One more chapter to go!
I'm also working on adventure six, which will probably be the final adventure. But who knows with these two?
32
My parents have lived here for two weeks now and today is dad’s big trip to Los Angeles. He’s seeing a number of doctors and hopefully he’ll get a good report from all of them. The point of this is to establish a relationship with specialists down there, including a psych doc (he got a couple of recommendations from Dr. Magnus) so that he has people familiar with him when there’s a problem. Of course, this means he might get some new meds and there might be new treatments to try, but if it keeps him healthy, so be it. His memory is doing well with the medication and constant oxygen and his heart is in even better shape since he went on full time oxygen, so fingers are crossed for a good report.
Myself, I’m enjoying a day off with my girls. Ava is out of school for the summer now, so we’re at the local swimming pool (yes, we have those out here) and while she gets lessons, I’ve got Bethany in the baby pool. It turns out our little one was allergic to milk, and switching her to a milk-free formula did wonders for her. She’s seven months old now and doing great. The doctor said that most kids out grow the allergies by two or three and if she doesn’t, there’s a shot she can get that will gradually cure the allergy. It’s not recommended for infants, though, so we have to wait a couple of years.
“Mom! Watch me!” Ava called and I waved, moving Bethany and I closer. “I’m going to jump!”
The instructor was standing in the deeper end of the water and Ava jumped into her arms, grinning. She’s moved through swimming lessons quickly and according to Zach, Garrison was a fish in water as well.
“Good job!” I cheered, clapping, laughing when Bethany clapped as well. She’s starting to crawl, which means we’ve locked the house down. A baby on the move is a baby that can get into anything, so we have to be prepared. I’ll be glad when Bethany’s in school and I don’t have to fight a child lock to get my morning coffee. “Your sister’s doing a good job, isn’t she?”
Bethany just chewed on her fingers and I shook my head; I hate teething. I moved her back to the pool, after a quick reapplication of sunscreen. Dad and Jacoby should be joining us at any time, as they were supposed to get back from Los Angeles around five. They’d decided to get a hotel last night, so they were closer since his first appointment was at seven in the morning.
“Mama.”
I smiled, helping Bethany float in the water. Of course, she had her floaties on, but that didn’t mean I could let go.
“Hey Cilla, got Ava’s lesson today?” a voice asked and I looked up, smiling. “So does Colton.”
I nodded as my friend and co-worker Mark slid into the water with his youngest daughter Abby, who was eight months old.
“Yep, she’s already leaping from the side into Sophia’s arms, too,” I said, laughing a bit. “Bethany didn’t seem interested, so I brought her over here. How’s Colton doing in his lessons?”
Mark finished putting Abby’s floaties on then smiled. “Fine so far, luckily. He was so scared of the water at first I didn’t think anything was going to happen. But now he loves it and we have to keep our deck door locked around the clock or he’ll get into our pool. He’s not quite ready for unsupervised swimming.”
“Neither is Ava, but she thinks she is. I told her she’s got to have one of us out there if she’s in the water, but she doesn’t listen, so we locked our door as well.”
“Hey!” a voice called and I laughed as my parents walked into the pool are. “Baby time for grandpa!”
Mark laughed, greeting my parents as well. Now, if you know anything about baby pools, you know these things hold about…two feet of water, tops. So, you can imagine how silly all of us look sitting in this pool, four adults and two infants. Open swim isn’t for another half hour, when my parents will go with Ava and I into the big pool. I have a circular floatie that Bethany can sit up in so she can join us, and she loves it.
“When does Ava’s lesson end?” Mark asked, looking over at the big pool.
“Ten minutes and then it’s open swim. I have an extra belted floatie is Abby needs one,” I told him and he nodded, watching his son Colton as he went through a review of the last lesson. I love that about this program, because the kids get a good background in swimming. “So, how did L.A. go?”
The smile on Jimmy’s face suggested things had gone well. “Very well, actually. I am going to be getting on some new COPD meds, which we expected. But my heart is doing fine and the current meds are keeping me in rhythm. The doctor here, a Dr. McCarthy, did say that if my heart goes into A-Fib again, we’re going straight to a pacer. But otherwise, he can see no reason for any interventions at this time. My new lung doctor, Dr. Adams, says that for a man my age with my history, my COPD is doing pretty well. He’s going to keep me on oxygen for the foreseeable future, just in case, but otherwise he feels with the new meds, I’ll be able to do quite well. And my new psych doc is also encouraged. So, it seems that so far things are going well.”
I nodded, watching Ava as she finished her lesson. “That’s good. Let’s hope things continue to go well. We love having you guys out here.”
He hugged me, as Bethany splashed some water at him. He took her from me and helped her float a bit, laughing as she continued to splash. “We love being here. We should’ve done this a long time ago, Priscilla. We’ve missed out on far too much, but we know we can’t change that. We just have to finish getting settled, which is going smoothly so far. Dad has been really good about helping us blend the houses and things are looking great there as well.”
I honestly could not be happier right now. Everyone was in good health, my parents were out in California, and I wouldn’t trade this for the world.
***
“Is everything ready?” I asked, and Eliza nodded, as we watched Kelly and Katie pulled into my driveway. We’d decided to have a surprise party for our parents to celebrate dad’s 40th year of sobriety, their 45th anniversary, and their arrival three weeks ago in California. Uncle Matt had brought his tattoo gear and was going to tattoo dad’s 40th year coin on his right shoulder blade as a permanent reminder of what he’d achieved. “Hide!”
Just in time, everyone ducked out of sight, as Kelly lead our folks in. She was making small talk, a gift she’d inherited from grandma and if my parents suspected anything, it didn’t show on their faces. I’d reminded everyone that Jimmy scared easily and to be mindful of his heart, and figured everyone would still get a good laugh out of scaring them.
Nodding to those that were visible, we all gave the silent signal to jump from our spots.
“SURPRISE!” we all shouted and sure enough, Jimmy yelped, a hand to his chest as he started to laugh.
“Fuck you guys,” he blurted out, then blushed, covering his mouth. “Oops.”
I laughed, hugging him tight, the nurse in me noting that his heart rhythm was nice and normal. “No big deal, dad. We decided to throw you a little surprise party.”
“Clearly,” he deadpanned before he burst out laughing again. “What are we celebrating?”
“Your 40th year of sobriety, your 45th wedding anniversary, and your arrival back home,” Eliza explained, hugging our parents. “We figured one party for everything was easier.”
“Grandpas!” Marianna shouted, toddling over. Jimmy swooped her into his arms, dangling her over his head for a moment before settling her onto his hip. She’d be two in September but she seemed older than her year. “Love you!”
I smiled, as Eliza snapped pictures. The grandkids were especially excited about the party and having their grandparents right here in town, and I grabbed my own camera to take some pictures as well. The party was going well, and soon we’d eat. I saw Jacoby wander outside with Zach, who had Ava with him. She understood what had caused us to adopt her and called Zach and Gena grandpa and grandma. Having an extra set of grandparents didn’t seem to bother her in the least, and I was glad.
“Hey, Cilla, I’m going to take Jimmy for his tat, since it won’t take long,” Matt said and I nodded, noting the happy look on dad’s face. “Have fun!”
“I will,” he promised, following Matt upstairs. We wanted that done in private but not at the shop, since dad could be a bit emotional about it, which was understandable. “Back soon!”
I went outside to find Jacoby by the grill, as I thought he might be. My parents really aren’t typical gay people, which I’ve always admired in them. I’ve had people act surprised to find out that I had two dads because they don’t fit into a stereotype. I hugged Jacoby, as he helped Clayton with the burgers, then moved to find Randi.
“How’s it going?” I asked, accepting a bottle of water from her. We kept the party dry for Jimmy, which I know he’ll appreciate. “I see Zach is soaking up time with Ava and Vanessa. He’s a great grandpa and so great with the kids. I know Garrison has caused them some headaches, but I think he’s excited now.”
She nodded, relaxing a bit in her lounge chair. “Yes, he is. Just like our parents. Remember how shocked they were when Eliza got pregnant the first time?”
I laughed, almost spitting water from my mouth. “I do! I thought Jimmy was going to die!” I exclaimed, shaking my head. “Oh my lord. But when the shock wore off, it was the best news of their life. They make some killer grandparents. And now they are closer to spoil them rotten. Heaven help us all.”
Randi laughed, lightly punching me, no doubt for the religious reference. I might be a staunch atheist, but that doesn’t mean common phrases don’t’ slip out from time to time. “Well, if they want to take the girls for a weekend, I won’t complain.”
I blushed when I realized what she was implying and shook my head. “What weekend should we book them for?”
“Who’s being booked for a weekend?” Jacoby asked, joining us and accepting water from Randi. She was manning the cooler like a vending machine and I almost offered to put a quarter in her.
“You and dad sometime to take the girls. Not right away, of course, but we might book you guys sometime. Randi has some ideas,” I explained, ducking the swat aimed at my head.
Jacoby laughed, shaking his head. “TMI, daughter, TMI. But any time you want a weekend, just let us know. I decided not to work at the hospital so for right now, I’m free. Still might get a little job, but not in a hurry. So just let us know when you want a weekend, and we’ll be all yours.”
I grinned, as Jimmy came out in time for the food to be done. “Time to eat,” I announced, going over to see the new tattoo. Dad pulled his shirt down a bit and I grinned, seeing it through the plastic. “Looks good.”
“I love it, thank you,” he said, hugging me. His eyes were a bit red and wet, and I knew he’d cried when he got the tattoo. It’s a big reminder of all that he’s been through. “This is all I needed for celebration.”
I smiled as I joined the food line. “And getting an entire wing of the hospital named after you.”
He laughed, taking a plate and grabbing a bun. “True. That was a little bit of overkill, but I was still honored. Hopefully, they can continue to help other people through their addictions. If it does that, that honors me more than putting my name on something.”
I had to agree, as Clayton put a hamburger down for me and I headed for a side table set with side dishes. It seemed right, having our family and extended family all together in my backyard for a party. We’ll have to do this more often, I think. I smiled at grandpa as he got his food together and went to sit with Johnny and his wife who had Bethany.
“That’s a rather large cake,” dad commented, noting the sheet cake we’d gotten for the event. “How many cakes are there?”
“Just two full sheets. This is quite a crowd, of course, and they all happen to like cake with extra frosting. So we got two just to make sure everyone could have some.”
He laughed, piling some macaroni salad on his plate. “True. Be sure to save me a corner piece, then, because you know how I love cake.”
I almost dropped my plate for laughing so hard. Settling at Johnny’s table, I crossed my legs and spread a napkin over them. Having everyone over was making my day and I couldn’t be happier. As I started to eat, I smiled at my parents, glad to have them out here. I don’t know what the future brings, but we’re off to a good start.
I'm also working on adventure six, which will probably be the final adventure. But who knows with these two?
32
My parents have lived here for two weeks now and today is dad’s big trip to Los Angeles. He’s seeing a number of doctors and hopefully he’ll get a good report from all of them. The point of this is to establish a relationship with specialists down there, including a psych doc (he got a couple of recommendations from Dr. Magnus) so that he has people familiar with him when there’s a problem. Of course, this means he might get some new meds and there might be new treatments to try, but if it keeps him healthy, so be it. His memory is doing well with the medication and constant oxygen and his heart is in even better shape since he went on full time oxygen, so fingers are crossed for a good report.
Myself, I’m enjoying a day off with my girls. Ava is out of school for the summer now, so we’re at the local swimming pool (yes, we have those out here) and while she gets lessons, I’ve got Bethany in the baby pool. It turns out our little one was allergic to milk, and switching her to a milk-free formula did wonders for her. She’s seven months old now and doing great. The doctor said that most kids out grow the allergies by two or three and if she doesn’t, there’s a shot she can get that will gradually cure the allergy. It’s not recommended for infants, though, so we have to wait a couple of years.
“Mom! Watch me!” Ava called and I waved, moving Bethany and I closer. “I’m going to jump!”
The instructor was standing in the deeper end of the water and Ava jumped into her arms, grinning. She’s moved through swimming lessons quickly and according to Zach, Garrison was a fish in water as well.
“Good job!” I cheered, clapping, laughing when Bethany clapped as well. She’s starting to crawl, which means we’ve locked the house down. A baby on the move is a baby that can get into anything, so we have to be prepared. I’ll be glad when Bethany’s in school and I don’t have to fight a child lock to get my morning coffee. “Your sister’s doing a good job, isn’t she?”
Bethany just chewed on her fingers and I shook my head; I hate teething. I moved her back to the pool, after a quick reapplication of sunscreen. Dad and Jacoby should be joining us at any time, as they were supposed to get back from Los Angeles around five. They’d decided to get a hotel last night, so they were closer since his first appointment was at seven in the morning.
“Mama.”
I smiled, helping Bethany float in the water. Of course, she had her floaties on, but that didn’t mean I could let go.
“Hey Cilla, got Ava’s lesson today?” a voice asked and I looked up, smiling. “So does Colton.”
I nodded as my friend and co-worker Mark slid into the water with his youngest daughter Abby, who was eight months old.
“Yep, she’s already leaping from the side into Sophia’s arms, too,” I said, laughing a bit. “Bethany didn’t seem interested, so I brought her over here. How’s Colton doing in his lessons?”
Mark finished putting Abby’s floaties on then smiled. “Fine so far, luckily. He was so scared of the water at first I didn’t think anything was going to happen. But now he loves it and we have to keep our deck door locked around the clock or he’ll get into our pool. He’s not quite ready for unsupervised swimming.”
“Neither is Ava, but she thinks she is. I told her she’s got to have one of us out there if she’s in the water, but she doesn’t listen, so we locked our door as well.”
“Hey!” a voice called and I laughed as my parents walked into the pool are. “Baby time for grandpa!”
Mark laughed, greeting my parents as well. Now, if you know anything about baby pools, you know these things hold about…two feet of water, tops. So, you can imagine how silly all of us look sitting in this pool, four adults and two infants. Open swim isn’t for another half hour, when my parents will go with Ava and I into the big pool. I have a circular floatie that Bethany can sit up in so she can join us, and she loves it.
“When does Ava’s lesson end?” Mark asked, looking over at the big pool.
“Ten minutes and then it’s open swim. I have an extra belted floatie is Abby needs one,” I told him and he nodded, watching his son Colton as he went through a review of the last lesson. I love that about this program, because the kids get a good background in swimming. “So, how did L.A. go?”
The smile on Jimmy’s face suggested things had gone well. “Very well, actually. I am going to be getting on some new COPD meds, which we expected. But my heart is doing fine and the current meds are keeping me in rhythm. The doctor here, a Dr. McCarthy, did say that if my heart goes into A-Fib again, we’re going straight to a pacer. But otherwise, he can see no reason for any interventions at this time. My new lung doctor, Dr. Adams, says that for a man my age with my history, my COPD is doing pretty well. He’s going to keep me on oxygen for the foreseeable future, just in case, but otherwise he feels with the new meds, I’ll be able to do quite well. And my new psych doc is also encouraged. So, it seems that so far things are going well.”
I nodded, watching Ava as she finished her lesson. “That’s good. Let’s hope things continue to go well. We love having you guys out here.”
He hugged me, as Bethany splashed some water at him. He took her from me and helped her float a bit, laughing as she continued to splash. “We love being here. We should’ve done this a long time ago, Priscilla. We’ve missed out on far too much, but we know we can’t change that. We just have to finish getting settled, which is going smoothly so far. Dad has been really good about helping us blend the houses and things are looking great there as well.”
I honestly could not be happier right now. Everyone was in good health, my parents were out in California, and I wouldn’t trade this for the world.
***
“Is everything ready?” I asked, and Eliza nodded, as we watched Kelly and Katie pulled into my driveway. We’d decided to have a surprise party for our parents to celebrate dad’s 40th year of sobriety, their 45th anniversary, and their arrival three weeks ago in California. Uncle Matt had brought his tattoo gear and was going to tattoo dad’s 40th year coin on his right shoulder blade as a permanent reminder of what he’d achieved. “Hide!”
Just in time, everyone ducked out of sight, as Kelly lead our folks in. She was making small talk, a gift she’d inherited from grandma and if my parents suspected anything, it didn’t show on their faces. I’d reminded everyone that Jimmy scared easily and to be mindful of his heart, and figured everyone would still get a good laugh out of scaring them.
Nodding to those that were visible, we all gave the silent signal to jump from our spots.
“SURPRISE!” we all shouted and sure enough, Jimmy yelped, a hand to his chest as he started to laugh.
“Fuck you guys,” he blurted out, then blushed, covering his mouth. “Oops.”
I laughed, hugging him tight, the nurse in me noting that his heart rhythm was nice and normal. “No big deal, dad. We decided to throw you a little surprise party.”
“Clearly,” he deadpanned before he burst out laughing again. “What are we celebrating?”
“Your 40th year of sobriety, your 45th wedding anniversary, and your arrival back home,” Eliza explained, hugging our parents. “We figured one party for everything was easier.”
“Grandpas!” Marianna shouted, toddling over. Jimmy swooped her into his arms, dangling her over his head for a moment before settling her onto his hip. She’d be two in September but she seemed older than her year. “Love you!”
I smiled, as Eliza snapped pictures. The grandkids were especially excited about the party and having their grandparents right here in town, and I grabbed my own camera to take some pictures as well. The party was going well, and soon we’d eat. I saw Jacoby wander outside with Zach, who had Ava with him. She understood what had caused us to adopt her and called Zach and Gena grandpa and grandma. Having an extra set of grandparents didn’t seem to bother her in the least, and I was glad.
“Hey, Cilla, I’m going to take Jimmy for his tat, since it won’t take long,” Matt said and I nodded, noting the happy look on dad’s face. “Have fun!”
“I will,” he promised, following Matt upstairs. We wanted that done in private but not at the shop, since dad could be a bit emotional about it, which was understandable. “Back soon!”
I went outside to find Jacoby by the grill, as I thought he might be. My parents really aren’t typical gay people, which I’ve always admired in them. I’ve had people act surprised to find out that I had two dads because they don’t fit into a stereotype. I hugged Jacoby, as he helped Clayton with the burgers, then moved to find Randi.
“How’s it going?” I asked, accepting a bottle of water from her. We kept the party dry for Jimmy, which I know he’ll appreciate. “I see Zach is soaking up time with Ava and Vanessa. He’s a great grandpa and so great with the kids. I know Garrison has caused them some headaches, but I think he’s excited now.”
She nodded, relaxing a bit in her lounge chair. “Yes, he is. Just like our parents. Remember how shocked they were when Eliza got pregnant the first time?”
I laughed, almost spitting water from my mouth. “I do! I thought Jimmy was going to die!” I exclaimed, shaking my head. “Oh my lord. But when the shock wore off, it was the best news of their life. They make some killer grandparents. And now they are closer to spoil them rotten. Heaven help us all.”
Randi laughed, lightly punching me, no doubt for the religious reference. I might be a staunch atheist, but that doesn’t mean common phrases don’t’ slip out from time to time. “Well, if they want to take the girls for a weekend, I won’t complain.”
I blushed when I realized what she was implying and shook my head. “What weekend should we book them for?”
“Who’s being booked for a weekend?” Jacoby asked, joining us and accepting water from Randi. She was manning the cooler like a vending machine and I almost offered to put a quarter in her.
“You and dad sometime to take the girls. Not right away, of course, but we might book you guys sometime. Randi has some ideas,” I explained, ducking the swat aimed at my head.
Jacoby laughed, shaking his head. “TMI, daughter, TMI. But any time you want a weekend, just let us know. I decided not to work at the hospital so for right now, I’m free. Still might get a little job, but not in a hurry. So just let us know when you want a weekend, and we’ll be all yours.”
I grinned, as Jimmy came out in time for the food to be done. “Time to eat,” I announced, going over to see the new tattoo. Dad pulled his shirt down a bit and I grinned, seeing it through the plastic. “Looks good.”
“I love it, thank you,” he said, hugging me. His eyes were a bit red and wet, and I knew he’d cried when he got the tattoo. It’s a big reminder of all that he’s been through. “This is all I needed for celebration.”
I smiled as I joined the food line. “And getting an entire wing of the hospital named after you.”
He laughed, taking a plate and grabbing a bun. “True. That was a little bit of overkill, but I was still honored. Hopefully, they can continue to help other people through their addictions. If it does that, that honors me more than putting my name on something.”
I had to agree, as Clayton put a hamburger down for me and I headed for a side table set with side dishes. It seemed right, having our family and extended family all together in my backyard for a party. We’ll have to do this more often, I think. I smiled at grandpa as he got his food together and went to sit with Johnny and his wife who had Bethany.
“That’s a rather large cake,” dad commented, noting the sheet cake we’d gotten for the event. “How many cakes are there?”
“Just two full sheets. This is quite a crowd, of course, and they all happen to like cake with extra frosting. So we got two just to make sure everyone could have some.”
He laughed, piling some macaroni salad on his plate. “True. Be sure to save me a corner piece, then, because you know how I love cake.”
I almost dropped my plate for laughing so hard. Settling at Johnny’s table, I crossed my legs and spread a napkin over them. Having everyone over was making my day and I couldn’t be happier. As I started to eat, I smiled at my parents, glad to have them out here. I don’t know what the future brings, but we’re off to a good start.
