Chapter 24: Finally Home

David felt slightly conspicuous when got out of the medical transport van and walked through the front door to his house 10 days later. Partly it was the stupid inflatable helmet he still had to wear for another week, and partly it was the crowd of people on his front lawn and in his house as he arrived. And then there was the twenty-foot-long banner draped across the front of the house that said, “Welcome Home, Coach!”

Entering into his living room, David had eyes first of all only for his girls: Juliann, Ruth, Jenny and Leah. Walking quickly over to them where they stood in front of the couch, he tried to gather them all up into a hug at once. “Oh, thank God I’m finally home” he exclaimed with his nose buried into the side of Juliann’s neck.

He kissed each of the four of them to applause from the thirty or forty people in his living room dining room and kitchen. His eyes were bright with tears as he turned around and looked at all the people smiling and applauding him.

“With all of this, please tell me we have cake?” he asked.

The room exploded in laughter. Pam Nbanga smiled and said, “Oh, yes, including chocolate cake with lemon icing, which Leah assured us was your favorite.”

David grinned. “It is.”

Juli said, “You sit on the couch, and we’ll bring yours to you, okay?”

“Okay!” He settled back momentarily, before suddenly standing up again and whistling loudly. “Can I have everyone’s attention for just one more moment? Juliann and I would like to invite all of you to our wedding one month from tomorrow, here at the house. It will NOT be a fairy-tale wedding, just a fairy-tale romance. We’ll have games and outdoor activities, so bring your swimsuit and your favorite side dish, because we’re having barbeque beef brisket, pulled pork and barbeque chicken, along with soft drinks tea and water.”

The room exploded with sound momentarily, before David whistled again. “One more thing, please, do NOT bring any alcoholic beverages. There’ll be a few dozen young people, and as smart as this bunch of kids is, all of us who are nominally adult will need all of our wits about us. Now let’s indulge!”

This was met with merry sounds and laughter as everyone was served or served ice cream and cake in David’s homecoming. Sitting back on the couch, David realized that for good times like this, he’d be happy to wear something as dorky as an inflatable helmet.

After a couple of hours, Pam and Claudia began suggesting that perhaps they should clean up so that “Coach” could get his rest. The truth was that David had dozed off a half-hour earlier with Leah cuddled up to his chest as she sat straddling his waist facing him. His head was tilted back against the couch and his mouth was slightly open as he made soft snoring noises.

Waking up hours later, David found himself stretched out on the couch covered in a blanket and with his head resting on a pillow from his bed. He looked over and saw that it was dark outside the big picture window in the living room. He could hear soft female voices from behind him in the dining room. Listening for a minute before trying to get up, he could hear Juliann and Pam Nbanga talking and, more faintly, the sounds of kids playing ping-pong in the playroom.