Page 2 of My Thursday Throwback

“I see you as I always have, as my blessing,” he said.

“A blessing which destroyed your marriage,” she said softly.

“No, I ruined my relationship with Cordelia because I married her knowing I could never love her the way I loved Iris. In return for my infidelity, she turned my son against me. To this day, he does not speak to me,” he said with a fixed expression.

“Oh, great. That makes me feel worse,” she said, laying down her fork and knife. She poured more wine into her glass, offering him more as well which he declined.

“Yes, great. I have watched you grow into a beautiful woman. Your accomplishments became badges of honor for me and at your graduation from college as a full-fledged journalist, I cried. No, I don’t know that son, but my daughter is nothing less than...spectacular,” he said with a sheepish grin.

“That is the word Scott uses to describe me,” she said, missing the undertone of his previous statement.

“Yeah, about him. Nice guy, but not very attractive,” Wilke told her.

“He is beautiful to me,” she said. “Poppa Bear, more than anything I trust him. He taught me to swim, but more importantly, Scott showed me how to trust myself and my own judgment.”

“You are really going to marry him, aren’t you, and move to Kentucky of all places,” he said with sadness in his voice.

“I am going to marry him. Heck, he is flying out in a few days to join me in Vegas and I can’t wait to see him because I love that man,” she said.

“Love is going to have to be strong in a marriage with him, Zelda. That love will have to be a beacon lighting a dark place in order for your relationship to survive,” he said with a twist of his lips.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you are going to be mad as hell every time you look at your bucked toothed, hairy kids,” Wilke said with a chuckle.

Zelda threw her napkin at him.

“Don’t get mad when I bring them back from the zoo and people have been trying to feed your babies tasty treats,” he said, laughing.

“I don’t believe you just said that to me! My babies are going to be adorable,” she countermanded.

“Yeah, but how many friends are they going to have as they walk around with their little puppets? Speaking of that, did the redhead take the creepy one that was sitting in the high chair in the kitchen?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. “All that thing needed was a little knife and I would have had nightmares for the rest of my days.”

Zelda guffawed at the reference to the Chucky doll. The same thought crossed her mind when she saw Pip’s vent doll. Seeing it in the high chair looking at her as if she owed it money and a hand job creeped, her out as well. Her laughter subsided as she looked at her father.

“When did you get to be so dang funny?”

“In the past week, I have found joy again through you. I hope you and Scott allow me to remain a part of your lives,” he said softly.

“Of course. I could not see my life without you silently watching over me, but the silent part I want to end. Poppa Bear, your days of slipping through the back fence and coming through the back door are over. Soon, I will be leaving for Vegas and then getting married and moving to Kentucky. Mike and Pip will be having their own family and your role as Grandpa is going to be important to both me and Michael,” he said.

“I’m not taking any of his kids to the zoo, either. The idea of all your damned children sitting around with little puppets throwing their voices gives me the willies,” he shuddered. “His kids are going to be funny looking, too.”

“Oh, hush. You are going to love each one of our babies,” she teased.

“Just as much as I love the two of you,” he said. “You know I am going to love your children. Michael and you mean the world to me.”

“You mean the world to us, too, but I can’t help but feel guilty at taking you away from your own son,” she said.

“My son is an adult and although I have reached out to him several times over the years, even attending events in his life, he still hates me.”

She wasn’t okay with it, but there was little she could do about it right now. “Come on, before you start getting all mushy on me, let’s get these dishes cleared and get to the couch. I made apple pie for dessert,” she said, standing.

“I truly love your apple pie,” he told her.

“And Wilke Bautista, I love you,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

He remained at the table, trying without any luck to hold back the tears which welled in his eyes. So many years wasted. The timing had to be right and thanks to this Scott, he had shared a quiet evening in his daughter’s home at her table over a meal, a little feat he’d been waiting for her entire life. He was now and moving forward, an out in the open part of Zelda’s world versus an entry in her diary.

For Wilke Bautista, the sacrifices had been worth it.

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