Revenge of Cornelius (2 page)

"Mom, you slept the whole while!"
Rosie's hand was at her side.

"I…I'm sorry, honey," she lifted her
eyebrows.

The cabin door opened and persons were
filing out of the aircraft. She glanced Rosie's way and realized
she already had her backpack on her lap. They both waited until
most of the passengers had exited the plane before getting up to
join what was left of the line.

"I can't believe we're here already,"
Mira said quietly as the little girl stood in front of
her.

"Time flies. Doesn't it,
Mom?"

"It surely does."

With luggage in hand, they followed
the others through the long corridor with all its twists and turns,
then headed toward the exit. It was a beautiful day in Mizpah and
they were so glad to have arrived.

"There's Nana and Pops!" Rosie pointed
to her waving grandparents who were standing several feet away from
the exit. She took off running toward them and Michael knelt down
happily awaiting her. She flew into his arms as Sara hugged her
from behind.

It had been several months
since Mira last saw her father, but it was obvious that within that
time-frame, he had lost a considerable amount of weight.
Must be all that yard work
, she thought.

"So what am I…chopped liver?" she
asked, approaching them.

"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you two are
here, safe and sound!" Sara embraced her.

Michael stood and hugged Mira as
well.

"How are you doing?" he
asked.

"Just great, Dad. How are
you?"

"Swell! Let me take those." He was
referring to the luggage.

Mira released one of the bags and held
on to the other. She didn't want him doing much lifting since he
had been recently having occasional back pains.

He grabbed the other one as
well.

"Dad, I could've managed that," Mira
said.

"I'm sure you could, but I can too."
He carried them over to the trunk.

"I'm so glad you two are here!" Sara
pressed her face against her daughter's.

"We're happy to be here, Mom," Mira
replied.

They walked over to the car
together.

"How's Dad doing? He seems to have
trimmed down quite a bit lately."

"Oh…yes. He's watching his diet more
these days. You know him—likes to look his best. I heard from your
brother this morning." She changed the subject rather
abruptly.

"Oh? What's he saying?"

"He was just wondering if you and
Rosie had arrived yet and said he wished he could have come, but
he's so tied up at work right now."

"I know. We spoke last night. Rosie
really wished Tommy would've been here." She spoke quietly as the
little girl stood proudly beside her grandfather at the car filling
him in on all the details of their flight.

"Yes, they're so close," Sara
returned.

"She'll be fine, though. I'll find
things to do to keep her busy during the two weeks we're
here."

"
You'll
find things?" Sara asked with
a smirk. "What're the rest of us… chopped liver?"

They both started laughing as they got
into the car.

* * *

"Here we are…" Sara unlocked the
kitchen door and allowed Mira and Rosie to enter first. The family
always used that entrance since the carport was right adjacent to
it. The front door mostly opened whenever guests showed
up.

"It's been several months well; hasn't
it?" Sara surmised.

"Yeah." Mira sighed.

"Well, I'm glad you sent Rosie ahead
last Christmas since you couldn't make it."

Mira sat down in the living room and
Rosie climbed up on the couch next to her.

"She had so much fun with Tommy that
visit. Didn't you, pumpkin?" Sara smiled at Rosie.

"I sure did, Nana!"

The proud grandmother grinned. "And
you'll have just as much fun this time!"

"Will I?" Rosie was excited only for a
moment before her intellect kicked in. "But how? Tommy's not here
this time."

"Because Nana and Pops are going to
give you the time of your little, young life." She sat across from
her. "We're going to play lots of games, go to the park, the movie
theater…"

"Movies? Really? We're going to see
movies?" Rosie's eyes widened.

"Sure. Why not? Anything our little
pumpkin wants to do—that's what we're going to do!"

Rosie got up, ran over to her
grandmother and hugged her neck tightly. "Oh, Nana… you're the best
Nana in the whole world!"

Sara was smiling from ear to ear as
Michael passed with the luggage. "These'll be in your room," he
said to Mira.

"Thanks, Dad," Mira
replied.

"I almost forgot Dad didn't come in,"
she mumbled softly.

"He's always been as slow as a turtle,
you know." Sara laughed.

"Don't say that about Pops!" Rosie
exclaimed.

"Sorry, dear. I'm just
joking."

A minute later, Michael
joined them and sat in his favorite chair—the one with the
invisible
Reserved for Michael
Cullen
engraved onto the
leather.

"So how's everything up there in
California?" He asked.

"Everything's fine, Dad."

"The weather's good?"

"Pretty sunny for the most part," Mira
indicated.

As she sat with them, Mira reflected
on how quickly time had passed. Her parents now had graying
hair—though she felt her mother still looked stunning for her age.
She was putting in her last couple of years at the hospital after
Michael retired from his executive-level position at the Gaming
Board.

Mira remembered the years they had
spent in that house—many of them held not-so-good memories, but a
few did, particularly the ones after Karlen and Andy's saga came to
a close. Her father's almost instant transformation into the man
they wished he had been ages before was unforgettable and nothing
less than remarkable. Despite his limited communication skills
which still remained, by all accounts, he became a wonderful and
loving husband and father.

"Still work for that chiropractor?"
Michael broke the brief silence.

"He's a cardiologist, Dad, and yes,
I'm still there," Mira replied.

Sara was looking on. She could tell
that her husband had something he wanted to get off his chest, but
wasn't so sure if he should."

Mira noticed too. "Rosie, would you
like to watch TV in the bedroom for a while?" she asked.

"Sure. Let's go, Pops!" The child
turned to her grandfather.

"Honey, how about you and I go?" Sara
proposed.

"You and me, Nana?" Rosie appeared
somewhat baffled. "But Pops and I always watch TV together. Aren't
you coming, Pops?"

Michael managed a smile. "I'll come in
a little while, pumpkin."

"Can we watch
The Twilight Zone
?"

"Sure we can, if it's on."

"I'll see if I can find it,
okay?"

"Okay, pumpkin," Michael
replied.

Sara and Rosie headed to the master
bedroom.

Michael cleared his throat. "So, any
thoughts on going back to school and getting your degree?" he asked
Mira. "You only had… what… a year and a half left? Something like
that?"

"I haven't thought about it lately,"
Mira answered.

"Why not?" The expression on her
father's face was one of concern.

"I just haven't, Dad. A lot's been
going on lately like work, getting Rosie into school, and a bunch
of other things."

"I see."

Mira interlaced her fingers in her
lap. "Dad, I know when you and Mom sent me off to college you guys
had big dreams for me… and don't get me wrong, I was the one who
gave you the idea that I wanted to become a doctor—just like Wade
turned out to be. Instead, I got pregnant, dropped out of school
and never went back. And on top of that, I know it seems like I
settled for working in a doctor's office instead of becoming one
like I had intended, so that's probably another 'slap in the face'.
I understand where you're coming from, Dad and I'm really sorry I
disappointed you and Mom…"

"You didn't disappoint us, Mira,"
Michael stated, but then noticed the look of disbelief on her face.
"Okay, at first your mother and I felt let-down because we did have
high hopes for you, but what I need you to know is that we still
believe in you and we don't think any less of you because you got
pregnant and dropped out of school. We just hate to see you settle
for less than what you always wanted to be; that's all."

"Pops!" Rosie emerged with
a grimace. "Nana and I can't find
The
Twilight Zone
,"

"Okay, pumpkin. I'll be there in a
minute," Michael said.

The little girl quickly headed back to
the room.

"Dad, I love my job. Doctor Charles is
a wonderful employer and I have lots of benefits there at the
clinic," Mira explained. "I'm not saying that I won't eventually go
back to school and finish what I started. I'm just waiting for the
right time and I really don't think it's now."

"Okay," Michael started to get up. He
held his lower back with one hand and leaned on the arm of the
chair with the other. "I know you'll do what's best for you and
Rosie. It was on my mind for a while, so I thought I'd talk to you
about it."

"I understand, Dad."

"I'll go back there now and relieve
your mother. She mentioned something about lunch when we were on
our way to pick you two up."

Mira watched him slowly make his way
to the master bedroom. She was grateful that her father had
cultivated such a good relationship with his grandchildren—unlike
anything she had ever experienced with him as a child. There was
something about him, however, since his recent retirement that made
her wonder and even slightly worry about him at times. An inner
nudge was telling her that it wasn't because he was simply getting
older, but that there was something more to it.

3

_________________

"I'm about to make some sandwiches. Wanna help?" Sara was tying her
apron in the kitchen.

"Sure, Mom." Mira proceeded over to a
side table and grabbed the freshly baked bread sitting on a silver
pan.

"When did you bake this?" She started
slicing the loaf.

"A few hours ago. It's not so warm
anymore, huh?"

"No, but surely smells
tasty."

Sara retrieved the cold cuts from the
refrigerator.

"Are you sure Dad's okay,
Mom?"

"He's doing fine, dear, except for the
back pain he whines about occasionally," Sara affirmed.

Mira sat on one of the stools next to
the counter and helped her mother make the sandwiches.

"What makes you wonder?" Sara looked
at her.

"I don't know. He just seems a little
different—mellower I guess."

"Well, that should be expected. Your
father's not as young as he used to be. People do tend to get
mellower as they age. Don't you think I have?"

"No, Mom. I think not." Mira
smirked.

Sara chuckled.

"So any new prospects lately?" Sara
kept her eyes on the sandwich she was preparing.

Mira looked at her mother
cross-eyed. "What do you mean by
prospects
?"

"You know... you met anyone special
yet?"

"Mom, must we always have this
conversation? You ask me the same thing at least every three
months."

"That's because, you know…you're
twenty-eight now, sweet pea and I think it's time that you settled
down with someone nice."

"Is this a conspiracy with you and
Dad?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dad questioned me about whether I'm
going back to school or not and now, in the same hour, you're
asking me about my love life."

"There's no conspiracy, dear." Sara's
eyes met hers. "But do you have one?"

"What?" Mira scowled. "Do I have
what?"

"A love life."

Mira sighed hopelessly.

"Bobby Newton's been asking about you
a lot lately."

"For what?"

"He's been a little subtle about it at
first," Sara went on, "but I notice that every time you come home
to visit, he makes it a point to come see you. He's also been
helping your father out in the yard most weekends and helps us with
practically anything else we might need."