Part 94

Back at the Green place, Glenn was nervously sitting in the middle of the living room with his gift for Porsha. Everyone was staring at him. He drummed his fingers. "Um… so… hey, been wanting to say, I've seen your shows, you guys are great."

Ryan stroked his chin. "Don't kiss butt, dude. Give it to us straight. What are your intentions with my sister? In law."

Glenn cringed at the accusational tone. "Well, I really like her. I think she's great and I want to get to know her better," he replied.

Rosita examined him. "And what are your plans for the future?"

"Future? Um…. I'm going to inherit Coleman's Hardware Store," he hadn't expected an interrogation. "So… where is she?" He asked as a cellphone rang.

Gunter answered his phone. "Eddie, is everything alright? What? Oh my gosh, is everyone alright? Thank goodness. Yeah, everyone's still here. The hot food is hot, the cold food is cold. The cake is beautiful and Porsha's friend is here." He smiled. "Porsha is family. We're not leaving until we've celebrated her birthday the way she wanted," he promised. "See you soon, mein liebe."

Rosita looked over. "What happened?"

"You won't believe it…" he started before telling them what Eddie said.

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In the helicopter, Porsha sobbed with relief into Big Daddy's arms. "I was so scared. But Nooshy wasn't. I don't think Nooshy's afraid of anything. She's so brave."

Nooshy smiled with exhaustion. "I just… I couldn't not try… I just got a family…" she said softly.

Marcus chuckled. "Your sister's right, Nooshy. I'm very proud of you. Of course, we're going to have a talk about letting the adults handle things like this when able but that's only because I love you and I don't want you to get hurt either."

Nooshy sighed. "That's what dads do…" she took a deep breath and fell asleep.

Porsha laughed. "She jumped up 25 stories. It was awesome! Then she opened the elevator doors by herself!"

Johnny looked at the sleeping lynx. "No wonder she's so tired." He took off his jacket and covered her.

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She could still hear the high speed ch-ch-ch sound of the helicopter blades but when she looked over, there was no one in the pilot seat. It was just her in the chopper.

"Jerry? Johnny? Sis?" She called, wondering where everyone was.

"Don't worry. You're just asleep," that same voice from earlier said from beside her. She looked over to see a pair of sharp blue eyes. "Thank you for saving my daughter's life tonight."

Nooshy shook her head. "I saved my sister's life. And my mother's life. And I would do it again. She's my sister."

He nodded. "I can see that and I appreciate how you've tried to help her come to terms, even being brutally honest when needed."

The lynx looked forward. "I was mad at you. You hurt Mr. Moon. You killed him and everyone was messed up for a long time. After the service, Johnny avoided the theater for weeks. Porsha blamed herself. She still sort of does. She's so afraid to say what she wants anymore." Crystal looked down with shame and she continued. "But… I met Olivia. If the rest of the board was like that, it's no wonder you went nuts."

"You have no idea. And they were looking for any reason to take the company from me. But that doesn't excuse what I did. And I'll spend eternity trying to fix it," he sighed. "Thank you for being the sister she needs. She's right. You are a Crystal. Even if you're also a Green now."

She nodded. "Thank you… was it you… You were helping me tonight…"

"My team and I, yes. Don't ask too many questions, it's complicated and we don't have time," he replied. "Now, I have to go, you're nearly home. I only wanted to thank you for your efforts. Tonight and for the last several months. At least my daughter is in good hands. I have only one request. In my desk, there's a secret compartment in the bottom left drawer. There's something I want Porsha to have. My family's greatest treasure."

Nooshy nodded. "I'll make sure we go back and get it ASAP."

"Thank you," he faded, leaving her to wonder if this really happened or if it was a dream.

'Nooshy,' Johnny's voice echoed through the helicopter cabin. She opened her eyes. "We're at the airport." He carefully picked her up.

She looked up at him. "Home?" She looked over at Marcus, who was carrying a sleeping Porsha in his arms. Suki was standing groggily beside him.

"Yep, and everyone's excited to see you guys," Eddie said. "I'll drive."

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Twenty minutes later, everyone was waiting eagerly when they returned walked in.

Rosita rushed over and began looking over them. "Porsha! Thank goodness you're all safe! Happy Birthday, dear, we were so worried."

Marcus and Johnny set the girls down gently. Porsha received birthday hugs and wishes from everyone.

"It was intense for a while…" Porsha admitted. "For a bit, I thought my last birthday party was about to turn into my last birthday. Period."

"That's not funny," Ryan chuckled as he hugged her.

Ash looked the girls over. "Are you sure you're still up to dinner? We could try again tomorrow after you've had some sleep."

She shook her head. "No… I want to have dinner with everyone. Please… unless all of you are tired… I mean, it took a lot longer than we expected and it is late… I'd hate to keep you all up." Maybe it was selfish to ask them to stay.

Tyler shook his head. "It's not late at all. You just look really tired. Are you sure you shouldn't be at the hospital? What about smoke inhalation?"

"We just wanted to come home. We're fine," Suki assured him. "We'll go see the doctor in a few days to be sure but we're fine."

Alphonso breathed a relieved sigh. "Praise God. Happy Birthday Porsha. Just wait til you see your cake."

Raquelle and Lancey hugged her. "Happy Birthday. We made you birthday cards." She held her red construction paper card with a crude drawing of a present.

Rosita giggled. "We needed to do something to occupy the kids while we waited," she explained. "You know… we almost have enough kids to have our own daycare or school." She laughed. Making the cards sure felt like she was back in the classroom assisting the grade school teacher with her 25 piglets on her volunteer day. "Now you must be hungry."

As if on queue three stomachs rumbled at once. The room filled with laughter and Rosita and Sitara started dishing up dinner.

"So, dear, tell us. Other than the ordeal, how was your party?" Sitara asked.

Porsha shrugged. "Absolutely hideous. The most gaudy decorations and this huge cake that is too much for anyone. You'd have thought it was a wedding cake. Meena and Alphonso's cakes are so much better. But…" She opened the duffel bag. "I did keep one present." She showed off the snow globe. "It's the first time the gift meant anything."

She saw the cast looking at the globe, at the figure of her father. "Oh… sorry…" she quickly put it away.

Rosita shook her head with a sigh. "No, Porsha, it's not fair for us to let our personal feelings affect your feelings for your father. He was still your father. No matter what we did." She reassured her.

Porsha looked at the floor. A shadow stood over her. "Hey…" She looked up at Glenn.

"You came! I'm sorry it's so late," she apologized.

He shook his head. "It's no problem. I'm just glad you're alright." He held his gift. "I… I got you a birthday present." He offered her the box.

The gray wolf blushed and everyone chittered with amusement. "You really didn't need to…" she was embarrassed that she hadn't told him about the no-gift thing but she couldn't turn it away without embarrassing him now. And somehow it felt different coming from him. She opened the box and gasped. A necklace with glittering malachite beads met a silver ID pendant with her name in green crystals. "Oh wow… this is beautiful."

"Well, I saw the green and I remembered you saying your first father was named Crystal so… I know what it is to be adopted. To not be sure of who you are. You can be both," he said reassuringly. He took the necklace and helped her put it on. He didn't know why the troupe had a problem with her father but he felt her confusion.

Porsha looked in the mirror. "Thank you, Glenn. You're so sweet." She looked at her family, letting them see the gift.

Marcus chuckled. "Well… that is a nice gift. Porsha, were you going to introduce us?"

The wolf blushed deeper. "Sorry, Big Daddy. Glenn, this is my father, Marcus Green. And this is my mother, Suki. My big brother Johnny and my sister, Nooshy."

Glenn nodded. "It's nice to meet all of you. Porsha talks about you guys a lot." He offered his hand. Marcus took it and squeezed a little too tight. Glenn forced a polite grin.

"It's nice to meet you too, Glenn," he said in a slightly menacing tone. Finally, he let go of the German shepherd's hand and his expression softened. "Thank you for helping my daughter feel welcome in her new school."

He shook it to try and relieve the pain. "It's been my pleasure. She's fun to hang out with. I… I really like her…" he admitted.

"And how old are you?" He asked.

"Oh, I just turned 18 back in December. December 26th," he replied. "And… my dad… he owns the hardware store. I think we saw you a lot over the last several months. You were buying all kinds of materials and tools. To add a third floor to the building. It looks awesome by the way."

Marcus nodded. "Hmmm…. I'll simply say that I am very protective of my daughter."

He nodded. "As you should be…"

Porsha giggled. "Okay, it's time for dinner." She whispered an apology to Glenn and they went to the large dinner table. "I'm so happy that everyone is here tonight. Thank you so much for making me part of your family."

Meena smiled at her. "We love you, Porsha. No matter why or how , you're one of us and we love you."

Everyone echoed her sentiments and they began eating. Porsha savored the simple cheeseburger and homemade French fries. The food warmed her from the stomach outward and reminded her just how hungry she was. So much better than steak au poivre or lobster thermidor or, worse, escargot. Her father always served the fancy stuff that she could barely pronounce.

"Wow! These are the best burgers ever!" Nooshy exclaimed. "Can we do these again for my birthday?"

Marcus realized. "When is your birthday? I never asked but it was all chaos when I adopted you."

"Hmmm, that's a good question. I guess I never said because I don't know," she admitted.

Neo looked at her. "I didn't know my birthday either. My dads just said I should pick a day and that's when we'll celebrate. I chose the day they adopted me." He smiled at Ryan and Johnny.

Porsha nodded. "Yeah, just pick a day and I'll throw you the biggest birthday party ever," she promised.

The Canadian lynx laughed. "You don't have to go to any trouble. Just having these burgers again would be great."

Suki chuckled. "Pick a day, Nooshy. It can be any day you want."

Nooshy took a drink. "Let me think about it. I want to make it good." Neo's suggestion was tempting but her adoption day was surrounded by too much heartache. She wanted a happy day.

An hour later, Sitara and Lakshmi were handling the cleanup while the rest sat in the living room, resting their full stomachs.

Rosita took a deep breath. "Porsha, I know you said no gifts. But I do have something for you. Do you remember doing the family picture on Saturday?" She handed Porsha a shallow box.

Porsha smiled at Rosita and opened it. "Oh! Rosita, thank you!" She pulled out the framed photograph.

"I gave everyone theirs earlier but it felt right to give you yours now," the sow hugged the girl.

The wolf hugged her back. "I love all of you. This has been the best birthday ever!" She yawned big and wide.

Everyone chuckled and Rosita quietly suggested, "Maybe we should go ahead and sing Happy Birthday and cut the cake. Then we'll let you guys get some sleep. It's been a long day."

Alphonso and Ryan carried the cake to the dining table. Meena and Johnny each carried a gallon of Neapolitan ice cream. The three layers were in an alternating pink-and-purple quilted fondant with elaborate piping and frosting flowers all around the cake. Gold Fleur-de-lis were strategically placed on each layer. On the top layer was a chocolate model of Porsha.

Porsha smiled brightly. "Meena, Alphonso, it's beautiful. Thank you both so much." She hugged the elephants.

"Red velvet with cream cheese and raspberries. Just like you asked for," Meena promised proudly.

"Remind me to meet with you guys after I've had some sleep. I want to talk about a… oh… I can't… Big Mama, help?" She begged.

The Saluki chuckled. "A business proposition, sweetheart."

Alphonso looked at the wolf. "What sort of proposition?"

"I was thinking you guys should really have a storefront. You could still have the truck for city events but you could do full cakes and such with a store," Porsha said.

The elephant couple smiled at each other while Tyler laughed. "That would be awesome. I know Alphie will think about it. Right, pal?"

Alphonso chuckled. "It's intriguing. I promise, we will talk about it. But I'll also be busy training to be a youth pastor," he explained. "My course starts this summer."

Johnny clapped him on the back. "That's awesome! Way to go."

He sighed. "Yeah, maybe but… it means being away from my wife for 12 whole weeks." He looked at Meena, who nuzzled him.

"Ehhh, she'll have us to hang out with," Ryan promised.

Rosita laughed. "Definitely. Don't worry about anything, Alphonso. You should get your dream. But now we should sing Happy Birthday." She lit the candles and Porsha froze for a brief moment while everyone sang.

She stared at the tiny flames, remembering the sound of the flames eating their way up the shaft. Wondering if she'd ever make it home to her family. She looked over at Nooshy, who nodded. She was thinking about it too.

"Make a wish, Porsha," Johnny interrupted her thoughts.

She jumped with a start. "Okay… if I had to wish for something." She thought about her wish and blew out the candles. She heard Suki let out a sigh of relief at them being out. At least she wasn't the only one affected by it.

Afterward, the decision was made to let everyone take slices home so that the Greens could go to bed. There was still half a cake once everyone was served.

On the way out, Glenn stopped. "Thanks for inviting me. Maybe… maybe I could take you out sometime?"

She nodded. "I'd like that. Very much. Thank you for coming. And for my necklace. I love it."

"I'm glad. I'll call you tomorrow," he promised before he left with the others. She heard Alphonso offer a ride but he politely declined.

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She and Nooshy climbed into their beds. "Some day…" Porsha said.

"You got that right… but hey, we made it and had a great night after," Nooshy yawned. "Good night, sis…"

Porsha settled into her pillow. "Good night, sis," she replied. Sleep quickly swept over her, the events of the day taking their toll.

AN: Finally finished this chapter. Sorry it took so long. Please review.