A Matter Of Love
Helen casts yet another indulgent glance at the huge grin on Frank's face as he looks at the baby in his arms. The both of them had wanted very much to have a grandson for years. Now that their dream has finally and so suddenly came true, they are not only overjoyed but also stunned and a little overwhelmed. The child is undoubtedly the most beautiful baby they have ever seen, and Helen still feels happy and dizzy whenever she holds him in her arms. Bright brown eyes. Long eyelashes. Soft perfect lips. And creamy light milk-caramel skin. Helen smiles and lets out a sigh. She has never ever thought one day she will have a darker-skinned grandchild, though.
No, please don't get her wrong. The little boy is most precious and adorable. He looks exactly like his mother when he cries and frowns.And Helen loves him with all her heart and all her life. It's not that she's bothered by her first ever grandson's skin color. She has no racial issues, mind you. She's never one of those narrow-minded arrogant stupid persons who choose to ignore a man's achievement simply because they don't like his accent or skin color. It's just that she has yet to be fully recovered from the shock Stephanie gave her two years ago. Helen grimaces a little as she recalls the night her younger daughter came over for dinner. With Ranger. And a wedding ring around her finger.
It was a miracle Helen didn't pass out in a dead faint on the spot. Her brain turned totally blank. All she could hear was her own voice screaming "Oh My God, she's pregnant!" nonstop in her mind's ears. Yes, she knew all along there was something very special between Stephanie and Ranger. But Stephanie was still with Joe Morelli at that time—well, at least that was what everyone in Trenton had thought, and it turned out that they couldn't be more wrong. Helen can't help doing a small eye roll at herself. She never understood the strange relationship between Stephanie and Morelli. She never understood why Stephanie decided to start dating the man who had put her through Hell at the very beginning. She never understood the choices Stephanie made. She never understood the things Stephanie did. She sometimes can't help thinking that she will never ever really understands Stephanie—her child, her own flesh and blood.
But it's never too late to start learning about those who you love and care about. She firmly tells herself as little Carlos's tiny fist grabs hold of her finger. And Stephanie is happy now. That's what truly matters for Helen Plum, the always worrying and nagging mom(who has once run over a man in a rabbit suit to save her child)of the Bounty Hunter From Hell.
Chapter 7: Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?
Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?
Connie
Rosolli sits down and orders a Coke. She enjoys living alone on her
own, and keeps a cautious distance from her family. Her mother and aunts
sigh upon the sight of her. Her father and uncles don't know what to
say to her. And she's only grateful that not every one of her siblings
and cousins thinks she's weird or mentally unwell. She and her
ex-husband(who's also her high school sweetheart) divorced not because
he cheated, but because one day she woke up and realized she didn't want
to have any kids. He tried all he could to ask and beg and threaten her
to change her mind, but she wouldn't budge. And things got ugly pretty
fast after that. A heartbroken, angry and frustrated Tony got remarried
18 months after their brutal divorce, and is now the happy and proud
father of a 9-month-old girl. The former Mrs. DiNozzo is still a single
lady who's just not a big fan of children.
She takes another sip
of her lemon Coke. She's happy for Tony and his new family. She
sometimes dreams of their high school days and honeymoon trip to the
Niagara Falls, and she usually feels a little sad and depressed when she
wakes up the next day. But she never regrets her decision. She's happy
with her life. She has a house, a car, a job, money in the bank, good
neighbors and friends. She's not that afraid of loneliness, and she's
never the kind of woman who needs to have a husband and give birth to a
child to feel whole and complete. And even if Santa Claus drops a Mr.
Right down the chimney one day, she knows she will still be her own
woman.
But sometime she can't help having doubts. Connie smiles
brightly and waves at Stephanie and Lula as her two best friends enter
the restaurant. Especially when the moment she placed a hand on
Stephanie's belly and felt the Batbaby kicking, and felt that powerful
unfamiliar longing in her heart...
Chapter 8: The Batbabies
The Batbabies
Julie
Martine looks at the beautiful, serious face of the little boy, and
marvels at the resemblance between them. Both Michelle and Roy, Julie's
two other half-siblings, have Rachel's pinkish white skin and greenish
brown eyes, as well as Ron's sandy wild blonde hair. And that's partly
the reason why Julie sometimes feels like a stranger. She stands out in
the family photos. She's unique and too different. They don't have the
same color of skin. They don't have the same color of eyes. They don't
have the same long eyelashes and almost black hair. Though they do have
the same family name, she always remembers she's the girl who has two
fathers. On the special occasions when Ranger is invited to visit, she
sometimes feels like asking him the long suppressed questions:
Am I a mistake?
Am I an accident?
Am I an inconvenience?
Am I a burden?
She'd
like to hear Ranger's answers. She'd like to see if Ranger will feel
any regret, pain, guilt or sorrow. But she never asks. What's the point
torturing yourself or someone you actually care about with the past?
What was done cannot be undone. Not to mention that her rudeness will
only upset her parents. And, besides, no matter what the answers are,
there's no doubt that Ranger loves her. In his own way. He never fails
to pay child support. He never forgets her birthday or Christmas gifts.
And he's willing to die for her. How much more can you ask of your
bio-father? Sometimes marriage fails. Sometime people are just not meant
to be together. And nobody can say Dad—Ron—is not a loving, caring and
responsible father.
Well, Julie blows out a sigh and smiles
as she shakes hands with her 3-year-old half-brother. Sometimes life is
just too complicated. At least everybody involved is now happy. At least he's not a girl. Her raises her brow when little Carlos opens his arms for a hug. I don't know why, but I will definitely have trouble coping if he was a girl. She
picks him up and holds him tight in her arms. She's here in Jersey for a
visit. She will return home to Miami next week. She will turn 16 coming
September, and she knows she's going to miss Grandma Rosa, her
grandparents, and the rest of her family. She's really, really glad both
she and her baby brother look like their father.
And she's surprised that the chubby little hamster Rex is still alive, to be honest.
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