Daniel chuckles in the background, obviously Kara has told him how he educated his children how to swim. Ignoring Daniel I continue, “It will take a couple days to teach you how to swim. The first thing we are going to learn is how to float. Sam is going to help me teach Cindy and you how to swim. Even though Sam swims very well I want an adult here with you and her.”
Crystal asks, “Can Sam swim really good?”
Daniel chuckles before he says, “Better than I, and I used to be on the swim team for my college.”
Sam from behind us asks, “Really Uncle Daniel. Am I that good?”
Turning he says to Sam, “Like you are part mermaid.”
Sam giggles, “I still got a breathe air.”
Laughing Daniel says, “That’s why you’re only part.”
Sam says, “Breakfast is ready.” Then begins laughing along with her Uncle Daniel. She takes his hand and pulls him along as I follow.
At the breakfast table, Kara sets Daniel beside me and Cindy in his lap. Sam sits in my lap, and Crystal in Kathryn’s lap. Across the table from us George has Anna in his lap, Alyssa’s other side is Marshall with Allen in his lap. Misty leans onto Marshall’s shoulder as she caresses her belly.
Daniel looks it all his in-laws before he leans over to me and whispers, “I guess I better get used to having a child on my lap. Kara wants a lot of kids.”
With a chuckle I say, “Must run in the family.” Daniel chuckles as he straightens up.
Cindy turns and smiles at Daniel, as Daniel looks into her face a smile slowly spread across his face. He finally says, “Hi I’m Daniel.”
Cindy response, “Hi I’m Cindy.”
Alyssa does, as she always likes to do; she serves everyone at the table filling their plates with food before passing them out. She ensures everyone with a child on his or her lap gets a larger portion like the one she has done with Sam and me so often.
Breakfast is really fun, and we do our best to catch up Daniel and Kara on the week’s events.
We begin cleaning up and still everyone is focus on sharing with each other. Once everything cleared away and the dishes washed and dried, Alyssa pulls out the ingredients for tamales, the ones we made the other night all went to the orphanage. As we mixed the ingredients, Anna and Joan are beside their mother. Alyssa smiles at Anna and says, “I never thought I’d get so much out of making tamales.”
Chuckling I say, “Your tamales are one of the reasons I love your cooking. You put so much love in your food, it’s no wonder Sam likes your cooking so well too.”
Crystal from my lap says, “Daddy that’s why I love your bunny pancakes. Grandpa can’t get the ears right like you do, but they still taste good.”
The Coach chuckles, “That’s because three special little princesses made the batter.”
Kara, Kathryn, Cindy, and Sam are working on the stuffing. Kathryn begins adding spices as Alyssa watches, once Kathryn is done Alyssa smiles before she says, “You did that perfectly.”
Kathryn smiles and says, “Thanks Alyssa for showing me.”
Kara says, “I did miss a lot this week, but I don’t regret the time I spent with Daniel.” The rest of the women in the room break out into giggles, after a second or so Sam begins to giggle too.
Kara is blushing but she asks, “Sam why are you giggling?”
Sam walks over to Kara then whispers in her ear, Kara blushes even deeper at whatever Sam whispered. Giggles turn to full laughter at Kara’s reaction. Still looking into Kara’s face smiling with green eyes of her own Sam says, “It’s good that your eyes are really green showing you’re really happy because Mommy was going to kick Uncle Daniel’s ass if you weren’t happy.”
Kara turning sharply to Kathryn her anger is turn to confusion by seeing her sister laughing so hard. When Kathryn brings herself under control, she just gives Kara a hug and says, “You are louder than what you think you are. Poor Daniel’s going to need earplugs or hearing aids.”
Kara questions, “What does Sam mean by my eyes being green? They are Hazel.”
Kathryn says, “You really haven’t paid any attention to yourself, go look in the mirror.”
Kara’s expression gives away her confusion as the room giggles, most of the family is fully aware now having seen hers and Sam’s green eyes after hearing Mom tell the story.
I noticed how Alyssa looked into Sam’s eyes once she was certain, a broad smile crossed her face, and I heard her say our beautiful little green-eyed Princess. Like in most families news travels fast, it was not five minutes before Joan did the same. The first thing Misty did this morning was to pick up Sam so she can get a good look at her face too.
Ron and Reese are just walking in together, Reese come straight to Sam she looks her in the face before she exclaims, “Wow, they really are green!”
Ron is equally amazed as he says, “I thought I saw them change shades before, but I thought it was due to the lighting.”
Sam giggles, “No, they’re just like Mommy’s and Aunt Kara’s they give away that I’m happy.”
Reese turns to Kara as she looks closely in to her face, “Sam you’re right. Kara’s eyes are as green as yours.”
Kara finally gets up and goes to the mirror in the bathroom upon seeing her own reflection she remarks, “Oh my God they are green!”
Running from the bathroom she looks into Sam’s face, then into Kathryn’s eyes closely, she hugs Kathryn tightly and asks, “Are my eyes as green as yours?”
Giggling because she so happy, Kathryn says, “I believe they are.”
Helen says, “Two down, six to go.”
Kathryn and Kara turn to her with confused looks before Helen explains, “I got two of my children happy and married. Will your eyes be green every day, probably not? Will they be green more than they are hazel, blue, or even brown? I truly believe they will be. Now I have six more children hopefully to find the same happiness.” Kathryn and Kara wrapped their mother in a hug as the three shed tears of joy.
I know for sure that whatever Helen did in the past she did out of love, she like most mothers do the best they can to ensure her children are happy and healthy. Sometimes I wondered about that, but I realize she gave Kathryn her freedom, choosing not to interfere with our relationship. It would be very easy for her to demand for us to have ended our relationship due to the four years difference in age. However, Kathryn was in the same school year as I was, and most of the same classes. To tell you the truth Kathryn was more serious than I was most of the time. I truly did not pay any attention to the difference in our age, because if there ever were a fact I would forget it is that.
I guess that was probably the hardest thing in the world to do, if you think your child is making a mistake to set back and not interfere. In Kathryn’s case if Helen had interfered it would not allow us to grow together as we did. Maybe she learned that lesson by the time Kathryn and I were falling in love. One day we will have to have a long talk with her. By the time Sam is Kathryn’s age now I wonder who will be chasing her or she is chasing, and how I will react. I only hope it turns out as well as it did for Kathryn and me.
The Coach comes and gets me, he says, “Let these ladies gossip, the game is on.”
Mom and Helen giggle, before Alyssa says, “Go on JJ spent some time with the boys.”
Kathryn playfully comes over and puts a big long kiss on my lips before she says, “Go on my love, but know I will miss you.”
The coach chuckles as he rolls his eyes saying, “He’s just going to be downstairs for heaven sake.” With his hand on my shoulder, he practically pushes me to the elevator.
The women laugh at the two of us, as I turn and wave to Kathryn. The Coach finally tugs on me one more time before pushing me into the elevator.
As the door opens in the basement and we step out, all the male in-laws are in the family room waiting on us. I ask my father-in-law, “What’s going on? I thought we were watching a game.”
The coach says, “Games not on yet, but you let Kathryn tell that bear story for the last two and a half years. We want to hear it from you. Don’t leave out anything.”
Just then, Ron shows up. He asks, “He didn’t start it yet?”
The Coach turns to him, “You’re in time; he’s just about to start. Okay JJ everybody is here now, tell us the story.” When Michael senior gets like this, I know I will not get out of telling the story.
The bond Kathryn and I share seems to grow stronger every day, when she realizes that there is no game on. I can feel Kathryn moving to me. I can almost feel her pick up Sam and Crystal as she heads towards the stairs.
With everyone’s attention on me, they do not notice Kathryn caring Sam and Crystal come down the stairs. They stop where she can look at me and easily watch, Kara brings Cindy with her and sits beside her sister. Now that my wife is present too I begin, “It was a couple days after I asked Kathryn to marry me. I went up to visit her at grandma’s house up in the mountains.
It took longer to drive there than I thought it would, and I lost track of time when I was with Kathryn. Because it was late, Grandma insisted that I stay overnight. I spent the night with the boys in the attic. I usually get up for a run in the morning so I was up before everyone else, but I only beat Grandma by ten minutes. We talked on her back porch, and she asked my life story so I gave her the abridged version. Like what you are getting right now, I can remember the conversation like yesterday if you really want to know it. However, because the game will be on shortly let me continue. After our conversation, Grandma gets Kathryn up because she asked me to pick her some berries.
She got Kathryn up the show me where the patch was at.” I take a deep breath remembering how beautiful Kathryn looked to me.
“Grandma must have just drag Kathryn out of bed only allowing her enough time to put on a pair of jeans and she still wore the T-shirt that she had worn to bed. Kathryn standing there in a pair of old blue jeans and a white T-shirt was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Grandma giggled for five minutes at the way I reacted when I saw Kathryn. She finally handed us a couple buckets and pointed us up the hill.”
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