OMG! Two chapters in the same month? What is this world coming to? smirk Okay, in today's offering, we have the eye doctor and a visitor. Enjoy! BTW, does anyone want to buy a heatwave? It hit 109 degrees here yesterday.

Chapter 16

Skylar looked around the room and swallowed hard. She was sitting in a chair in the ophthalmologist's exam room. She'd never had an eye exam before and was more than a little nervous. Her father was sitting right next to her, holding her hand. The assistant had spent the last half hour running different tests. They had a little trouble when it came to the which was better one or two but they worked it out. She made some notes on the file then left the room. Dave stroked her hand to reassure her. She jumped a little when the door opened and the doctor walked in.

"Hello," the older man said. "I'm Dr. Morris. I'm going to do a few more little exams then we'll see what we can do."

After another fifteen minutes, Dr. Morris sat down. "Alright," the doctor said. "From everything I'm seeing, Skylar has a moderate case of hyperopia or farsightedness. Basically, her eye is too short and instead of the light refracting on the back of her eye, it's going behind her eye. In mild cases, she would be able to see objects at a distance but hers is bad enough that distance objects are also blurry."

"But it's fixable?" Dave asked.

"It's treatable," the doctor said. "Fixable comes when she's an adult. What I'll do is give you a prescription for glasses. When she's a teenager, if she wants to get contacts, she can. When she's about twenty-one and has quit growing for the most part, Lasik will be an option. I'll need to see her every six months. I'll let you know right now, she will probably get a new prescription at those exams, at least until her growth slows down."

Two hours later, Dave and Skylar were sitting at the counter of the eyeglass shop. It was one of those glasses in an hour places. The saleswoman had helped them pick out two frames. Skylar was in front of a mirror. "Ready?" the woman asked. Skylar nodded, holding her father's hand tightly. The woman picked up one of the pair of glasses and slipped them onto Skylar's face. A few minor adjustments and she sat back.

"How's that?" she asked.

Skylar looked at herself in the mirror a couple of minutes then looked at Dave. "Very nice," he smiled. "Try the other pair." More adjustments and she again looked at her father. She made writing motions. Dave pulled out his notebook and wrote her name before handing it to her. With a look of concentration on her face, she carefully copied her name then handed it back to him. He gave her a smile and a hug.

Dinner was just about ready when they got back to the house. Mrs. Nichols was working in the kitchen when they walked in. She turned around and looked at Skylar. "Nice glasses," she smiled. Skylar smiled back at her. "Go wash up. It's almost time for dinner." The little girl turned and ran out of the room.

"I've got the room set up for your mother," Mrs. Nichols said.

"Great," Dave said. "A word of warning. She may try to take over the kitchen. She loves to cook."

"I'll keep that in mind," she smiles. Skylar came back into the room. "You two can set the table. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes."

Skylar had just put on her pajamas when Dave walked into the room. "Ready for bed?" he asked and she nodded. He pulled back the covers and she climbed in. After pulling the covers up, he sat down next to her.

"Someone is coming tomorrow to stay with us for a few days," he said. She looked curious. "My mother, your nonna, will be here tomorrow." She raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was time for you two to meet. I haven't told her about you yet. I thought it was something I should do in person. She might get a little loud because I waited a month to tell her." She shook her finger at him. "Yeah, I know. She'll yell a little then it'll be alright. She'll love you as much as I do." She threw her arms around him and hugged him. He kissed her forehead then she laid down. "Sweet dreams."

That was how David Rossi found himself standing at Dulles waiting for the next flight to disembark. He smiled as he watched her walk off the gangway. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on top of her head.

"Hello, Mama," he said.

"Hello, David," she said. She pulled back to look at him, her eyes narrowing. "You have a secret."

"I could never get anything past you," he smiled. "Yes, I have a secret and I'll tell you when we get to the house. Let's get your bag and get out of here."

Isabella Rossi was a small woman, barely standing five foot one and a hundred pounds, but what she lacked in size she made up in sheer force of will. It's what helped her raise five children by herself when her husband died. She knew her children well enough, including the one sitting next to know when something out of the ordinary was going on. He said he wasn't getting married again and he knew better than to lie to her, especially about that, but she knew it was something on that scale. She also knew that he was very stubborn and wouldn't tell her anything until he was ready.

When they got to the house and pulled into the driveway, Mrs. Rossi looked at the house. Dave got out of the car and came around to help her out. "You moved," she said.

"I did," he said. He grabbed her things from the backseat and they headed for the front door.

"Very nice," she said when they walked inside.

"Let me show you to your room," he said and they walked down the hall.

"You're stalling," she told him.

"I am not," he denied. He set her bags in the room. "Come on." She took his arm and they walked out of the bedroom, heading for the kitchen.

Mrs. Nichols was making lunch when they walked in. "Good morning," she smiled.

"Mom, this is my housekeeper Anna Nichols," he said. "She lives here. Mrs. Nichols, this is my mother Isabella Rossi."

"Mrs. Rossi," Mrs. Nichols said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you," Mrs. Rossi nodded. "How long have you worked for my son?"

"Just a couple of weeks," Mrs. Nichols said, "since he bought the house."

"And where is this secret?" Mrs. Rossi asked. Dave looked at Mrs. Nichols.

"In the backyard," she said, "playing fetch."

"Be right back," he said, heading for the door.

"Excuse me a moment," Mrs. Nichols said and left the room. She returned a moment later with a washcloth and a hand towel. She wet the washcloth, wrung it out then took it and the hand towel and went to stand by the open door.

Dave walked back in holding Skylar under her arms at arm's length, followed by Mudgie. He set her down then took the wet cloth from Mrs. Nichols. Skylar had dirt all over her. Dave knelt down and began to clean her up.

"Did you roll in a mud puddle?" he asked. Skylar pointed at the dog. "It's all Mudgie's fault, right?" She nodded. The dog whined, protesting his innocence. "Mudgie's telling a different story," he said. "He says he's clean and you're not." She shrugged and pointed again. "Sticking with that story, huh?" She nodded again. He exchanged the washcloth for the hand towel and dried her off. "You'll need a bath later," he remarked. With a sigh, he stood up and turned Skylar around.

"David?" Mrs. Rossi asked quietly.

"Mama, this is Skylar," he said. He took a deep breath. "My daughter. Skylar, this is your Nonna Rossi."

TBC...

I think you'll like Mrs. Rossi.