March 26 – My father's birthday
False friendship, like the ivy, decays and ruins the walls it embraces; but true friendship gives new life and animation to the object it supports.
Gibbs stifled a groan as he put the phone down. Ex-wife number one had suddenly decided she was not getting enough alimony and had hired a lawyer to get more money out of him.
He knew exactly why he had married her and the subsequent two: he had been searching for a replacement for his lost family. Shannon and Kelly had meant the world to him and still did, but he had felt the need to rebuild his life in some way. However, he had gone about it in the wrong way – marrying women who he could not love and focusing all his energy on his job.
And yet over the years, he had inadvertently found himself a new family. Abby had been first into the fold: his little girl who required love and cuddles, and who could do little wrong in his eyes. Tony had been next: his eldest son who needed to be reminded that he was worth something. Then there had been Tim: the younger son with a brilliant mind but still insecure. And finally Ziva: his other daughter, so sure of her skills and whatever she did.
They all looked up to him as a father figure and he did his best to fulfill that role. He trusted his little band of misfits, just as they trusted him. They all leant on each other for support when they needed it, although the 'kids' were quick to blame each other for their madcap ideas. As if he couldn't see through their excuses.
He sighed, wondering if any of them knew a good lawyer. He was going to need one to protect his money.