* * *
"Hey, Maddy, baby!" Joseph Rose greeted his daughter with his
customary exuberance as he climbed up the back porch stairs, where she
was busying herself with turning burgers, steaks and chicken breasts on a
flaming hot grill. She and her mother had gone to the SuperFresh market
on West Avenue earlier that morning, where they'd purchased all of the
game day provisions.
"Dad! When did you get here?" Maddy replied with happy surprise,
throwing her arms around him.
"I just flew in a few minutes ago," he reported with pride. "Got
someone to cover for me at the last minute, so I fueled up the plane and
decided to surprise all of you in Ocean City. I tried to get your Uncle Earl
to join me, but you know what a scaredy cat he is about flying."
"I sure do," Maddy laughed, holding one arm around her dad as she
put the cover back down on the grill.
"What's this?" Dad teased. "You taking over my duties? I am so
insulted!" Maddy laughed. If there was one thing her dad really enjoyed
besides flying his Piper Cub and practicing his golf swing, it was playing
Grill Master in the summertime. Before she could answer, she heard a
familiar voice.
"Nah, Dr. Rose, we were just getting it warmed up for you!"
"Hey Ken, how are ya?" Joseph promptly turned and extended his
hand in a warm welcome as Ken closed the sliding glass door behind him.
Joseph was a truly outgoing man who loved meeting new people and
entertaining family and friends. From the time she was a little girl, Maddy
had admired father's easy rapport and genuine interest in others-whether
they were complete strangers, loyal patients or crotchety old uncles.
No matter their station in life, Joseph consistently treated everyone
with whom he came into contact with respect and compassion; though he
was one of the most well-known neurosurgeons in suburban Philadelphia,
he'd never forgotten his Germantown roots.
And while he had a tremendous passion for his profession, his
guiding motivation for going into medicine had been to help people get
well and provide for his family, not brag about his accomplishments. In
fact, much as he loved it, surgery had been his second career choice,
behind baseball. Alas, an irreversible shoulder injury his junior year in high
school had put an abrupt end to his promising future as a Major League
Baseball pitcher.
"I'm just great, Dr. Rose, how are you?" Ken replied.
"Doing fine; just flew in to Ocean City airport. Had a great ride
over-no bumps at all! It was absolutely beautiful!"
"Good to hear!" Kenny laughed, thinking how different Madeline's
father was from his.
"Hey, is halftime over?" Maddy asked.
"No, not yet sweetheart, don't worry," Ken assured her with a quick
shoulder squeeze. They'd been watching an exciting defensive dogfight
between the Eagles and the Giants; at the half, their team was leading, but
only by 7-6. While it was a good sign that the Giants had to settle for two
field goals both times in the Red Zone, there was still a long second half
to play, and anything could happen. It was the kind of game where a
momentum shift could easily lead to a blowout.
"Good," she said. "I think these are almost ready."
"See what happens, Ken? They come down for one weekend without
me and start taking over!" Joseph winked at him. Ken laughed.
"Hey, you boys are welcome to it!" Maddy announced with a grin,
walking to the door. "I'm gonna go see what Mom's up to, anyway. We
may need to make more tomato salad and corn. We bought the silver
queen cobs today-my favorite!"
"Mmm, sounds great sweetheart!" Ken replied, smiling at her. She
looked adorable in a green Eagles tee-shirt emblazoned with the team's
logo, and a pair of black shorts with a silver belt. Her auburn hair was
pulled up in a high ponytail and on her ears she wore her pierced gold
Eagles helmets. Ken could picture her now in an official cheerleader
outfit, dancing on the sidelines, waving metallic green and white pompoms;
she'd be the prettiest one on the squad, no doubt.
"Mom!" Maddy called up the stairs. "Dad's here!"
"Wait a minute, Lori," Monica Rose said into the phone. She'd been
sitting on the end of the bed, intently listening to her older daughter's
wedding plans, while simultaneously wondering how much time she had
left before kick-off. But before she could call down to the first floor,
Maddy bounced into the room.
"What is it Mads?" Mom asked, rolling her eyes in deference to the
phone. Maddy giggled. As much as her mother was fiercely devoted to her
children, when the Eagles were playing, everything else took a back seat-
well, except for the procurement of a good meal when there was a
significant break in the action. Normally, the 15-minute halftime recess
meant either getting food ready for after the game, or setting it out to
enjoy once play resumed in the third quarter.
"Dad's here. He decided to surprise us."
"You father's here?" Maddy shook her head in affirmation. Turning
back to the receiver, Monica said, "Alright, Lori, let me go. Maddy just
told me your father arrived. He must've been able to get someone to
cover for him. We can talk about the bridesmaid gowns later, and one
night this week I'll go with you to those boutiques. I don't really have
anything planned so anytime is fine with me."
Monica rolled her eyes again at Maddy, who easily surmised that her
sister was still too excited to hang up. Finally, her mother replaced the
receiver to its cradle.
"Whew! Your sister drives herself crazy worrying about every little
detail for this wedding," she confided. "I keep telling her everything's
going to be beautiful, but she agonizes over every minute decision. She's
gonna drive me crazy. And my God, it's still almost two years away!
Between her and your soon-to-be sister-in-law, I'm gonna be ready for the
funny farm!" Maddy cracked up again.
"She's not watching the game with Vince?"
"Yeah, but you know her; the mind's always going. So when did your
father get here?" Monica got up and she and Maddy headed back down to
the kitchen.
"Oh, just a few minutes ago. He and Kenny are outside on the patio.
I think the burgers should be just about ready by now."
"Ok, can you throw the rest of the corn in the pot, hon? I was gonna
take it home tonight for dinner tomorrow, but between Ken and your
Dad I think we're gonna need all of it for today."
"Sure Mom," she replied, as Monica went out back to greet her
husband, who was still engrossed in conversation with her daughter's new
boyfriend. Looking at the scene of the three of them talking and laughing
on the back porch made her smile; she only hoped the future held many
more such occasions.
Maddy stifled a yawn as she added a few more ears to the pot, and
then turned up the heat. She could hear the NFL Today commentators
blathering on the television about the new season, current scores and
Super Bowl predictions. Well, that was good; it meant they still had some
time to set up the food in the family room before the Eagles-who were
set to receive-took to the field again.
Aunt Re Re and Louis had decided to go to a movie, neither one of
them being much into goalposts and pigskin. Their plan had been to grab
a bite to eat while they were out. As a result, Maddy and Monica had only
portioned for three, well aware of Kenny's healthy appetite. And now that
her equally voracious father had surprised them, it was even more of a
good thing that the two women weren't big eaters. They'd be calling a
pizza shop for reinforcements if that had been the case.
Madeline turned her thoughts to the previous evening's romantic
events. She couldn't believe Kenny had actually convinced her to sing for
him; at first, she'd been so incredibly nervous, but now that she'd finally
done it, she could hardly wait for the next opportunity to create that same
exquisite feeling.
Swaying slowly with him in the middle of his living room, while
putting on a private performance for his ears only; listening to him
whisper in that deep voice how much he loved her; and resting her head
on his chest as they lay side by side in his bedroom, just staring up at the
skylight and dreaming of things to come-it was all the stuff of fairytales,
yet here they were. Two very real and flawed people, who'd somehow
managed to manifest a miracle when the stars aligned to place them on
each other's path. Was this really an act of God, or a mere coincidence,
much too good to last for more than a few months?
She prodded the corn with a fork, before cutting up some more
tomatoes and onions to add to the salad. Maddy then let out another big
yawn, but she'd never dare complain about being tired. After all, she had
an excellent reason. Ken had driven her home well into the wee morning
hours, once they'd found the discipline to break away from their idyllic
waterbed retreat. It hadn't been easy. Nor had it been a simple task to
keep her guard up, lest one passionate thing lead to another, until-wow!
Maddy could hardly believe she was even thinking this way. It was a far
cry from her days of dating Jake.
When she heard the sliding doors open, along with the accompanying
familiar voices, she turned to see Ken carrying in a platter of their freshly
grilled meal as Mom closed the door behind them. The tantalizing smells
of barbeque sauce and charbroiled meat wafted through the air.
"Ken, you can just put that on the counter," Monica advised him,
pointing to the hot plates that awaited the dish's arrival. Maddy quickly
strode over to optimally rearrange the set-up to host all of the food. Ken
caught her eye and winked at her as he carefully set the platter down.
"Hey, Maddy, your friend here has agreed to go flying with me!"
Joseph announced, slapping Ken on the shoulder. Mom just rolled her
eyes as Maddy first looked at her, before shifting her gaze to her dad and
boyfriend.
"Really?" She laughed out loud, but on the inside, she felt two
competing emotions. One the one hand, she was truly excited that Ken
and her father were connecting so well; on the other, her usual trepidation
about aircraft-from jet planes to helicopters-ignited a firestorm in the
pit of her stomach.
To think, there'd been a time in her life not so long ago when Maddy
adored the thrill of take-off and the mesmerizing view of a golden sun
peeking through white, puffy clouds as it suspended itself amid infinite
blue skies. She would stare endlessly at the patchwork ground below and
marvel at the amazing piece of 20th century machinery that could
transport her anywhere she wanted to go in just a matter of hours.
Of course, up to this point, she'd never been on a flight that
exceeded three hours. Still, somewhere along the way, she'd lost that
original sense of wonder, though she couldn't quite recall exactly why or
when. Maybe it had something to do with being an adult now. Or perhaps
her mother's fears had finally rubbed off on her, though Monica certainly
boarded planes when necessary. From a mother's perspective it was easy
to understand; but not yet having children of her own, Maddy was
puzzled by her own reaction to something she once loved to do.
"Yes, your Dad's gonna fly us over Atlantic City, then down to Cape
May and back. It's gonna be so cool!" An excited Ken gave his girlfriend a
high-five.
"Um, us?" she questioned.
"Oh yeah, sweetheart, you're coming, too!"
"Ah, Madeline's just like her mother, she won't come!" Joseph's tone
was playful, though the sentiment was serious. But when Ken gazed at her
with those pleading, sparkling aquamarine eyes, she realized that any
further protest on her part was futile.
"Oh, alright, I'll come," she acquiesced, though the thought of having
to sit in the cramped quarters of the back seat didn't exactly thrill her. In
spite of her small stature, Maddy was quite claustrophobic. Well, it would
only be a half-hour at the most; she could deal with that. Besides, she
didn't have the heart to disappoint Ken, or even her father, for that
matter. As she glanced at her mother, however, she realized there was at
least one person in the room who wasn't completely on-board with the
idea.
"Don't worry, Mom, we'll be fine," Maddy assured her as she patted
Monica's hand. "And since Ken here has been in much more dangerous
situations, I am sure he's prepared to deal with anything. Flying in a small
airplane over South Jersey's not exactly analogous to being on an aircraft
carrier in the Persian Gulf." They all laughed.
"You got that right," Ken agreed.
"Alright, well, let's start eating before the second half comes on,"
Monica said with resignation.