Part 85
March 12th dawned clear and bright. Rosita was looking at the invitation that she'd received in the mail with a smile. Depicted with wild flowers, the text read. "To Rosita and Norman: You are cordially invited to Porsha's Birthday Dinner at 108 Cedar Boulevard at 6pm. Please RSVP. No gifts, your attendance is enough of a gift." She realized that Suki must have filled it out. On the bottom, a note was scrawled. "Please, bring the kids too."
She giggled and put the invite on the fridge. She'd call Suki later. She needed to finish making breakfast. They had the St. Jude's gig that night at the SFJ Arena and they had rehearsal at the theater.
"Good morning, honey," Norman greeted her with a loving kiss. He went to his youngest, all laying in her bouncers. "And good morning to you, my sweets." He tickled each of the little pink piglets in their onesies.
Rosita smiled at her husband. "Good morning." The sound of little feet preceded her children into the dining room. "Good morning, my darlings. I have breakfast ready." They were getting better at using their inside voices and not running through the house.
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With Miss. Crawly's help, Gunter made Sarah and Eddie breakfast. Eddie came into the room, kissing Gunter chastely, earning a teasing giggle from both the elderly lizard and the piglet. The hog kissed him back, much more intensely.
"Good morning, Mein Süßer," he caressed his head fleece tenderly, accidentally forgetting about the heating oil.
"Onkel Gunter, der Herd!" Sarah shouted and pointed at the small fire that erupted in the moment of inattention.
Miss. Crawly ran over with the fire extinguisher while Eddie and Gunter got out of the way. Gunter cringed with embarrassment but there was no harm done. "And, Sarah, that is why we never take our attention off of the stove when we're heating oil." Eddie explained with a chuckle.
"Yes, Onkel Eddie, I understand. What are we doing today?" She asked while they cleaned up the mess and finished making the deep-fried French toast with homemade caramel syrup.
"Well, the cast will be here in a few hours to rehearse for the show tonight. Would you like to join your cousins in the choir?" He asked. He offered every time the piglets came to practice their part for the show.
"No, thank you, Onkel Gunter. I don't know the song…" she explained.
He laughed. "That's alright. Even if all you feel like doing is standing there, you're welcome to join. I know Johnny is trying to convince Neo."
She shook her head. "No, thank you, Onkel Gunter. I am happy just watching." She refused again and he nodded in understanding.
"As you wish," he smiled brightly at her. "You can join Nana in her private box at the arena tonight." He hugged her. His eyes fell on something under Gunter's plate. "Apartment listings?" He asked. "Are you wanting to move out?" Had he done or said something wrong.
Gunter shook his head. "Not like that. But Sarah really can't share a room with Miss. Crawly forever so… I thought we could… I'll be sad to leave the apartment but I have to put her first."
The sheep breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, we could use a bigger place. But why don't we ask Johnny if there are any vacancies. Then at least we wouldn't have to go far. And we wouldn't have to go through the hassle."
Gunter nodded. "Ja, that's a great idea! And Miss. Crawly could have the apartment. She deserves it after being so loyal to Buster for so long." He smiled at the elderly iguana. Buster had looked up to her and relied on her for so long, despite her age-related errors.
Miss. Crawly smiled back. "You are both such sweet boys. But are you sure I wouldn't be better staying with you? To help look after Sarah when you have work to do?"
Eddie could understand what she was saying. "Well, sure, if you wanted to stay with us, that'd be fine. We just need a three bedroom instead of a two bedroom." He looked at Sarah. "Would you mind another move? It wouldn't be far. I know you've already had a pretty big move."
She nodded. "I don't mind, Onkel Eddie. As long as we stay together." She wasn't willing to give up either of her caregivers. She'd already lost her parents.
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"Ha! I passed you, Dad!" Neo laughed.
Ryan was making the family breakfast while Johnny played video games with their son. "I hope you're playing that bad on purpose," he teased his husband.
The gorilla laughed. "Of course not, he's really good," he winked at him. "I would never let him win."
He chuckled. "Johnny, look at what we got in the mail this morning?" Ryan threw him the pink envelope with gold trim.
Johnny set down his controller, opened the envelope and smiled. "To: Johnny, Ryan and Neo…" he read Neo's name with pride. "No gifts. Hmm…"
"Well, I can understand. Poor little rich girl probably has more than she needs or wants and as of next Saturday, she'll have more than I ever thought existed," Ryan pointed out. He realized how that sounded. "I just mean… she's a great little sister but she's just had enough gifts. She just wants her brothers and her nephew there."
The gorilla nodded. "I get it. I still want to do something. Not a gift but… I want her to know that she is a member of this family now."
"Maybe Rosita or even Suki might have some ideas," Ryan suggested. "I wrote to Mom and told her. I asked her not to tell anyone else yet but I wanted her help with Dad so I wanted her prepared."
Johnny nodded. "Good idea. Hey, Neo, do you like playing ball? Like football or even just catch?"
The little leopard nodded. "I love sports. And playing outside in general."
The gorilla laughed. "Well, that should help. You'll get to meet your other grandpa when we go to Galveston next month. And he loves sports too. Especially football." He leaned over to Neo. "Hey, looks like it's almost time to eat. Go wash up for me, okay?"
Neo put down his controller. "Okay Dad." He hurried to the bathroom.
With Neo out of earshot, Johnny went to his husband, hugging him. "Be patient with your dad. He's trying. He's being asked to completely reevaluate everything he's ever thought to be true. That's gotta be hard."
Ryan shrugged. "I guess so. I just wish he could truly accept me. All of me. That includes my family." He put a platter of eggs with mushrooms and cheese on the table with a plate of toast, a dish of butter and two carafes. One with coffee and one with orange juice. "I'm worried that he might not accept Neo. He's so old fashioned."
Johnny ran his fingers through his fur. "If he doesn't, then that's his loss. And the minute you're ready to cut ties, you just have to tell me. I'll understand. But as long as you are willing to try, then I'm willing. I don't need his permission to love you." He reminded Ryan of his own words. "And hey, your mom likes me."
Ryan kissed him. "I love you so much." Tiger and gorilla shared a passionate, loving kiss.
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With the beginning of March, Alphonso and Tyler shut down the truck for the menu switchover. Alphonso got out his many ice cream makers.
"So, I had an idea for a new flavor," Alphonso said as he served Meena, Ash, Tyler, and the twins small bowls of ice cream. "I call it Rock Star ice cream."
Tyler looked at the ice cream that seemed to be sparking and crackling. "Um, what did you put in it to make it… um…"
"Pop rocks!" Lancey cried out as he ate eagerly. He giggled at the fizziness. "Ooo, tastes like strawberry-banana too."
Ash laughed as both kids dug in. "Well, I think the kids approve, Alphonso. Did you guys get your invite to Porsha's birthday dinner? Ours came this morning."
Tyler nodded. "When I checked my mail, I got one."
Meena held up theirs. "I still find it hard to believe that she doesn't want any gifts. She asked me to bake the cake but that's it."
Alphonso nodded. "Do you think she would mind if I brought ice cream? It's a great chance to try out new flavors with a big group."
She giggled. "I'll ask Porsha but I'm sure she won't mind. I think that would go with the cake." She looked at Ash. "How's your new song coming?"
"It's done. I wanted to sing it tonight," Ash said. "I'm retiring "Set it All Free." For obvious reasons. I don't think I could ever sing that again."
Meena touched her best friend's shoulder supportively. "Well, I can't wait to hear your new song."
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Suki sat at her laptop as she did every morning, answering emails while Marcus made breakfast. Porsha and Nooshy were doing their weekend homework.
"Oh, Porsha, the Majestic is still interested in buying the company," she announced to the wolf. "If you still want to sell?"
"Awesome! What are they offering?" She asked. She didn't really care but she did owe it to her father to at least make a profit. She already had a plan to dispose of as much of the money as possible but she wouldn't tell them lest they stop her. Even without it, she had more than anyone could spend in a lifetime.
"40 trillion. About 3 times what the company is worth now," Suki said.
"Great, can we get the ball rolling. Just make sure they're okay with waiting until June to close. After "Out of this World's" contract is up." Porsha reminded her of the condition. They were all in agreement that they would never return to Redshore City after the last showing.
"And what if that's why they're interested?" Nooshy asked. "Clay Calloway is still huge for any theater to have. They might be trying to get him."
Porsha shook her head. "If they want to renew New Moon's contract, they'll be SOL. I won't sell. I'll just wait until June to put it back on the market."
Marcus put a plate of flapjacks in front of them. "Now, you girls haven't told me what you think of the new addition. Do you like your rooms?"
Nooshy nodded. "They're great. I hope it's okay if we still share a room for a while." The girls had tried sleeping in their own rooms but Porsha's nightmares returned so Nooshy slept with her. She just wasn't ready to be alone yet.
"Of course not. That's why I put two beds in both rooms," Marcus assured them. Nooshy had developed a protective streak for her big sister. He liked that and wanted to encourage the bond between them. "Now, I need to know what you want for your birthday dinner so I can get it on the grocery list." He told Porsha.
Porsha thought about it. "I'd be happy with cheeseburgers and fries. As long as my family is there, it doesn't matter." She smiled when he hugged her. She liked hugs. Her father had stopped hugging her when she was 11, unless it was for the camera. This was what family felt like. She liked it. She wanted it. She needed it.
AN: Upcoming chapter, Clay Calloway starts his day with an unexpected visit and later that night, the cast plays the gig at the arena. Please review.