TITLE: Snow on Redwoods

UNIVERSE/SERIES: Bookends

EPISODE: 1 of 1

RATING: PG (Adult thematic material)

PAIRING(s): L/L;

DISTRIBUTION: To LW, Kai, Myself and FG so far; any other archives are welcome to ask, but disclaimers must be included, my email left intact. send a URL, and provide full disclaimers as well as credit me fully. Please inform me if you are going to submit my work to any sort of search engine. Please do not submit my work to a search engine that picks out random sets of words and uses them as key words, such as Google.

 

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CATEGORY: Romance/Humor/Drama

FEEDBACK: PLEASE?!

SETTING IN TIMELINE: Set in 1990, between "1987" and "1996" - Sky is a Junior in Southern California University, and the boys are four. 

SPOILLER/SUMMARY: Laverne and Lenny reminisce about the events directly after their initial one-night stand while waiting for a flight to a holiday celebration in Milwaukee.

NOTES: Nineteenth in an open series.

 

 

****

 

"Ma'am, I booked these tickets four months in advance," Lenny Kosnowski leaned over the Delta Air service desk and tried desperately to use his best, grown-up manners in front of four-year-old Frankie.  "What do you mean 'your seats were given away'?"

 

The young woman sighed, her frosted pageboy hairdo bobbing slightly as she bent down to a filing cabinet.  "It's company policy to give away the seats of travelers who are late."

 

"But I was only two minutes late!" Lenny smacked his hand emphatically against the service desk.  Frankie giggled at his behavior - not even ten, and he already thrived on the inherent Kosnowski drama -  and Lenny forced his most civil tone.  "The plane is still on the runway.  Why can't you have it taxi  back?"

 

"That's also against company policy.  This is the last flight this evening, but I may be able to find your family something on the first flight out to Fonzarelli International in the morning..."

 

Lenny's jaw locked.  From the day he booked tickets for his brood on a week-before-Christmas flight into Milwaukee,  the words "Fonzarelli International Airport" had been dancing around in his brain - it weas further evidence that Laverne's ex-boyfriend was now a leading political force in their home state.  Squiggy had kept them all posted on the electoral process, highly amused that the guy who used to trap the two of them in their lockers would be trying to manage the entire city of Milwaukee.  The irony of the ultimate rebel becoming the establishment was too good for Squiggy to pass up, and even Lenny had said out loud that he hoped the LT. Mayor's office didn't have a lot of closets in it.

 

The words sizzled in his brain, making his tone harsher than it should have been.  "Why is this the last flight?  It's six PM!"

 

Her face changed to one of sympathy.  "The National Weather Service issued a bulletin for all of Southern California around five this evening.  A freak cold front is supposed to dump around six inches on the area from Burbank to Hollywood.  We've cancelled all outbound flights and directed all inbound flights to San Francisco International."

 

Six inches?!   It took a good twelve to stop things in Milwaukee - which, Squiggy had bragged, was going through an unseasonable warm front.  Lenny peered through the floor-to-ceiling glass partitions and was amazed - a light screed of white rained down on the tarmac and the last taxiing plane.  It was snowing in California.

 

"We can refund you for the price of your tickets, or if you like we'll book you on seats for tomorrow’s ten am flight out to Milwaukee."

 

"I'll take it, or the first four seats on whatever you have going out tomorrow," Lenny said tiredly.  “Believe me, I’ll take Noah’s Ark if I have to!”  The clerk chuckled sympathetically as she withdrew five envelopes from her ticket drawer and handed them over, exchanging them for the boarding passes they were to have used.  He then tugged Frankie's hand, told him to walk, and dragged their suitcases over to a waiting area.  Frankie, occupied with one of the two toy planes his half-sister had bought the twins in anticipation of their first plane trip, loved to run - it was like the plane in his hand was actually flying as he made engine noises in his high-pitched trill.  He looked so trouble-free and filled with joy that Lenny was envious.  Lucky kid.  As far as Frankie was concerned they could be in Guam or Tanzania, and it wouldn't have made a difference - if his parents were there, nothing bad could happen.   Lenny, however, knew what could befall them in such a public place.

 

He guided the suitcases to a row of chairs in front of the flight deck, helped Frankie climb into the chair beside him, then settled the suitcases between his knees.  The riot in Lenny's mind settled down - he saw Laverne coming up the causeway and waved until she noticed him.

 

The love of his life was similarly burdened - she carried Andy, a toy plane, and dragged an overnight bag.  She bent down for their customary greeting peck on the lips, then sat beside him, shifting Andy until he faced his brother. 

 

"That was more than five minutes," he said, instead of 'hello'.

 

She smirked at him.  "How do you know?"

 

"'Cause I can tell time.  You were the one who taught me, remember?" he jokingly bragged.

 

"Andy wanted to use the men's room," she said, adding significant weight to her words - the first time he ever had used it alone. 

 

Lenny found amusement in this.  Andy was very peculiarly grown already in a way - he had always considered it an affront to his dignity somehow that he had to go to the ladies room with his mother.  "Did you do that, And?  Did you go to the bathroom in public by yourself?"

 

Andy shyly nodded his head. 

 

"Yay!" Lenny said.  Laverne rolled her eyes.

 

"Don't treat it like we're potty training 'em all over," Laverne admonished.  "They're gettin' a little old for that."

 

"Hey, I couldn't tie my shoelaces 'til I was ten."  She didn't seem to understand that every accomplishment the boys made - earlier and more smoothly - than he had was a triumph.  It meant that they might have a better life than he endured.  It might mean the difference between being a second-rate success and...

 

Stop it, he told himself.  He wasn't doing too badly for himself, after all - or so the Small Businessman of the Year award on his mantelpiece told him.  He remembered looking at his father-in-law Frank's similar awards, which had lavishly decorated the Pizza Bowl’s walls, with envy as a young man.   Yet, he knew that buying the old Paradise Lounge off Lou’s daughters had been a combination of good luck and a bit of a miracle, rather than a result of his managerial skills.

 

"So, did they refund our tickets?" Laverne finally asked.

 

"Well..."

 

"I don't like the sound of that 'well'."

 

"They said we could get on the first flight out in the morning."

 

"Great!  We'll go back home, and come back then."

 

"Uh...I don't think that's a good idea..."

 

"Huh?" He hiked a thumb in the direction of the flight deck.  Laverne took a look at the thickening white wall outside and let out a strangled sound of dismay.  "We can't keep two four-year-olds in an airport overnight!"

 

"Gonna have to - they're probably going to close the roads.  They close 'em if someone does so much as say 'boo'." 

 

"GREAT," Laverne snorted.  "I hope Skye had the sense to stay home..."

 

"Not as much sense as we have to not watch the weather before we left."

 

Laverne gave him a glance of pure amusement.  "If I remember right, it wasn't MY idea to go to Osh Kosh for Christmas..."  Though, to be fair, since her father had died they had generally spent Christmas at home in Encino, flying in Lenny's dad every once in awhile now that they had the money. 

 

Lenny's lips curled up in a know-it-all smirk.  "Hey, you don't got to listen to Squiggy every time he calls - 'I ain't seen you since you got married, Len, when the hell'm I gonna meet my namesake?'  Not to mention MY dad..."

 

Laverne softened a little.  "We ain't ever met Liz, have we?"  Liz was Elisabeth "Lizard" Squiggman, Squiggy's daughter, born the same year the twins have been conceived - and probably through the same methods.  Squiggy also had Rocco, a son five years younger than Skye who was helping him out at Squiggville Arcades.  After his pursuit of Rhonda he had done the week of the wedding, the sudden appearance of redheaded, tiny, no-nonsense R.N. Patty Klaustein the morning of the ceremony, with infant in tow, had mollified Squiggy's behavior nicely.  That Patty was not entirely as Squiggy had described her, and in fact, seemed to be much tougher, had proved an amusement to Laverne. 

 

Lenny and Squiggy's friendship hadn't quite been the same since Squiggy left for Osh Kosh - Lenny hadn't quite gotten over the fact that Squiggy had never gone overseas for his tour of duty in Vietnam, and   had actually been stationed on a base in New York, where he served as a cook in the mess hall.  That was,  until an unfortunate incident with a local go-go dancer and a bottle of chocolate syrup had caused him to honorably discharged.  He had met Patty at a mixer the evening afterward and they had moved together back to Osh Kosh, where Squiggy had suffered his fortuitous pratfall.  As far as Lenny was concerned, that meant he'd struggled through the hell of the commune and his relationship with Karen, and a two-year pot, acid, mushroom and beer binge, for nothing.

 

"Mamma," Andy said, tugging on the sleeve of Laverne's off-the-shoulder red sweater, "tell me a story!"

 

It was rare than Andy initiated the idea of story time, or of playtime period - Frankie had always been the leader between the two boys, and Andy tended to take his suggestions with cheerful humor.    "Okay," Laverne tried to make herself more comfortable in the stiff-backed blue chairs, the material scratching her bare shoulders.  "Which one do you want to hear?"

 

Frankie came out of his airplane-induced haze and shouted enthusiastically, "the train story!"

 

"I wanna hear the airplane story!" Andy protested.

 

"Train!"

 

"Airplane!"

 

Laverne gave her husband a panicked look.  They knew that shooting Andy's suggestion down would be brutal to the quiet boy's psyche.  Since Frankie tended to dominate their attention, it was only fair that his quieter twin get his choice “Shh.  Since it was Andy's idea," Laverne said, in her best brooking-no-bullshit tone, "he picks first."

 

"Aww!" whined Frankie.

 

"Daddy will tell the train story after I'm finished."  Lenny mentally tried to recall the details of the Moosejaw Express - memories of Shirley running around in a suitcase and skulking around with Squiggy in their detective costumes resurfaced to amuse him. 

 

His wife glowed with a sensual joy natural to her as she recalled their adventures.  The enthusiasm on her face made Lenny think of another time, when their future wasn't certain, when they had just gotten together after their tenuous re-meeting and "overnight visit".

 

Her storytelling made a perfect cover for him to go reminiscing.  His mind was everywhere but with her when she intoned to the children, "once upon a time, in a place called 'Milwaukee..."

 

 

***

 

1976

 

"Mister, I said I wanted a Hoodsie cup."

 

"Huh?" Lenny  looked down at his right hand - which contained a Rocket Pop.  He smiled feebly.  "Sorry." Dipping into the freezer, he pulled out a Hoodsie Cup, then handed it to the little red-headed girl on the sidewalk.  Her mother smiled at Lenny indulgently, then handed him a buck fifty. 

 

"What do you say to the nice man, Carol?"

 

"Thank you, sir."

 

Lenny grinned down at the little girl before turning the ignition of the truck.  Everything today was perfect - the sunlight, the trees lining the walkway, the children skipping on the lawns.  Heck, LIFE was perfect, all thanks to last night.

 

He mentally went back over the past twenty-four hours; the memories made his mild exhaustion more than worth it.  Lenny's luck had never been so good - to bump into Laverne at Lou's, of all places - to be able to not only settle their differences, but to bridge the physical gap between them.  It was too good to be true.

 

Us, he grinned to himself.  She said she wanted to be an 'us'.  For Laverne, who never lasted more than a week with a guy, this was an amazing turn of events.

 

At that realization, however, the sweetness of the memory washed away.  With Laverne's track record, how did he know he wasn't just another convenient one-night stand?  They were moving too quickly - from not exchanging words for ten years to becoming lovers overnight,  What if she hadn't meant it?  Worse - what if she had said it just to make him feel better about sleeping with her?  What if she hadn’t found pleasure with him and was just lying to save face?  He tried to remember if he’d brought her to climax, but the memory refused to resurface for Lenny.  He decided, quickly, that he must figure out where Laverne stood before introducing her to Skye.  He couldn't put her through an abandonment like the two he had suffered.

 

The press of the cheap dime-store gold ring hanging around his neck once more drew Lenny's soul back to the commune, to Karen. Once more, he recalled why he kept material evidence of their connection, of his failure. 

 

The ring had been bought in a spurt of romantic fervor in the third month of her pregnancy, even as he logically knew that nothing in the world would make Karen agree to be his wife.  But he had never been one to recognize a stop sign.  One day, he dragged her out to the commune's orchard and attempt to propose marriage.  Even  in the fifth month of her pregnancy, her belly ballooning out beneath a white caftan, Karen felt no need to instill tradition into their lives.  Her rejection had been gentle, but he had insisted she wear the ring to remember him by, and she had not refused him, keeping it on her pinky as her pregnancy progressed.  Through her nightmarish delivery, she had kept it on, and in the scant few weeks after Skye’s birth, she’d continued to sport it like a trophy.

 

He had found it on the floor beside his sleeping back eight months later, lying beside his swaddled daughter on what was once Karen's pack.  In devastation, he began wearing it around his neck - for the first month of her absence, in hope of her return; in the following two and a half years, as a reminder of why he would never again trust a woman in matters of the heart.  Now, with Skye paramount in his heart and his desire for Laverne blazing within, it  felt like a loadstone around Lenny’s neck.  He trusted women with his heart, and had never stopped doing so  - the ring was just an old symbol of his hatred for Karen.

 

Determination struck within him.  Today was Sunday - Skye had to be in bed early for school.  He could probably manage a call to Laverne by eight.  Maybe she'd come out with him if he asked nicely.

 

A customer appeared on the sidewalk, and Lenny pulled over.  He pasted on his most professional smile. 

 

"Hi.  What would you like?"

 

 

***

 

"...So, Aunt Shirley and I landed the plane all by ourselves.   And when we got back home, no one believed that I had gotten over my fear of flying," she gave Lenny an amused look.  "At least until Daddy and I went to see your Grandpa Kosnowski and I didn't throw up once."  Laverne took a deep breath of relief as the tale finished.  Andy, who loved adventure stories and relished the fact that his mother had been so brave, broke into delighted applause. 

 

Frankie, who agreed with his father that his mom had to be making it up, immediately turned to him and said, "tell me the train story, Daddy."

 

"Huh?" he seemed to come out of the trance, and Laverne chuckled.

 

"The train story," Laverne said.  "You know, where you and Squiggy got tied up?"

 

"Hey!  That was YOUR fault," he said.  "You girls should've listened to us!"

 

"No, you should have listed to US," Laverne recalled.  "Do you remember the cocoa?"

 

Lenny heaved a deeply sarcastic sigh and turned to Frankie.  "You know how mommy's always right?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Mommy's wrong.  Neh-neh!" He stuck out his tongue at her.

 

Laverne huffed in mock-agitation.  Sometimes, Lenny could be just like a child - worse than a child.  Though being Skye's father had forced him to take care of himself, pay the bills, and focus on bettering the world for her sake, he could still be the little boy who slipped frogs in her pocket or had ripped the tail off of Boo-Boo Kitty's behind. 

 

To be fair, she was still the same little girl who had a short fuse.  No wonder she had been so uncertain about dating Lenny after their first one-night stand...

 

 

***

 

 

1976

 

She had done it.

 

She couldn't believe it.

 

But she had done it with HIM.

 

Laverne leaned against the door of her apartment.  That dreamy feeling she thought only girls like Doris Day got to feel - and at that, in the fictional realm of the movies?  She was feeling it.  That wonderful, wholly fulfilling feeling of having had really great sex and knowing that it was likely to lead to a whole lot more.

She couldn't believe was that she wanted more sex with Lenny Kosnowski, whom she hadn't seen in ten years.  She guessed he had learned a lot in that time - plenty, her body reminded her.  In the empty years between their confrontation at Lou's Diner and meeting him again at Lou's Paradise Lounge, no man had ever been so considerate to her in bed, so passionate...

 

So goosebump-enduncing.

 

She couldn't believe it - even the memory of him reduced her arms to nothing but bumps.   Within hours, she had gone from concealed desire to outright infatuation - to the point that she stood out in his alleyway like a love struck groupie until he blew her a kiss goodbye.  It was an exhilarating feeling  for Laverne - all of the worthless exercises in wishing and hoping and mind-deadening one-night stands  replaced in the space of a night by a yearning to be with him.  Suddenly, she had a reason beyond her job and her Pop for going through the motions of everyday life - a cause.  Lenny had -

 

The sudden memory of what Lenny had was like cold water pouring over her head.  What he had was a three-year-old daughter, the sort of girl who would need a mother very soon.  The sort of girl who didn't deserve to be put between Laverne and Lenny, should anything go wrong between them....

 

The phone rang, and Laverne ran across the room, so glad for the distraction that she knocked it off of its cradle before picking it up. 

 

"Laverne," she recognized Chuck's voice, its pitch rising in urgency.  "Where are you?  It's eight o'clock, and our supervisor is wigging out on me!"

 

The answer was quick and painless.  "Oh, I'm real sorry Chuck - I'm kinda sick."

 

"SICK?  You can't be sick now!  We have a two hour testing trial at noon!"

 

The testing trials - she had forgotten.  But Ajax had eaten up nine years of her life, and Laverne knew it owed her one measly personal day.  "Tell Mister Vangionie I can't come in.  Tell him I'm puking my guts up - as a matter of fact..." She made what she hoped was a credible gagging noise.

 

"Ick!  You really are sick!  Get back to bed - I'll cover for you."

 

"You're a prince, Chuck.  Thanks."

 

"Okay, but you’re gonna have to cover for me when the next Star Trek convention goes down..."

 

Laverne replaced the phone onto its cradle, then headed for the bathroom.  The problem before her, she reasoned, could be best solved with a good soak and a Scooter Pie....

 

 

***

 

"...So then, Aunt Shirley fell out of the train!  We all thought she was dead - your Uncle Squiggy hated that part - and your Mom got so mad that she came at evil spy, swinging this sack of mail at him like they was nun chucks!  They fought for awhile, and it looked like a goner, too, cause she was about to fall out of the train!  Uncle Squiggy and I were all scared and sad, but then two hands grabbed the spy by his collar and pulled him out of the train.  You know who that was?"

 

"Aunt Shirley!" said a delighted Frankie.

 

"That's right!" Lenny said.  She and mommy threw the spy out of the train, helped each other back into the compartment, untied me and Uncle Squiggy, and saved the day!"

 

"That story always sounds so dramatic when you tell it," Laverne remarked.

 

"That's cause it was dramatic," Lenny retorted.  "You don't get a medal from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police just for drinking some poisoned cocoa."

 

"Okay, that's true," Laverne laughed.  Her laughter was silence by the appearance of Sky.  The young blond girl was visibly disturbed as she embraced her shrieking brothers. 

 

"What's up, Thing One, Thing Two?" She planted noisy lipstick-red kisses on their foreheads, causing much whining and complaining to be issued.  "Hey Mom - Dad."

 

Lenny was out of his seat, sweeping Skye up in a bear hug.  "Hey, Skyescraper." His kiss to her forehead was received with complaining in tones similar to her brothers.

 

 

 Skye  bent around her father to kiss her mother, and Laverne noticed a few tears streaking her stepdaughter’s cheeks.   The entire time, Skye battled to keep her Parka hood in place.  "I don't believe you drove all the way out here in that storm," Laverne said finally.

 

"Please," Skye chuckled.  "You saw twelve-foot snowfalls in your childhood.  The least I could do is drive out and check on our flight."

 

Laverne wanted to get the girl away from the family temporarily.  "Skye, why don't you and I go get dinner for the troops?  I saw a Burger King further up the concourse when we came in."

 

She looked grateful.  "Sounds good."

 

"Aww, you just got here," Lenny whined.  Frankie and Andy climbed up Lenny's legs and into his lap, and his complaint was forgotten. 

 

"What do you want to eat?" Laverne asked.

 

"Uh - Whopper, heavy mayo, no cheese, small fry, large Pepsi.  Get the boys the usual."

 

Laverne nodded - with her working late and Lenny closing the shop at nine every night, the Kosnowskis were fast food veterans.  She and Skye walked up the concourse, and as soon as they were out of Lenny's hearing she asked, "What’s wrong?"

 

"Nothing." Sky's response was too quick and too cheerful.

 

"Spill it," Laverne ordered.

 

Sky sighed deeply, and then moved off to the side of the busy concourse as they reached the Burger King Kiosk.  "I met someone."

 

Laverne's eyes lit up.  "Is he cute?"

 

"Mom!"

 

"Hey, I'm not dead yet," Laverne cracked.  "What I want to know is: what did he do to make you cry?"

 

"His name is Brandon Davis.  I met him during my internship last summer, and we hit it off right away.  It turned out that we were doing the same thing for extra-curricular credits, and we started coaching youth soccar this past fall.  He's a wonderful guy, and we have a lot in common, and, except for you guys and Marianne, I'm not closer to anyone else."

 

"What's the problem?"

 

Skye pushed back the hood of her parka.  Underneath, she had a brand new, very angular hair cut which didn't suit her at all but was very in-fashion at the moment.  "When he saw my hair, he started to laugh."

 

Which is exactly what Laverne began to do, causing Sky to burst into tears.  Her mother managed to wipe away the sight and sound of her mirth and embrace her frustrated daughter in a moment.  "He didn't mean anything by it," Laverne soothed.  "Just like I didn't mean what I just did, either.  It's a natural reaction to someone changing their looks."

 

"He said I looked like a very pretty poodle." 

 

"With a perm," Laverne put in.  "I'm sure he's sorry, and if the two of you are right for each other, you'll figure it out - no matter what."

 

Sky smiled through her tears.  "I don't know how you managed to figure out you were right for Dad."

 

"That took a little effort.  I had to work hard on winning you over." Skye blushed at the memory of how she had initially treated Laverne.  "But in the beginning, I had no idea if we would work good."

 

"How did you realize he was right for you?"

 

Laverne's expression was minxish.  She pulled Sky into line at the Burger King and whispered, "promise you won't tell your brothers until they're older?" Skye nodded.  "I had just taken a bath..."

 

 

***

 

1976

 

The bath and Scooter Pies having done nothing to calm her nerves, Laverne plopped down by her phone and tried to think up an excuse to call Lenny.

 

He had to be home by now, she reasoned - it was past four on a Sunday.  How had the old rules gone?  Did the guy call first?  Did you let them?  The dating articles Shirley had excitedly shoved under her nose for so many years were a foggy memory - Laverne hadn't had a relationship go beyond two dates since rejecting Sonny. 

 

Fate decided for her when the phone began to rang.  Laverne took a moment to compose herself before answering. "DeFazio residence?"

 

"Laverne?"

 

Relief filled her.  "Lenny."

 

"Hi," he said awkwardly.  "Uh...I was wondering...are you busy tonight?"

 

"Well...no...I guess I could clear my schedule.  Do you have someone to watch Skye?"

 

"I just put her to bed.  I got my next-door neighbor to watch her."

 

"So..."  Laverne twisted the phone chord around her fingers.

 

"So..."

 

"You'll come to my place?"

 

"Uh-huh."

 

"I'll leave the door unlocked." A honking came from the background.  "What was that?"

 

"I'm calling from a pay phone.  I always go by the New View on Sunday nights - teenagers are great customers."

 

"Be careful.  And Len - I'll be waiting in my robe."  That was a hell of a bold gambit, but the deepening of his breath was an encouraging smile.

 

"Do me a favor - don’t get dressed.”

 

“Well, you’ll have to hurry.  I just got out of the bathtub and I’m all...”

 

“Don’t move!  Bye."

 

"Bye."  She hung up the phone.  Well, that had gone in an entirely different direction than what she had planned.  But she was relieved to notice that neither of them had any clue what to say to one another post -coitus.  At least she had saved herself the trouble of scaring up an outfit! 

 

She went through half a bottle of Pepsi before running out of time.  When Lenny started knocking, she ran for the door and embraced him on sight, wearing nothing but her green bathrobe.  He stiffened against her touch, and she regretted being so hasty.

 

"Hi," he blushed.

 

"Hi.  Again."  Silence stood between them. 

 

"Nice robe," he gaped.

 

"Oh..." she crossed her arms over her breasts.  "It's...uh...an experiment.  New trend from the Halston line."

 

He laughed, but quickly sobered.  "Last night was..." they started together, then broke off laughing.

 

"You go first," he insisted.

 

"No, you."

 

"Okay," Lenny sighed out.  "I been thinking all day about you - about this.  Last night was spectacular, Laverne - and I want to repeat what happened as many times as I can.  But if we're gonna be together, it's gotta be more than just sex."

 

His words floored her.  "You want to date me?" she squeaked, in a tone that could be taken for dismay.

 

"Skye's already lost one mom, and I ain't going to put her through pain like I went through.   I’m a one-girl guy, Vernie - I’m not gonna put her through losing mom after mom.  So I'm gonna hold off introducing the two of you until we're sure about what we got.  And to see what we got, we gotta do more than just - you know..."

 

"Drink and do it?" He nodded.  "That's fair, it's more than fair - I've been thinking about Sky all day, too, and I don't want to hurt an innocent kid," she held out her hands.  "I ain't done much dating since Sonny, Len.  Well, I've been doing mixers and single weeks and one-nighters, but I haven't had a real relationship.  I've been kinda scared."

 

"You too?  You ain't the only one who's been around the block, Vernie.  Me and Karen - we didn't part too well," he pulled a chain out from underneath his shirt and reached behind his neck, unclasping the chain.  He slid the ring off of it.  "I've been telling myself that I've been wearin' this since she left, 'cause I thought Sky should have something of her mom's, in case..." his voice choked off.  "A kid should have something to remember their mom by.  But I've been lying to myself.  Now I know I've been keeping it close to remind me never to let myself to feel safe with a girl again."  He placed the chain in her outstretched hand.  "I want you to have this chain, Laverne.  It's my way of showing you I trust you."

 

Laverne clasped him to her chest.  "You'll never get it back, I swear."

 

He laughed, pushing her back a little.  "You wasn't ever one to share, were you?"

 

Her smile wavered.  "I'm gonna have to learn how to.  I promise I'll never come between you and Sky, Len."

 

"I know you wouldn't do that," he scoffed.

 

"So we're gonna do it, huh?  Start going out, like a real couple?"

 

"Yeah.  You ain't ashamed to be with me, are you?"

 

"Nah.  It's not like I'm dating Eraserhead.  Kidding, Len."

 

His face had fallen, but he protested, "I knew that!"

 

"I'm proud to be with you, Lenny.  I'm proud to be your girlfriend."

 

"Wow.  Girlfriend?"

 

"Uh huh."

 

His smile turned lascivious.  "That's something to celebrate..." He steered her toward the couch...

 

 

**

 

"Hold it!" Sky interrupted.  "I don't need the gnarly details!"

 

Laverne laughed.  "If we didn’t have any ‘gnarly details’, you wouldn’t have two brothers.”

 

“I know - I just don’t want to think about you guys that way.”

 

"Ugh - what do you want to eat?  I have to work up an appetite again, but I'm sure everyone else is still hungry...”

 

“I don’t know - what do you feel like?”

 

"Hmm - double whopper, large fry, Pepsi."

 

Sky regarded her mother's still only slightly-plump figure.  "Where do you put it?" 

 

"Have you looked at my butt?" Laverne cracked.

 

Sky turned to the counter and placed the family's order, which was delivered quickly.  The girls split the four sacks of food between them and began to carry the order back to the flight deck. 

 

"You understand what I meant?" Laverne wondered.  "If you and Brandon are going to last, then something silly like a fight over a haircut won't matter.  If it's going to happen, nothing's going to stop you - not the past, not the future...not even 'moving too fast'."

 

Sky nodded.  "I understand."

 

"Good," she smiled.  "I want a picture after Christmas.  Oh - and don't tell your father, okay?"

 

"About the haircut?"

 

"About the boyfriend.  The haircut won't give him a heart attack."

 

 

***

 

 

Back in the waiting area, Lenny sat dozing with his sons.  Both boys had fallen asleep after he told 'The Haunted House Story,” and he was fading fast himself, lulled by the falling snow.  It was nicer than watching the electric kind on late-night TV, he thought drowsily.  When Laverne pressed her lips to his forehead, he stirred, arms tightening around the boys.

 

"Think they can wait to eat?"

 

He nodded.  "Edna said she gave them lunch late,” he replied.

 

Laverne sat down beside her husband, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

 

 

Skye watched the domestic scene with a little smirk on her face.  "Hey, I'm gonna go to the ladies room for a second," she said.  "Watch my purse?"

 

Laverne nodded and Lenny's jaw had dropped upon noticing his daughter's hair.  When Skye had left, he whispered, "Why did she do that?"

 

"It's just an experiment."

 

"Yeah?  Like your bathrobe?" 

 

It was strange, how simpatico they tended to be.  "I've been thinking about that day, too."

 

"How lucky we are that we work?"

 

"That I happened to be in the right bar at the right time."

 

"That I had enough change to call you on that pay phone," he teased.  "I thought you were never gonna call me back at that point, so I was a little desperate."

 

"Didn't show."

 

"For once."

 

She stroked his arm, then stared down at their progeny.  Sometimes, when Lenny watched them she knew he was thinking about his past - how he had improved on his father but wasn't exactly a world-famous lead guitarist.  The self-depreciation hidden inside of him made her take her hands and place them on either side of her face, turning to face him.  "You're more than good enough for me, love" she said simply, and gave him a kiss.

 

"I know, baby," he responded when they separated.  His calling her “baby” made it a rare and festive occasion, indeed.  She was suddenly overblown with joy.  They would make it to Milwaukee, and meet up with Patty, Squiggy, Rocco and Liz, and spend the holidays in the Pfister Hotel - in one of their nicest rooms, if not the honeymoon suite.  There would be a huge ham and a turkey, and she would supervise dinner, and together they would unwrap their gifts - Lenny would love the new Rolling Stones CD she had tucked between the folds of a new pink polo shirt.  Frankie wouldn't be so rowdy, Skye would forget about her hair, Andy would start speaking up, and they would, most importantly, be together. 

 

Christmases seemed to get better all the time, Laverne mused.  She supposed it was true for any happy family, but hers had, unequivocally, earned it.

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