This had been a really big week for our little family. Celeste had made the honor roll for the first time, and was due to start learning to drive over the summer. The thought of someone that young driving scared me pretty bad.
Amanda graduated tonight, holding her diploma like it was life preserver in a stormy sea. She even got to make a little speech that brought the house to tears. She talked about her childhood, her sister’s, the fact that she had come so far because she had someone who believed in her and wouldn’t let her stop. She thanked me for being the best husband ever, and Celeste for being a perfect ‘daughter’.
“Have faith, have hope, believe in yourself. You may not get as lucky as I did, but you’ll be a better person for trying.”
We held a cookout for her the next day, and our little house was filled to capacity. Mom came down to celebrate her accomplishment. Our bar friends, most of my work friends including my boss, Denise from DSS, and surprisingly, Jack Edwards and his wife. I thought they were still in Italy. After everyone else had left, they lingered, waiting to take Celeste for the weekend.
They had married late and never had children. June fell in love with Amanda, treating her like the daughter she never had. When Celeste came along she was over the moon. She kept her for a weekend once a month so Amanda and I could have a little personal time. She always brought Celeste back with at least one new outfit. Mom got in on it too, and between them Celeste was almost never home during the summer. I complained and was jumped by the pack almost immediately.
“Your girls have had a hard life, Jace. The best thing that ever happened to them was you. I’ve always wanted a daughter and a grandchild, thank you for these. So stop complaining because your daughter is growing up and bonding with her grandparents. We’re supposed to spoil her. I have a suggestion, something to take the heat off Celeste. Give us a couple more grandchildren, it’ll make sharing easier.” Mom sat back after that speech, smirking a little.
We heard a sob, and looked at Celeste. Soon the women were huddled over Celeste, petting her and whispering soothing words. When they settled down I started to ask but Amanda shushed me.
June jumped right in. “Listen to your mother, Jace. You too, Amanda. We’re not getting any younger here. Give them to us soon, while we’re still fit enough to chase them around.”
I looked at Jack and he just grinned.
“I think it’s an excellent idea.”
Celeste hugged me for a long time before she left, clinging to me.
…
We didn’t go down to the bar as frequently as we used to, children limits your options. I still went after work occasionally. Celeste usually had something going on that required transportation, so Amanda became ubermom, taking her to band practice, soccer practice, games, etc. I usually wasn’t available for any of that, but made sure I went to all her games.
One sunny Saturday afternoon, at the end of a soccer game, I sat and listened to her and her teammates chatter, trying to decide where to go to celebrate their win. She was going out with groups now, something I was a little uncomfortable with, because they tended to pair up at these things. Amanda laughed.
“Even if you’d like to, hon, you can’t stop her from growing up. This is good practice for the kids when the time comes for one on one dating. And they’re almost all chaperoned, the only exception is when they go to the movies and hang out at the mall. Trust her, she would die before she’d disappoint her Daddy.”
It was right after Amanda graduated, and we were at a church function. The kids wanted to go for ice cream later, and I walked up.
“Here’s your Daddy now. Ask him if it’s all right.”
She looked at me and batted her eyes.
“Daddy, can I go with Mrs. Jenkins and my friends for ice cream?”
It caught me hard, and tears started forming.
“Sure baby, here’s a twenty.”
She giggled, took the money, and scampered off, yelling out behind her.
“Bye, Mom, bye Dad! I’ll be home by seven.”
Amanda had to drive us home. After that, we were Mom and Dad.
“It’s just easier than having to explain every time someones says something about it and I have to explain. Besides, you treat me like your kid anyway. Plus I like it.” She explained, grinning.
I liked it too.
…
Our friend Sam had a stroke. Not a really bad one, but serious enough he had to cut back on work. All their friends pitched in, but it was soon apparent Helen couldn’t keep up. Amanda came to me one Sunday afternoon after church. We were going to ride, Celeste was off with friends.
“Before we go, I need to ask you for something. Let me get it all out before you say anything. It’s important to me.”
I hoped it wasn’t bad.
“I love being Mom to Celeste. I love being your wife. But, Helen needs help, and I want to use my degree. I’ve talked it over with Helen and Sam, and they’re all for it. I want to go back to work at the bar. Not as an employee, but as a partner.
Helen will run the bar, with Sam’s help. I’ll run the kitchen. Will you think about it?”
I did, while we rode. We stopped at the bar and I looked at it with new eyes. It was in good shape, but could use a little sprucing up. Helen came by and Amanda excused herself, going into the kitchen.
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s a lot to consider. I don’t want to lose my wife to a business. You know my past, and I’m a little sensitive about my wife being on a different schedule. Plus we have to consider Celeste. And, I’ll need to know how much money we’re talking. In the end, I’ll probably say yes, she knows I can’t refuse her.”
Helen patted my hand.
“You won’t lose her, honey. She’s already got it planned to where she won’t be away from you that much, once the startup is complete and everyone is trained. She has big plans, she’s even got me and Sam excited.”
So we talked it over. I had long since turned our finances over to her, she was really good at stretching dollars. Oh, I had a general idea, but she usually paid the bills.
Our vehicles were all paid for, even the three year old minivan she had to have to transport Celeste and all her friends. We had bought our house when the lease was up. It was small, but suited our needs. We’d made a pretty hefty down payment, so our mortgage was low. By now I owned four percent of my company, and was making really good money for our size. Our savings account was pretty good, so I had no argument about where the money was coming from.
In the end, we owned thirty percent of the bar. We spent a little money sprucing it up, upgraded the kitchen, and had a grand reopening.
…
Business picked up almost immediately. All the old patrons were happy with the new look of their hangout, and the new customers liked the atmosphere. The place was opening at eleven now, to serve a lunch crowd.
Amanda worked wonders with the kitchen. Gone were the plain burgers and fries. They still offered them, dressed up a little. There were new toppings to select from, such as avacado slices, hot peppers, spinach leaves, four different flavors of cheese slices, and anything else she could think of to put on a burger. Same with the hot dogs. A favorite was covered with grilled onions and mushrooms, hot mustard, and dill relish.
Fries were no longer offered. Instead you got home fries, sliced almost as thin as chips, hand cut and soaked overnight in various flavors.
She also added soups, all homemade. Potato with cheese and bacon bits. Tomato, with half and half blended in. A pork based stew with a lot of herbs was the most popular.
One of her upgrades was a large gas grill, and you could have grilled veggies in season.
She insisted on buying from local farmers as much as possible, and had a large chalkboard at the kitchen door, telling which farm provided the vegetables or meats for the day. The farmers loved it.