Mari & Ilna-you're the best.
McRollers-thanks for reading.
I forgot to give a special shout out to Alina who nailed it perfectly on the West Wing "Dude" reference from a few stories ago. I've saluted her by naming a character in today's story after her.
Bonds (1/1)
"Perfect, as usual," Boris said as he looked around the flawlessly decorated ballroom of the Ko Olina resort. "You managed to strike the perfect balance between modern and timeless."
Grace beamed. "Thanks. Mrs. Gordon seems happy."
"She's thrilled," Boris said. "She especially loves the centerpieces. Said she never would have chosen that design but she took your recommendation and she's happy she did. She's already booked the dates for both her company and family holiday parties and she wants you to plan both. Great work, Miss Williams."
Suddenly the lights in the audience section of the room dimmed as a smiling woman approached the podium set up to the right of a slightly elevated runway.
"Hello." Her easy smile and confident manner made it clear she was a woman accustomed to speaking in public. "My name is Patricia Gordon. I'm the chairman of the board of the YWCA of Hawaii."
The audience applauded politely.
"As many of you know, the stated mission of our organization is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all." She smiled. "The 'for all' part of that sentence is going to get highlighted today. Because this year, I'm excited to say that our annual mother/daughter fashion show has morphed into a family fashion show.
"Our organization believes that the more positive influences a young girl has in her life the better it is. There's no question the mother/daughter bond is unlike any other and deserves to be celebrated. Today we want to pay tribute to that bond but also recognize the other relationships that can help young girls grow into strong, self-confident, self-assured women.
"To that end, let's start the show."
The spotlight became brighter as Justin and Ashae appeared.
"We start off tonight with Ashae and her daddy, Justin. Ashae is a big believer in dressing for the job you want and as you can clearly see her career aspiration is to be a cowgirl princess. Her outfit is from Western Classics, her boots are Lucchese, her tiara is from Claire's, and her wand is from Disney World. It was a gift from her best friend Angie."
The crowd applauded appreciatively.
"I think we can agree her daddy, whose outfit is also from Western Classics, looks great in that ten gallon hat."
Justin and Ashae reached the end of the runway, paused slightly, then headed back.
"Next up we have Chin Ho Kelly, accompanied by his cousin Kiana. They're dressed in casual wear from Bloomingdale's. Kiana tells me she has a very big family, lots of cousins she loves spending time with, but she especially loves spending time with Chin because he does all the funny voices when he reads her a story."
Chin blushed slightly.
"Let's give them a big round of applause."
A few wolf whistles filled the air. Chin looked around and smiled when he realized they were coming from Lailani and Gabby.
"Next up we have Nick and his daughters Emma and Zoe wearing sports wear from Nike. Zoe is an excellent soccer player and she told me she loves practicing in the backyard with her dad and her brother Michael. She also loves helping her little sister Emma learn to play and hopes when they get older they can be on the same team."
When they reached the end of the catwalk Emma waved happily at her mother Rebecca who was sitting in the front row. The trio then turned and headed back.
"Next up we have Captain Joseph Rollins and his daughter, who I'm told many of our girls know as Lieutenant Catherine, wearing…quite appropriately…nautical wear from No'eau Designers. Perfect for a day on the ocean or an afternoon of shopping. Both Joseph and his daughter served honorably in the U.S. Navy. Catherine is now the governor's chief of staff and Joseph is heavily involved with the VA here on Oahu as well as being an in demand guest lecturer at Pearl."
They reached the end of the runway where Joseph raised their linked hands and twirled Catherine with a proud smile on his face.
"I think we can all agree they look fantastic," Patricia said as Catherine beamed at her father.
"Next up we have a special treat for you. Danny Williams and his very talented daughter Grace who served as the planner for this event and did a spectacular job. They're dressed in casual wear from Old Navy."
Danny led the applause while Grace blushed.
"Grace is a full-time student at UofH and also works here at the resort part-time as an event planner. Danny is, as I'm sure you all know, a member of the task force. Danny relocated here from New Jersey over a decade ago to be close to his daughter after his divorce. Grace told me one of the best things her parents ever did for her was to co-parent in a way that didn't make her feel like she had to choose one over the other. Bravo to that."
Danny dropped his arm across Grace's shoulders as they turned and headed back down the runway.
"Next up we have Jenna Allen, the assistant manager here at the resort, and her daughter Kaitlyn wearing hiking apparel from Nordstrom. Kaitlyn told me her mom is her hero because she's always supportive and always encourages Kaitlyn to follow her dreams."
Jenna squeezed her daughter's hand and smiled.
"Kaitlyn isn't sure exactly yet what career path she wants to pursue but she knows it will involve working with animals. And from what I hear she's a natural."
Kaitlyn's cheeks pinked as the crowd, many of whom knew her from the zoo and the shelter, cheered.
"Next up is one of my favorite pairings," Patricia said. "We encouraged the girls to invite someone special to walk the runway with them today. Akia chose Jacob Allen, her tutor from Tutor Time."
Jacob and Akia stepped onto the runway wearing t-shirts from Crazy Shirts.
"Akia tells me that Jacob helps her feel more confident about her school work and that she has even started raising her hand in class for the first time ever. Well done, Akia. And well done, Jacob."
The two reached the end of the runway and executed a perfect bow to the delight of the crowd before turning to head back.
"Next we have Samantha Grover accompanied by her SWAT commander father, Lou. Their outfits are from American Eagle. Lou told us when his daughter moved out on her own he was tempted to put GPS trackers in all her belongings so he'd always know exactly where she was at all times."
Samantha rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
"We think he was kidding, Samantha." Patricia chuckled. "But you might want to check just in case.
"Now please welcome Officer Jadon and Aurora, wearing beachwear from Hawaii Beachwear and Fashion. Aurora wants to attend the police academy after she graduates in two years and serve the community she grew up in. She met Officer Jadon when he came to talk to her school on career day. He took her on a tour of HPD and they get together for lunch once a month to talk about what it's like being a young officer. Aurora told me she likes that Jadon is honest with her and talks about both the good things and the bad things about the job. She feels like the time they spend together is helping prepare her for her future career."
"She's gonna be an excellent officer," Jadon said proudly as they reached the end of the runway then turned to head back and make way for the next pairing.
"Now please welcome Kono Kalakaua and her friend Lily, wearing the latest in surf wear from Honolua Surf Company. These two ladies met at a surf event last year and became fast friends. Lily has dreams of becoming a professional surfer and Kono has generously volunteered her time and advice in order to help make that happen. Lily has a big competition coming up in two weeks and I hope you'll all join me in wishing her the best of luck."
"She's gonna do great," Kono said confidently.
"Next up we have Cody Allen and Alina Thomas. They met through a mentoring program set up by the governor's office. Cody is the governor's deputy chief of staff and Alina is a junior at UofH studying political science and hoping to pursue a career in politics."
Cody blushed as Jess cheered loudly from the crowd.
"Alina told me her goal is to work to better the lives of all the island's residents, either from behind the scenes or as a candidate herself. She hasn't decided yet. Personally, I'd love to see her run for office someday. The world needs more good female candidates."
Alina smiled proudly.
"Next up we have a pairing I know a lot of you have been looking forward to. Commander Steve McGarrett and his daughter Angie."
The audience cheered as Steve and Angie stepped on to the end of the runway.
"As you can see, Angie is dressed as a princess knight, complete with her favorite boots, an authentic Disney World sword, and a tiara from Claire's that matches her best friend Ashae's."
Angie's smile filled her entire face.
"I can personally vouch for the versatility of her footwear because earlier when I was backstage Angie showed me a perfectly executed cartwheel."
Steve held his daughter's hand firmly in case she got the urge to do one for the crowd.
"She also assured me she could flip in them too but flips are only allowed at the gym."
The crowd laughed.
"Her daddy is dressed in formal wear from Alexander McQueen."
"It's the same color as his tea party suit," Angie announced to the delight of everyone in the room.
Steve laughed as they made their way back down the runway.
"Our final mother daughter pair is Dr. Elizabeth Rollins and her daughter, Catherine. Dr. Rollins is the founder of Tutor Time. She also volunteers at the women's shelter as well as a number of other organizations. I think we can all agree the apple didn't fall far from the tree here, and I'm not just talking about their striking resemblance."
Before they could turn at the end of the runway Patricia added with a smile, "I've also been told by Catherine that Elizabeth is a founding member of the Grandparents' Good Time Fun Express."
Elizabeth held her chin high. "I apologize for nothing."
"Our final group of the night was suggested by Angie, Zoe, and Emma. They wanted to walk the runway with their big brothers DJ and Michael."
The children made their way to the runway wearing Hawaiian shirts and shorts.
"DJ suggested adding Ashae to the group because as he told me-she's my sister Angie's best friend and she's cool and fun. So she's almost like my bonus little sister."
A chorus of awws went up from the crowd. Catherine's hand fluttered to her chest as she watched from the side.
"Nothing can match the cradle to grave relationship of siblings and I'd like to thank the girls for suggesting this and giving us a chance to meet their big brothers."
The crowd cheered wildly as the kids reached the end of the runway.
"I hope you've all enjoyed the show. We'd like to thank the shops who provided the clothes. They're all listed in your program. And if any of you have any questions at all about what we do at the YWCA, please feel free to ask me. We hope to see you all out at one of our clubs very soon."
As the lights came up, waiters emerged from the kitchen ready to serve lunch.
"You did a wonderful job. Go and eat with your father," Boris told Grace.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I should be here in case anything comes up."
"You go and have fun," Boris insisted. "I'll handle anything that comes up."
Grace smiled at him. "I should have gotten you up there on the runway with me. You're the best boss ever. Everybody should be lucky enough to work for someone like you."
"It's my honor." He smiled. "Now go before things get mushy."
"Next year." Grace pointed to the runway. "You and me."
Boris shook his head and grinned. "I'll think about it."
THE END
Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll
Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com
You can join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers.