Son of a soldier, p.54
Son Of A Soldier, page 54
“Well, there’s your answer I guess!” Jessica nudged Rachel.
“Look how sweet,” Melissa gasped as Leah ran into Grant’s arms. He turned her around to face the camera as Hailey knelt down and put her arms around both of them. “Oh my goodness, I want that in a frame,” Melissa cried.
Joanna put her arm around her sister-in-law. “You okay, Mom?” she smiled.
“Yes,” Melissa laughed as she wiped away her tears. “That was just so sweet! Leah loves her Uncle Grant! She was grinning like a little cheese ball!”
“Did everyone finish their shopping, so we can get out of here?” Randy bellowed above the crowd.
Nora laughed. “No, but we bought fudge! Can I interest you in any?”
Randy gestured above Nora’s head. “Are you aware you are standing beneath the mistletoe, Mrs. Cohen?”
Nora looked up and smiled despite herself. “And not a soul has walked by and tried to kiss me,” she declared with mock agitation.
“Kiss, I’ll take your picture,” Grant smiled devilishly.
Randy puckered his lips, and Nora turned away purposefully. “Let’s finish our shopping and get back to Hope Hull,” she declared, clapping her hands encouragingly. “I know everyone must be tired from the flight.”
“We’re going to the toy store,” Grant called as he held Leah in one arm and took Hailey’s hand with the other.
“And Old Navy,” Hailey grinned over her shoulder as he drug her away.
Despite splitting up, it was difficult for everyone not to keep running into each other in the mall. When Nora caught Jessica trying on an armload of clothes and modeling them one-by-one like a runway model in front of the dressing room mirror in the walkway between the stalls, she told her to pick her three favorite outfits and act surprised on Christmas morning. Jessica flung both arms around Nora’s neck, and it took her no time to pick three complete outfits for herself. Still, they spent half an hour in the dressing room with Jessica holding up tops saying, “wouldn’t this one look good on Hailey? I think this color would be perfect with Emily’s hair! I think I’ll get this one for Hailey because it would look so good with that blue shirt Grant has.”
David, Melissa and Leah, whom Grant had returned to them inside the Hallmark store where everyone seemed to have converged to pick up a gift for Granny Miller, ran into Grant again in the Nike store, or, better yet, followed him there and stalked him around the store until David finally quipped, “funny running into you here…see anything you like? What size shoe are you wearing these days?”
Grant reached for a box of tennis shoes. “I happen to know these fit perfectly and look rather nice.”
“Perfect,” David winked.
“And if you really love me, there is a gray hoodie over there with a crimson swoosh that screams late night study sessions at Harvard,” Grant shrugged.
David curled his lip. “I don’t think I love you that much, Bro!”
“Large,” Grant coughed.
“Well, if it’s for school,” Melissa conceded.
Grant patted David’s back as he kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Dave!” he called as he strolled out of the store, on a mission to find the perfect Christmas gift for Hailey.
Rachel and Wally oohed and aahed around the baby department, knowing they already had gifts in their suitcase that everyone was going to love! Wally and his band had finally finished their new album, and he had brought everyone their very own copy.
Jack kept running into his girls just long enough for them to hand him shopping bags to hold before disappearing again. He stood in a long line inside the music store with a stack of CDs off the list Jessica had made him as a romantic ballad by Celine Dion played over the loudspeaker. He wondered, not for the first time, if things wouldn’t have been easier if he had never run into Nora after all the years that had separated them. Her husband was back in town for another holiday and, if that wasn’t strange enough, Jack sensed for the first time that their living arrangement would soon come to its inevitable end. Though their shared childhood and teenage years would always guarantee Nora Jean Miller a special place in his heart, he had no doubt that their relationship would never mature beyond that of childhood sweethearts. Hailey and Jessica had been able to convince him to join them on this trip to Memphis, mainly because they knew it would be his last chance to fulfill their Christmas wishes before the big day. He had agreed, knowing that he did need to finish up some shopping. He had prepared himself to see Randy again; what he had not been quite as prepared for was the look in Nora’s eyes when Randy stepped off the plane. She didn’t run to him or hug him; she reserved that for her children and her granddaughter, but she seemed strangely relieved to have him there. Jack knew she was nervous about Grant’s doctor’s appointment the following day, and he imagined that was part of the reason she wanted Grant’s father close by, but there was more to it than that. It remained as it had always been; Nora had loved Randy the day she walked away from Jack, and her love for Randy now would be the reason she walked away from him again. Jack smiled to himself. He had been lucky enough to fall in love with a woman who took his name, and, though their time together was short-lived, she had given him the two most treasured gifts he could imagine. His girls were his whole life, and his role as a single father had been a fulfilling one. He glanced out the store window and watched Hailey pass by, holding the hand of Nora’s son, and he laughed out loud. Life is funny that way, he thought. The girl of his dreams had returned out of the blue, not to re-write the past between them, but because, he truly believed, her son and his daughter were meant to share the love and the life that he and Nora never had.
Loaded down with shopping bags, Nora sat down in the food court to check her list one more time. She glanced into one of her bags, and, seeing one of the shirts she had picked up for Randy, she nodded, telling herself that it would be okay if she just wrapped them up from Grant and Emily.
Nora glanced across the way and found herself staring at two light-up toy soldiers standing guard at the store entrance. She recalled past Christmases, and her head was filled with snapshots of fond Christmas memories…Randy dressed up as Santa Claus for a party on the base…Randy sitting in the floor with David in his arms on his first Christmas as a father…Randy running down the sidewalk along side Joanna on the Christmas she got her first bike…Randy, David and Ike hurling wadded-up pieces of wrapping paper at each other as they helped her clean up before Christmas brunch… Randy standing inside the church on Christmas Eve, the children gathered around him as he held baby Rachel in her poofy, red Christmas dress…Randy in the floor on Christmas morning, showing Grant how to line his Army men up to guard his fort the year he turned two…and, finally, Randy and sweet baby Emily both sound asleep next the Christmas tree after Christmas dinner.
Randy slid into the seat next to Nora in the food court and sat a small black box on the table in front of her, sliding it toward her when she didn’t immediately reach for it.
“Randy!” Nora shook her head. “What is this?”
“It’s Christmas,” Randy shrugged. “This is my way of saying Merry Christmas to the only woman I will ever love…the best mother my children could have asked for…and someone whom I hope will one day be able to forgive the man who was never good enough for her to start with.”
Nora slowly opened the box to reveal a gorgeous, heart-shaped diamond necklace.
“I know this can’t replace the heart I broke,” Randy gulped, “but I hope that every time you look it, you remember that, though mistakes were made, you were and are always loved.”
That evening everyone was gathered around the living room at Jack’s house; the Christmas tree lights were on, and the mood was relaxed and pleasant. As Nora sat a tray of Christmas cookies on the coffee table, things seemed to be going too eerily well, and her stomach churned, waiting for the rug to inevitably be ripped from underneath her.
“You know,” Randy was saying to Grant, “I could probably still talk to some people…”
“Dad,” Grant insisted, “Give up on West Point! Hailey and I have made our decision.”
“Hailey and I?” Randy scoffed.
“We made our decision,” Grant stuck to his guns.
“We?” Randy scoffed. “There you go again! You’ve got yourself a little girlfriend, so you can’t make a decision on your own now, Son? This is about you and your future!”
“There is a definite us to consider now,” Grant said confidently. “She didn’t make my decision, but we did make it together. When you love someone, you tend to make important decisions with the wellbeing of both in mind, Dad…you know…where to go to dinner…where to go to church…where to go to college…whether or not to have an adulterous affair with the neighbor girl…”
“Grant, that’s not necessary,” Nora sighed, glancing around embarrassed, hoping no one had heard him.
“The kid’s right, Nora,” Randy nodded. He stared at Grant. “I respect your decision.”
“Thank you,” Grant smiled cautiously. “And if Harvard doesn’t work out…I can always flip hamburgers at McDonald’s, huh?”
“Grant, don’t give the old man a heart attack,” David laughed.
“Harvard Law doesn’t sound like a bad goal to me,” Joanna smiled.
“I don’t know,” Grant shrugged. “I was considering studying political philosophy for undergrad…but you know, I do have a propensity for Japanese gardening…I have always been intrigued by the Bonsai tree.”
“Cute,” Randy nodded. “Please joke about it…it’s just your future we’re talking about after all!”
Grant shook his head. “Did I ever tell you about the most delightful peasants I met in Morocco? They turned me on to the fascinating art of basket weaving, and I was thinking that…”
Randy’s face turned bright red.
“Dad, just ignore him; that’s what the rest of us do,” Joanna laughed, winking at her baby brother.
Hailey walked into the room and picked up a cookie off the tray. “Baby, grab me one, please,” Grant called.
Hailey sat down in Grant’s lap with a napkin of cookies in hand. “Are you going snowflake or snowman?” she asked.
“I’m the man. You’re the flake,” Grant winked.
Hailey wrinkled her nose, pulling the napkin close to her. “I will be eating both of these, thank you very much,” she declared.
Grant kissed her cheek. “That’s okay,” he nibbled at her cheek with his lips. “You’re so sweet I don’t even need a cookie.”
“That’s good because you’re not getting one,” Hailey answered easily.
Grant smiled, resting his chin against her shoulder.
“Let’s play a family game,” Emily suggested.
“I’ve got a game,” Randy replied.
“Dad,” Grant groaned. “No.”
“What is it?” Hailey asked curiously.
“Dad,” Grant groaned again.
“I’m with Grant on this one, if we’re taking a vote,” David added.
“What sort of game is this that has the boys running scared?” Jessica asked eagerly. “Truth or Dare?”
“It’s called Name that Capital City,” Randy told her, ignoring Grant’s ongoing protest.
“Sounds hard,” Hailey smiled at Randy.
“Would you like to go first?” Randy asked her.
“Sure,” Hailey volunteered. “What do I have to do?”
“It’s easy,” Randy shrugged, “I name the country or the state, and you give me the capital city. You ready?”
Hailey nodded pleasantly.
“Okay,” Randy pointed at her. “Germany?”
“Berlin!” Hailey exclaimed excitedly.
“Nice,” Grant smiled as they shared a high-five.
“Still not getting a cookie,” Hailey whispered.
“That was an easy one!” Emily interjected.
“I didn’t know it until a few months ago when Grant taught me,” Hailey admitted with a laugh.
“Alright, you’re up, Grant,” Randy said as he rubbed his hands together eagerly.
“I don’t want to play,” Grant replied. “Was that not clear before?”
“Denmark?” Randy said without missing a beat.
Hailey turned her head to Grant, eager to hear his answer. “You don’t have to pretend to like this game to impress my dad,” he grumbled.
“I do like this game,” Hailey shrugged. “I’ve never played before.”
“That’s because normal kids don’t play Name that Capital City,” Grant snapped.
Hailey wrinkled her nose and fed Grant a bite of cookie. “Eat some sugar,” she rolled her eyes.
“Time is almost up,” Randy shrugged as he tapped his imaginary watch.
“Since when was there a time limit?” Grant stared at his father.
“I believe a time limit has been in place since the summer of 1983 when it took Rachel twenty-seven minutes to come up with Birmingham as the capital of Alabama,” David replied in a mock serious tone.
“I didn’t think Birmingham was the capital of Alabama,” Hailey replied.
“Hence the time limit,” Randy clapped his hands together and pointed at Grant. “Ten, nine, eight…”
“Seven, six, five…” Grant rolled his eyes.
“Grant, humor your daddy for a minute,” Nora pled.
“Copenhagen,” Grant rolled his eyes.
“Alright, Em,” Randy nodded as he pointed toward the chair where Emily was sitting Indian style, flipping through the pages of a magazine. “What is the capital of Vietnam?”
Emily thought for a moment as Randy awaited her answer. “Pass,” she sighed reluctantly, angry at herself for blanking on an answer she was sure she should have known. She turned to Jessica, and Jessica shrugged.
“Alright, David,” Randy said turning to his son who sat on the opposite end of the couch. “Vietnam?”
David chuckled. “Dad, when I agreed to this trip, I didn’t know I was going to get trapped into playing this old game!”
“In other words, he has no clue what the capital of Vietnam is,” Grant grinned at his brother. “Which is really sad when you think about it,” he added. “Perhaps you’ve heard stories of the war?”
“Grant?” Randy pointed.
“It’s Hanoi…but how did it get to be my turn again?” Grant shrugged. “I was enjoying watching David make a mockery of the value of a West Point education.”
“I knew the answer, Punk!” David protested.
Grant grinned, sensing his father’s agitation and his brother’s frustration. “You’re a disgrace of a namesake, a disgrace to your alma matter and a disgrace to your country,” Grant declared.
Randy laughed heartily.
“Hello?” David threw his arms up. “I have feelings here, you know, Dad?” He balled up a napkin and threw it at his brother. “I knew the answer, Grant! Don’t be a jerk!”
“My turn! My turn!” Hailey said excitedly when the game worked its way back around to her.
“Uruguay?” Randy fired at her, obviously impressed with her fresh enthusiasm for the game that was the nemesis of the kids who had endured endless hours trapped in the car with the general.
Hailey frowned.
“Oh, come-on, Dad! You finally found someone who enjoys your game, and you give her Uruguay?” Grant protested.
“May I use a lifeline?” Hailey smiled, and Randy actually laughed with delight.
“Of course,” he nodded.
“No fair,” Emily teased.
“Yeah, that was never allowed before,” David added.
“You never asked, Dummy,” Randy shrugged.
“I’d like to call my boyfriend,” Hailey announced matter-of-factly, with no less conviction than if she had been sitting across from Regis himself. She leaned over, and Grant whispered the answer in her ear.
“Are you lying to me to make me look silly?” Hailey grinned.
“No,” Grant smiled back.
“Say it again?” Hailey insisted as she leaned her ear closer to his lips. “Montevideo?” she repeated out loud.
Grant affirmed her pronunciation with a slight nod.
Hailey turned to Randy and said with absolute confidence, “I believe the capital of Uruguay is Montevideo.”
“Smart boyfriend,” Randy smiled.
“Everyone please amend your mental rulebooks to note that lifelines were just officially instated,” David grinned.
“Grant, what is the capital of Turkey?” Randy asked.
“It’s not my turn,” Grant shrugged. “I answered that one, so I get skipped this round.”
“Grant, what’s the capital of Turkey?” Randy asked again.
“Anyone want hot chocolate?” Nora suggested, standing.
“Me!” all the girls sang out at once.
“Okay then,” Nora smiled. “Joanna, will you give me a hand please, Sweetheart?”
“Grant?” Randy said sternly.
“Sure, I’ll take some hot chocolate, Dad,” Grant shot back. “Thanks for asking!”
“He doesn’t want to play, Randy,” Nora called nonchalantly.
“He’s just trying to make me angry,” Randy snapped back.
“May I use a lifeline?” Grant replied stubbornly.
“You are just full of laughs today, aren’t you?” Randy huffed.
“Dad, leave him alone,” David sighed.
“Have a cookie, Daddy,” Rachel offered.
“It would be totally funny if the capital of Turkey was like Cheese,” Wally snorted.
“Father of your grandchild,” Grant gestured with his head. “Safe to say, you have bigger problems than me, right?”
