Chapter 32

He was faster than me; he got to the door first. Well, I was in my wheelchair.

“Can I have a word?” he said. I sighed and nodded, reluctantly nodded.

“Inside, I nodded toward the kitchen. “Beer.” He looked surprised. Well, I was thirsty. I rolled to the table and waited. He was back in half a minute.

“It is what it is. You’re her daddy not me. I’m resigned to it,” I said.

“But you’ve got it wrong,” he said.

“Really. I’m her father not you and she, they, were celebrating Father’s Day with you. Kinda hard to get that one wrong.”

“But you managed to do it,” he said.

“Okay?” I said, waiting.

“They planned, Penelope and Zoey, to come over here tonight with cake and ice cream to honor you on Father’s Day. Yes, they did me first because it was convenient. But they were not neglecting you. That’s the truth,” he said.

“Hmm, okay, I’ll be waiting. Anything else?” I said.

“Yes, but not for today, but it is part of their, our, anti-neglecting plan,” he said.

“But it’s a secret is that what you’re saying?”

“Sort of. Details still need to be worked out, and I am hoping you won’t press me quite yet. Okay?” he said. I nodded.

“Okay, I guess,” I said. “We’ll see.”

“But one thing,” he said. I shrugged. “I’m her father too, not only one but too. Okay?” I didn’t answer him. He knew where I stood on the matter. He was a father of course, of Ronald. So, I let things slide for the moment.

We talked a little more, well, one more beer’s worth. Then he cut country.

It was Father’s Day, and I had two kids in actuality, not just Zoey. But I had so far not heard from either of them. I wondered about Tina as much as Zoey. Still, it was only about 5:00 p.m. There was still time.

And then they were coming toward my door. I could see them through the front window. No, not the Hardys, the Longstreets, all three of them. I wheeled over and opened the door, well, left it ajar.

“Happy Daddy’s day, Daddy,” said Tina, coming in at the head of the pack.

“Well, thank you,” I said. It was the first time since my change-up of our residency agreement with Glory that we’d celebrated any holiday. I think it made me happy.

They had a package with them, and they put it immediately into the freezer compartment of the fridge. It didn’t take a purveyor of the physical sciences to figure what they were likely putting in there.

And then it was three-and-a-half minutes later, and the Hardy clan arrived all four of them. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad,” said Zoey coming in, like Tina before her, at the head of the pack.

“And thank you very much,” I said. And yes, they had the cake that would be complementing the ice cream.

Everyone had seats except the two older ladies who were busy putting the food together in my kitchenette. The ice cream turned out to be Neapolitan, my favorite.

The two younger females were taking turns doing their best to make me feel good. They were mostly successful. The only downside was the truth that they had never done it before, and that kind upset me a little, but I was doing my best not to show it.

Ronald, it should be mentioned, was helping the moms in the kitchen. I did notice that Tina kept looking in his direction. Hmm, young infatuation! I could remember feeling the same way about Zoe’s mommy back in the day; and, the thought saddened me; I’d had legs then, and hope.

The whole scene was lighthearted and time passed too quickly and then I was alone again, but alone with memories.

I also had a promise from Grant that he would be talking to me in a day or two about something kind of important, but that it had to wait till he had “put it all together” was the way he’d phrased it. I nodded. He’d said something of the same earlier in the day when we’d had our little talk as to what I’d seen at the Rendezvous.

“So, did you tell him about our idea?” said Penelope.

“Not exactly, I just told him that we had an idea, something to talk to him about,” said Grant. “But, before we say anything to him, we do have to get Zoe to make up her mind; she was a little standoffish when we talked to her about it earlier.”

“Hmm, yes, she does have to be in favor of it, strongly in favor of it. And, Grant, she needs to be the one to present the idea to him, not you. I know what you told Lee, but...”

“Yes, you may be right there. When we talk to her tonight, we’ll make that point,” he said.

“And, do you still think that he’ll go for it?” she said. “I mean...”

“You know, I think he will. The Father’s Day thing last night I’m pretty sure won him over. It was a very positive thing. And calling Glory and her family over to join us was an excellent move. No doubt about it,” said Grant.

“I do agree. That said, I did notice that more than once during the night he seemed a little—I don’t know—nostalgic about it all. I mean his kids, his ex-wives, all living somewhere else and with somebody else, and just trying to make him feel good. Anyway, like he’s always saying, there are upsides and downsides to everything. That, his nostalgia, was definitely on the downside,” she said.

“Hmm, yes, and I noticed it too, but it is something that he seems to have gotten over, that is the shifts in addresses,” he said.

“Maybe,” she said. “Anyway, the wedding could be a very large thing for him. If we get by that one, we should be looking at a very big upside of things. Well, hopefully.”

“Yes,” he said. He looked at his watch. It was 5:00 p.m. Zoey Hardy would be home in an hour, less, probably.

“So, you had a party and I wasn’t invited—nice!” he said, and he was being facetiously sarcastic.

“Well, if you and that girlfriend of yours do hook up and have kids maybe you can have a party and not invite me; you know, get even with me,” I said, but I was smiling.

“Hmm, yes, and it could happen. Ann is looking to hook up, I think, and if I can just get to the point of having the guts to test the waters...” he said. “But we’re changing the subject. So, what happened last night?”

“Well, it was a party, everyone was there even Zoe. I’ve stopped worrying about that though. She’s his kid now; I know it, and I’m resigned to it. I don’t exactly not care anymore, but like I say, I’m just not gonna be wasting my time worrying about it, them, her any of it. If she cares about me at all, I’ll know it, if not, I’ll know that too and I will act accordingly either way,” I said.

“Fatalistic are we?” he said.

“You could say that,” I said. “Yes, you could say that.”

Lance and the Gromleys had become my sounding boards. I trusted them. Trust to me was everything; well, trust and honesty which were kind of related traits if not exactly the same thing.