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“How about Debbie’s pot roast?”
“Uh, too meat juicy like.”
“Well, what do you want?”
I think about it for a moment, and like a lightning bolt it hits me.
“A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of ketchup,” I announce proudly, the thought making my mouth drool.
“What?” they both ask in unison.
We all laugh, and Dad gets straight to it. Ten minutes later, I sit in front of their disgusted faces and dip my sandwich into the ketchup. It tastes like heaven and hits the spot perfectly.
“So how long are you here for?” Dad asks.
I turn to Lex, unsure of how long he expects us to stay in Carmel.
“Four days,” Lex answers.
“And where will you be staying?”
“Um… we were hoping here, but if it’s a problem, we can find a hotel.”
“You know you’re welcome to stay here… in separate rooms,” he adds.
“Uh, hello, Dad… I think the jig is up. Unless, of course, you think this baby was immaculately conceived?”
Lex laughs as my dad cringes.
We speak a little bit more about life back in the city when Debbie arrives home. I’m excited to see her. She is possibly the best stepmom you could ask for. Lex heads out, saying he needs to pick up a few things from the store.
I shout out, “Hey, if you’re heading that way, anyway, how about you pick me up a tub of vanilla fudge ripple ice cream?”
With Dad cleaning up and Lex gone, it gives Debbie and me a chance to catch up in the living room.
“Honey, I’m so glad you’ve come back to visit. We’ve missed you.”
“It’s actually nice to be back. I probably wouldn’t have been able to say that a few months ago.”
It’s the honest truth, and I thank my lucky stars the nightmare is over.
I tell Debbie all about Julian and how Lex and I ran into each other, including every insane thing that happened since then, excluding the nuptials, the angel on my shoulder whispering, “Your dad will kill you with his bare hands.” Debbie nods and listens intently, and by the end, she’s hugging me so tight that I can feel her tears drop onto my shoulder.
“Oh, Charlie. You deserve to be happy… and a baby? What a blessing. Your dad has been waiting to be a granddaddy. We both knew it would be you before your sister.”
“Aww, please, Melanie? Unless a baby can travel in her backpack, there’s no chance in hell.” I laugh.
“It’ll be nice to have a baby around,” she says with a smile on her face.
It dawns on me that Debbie is also waiting in anticipation for this moment. She never had kids, and by the time she met my dad, they were both too old to start a family.
“Well, lil’ bubba can’t wait to be spoiled by its grandma, too,” I mention softly as I place my hand over hers.
Her face lights up, and with ease, she pulls me into a tight hug, not letting me go for what feels like an eternity.
Lex has some work he needs to catch up on, so I take the opportunity to head down to the local fire station. The building looks exactly the same, its worn-out brick gives it history, built sometime in the early 30s if I remember correctly from history class. The bright red trucks sit horizontally in front of the building and coming from inside are the sounds of rowdy men yelling and cussing at the television.
“Talk about productivity,” I say out loud.
