Chapter 2

I had a huge, empty house hundreds of miles away and I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do. I knew I needed to correct the direction of my life though. Both Mel and I had large insurance policies so I could stop working if I wanted to. I could sell the house and buy a condo, but I thought I should talk to Joey before selling the home he had grown up in.

I got out a legal pad for the first time since Mel died and began creating a list of need to do’s. When Caprica came home for lunch, something she had begun doing since I moved in, and looked at the list. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at what I had written down and came over to me and gave me one of her heartwarming hugs.

“Dad, if you want, Felisha and I can come with you to help do some of this. It’s not healthy to go through this alone you know.” I kissed her on the cheek and agreed. I knew that Joey was going on a trip for the company he worked for so he wouldn’t have to do without his family on my account.

The drive home was filled with an air of anxiety and forced humor. I walked up to the house I had called home for so many years and unlocked the door. I stepped in and the silence was almost overwhelming. Then I felt Caprica’s hand on my shoulder and I remembered I wasn’t alone.

I went into my office and began to make calls that I had been avoiding for months. Felisha sat with me and sometimes reached out and held my hand. How she knew when I needed it I will never know, but I was so glad she was there.

While I was doing the calls and paperwork Caprica was essentially removing much of Mel’s presence from the house. She was doing things like boxing up her clothes, cleaning out the bathroom of things that were Mels, and removing the day to day items that would be incredibly hard for me to deal with.

I was on the phone with my now ex-employer when Caprica came in, kissed me on the head, and then left. I heard the van leave and I knew she was done and was taking the things she had packed to a charity shop. While she was gone Felisha came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. The feeling of her there filled me with a sense of comfort I didn’t know I needed so bad.

That night we talked about what I had finished and what still needed doing. I walked around and the emptiness was so palatable. When I walked into my bedroom I just turned around and began making up the guest room. I couldn’t bring myself to sleep in our bed again so I decided that from now on this was going to be my room.

Caprica saw what I was doing and helped me gather my clothes and such and moved them into the room. That night I fell asleep alone, but once again I woke up to the warmth of Felicia next to me. This time I didn’t freak out, I just wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled in closer. I drifted off a little and just enjoyed the feeling of not being alone.

We stayed that way till Cap knocked on the door. “Put some clothes on you two and join me for some breakfast.” was all she said. I looked down at Felisha and smiled at her and she blushed at what her mother had said and slipped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. I got up and went to another bathroom to do my thing and then I headed in to find Cap cooking away.

She came over to me and kissed me, but this time on the lips. It was just in passing but still it was a much more intimate kiss than I had had from her before. I also have to tell you it did send a little thrill through me too. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to relax. I was just taking a sip when my cup fell from my hands.

Caprica was standing in the exact spot Mel had been when I was sitting here doing the same thing. Instead of seeing my sweet daughter in law I was seeing my wife fall to the floor all over again. Cap came running over with a towel to clean off the hot coffee I had spilled all over myself and to see if I was alright.

“Dad, are you ok? What happened?” I just buried my face in my hands. The moment was past but the feelings were as new and raw as ever at that moment. Felisha came running in when she heard her mother shout. I could feel her standing next to me with her hand on my shoulder. “Pops, are you gonna be ok?”

I thought to myself that I had to suck it up because I was hurting the people around me as much as myself. I took a deep breath and lifted my head up. When I opened my eyes I saw two beautiful women looking at me like I was the one dying here. “I’m sorry for the mess sweetie, it’s just you were standing in the spot where Mel had her attack and it took me back to that moment.”

“Oh dad is there anything we can do?” I wiped my eyes and shook my head. “No you two lovely ladies and your incredible smiles are all I need.” I looked around and made up my mind. “That and to sell this place as soon as I can. There are too many memories here. I can’t live in a house where just walking in the kitchen does this to me.” I looked down at the girls and I realized that I could see right down Caps open blouse and little Felisha was only wearing a towel and not very well.

I turned my head and tried to refocus the moment. “Um, girls, I think you are both very pretty, but would you mind not showing me so much? I mean I am a healthy male after all and it’s not right for a granddad to see that much.” Felisha blushed and ran off but Cap just sat back and smiled at me. “Well you aren’t my granddad, and I don’t mind you taking a look now and then. It makes a woman feel appreciated.”

I tried my best to look only in her eyes and shook my head. “You young lady are a temptress of the highest degree, and I also appreciate that as well.” I reached out and helped Cap get off the floor. As she stood up she bent at the waist making sure I had a great view of her navel and everything in between. Then she stood all the way up and I groaned out loud to which she giggled and went back to cooking.

Felisha came bouncing back into the room and she smiled at me as she got a juice from the fridge. For the first time I noticed her as a female and watched as her round little butt stretched out the fabric of her shorts. I hadn’t noticed before what a sweet ass she had. It was large for a girl her age but not fat at all. It was round and filled out her shorts in the best way.

I heard a giggle and looked over to find Cap was watching me check out her daughters butt. I blushed a little but she just smiled at me. When Felisha sat down next to me and leaned into me I felt wonderful. Caprica came over and set a couple of plates in front of us. As she did, she smiled and said “Honey, you might want to be more careful. It looks like there is still a little wolf in that old dog you’ve been playing with.”

Felisha looked at me in confusion and then at her mother. “I think your grandpa was admiring your new shorts.” Then it hit the girl what her mother was alluding to and she blushed deeply but there was definitely a smile on her face as she began to eat. While it was a little uncomfortable to be teased like that it did take my mind off all the unpleasantness I would have to do today.

Half way through the day Caprica and I sat to eat lunch while Felisha was messing around in the back yard. “So have you thought what you are going to do after we are through here?” she asked. “You know, it was always a dream of Mel’s to one day buy one of those huge RV’s and travel around the country together. Maybe I still will.” “Well I won’t try and talk you out of that, but I would really like to ask you a favor of you.” I turned to her and took her hand. “After everything you and Felisha have done for me what can I possibly do for you?” “I would like it if you could see your way to moving to somewhere near us. You are very special to the two of us. I know I need you around, and I think Felisha would miss you very much. Having you live with us for the past few weeks has shown me we need you around more than ever.”

This struck me as more than a little odd. “Is there something you want me to know but are afraid of saying to me again?” She looked away and nodded. “Well let’s get it out in the open.” She shook her head “Not yet, not till this stuff is behind you and we can be open a little more together.” I took her hand in mine and squeezed it.

I had to leave and start signing papers around town so I left the girls at a local mall and went to work. They both wanted to be with me to give me support but I wanted to do this alone. I needed some time to think without them around to distract me.

Lawyers and such were easy for me because they were very respectful when they see big checks. Insurance was a little more difficult since they were the ones writing the checks. The realtor was the last on the list and when they heard what I had to sell they could see a fast sale on their hands.

When I found the girls they had a few bags and worried looks on their faces. When they saw me the light came back as I joined them. They had done a little shopping but were wondering how I was doing. I told them and then I dropped a bomb that I thought would have an effect on them.

“Well I am selling the house. I will need your help to get things ready to sell, and to sort things out.” I looked at Cap first. “Cap, you really need to get back to work. You have taken of way too many days of vacation time for me as it is.” Then I turned to Felisha. “And you young lady need to get back to school. I don’t want to see you missing any more days than you already have for my sake.”

There was an argument brewing but I held my hands up. “I’m not done. I know the two of you don’t like leaving me alone so we can do this on the weekends. The realtors said that houses like mine are very sought after and when I heard what they are selling for I don’t think I need to jump on it just yet. This means we can take our time and get this done.”

I smiled as they settled down a little. “Plus I want to include Joey in this. The house has a lot of his stuff in it still and I want to make sure he has what he wants from it all before I get rid of the rest. I am getting myself a large RV so I won’t need much in the way of things anymore. I am making a fresh start and this is the first step.” I could tell this gave both of them mixed feelings. I didn’t know what was on their minds but I figured it would work out somehow.

We drove home just before Joey got home from his trip. When he arrived I told him what I was planning and I could tell he wasn’t happy. “But dad, that is where we lived for so long, there is so much to remember in that house.” I let my feelings show so he could understand where I was at. “Joey, we had a great life there, I walked around that house and remembered all the wonderful times we had and I was going to keep on living there.”

I let out a trembling breath. “Then the other day I sat down, saw Caprica standing at the counter and all I could remember was your mother dying. I can’t live in that moment for the rest of my life, and that’s what would happen if I stayed there.” Joey saw the pain I was in and he just sat with me. “So what do you want me to do? How can I help?” We went over what I had been thinking and he agreed to all of it but one thing. “Dad, if you want to travel around that’s your call, but I would rather you come and live with us here.” I looked at him. “What? Why?” I asked. “Dad, since you came to stay with us there has been a big change in how this family works. I didn’t see it before, but I do now.” He looked at me. “Before it was mostly dating, I would stay over for a day or two, we even did a vacation together. Things were great between Cap and I, and we figured that once we were all together Felisha and I would grow into each other. We were wrong.”

I could see the stress in him. “There was just something missing from our family, but when you came here that changed. Felisha is so much happier since you have been around, and Cap is so much easier to talk to and deal with. I can’t tell you how much this has meant to me.” He took a deep breath. “All those talks you had with them both, after the wedding, helped us to find answers to problems we didn’t even realize we had. Then after the funeral, when the girls couldn’t get a hold of you, the stress level around here went through the roof.” He gave a deep sigh. “I know I wasn’t dealing well with mom’s death, and the girls had a hole in them as well. It was like we had lost you both and that was just too much for us to deal with.” Then he smiled at me a little. “But when you came here things seemed to be level again. Heck, to tell you a truth I don’t even like to think on, it’s been better for me now than before we were married.”

I made up my mind. “Well, I tell you what I’ll do. I’m still getting the RV. I’ll park it here and I will live here for a while, but just keep in mind that one day I will be packing up and going off on my own adventure. I know it’s something your mom wanted to do when we retired, I’m just doing it a little earlier than we had planned.” Joey placed his hand on my shoulder. “Thanks dad. I don’t know how long it will take, but even if we are running like a German train, you will always have a room under my roof.”

That night as I lay in bed thinking what I was going to do when my bedroom door opened and Felisha came walking in. It was dark, and I don’t think she knew I was still awake. As she slid in next to me I didn’t say a thing, or even move. She just laid down and pulled herself tight against me. I mumbled a little and put my arm up above her head, this let her get closer to me which she did.

We ended up with her head on my chest and my arm around her shoulder. I lay there feeling so very close to her at that moment. Then I felt the tears and got worried. She didn’t make a sound, but I knew she was crying on me. I didn’t want to scare her, or make her self-conscious so I let her get it out of her system, and thought how best to deal with her emotions.

Well I knew what I would do if it had been Mel, so I reached over with my other arm and stroked her hair. She twitched for a moment and the she just held me tighter. We stayed that way for a while and then she lifted her head, shifted her body, and I felt a light kiss on my cheek. I turned my head to see if we could see each other and then her lips met mine. The warmth that flooded between us was something I hadn’t expected. What started as what I thought was just a little kiss quickly turned into much more. I was more than a little shocked at our contact and I guess she thought I was wanting more because when I didn’t pull away she really became encouraged. She kissed me again and again, every time was a little deeper and a little longer.

My mind snapped out of its stupor and I placed a hand against her shoulder. She pulled back and I wondered what the look on her face must be like. I rolled us onto our sides facing each other. I pulled her to me and just held onto her. After a little while her arm went around me and we stayed that way until we both fell asleep. The next morning when I woke up I turned my head to the side and saw her large dark eyes looking into mine. She wrapped herself around me as she put her chin on my chest. Now I had of course looked her in the eyes many times before now, but this really was the first time I had looked into her eyes.

They reminded me of two pieces of tigers eye gems. They were a warm color with flecks of gold hiding in them, and that warmth seemed to spread outwards and filled me. “I love you pops. Ever since the wedding when you took to the floor with mom, I fell in love with you.” I stroked her cheek and she rubbed against my fingers as I did. “Why were you crying last night little love?” She looked away but didn’t pull away. “I love lying next to you at night. The way you feel is so different than anything I know. I love the way you smell, and the way you feel next to me. Growing up I always slept with mom but I never felt so good, so right, as when I was with you. Last night I couldn’t stop thinking what things would be like if you weren’t here anymore and I couldn’t stop crying.”

I took a deep breath and wondered what the hell I was going to do about all this. This was the third time I had been asked to come live with my son’s family, and I have to say it was the most convincing of them all. “Well little love, don’t worry yourself too much. The future isn’t written in stone just yet.” Felisha’s eyes seemed to light up from within and I didn’t even try to stop her when she moved forwards and kissed me deeply. I felt her little tongue flick against my lips but I wasn’t so far gone that I let her go that far. She eased back and the look in her eyes wasn’t as bright, but she was still very happy.

We got up and went our different ways, her to her room and me to the bathroom. Soon afterwards everyone was gone and I decided to have a look around. Ok, I did some serious snooping. I looked in closets and drawers and other than a few sex toys in the back of one of Caps dressers I didn’t find anything that gave me any hints about what was going on. I then went out to the garage and did a little figuring. It was a three car garage and a big one at that. Joey had lucked into the place as a foreclosure and had a friend at the bank who helped him get it. It had three bedrooms, two baths, and lots of room for the three of them. But it was just too close for comfort for me. Looking around the garage I began to have an idea for what is called an in-law suite.

It wouldn’t take much to turn half of the garage into living space for me. Not just a bedroom but a bedroom, a bath, and a small living room. That way I could have my own space and still be within the house. It would be cheaper than getting the RV I had been looking at, and I could still get a little small RV for getting away every once in a while. I made a few calls to some friends and then to a few contractors they had told me about. With those ducks in a row I figured that I could have a foundation with which to approach the family about me accepting their invitation.

I was just finishing getting everything written out when the door opened and Felisha came bounding in. She saw me and threw herself into my arms with me barely getting a chance to get ready for catching her. “Oh pops, it’s so great to see you here.” She said against my neck as she hugged me. The warmth coming off of her seemed to fill me as well. I let her go but it took a few seconds for her to let me go. Then she saw I had a pad out and she had already learned that if I have a pad out it means something. She went for it and I barely got it away from her.

“Whoa there girl, that’s for me to know and you to learn about later.” She gave me a pouty look and something told me that it wasn’t real at all. “Pout all you want, this is serious and I don’t want to talk it over more than once so you will just have to wait.” She put a little quiver in her big, beautiful lip but I held fast. “And don’t you have things to do once you get home?”

She lost the pout and smiled at me. “Looks like you have better immunity to that look than Joey does. I guess I will have to figure out what does work on you.” I arched an eyebrow and for the first time I reached out and patted her on the butt. “Love and honesty are what works on me. Manipulation just makes me feel like spanking someone.”

Boy was that the wrong thing to say because she got a glint in her eye and I knew that gave her some kind of ideas. She ran off to change and get started on her chores. That was one of the things I really liked about the way Caprica had raised her, she had things to do and usually did them without complaint. She rarely even had to be reminded.

I decided to help her in the kitchen when she had begun dinner and we talked about her day and how she was having problems making new friends. I gave her a few pointers on what I knew as we did the prep work for dinner. Caprica liked to cook for the family but with her limited time so it was nice for her to come home and have the things she needed for dinner prepared ahead of time.

I kept my plans to myself till after dinner and then asked them all to sit with me so we could talk. I then laid out my conditions for me to stay with them and even Joey was smiling after everything was laid out. There wasn’t any complaints or concessions to be argued and I wondered what I was really getting myself into. Since I was going to have my own place in the end I didn’t get rid of as much as I had been planning on. After a few visits to the old house what we were keeping had been moved and the rest was sold or donated. Once everything was clean I arranged the sale with one of the realtors I had talked to and the house was listed.

Not long after that my new apartment was finished and I made myself at home in my new home. I looked around and noticed it was much like my old den, it had all the things that were dear to me and nothing that brought back anything of the past but joy. I knew things were going to be good for me if I could deal with this situation.

Now let me go back a little before I get too far. While all this was going on I had become used to Felisha sleeping with me. Usually sometime after going to bed she would slip in and curl up with me. I would often wake up spooned with the young girl and feeling wonderful. The only time there was any problem was when I woke up one morning and I discovered Mr. Happy was learning what Felisha’s little bubble butt felt like. I immediately slid out of bed and snuck into the bathroom to ease off what was going on. I wrapped a cold rag on the offender and that quickly eased away the swelling. I went back to my room to find that while I was gone Felisha had left as well. That made me wonder if she had felt my erection and that just made me worry even more.

A few days after that when I went to bed and found that Felisha was already asleep in it. I shrugged and curled up with her. I was glad there wasn’t any more awkward incidents with erections because I honestly didn’t know what to think if I began doing that regularly. This seemed to be the new arrangement between the two of us. I brought it up with Caprica but she just smiled and thanked me for helping Felisha cope with all of these changes. “Cap, you know that you both mean the world to me, but don’t you think it’s a little odd for a girl her age to sleep with an old man like me?” She came to sit with me and took my hand in hers.

“Dad, you have to know that my daughter means the world to me. If sleeping with you makes her happy why would I be worried? I trust you to not to hurt her, and I know in my heart that the only reason you’re talking to me about this is because you think I might object in some way.” She lifted my hands up and kissed the back of one of them. “I know you will do anything to make her as happy as she can be. I would never object to anything that you do to make that happen.”