Freedom
Chapter 28
SPOV
We're celebrating Thanksgiving next week and so far we still don't have plans. My Dad called and invited us to their house and I declined. I don't want to have to endure the holiday, I want to enjoy it and be able to feel thankful. Carlos' family also invited us, but after discussing it, we decided instead of tolerating the chaos of the Manoso's, we'd both prefer to have a small, intimate holiday with our chosen family. That is, if they're available.
I woke up this morning and for the first time in a long time, didn't feel any queasiness. I called Ella and asked if she could do me a favor and make me one of her killer omelets. It has avocado, tomato, spinach and swiss cheese and a little cup of poppy seed dressing to dip each bite in. I haven't had it in months, and baby and I are craving it big time. She of course was thrilled to help satisfy one of my cravings and got it up to me in no time flat. Since Carlos had to leave for an early meeting and I had an hour before the regular core-team morning meeting, I sat at the table with my delectable omelet and savored every last bite of it, washing it down with some orange juice. I got dressed slowly and spent a little extra time with my hair and was pleased that I looked good and have kept my breakfast down so far. When I got off the elevator on five, I made my usual morning rounds, greeting the guys and sat with Hector who was on monitors.
"So Hector, I heard you had a date a couple of nights ago…" He didn't take his eyes off the monitors, but I could see his lips twitching as he fought the smile that was trying to take over. His response was a simple nod.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I like him. It was a good date."
"Let me know when your break is and we'll go for a walk and catch up, sound good?"
"Si, Bonita, sounds good."
I left Hector to his work and made my way back to the conference room. Bobby was already there waiting on the rest of us to arrive. He stood and came over to pull my chair out. Such a gentleman.
"How are you feeling this morning, Steph?"
"Incredible. Ella made me a giant omelet that I've craved for the last month, and I actually kept it down! I don't feel the slightest bit queasy! I'm praying this morning, or more like all day sickness is finally past. I think I deserve a break."
"I couldn't agree more. You've been through hell and back, a couple of times. Don't go overboard today even though you feel good. Gradually build up to the foods you like. You need to gain a little weight, but what you've been eating has been nutritionally sound."
Carlos, Tank and Lester walked in while we were talking.
"What shouldn't she go overboard with?" Carlos asked, concerned.
"Steph ate a good breakfast this morning that she hasn't able to eat in a while and she's not only kept it down, but feels great. I just don't want her to eat too many rich foods before she's ready."
Carlos came over and stood me up, pulling me into his arms. "I hope you're done with the sickness part, Babe. It's so hard watching you go through that on top of everything else you've had to undergo."
I blushed at the attention I was getting and was lost in thoughts of all of my favorite foods that I haven't eaten in a while and the next thing I knew, Carlos was clearing his throat and everyone was looking at me. Oops. I'm afraid I zoned out for the whole meeting, hope it wasn't a long one.
"Babe, I told the guys there was something you wanted to ask them."
"Oh! Yes, there is. Carlos and I decided we wanted to stay home, here at Rangeman for Thanksgiving this year. We just want an intimate, chaos free day and wondered if you, you know, our chosen family would like to join us. Ella will be with her family for the day, but I think we can make a pretty decent meal."
Tank was the first to speak up. "I for one would love to join you if I can invite Lula too? She has nowhere else to go. We could bring the wine and a pie."
"Yes! That would be great!"
Bobby was next. "Count me in. And I make a mean candied yam. Let me know if there's anything else I can bring."
"I'll bring the stuffing. And cranberries, can't forget the cranberries. You don't mind the kind from the can, right?" Lester asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"No Les, that would be great. Can you bring some olives too?"
"You betcha, Beautiful!"
"Hal? Do you have plans this year?"
"My family has invited me to come home and I had thought about asking for a few days off to go see them, but to be honest with you, after all that's happened lately, I would rather be here. I just feel guilty though and don't know what I'll tell my family."
I walked over and sat on Hal's lap, giving him a hug. "Just tell them the truth, that you're needed here and you have a seat at your other family's table." I got a simple hug and a kiss on the top of my head in response to my comment.
"We're inviting Hector too, just so you all know." I looked around the table and saw all of their smiles. Hector, although not a member of the core team has become one of us.
I worked for four hours since I'm now only working part time and met up with Hector on his lunch break. For such a calm, cool guy, he was visibly excited for the invite even though someone who didn't know him like I do wouldn't notice. He offered to bring a Torte de Elote, a Mexican corn pudding type of soufflé. Sounds yummy to me. We chatted a bit about his date with Shaun and I was surprised to find out that Shaun is an attorney. He works as a public defender and Hector met him when Shaun was defending a kid Hector has been mentoring from his old neighborhood. You know what they say about opposites attracting. Since they'd only had one date, I didn't ask Hector if he wanted to invite Shaun to our Thanksgiving day and he didn't ask either.
I went up to our apartment right after our talk. I'm so tired. I grabbed a bottle of water and leaned against the kitchen wall to drink it, sliding down the wall and sat on the floor. I closed my eyes, savoring the quiet of the moment. I woke up to Carlos walking in the front door. I sat up, stretching as he came around the corner.
"Any reason you're on the floor?"
"I was so tired. I got an adrenaline rush from my exciting new development this morning and this was as far as I made it when I came up at lunch time."
"Did you at least eat lunch?"
"No, but I'm starving now."
"Would you like to go out for dinner or stay in?"
RPOV
Her expression when I asked if she wanted to go out or stay in was priceless. The fact that her mouth was still open and words weren't coming out was simply entertaining.
"Why don't you go change clothes and we'll go out." I led her into our bedroom and pulled out a pretty blue dress. "This is perfect. You've got twenty minutes to get ready."
"I… how…" She was coming around, what I was saying sinking in.
"It will be alright Babe."
"If something happens, it's more than just us now. The baby…"
"Nothing is going to happen. We're just going out for a dinner like we used to. It's time we reclaimed our lives, babe and our life as a couple, don't you think?"
"Ya, but…"
"No buts. We deserve this, you deserve this. The shopping trip went great the other day and this will too. Let's go find some normal, shall we?" She looked up at me with her big blue eyes wet from tears.
"I'm game. Let's go find some normal." She slipped her Rangeman clothes on and before I could stop her, had the dress on. "Where are we going?"
"Anywhere you want. Just make sure baby won't fight it later… I have plans for you later."
"Ooh, Mr. Manoso, you keep talking like that and I may decide to stay in."
"Not going to happen, babe." What am I saying? We both know I'd do anything she wants, and if she wants me for dinner, who am I to deny her?
"Carlos?" I walked into the bathroom to see what she needed and about laughed out loud. Steph was brushing her teeth, doing the pee-pee dance.
"Babe." She spit into the sink and rinsed out her mouth.
"What? I didn't know I had to go until I ran the water." Our relationship has progressed to the point where she sat down to go to the bathroom without thinking anything of it. We know each other inside and out and this kind of inhibition is touching.
"Can we go to Shorty's and invite anyone who wants to go from Rangeman? I feel like some pizza, pool and darts. I'd love a beer, but that will have to wait a few months."
"Are you sure?"
"Ya, I know that when they're with us now, it's because we're kicking back together, they're not on the clock keeping my ass out of trouble. We all know when they're watching my ass they're not much fun."
"Babe, nobody better be watching that sexy ass but me!"
"You know what I mean." She playfully smacked my shoulder.
I put out a Rangeman wide text inviting anyone off the clock to join us at Shortys. When we pulled up to the restaurant fifteen minutes later and walked inside, I was overwhelmed at how many of my men were here. We packed the place. Steph was wiping tears from her eyes after pausing in the doorway to take in the scene. Shorty himself walked over to us and told me he was on his way to put up a 'private party' sign on the front door so we had the restaurant to ourselves. I told him to start making pizzas and just keep them coming, dinner is on me tonight.
I took a seat at a booth in the far corner of the room so I could watch the activity for a few minutes. Steph was playing pool with Tank and quite surprisingly was holding her own. Who knew? She's a woman of many talents and she had quite a crowd standing around offering their support. It's a good thing I'm not threatened with the attention she's getting. She needs this kind of love, support and fun. Especially the fun.
SPOV
It's Thanksgiving and even though I'm spending it with my guys, I'm still nervous! Ella is a goddess who offered to brine and season the turkey for us and brought it to the oven in our apartment before she left for the Manoso clan's feast. She also made us homemade rolls and two pies, pecan and blueberry. God, how I love that woman! I'm making mashed potatoes. Carlos will make the gravy once the turkey is done and we're making a fruit salad together to go with the meal. We're having a feast and I'm crossing my fingers that it all turns out alright.
"Carlos!" Oops, guess I yelled that a touch too loud, he came bolting down the hallway from his office.
"What? What happened?"
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Everything is fine, I just don't know what to do when they're here. How will I entertain them? What will we do?" He's laughing at me! He's actually bent over laughing at me! "Hey! That's not nice! This is my first time having people over to our place for a holiday and I want it to go well."
"Babe, I'm sorry to laugh at you, you're so adorable when you're stressed out, I can't help it."
"Well, mister smarty pants, what are we going to do?"
"Babe, there's this new American past time called football that a lot of us guys like to watch…"
"Smartass!"
"Why don't we put the game on while you and Lula chat and we can play some cards later. Remember, we're all pretty laid back. Just relax and enjoy yourself today. There's nothing to get stressed out about, it'll all just flow, trust me."
"Oh, hell, I'll try."
RPOV
Our Thanksgiving meal went off without a hitch. We ate early afternoon so we have the rest of the day to hang out. Steph's potatoes were the best I've ever had, so creamy and dense. I don't know if she believed me when I told her so, but they really were. I heard Ella giving her some tips yesterday, but she executed them perfectly, as she did the pie and turkey. For someone who can't cook, she sure fooled me. As with everything, when she puts her mind to it, she excels.
We settled in to watch the game after our meal, all of us full and quite satisfied. Steph managed to eat quite a bit of her plate and pushed it away before it came back to bite her. Tank and Lula washed the dishes after she put the food into the containers and in the frige. When she joined me in the living room and curled up on my lap, she fell asleep instantly. Even through yelling at some unfair calls by the refs and some pretty shitty plays, she slept like a baby. Needing to use the restroom, I placed her in Hal's lap and she instantly startled awake, her arms covering her belly. Hal rubbed her back, telling her she was safe, that he had her and loved her. She loosened her hold on our baby and went right back to sleep. She knew what he said was true, that it was true for all of them. That's why the people in this room were here… unconditional love and support, no questions asked, just as Steph has treated us from the beginning.