calls seven layer salad but there's a bunch of bacon in it so who knows how healthy it really is. They are also handling desserts along with Morgan. Rachel is making chicken wings using some secret recipe of her mother's. I don't get how chicken can be secret, but her barbecue sauce won the blue ribbon in a few county fairs, so what do I know?
"Now I just have to decide how to cook the ribs. You wouldn't believe how many recipes come up when you Google 'best slow cooked rib recipe,'" Angela said to her dad as she read off her computer screen. "Crap, I never even checked if it's a slow cooker or crock pot that we own. I mean…they've got to be the same thing, right? More or less? Is there a difference?"
He shrugged. "How many people are going to be here tomorrow? This is a lot of food." He was glad he decided to go shopping with her. They'd ended up filling almost two shopping carts.
"About twenty to twenty-five people, give or take." She rattled off the guest list. "And Lila will be coming by for a bit but we're not sure yet about Mr. Feeny. He's had a few minor setbacks and it's made him more unsteady on his feet and self conscious about being around people, especially if eating is involved. He wasn't able to go to Shawn's wedding."
"That's a shame. How is he doing otherwise?"
"Lila says okay. The complications are completely normal for someone his age who has had a stroke. But anything that comes up lately makes him a bit stubborn."
"I understand that. It's not easy to make the transition from independent and free to go about your life to one day having your own body become your worst enemy and become very aware of your own mortality. It can mess with the mind of even the most intelligent, rational person out there."
"Sorry, didn't mean to bring up unpleasant things."
"That's okay. And I'm-"
"Dad, it's done. Don't apologize anymore. Okay? We agreed. What you did sucked and was wrong, but we're done with the apologies."
He nodded. "Right. In that case, can I ask a favor?"
"Sure."
"Let me help with something."
"Thanks, but I can handle it."
"I don't doubt that, but you're going to drive yourself insane before tomorrow gets here if you don't delegate."
"I'm fine. Besides, I know I'm making a big deal because it's Eric's first Father's day and he loves a good party, but it's Father's day for you, too, and you should get to relax and-"
"And spend the time doing what I want, correct?"
"Exactly."
"What if what I want is to spend time with my daughter, whether that's in the kitchen or sitting in the backyard or living room or wherever? If you're worried about my health, don't. If I get tired I'll rest. Okay?"
She nodded. "Sorry, I should trust you to know your limits."
"That's okay. I'm going to give Trish a call to see if she knows your grandmother's recipe for ribs. I remember she would make them for every holiday, family gathering, and even block parties when I was a kid. There were never any leftovers."
Angela was trying to find room for the rest of the groceries when Eric came in through the door that connected the kitchen to the garage.
"…but I think my favorite part was watching the glow in the dark fish swim right up to the glass to see us. Those were fun, right?" He listened as the baby babbled back to him. "I know! The mini lobsters in the tanks were so cool. Daddy didn't know they had them in blue, white, and orange either."
She smiled at the exchange. "Sounds like the trip to the pet store was a success."
"Huge. There was a puppy training class going on and we watched for a little bit. Drew and Tammy were there with Bowie," he said, referencing their neighbors and their new puppy. "You can only imagine how excited she got."
"I'm sure."
"But don't worry, I reminded her that she needs to be at least five before we get a dog."
"Did she see the snakes?"
"Yep, and she got to pet a bearded dragon." He showed off a few pictures he took on his phone. "And check out the panther chameleon I got to hold. She climbed right onto my hand! Beautiful, huh? Check out those markings."
"Okay, no more reruns of Crocodile Hunter for you," she teased.
"Don't be a buzz kill." He stuck his tongue out at her. "Anyway, the day could get better, but I wanted to run it by you first."
"What do you mean?"
"While we were in the store one of the producers called and said since its Father's day weekend everyone has the option of sending in a picture with either their kids or dad…father figures…whoever." He put the baby in her activity exersaucer while he told the story. "Sounds good, right?"
"Yeah."
"But I figured I could do one better."
"How do you mean?"
"I could bring Georgia to work and have her do the weather with me tonight, at least for the six o'clock news. What do you think?"
"I think it's a really sweet idea but…" Angela trailed off and looked at their daughter. "Do you remember our conversation after what happened with Mr. Feeny's nurse? Are you going to be able to handle the social media comments that are less than one hundred percent glowing?"
"What are you talking about," Alvin asked, confused. "People had negative things to say about this precious little angel?"
She gave her dad a brief rundown. "Lila said the nurse was reassigned to a different facility and had to undergo mandatory sensitivity training."
"Wait, that's all," Eric exclaimed. "She was way out of line and made some rude and weird assumptions about our family. She was obsessed with knowing where I "got" Georgia from."
"She probably only got transferred because you're a local celebrity and they didn't want to risk bad press. Those lame sensitivity training seminars are typically the status quo." She saw the disbelief on his face. "What did you expect?"
"Something more than that. It's not right. She talked about Georgia like she was a puppy I rescued from the pound."
"Get used to it. The world isn't a colorblind utopia where everyone gets along and sings kumbaya."
"Dad, don't," Angela admonished.
"I knew there was no utopia. I thought I knew. I'm learning." He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the counter. "I just…I hoped…I don't know. I never had to think about it much before." True, Eric witnessed one girlfriend in high school get harassed because she was Chinese, but he'd thought the world had changed over the years. "Part of me still doesn't want to think about it because I don't want to believe there are people out there who think we shouldn't be a family. It makes me scared for Georgia, for you…all of it. How do I protect you from that?"
"I already told you that you don't need to protect me. We protect each other- and our family- together. This isn't every man for himself here. We're playing full court press." She made a face. "That made some kind of sports sense, right?"
"I get what you're saying, yeah," he said with a sigh. "So no TV for Georgia tonight."
"I didn't say that. I just wanted to make sure you're prepared for the comments. That's all. This isn't just my decision." She reached for his hand and held it tight. "What are you thinking?"
"I hate that if I bring her on TV there's going to be bullies who see her as anything less than what she is- the cutest, most awesome baby since the invention of babies. But then there's this other part of me…"
"What's that other part saying?"
"I love our family and I'm proud of everything we've built together. Even though we'd be doing it to protect her I don't want it to seem like we're hiding who we are or that we're ashamed. I don't want the haters to win. But then again I'm the one who decided I wanted a job that put me on TV. I wanted to be in the spotlight. You didn't pick that. Georgia's too young to know what she wants...at least with this. She has about a million opinions on everything else and wants whatever we won't let her have." He shook his head. "I'm getting us farther away from a solution here, huh?"
Angela hated to see him second guessing himself, especially when he was so excited to share the experience with his daughter just minutes ago. "It would be cool to see my two favorite people on TV again."
"Really?"
"Sure. The last time Georgia was on TV she smiled for the first time. Who knows how she'd outshine you this time?"
"Hey!"
"How about this: I'll bring her to the station and we can hang out in your office while you get the forecasts ready. I'll take some pictures of her "helping" daddy work. If she turns into a crabby diva or if we just decide not to put her on TV before airtime you can show the pictures."
Eric stared at the baby. She was oblivious to the tension around her and bouncing in her exersaucer, happily chattering to her toys. He'd do anything to keep her this happy and innocent forever, as unrealistic a goal that was. Some days he wasn't sure if he was introducing her to the world or subjecting her to it. "That sounds like a plan."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Good."
"I can pick her outfit, right? I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to put her in her Daddy's Little Sidekick dress."
/
/
Early the next morning Angela came downstairs and was surprised to find her father already awake and sitting at the dining room table. "Why are you up so early? Isn't it four something your time?"
"I fell asleep before eleven last night. Or, if you'd prefer, before eight my time. There is only so long I can lie in bed."
"Do you want me to make you something to eat?"
"Already taken of. I'm hoping my granddaughter doesn't mind sharing half an avocado with her grandpa. It's one of those healthy, good for me foods that the doctors insist I eat."
"I'll explain it to her. She'll understand. It's not like you touched one of her sweet potatoes. Now that would be a crime in Georgia's world." They shared a laugh. "So what are you reading? Anything good?"
Alvin pulled his tablet over to rest atop his notebook. "Actually I was watching Georgia again." He set the video to replay. "She really is quite…can you call a baby charismatic? Keep in mind I am fully biased."
"I know," she said, unable to stop the grin that lit up her face. "There was a split second I was afraid she was going to cry when Eric wouldn't give her his little remote thingie, but he distracted her and got her to engage and even point to most of the right spots. Then she even waved and blew kisses at the camera. They are so good together, so entertaining."
"It doesn't hurt that every other sound out of Georgia's mouth was ma-ma."
She shook her head, still smiling from ear to ear. "That's not old yet, no. Even though she's starting to use mama to refer to everyone, not just me."
"She says it louder, with more conviction, when she means you."
"She does? How can you tell?"
"It's quite obvious. Eric is right when he says you are the center of her universe." Alvin hesitated before asking his next question. "Did any idiots make negative comments about my granddaughter's TV appearance last night?"
"I don't know. I assume there were some, but Eric lets the social media department handle all of that now. He used to read and moderate comments himself and, even though the majority were positive, the negative ones made him sick to his stomach. So he takes special care to avoid the comments when he talks about me or Georgia or shows a picture. I'm just glad he finally told me. He kept it to himself for way too long because he thought he was protecting me. As if I haven't been dealing with some variation of this crap my whole life," she scoffed. "But we talked it out and I made him see he doesn't have to protect me from this kind of garbage. So he's opening up a lot more. And I realized how naïve I was because it never occurred to me that he'd be subjected to this kind of bigotry."
"I'm sorry you have to go through this."
"We'll survive. There's a game plan now. We talk this stuff out instead of assuming the other won't understand. So long as we're on the same page and present a united front I'm sure we'll be okay."
"For what it's worth I'm sure of it, too."
"Thanks. Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"I know you weren't rewatching Georgia and Eric do the weather. You were doing something in that notebook." She gestured to the book under his tablet. "What was it?"
"It's a project I'm working on. That's all."
"What kind of project?"
"Angela…"
"Dad…."
He sighed, amazed how the whiny tone in her voice made her sound like she was five again. He was finding it nearly as hard to not give into her now as it was back then. "I was going to wait to show you until it was finished, but since I've been busted, I supposed that's over, huh?"
"Come on, dad," she prodded. "What is it?"
"It started out as a book for Georgia and any siblings she may have- no pressure on you and Eric, however," he added. "I just remembered you said once that you didn't want her to be an only child."
"Right."
"Yes, well in the event that I'm not around to tell Georgia and her potential siblings about my life I thought I'd-"
"You're writing your autobiography?" She'd ignore the part about him not being around to tell his tales to Georgia himself for now.
"Nothing that involved. My initial plan was to write about my life. I wasn't going to dress it up in a particularly fancy way, just give a factual account of events good, bad, and everything in between."
Angela chuckled and patted his arm. "That's an autobiography, dad."
"Maybe, but that was my plan before I talked to your moth-to Joyce."
She was proud of herself for not outwardly flinching when the woman who gave her life was mentioned. "And what did she have to say?"
"She said that perhaps I was hiding behind Georgia and using this as another way to apologize for our separation and everything I did."
"Was she right?"
"As much as I hated to admit it, maybe. She told me to focus on the good things, to tell stories- funny, rebellious ones you don't know. Joyce even encouraged me to get in contact with some friends and people I served with to see if they had stories worth sharing." He shook his head, still awestruck the so many responded. "I wasn't expecting the feedback I received."
"Is that what all these are; favorite stories from your friends?"
"Some of them are my stories, stories from my youth."
"Can I read one?" She saw his hesitation. "Just one. Please? Is there something in there about the most trouble you ever got into with Granny and Pops?" She was young when her grandparents died and didn't get to hear a lot of these kinds of stories.
Alvin opened the notebook and flipped past the first few pages. "There you go."
She read over the story, trying to reconcile the rebellious teenager with the strict military father. "You skipped your SATs and drove five hours to Mexico?!"
"It was easier to get across the border back then."
"Not the point dad!" She skimmed his words again. "So Wanda, huh?"
"Wanda Burbank," he recalled with a wistful smile. "She was my first serious girlfriend. Boy did she have me wrapped around her fingers."
"No more details, please."
"I wasn't going to provide any."
"Who came up with the international incident?"
"Her…well, both of us. I thought the SATs were stupid because I always planned to join the military. The thought of spending four more years behind a desk in college was torture." He valued education, but the traditional trappings of school had never been his thing. "I wanted to skip and Wanda wanted to see the world. And hell, I was already going to be in enough trouble with my parents for the test so what was a couple days in Tijuana?"
"'If I pulled a stunt like that I'd still be grounded."
"Absolutely."
"But it was okay for you," she challenged.
"I didn't say it was okay. All I said was it happened. I'm sure there are things you've done that you'd rather Georgia not repeat."
"For sure."
"Care to share?"
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Nice try."
"It was worth a shot."
"You know, I have a few friends who can help you turn this into a book."
"Angela, no, this is personal. It's something for you and your children."
"I didn't mean to sell, though I'm sure it would be an incredible story. But I meant if you wanted it to look like an actual book. They could help you put it together with stuff like a table of contents, index, even footnotes and pictures if you wanted."
"Really?"
"Not that I want Georgia exposed to a negative influence like Wanda," she said sarcastically, "but it would enhance the experience. I can make a few calls tomorrow."
"I think that would be nice."
"I'm not sure if I've said Happy Father's Day yet, but if I haven't…heck, even if I did, Happy Father's Day, dad."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
"I have one gift for you now and the rest you get later."
"You didn't have to get me-"
"Stop." She pointed her finger at him. "It's Father's Day. You get presents." Angela went to the hall closet and retrieved his gift from the shelf. "The only reason you're not getting all of your gifts now is because two other ones are from Georgia and one I honestly can't remember where I put it," she admitted.
"That's okay."
"We had a crazy day where Georgia was testing my patience and determined to beat the baby-proofing to get into a cabinet so I tossed your present aside to deal with her. I promise you'll get it before you go home."
"It's okay."
She placed the gift in front of him. "Go on. Open it."
Alvin undid the wrapping, revealing what appeared to be a double picture frame. When he opened it he found that was exactly what it was. On the right was a picture of him and Georgia. She must've been just a few months old. He was holding up in the air, making a funny face to get her to laugh. You could only see the baby's profile, but it seemed his attempts at humor were working. And on the left…he could hardly believe it, but it was a picture of him, nearly thirty years younger, with Angela. He was making the same face, holding her the same way…nearly everything was identical. The babies were even both in yellow onesies and wearing tiny white socks. "How did you…I'd ask if this was planned, but you never let me in on it."
"I was having an insecure day and went through my baby pictures, trying to find ones where Georgia looked like me. When I came across this picture I couldn't believe it."
"She definitely has your profile, minus the nose. That's Eric. But her smile, the jaw, even her ears…it's you."
"That's not why I gave this to you, to show that my kid resembles me a little. I wanted to tell you…show you…that even though the time during the twenty-eight years between those photos wasn't perfect I still love you. You're my dad. I still trust you. I trusted you with my life and now I trust you with Georgia's."
He stared at the photograph of him and Angela, wishing he could drop into it and warn the young man of mistakes to come. But life didn't work like that, did it? He was tempted to apologize to his daughter once again for all of the times he hurt her, but she's made it clear the apologies were done. "Maybe I should've kept the moustache, huh?'
/
/
"Come on, Georgia, walk to daddy. Come on." Eric leaned forward and held his hands out of either side of her, this way if she tumbled the fall wouldn't be far. But a few staggered steps later she was in his arms. "Yay! Should we try again?"
"Aga?"
"Yeah, aga. This time I'll move, okay?" He scooted back a couple feet and held his arms out. "Let's do this again, kid. Walk to daddy."
"Oh, no, she's awake already," Angela said upon entering the bedroom. "I was going to make you breakfast in bed like you did for me."
"Mama!" Georgia dropped down to the ground and crawled to her mother.
"Have you noticed that she's only walking to you? She crawls to me and everyone else."
"Yeah," Eric stated, almost bragging. "What can I say, she's crazy about me."
"And you bribe her with her puff snacks."
"That was only the one day."
"Um, excuse you, little miss." She bent down to pick up the baby. "You don't need to be pulling mama's pants down to get yourself to your feet."
"Well-"
"No smart comments. She's starting to understand and repeat stuff."
"I was just going to say that maybe she knows it's daddy's day."
"Georgia, I think daddy needs a berry." They baby promptly blew a raspberry in his direction. "That's my girl."
"Hey!"
"You taught it to her."
"I know. That means it can't be used against me."
"Where's the logic in that?"
"It doesn't have to be logical to make sense."
"Consider the raspberry part one of your Father's Day gifts."
"Gifts?" His eyes lit up. He loved presents. Why pretend he didn't? "More than one?"
"If you play your cards right, yes."
Eric jumped to his feet. "When do I get one?"
"Let's get her diaper changed and some food in her. Then we'll go from there."
"Okay, but it's going to be better than the raspberry, right?" He held his arms out and smiled when the baby came to him. "No offense, Georgia, but a raspberry is just a fancy word for spit."