My Marine Man *Editing Time!*

Chapter 9: The Grandparents

*Edited*

My phone buzzes from where it sits nearby in the car's cupholder, most likely signaling the arrival of my grandparents. I internally groan, then scold myself for doing so. Why have I suddenly become so pessimistic?

On the third ring, I will myself to pick up.

"Hello?"

"We just landed, darling! Are you close by?"

"Yup, I'm just getting off the beltway. Pick you up outside of baggage claim?"

"That will work, dear. Can you believe it, we're actually in California!"

"Nope, I sure can't," I respond, "See you in a few."

Hanging up, my mind runs over the events of the past week.
Wednesday morning, I woke up to the sound of a vaccuum. At first I thought it was from next door. Not paying attention to the noise, I walked out to the kitchen to get the coffee going. To my surprise, Nate was in the living room, vacuuming, of all things.

"And what do you think you're doing?" I teasingly greeted him, noticing a warm cup of coffee waiting for me.

"Oh! You're up! I didn't know how long you sleep in the mornings, but I figured I'd come over and start."

I nodded, waiting for more of an explaination.

Nathan grinned. "Truthfully, Zoe, your appartment is a tiny bit...unclean."

"What?"

"It lookes like it hasn't been dusted in a year."

"Actually, eleven months, thank you very much."

He rolled his eyes. "I knew you would never open this can of worms by yourself, so I can over to help with the dirty work, literally."

"And why now?" I asked, not willing to succumb myself to a day of cleaning without a fight.

"Well, I thought it would be a convenient time considering your grandparents' arrival in less than a week."

Needless to say, we spent the rest of the day cleaning.

The entire day, I was in awe. I mean, what guy willingly cleans his possibly-girlfriend's appartment? It's almost too good to be true.

The exit leading to the airport snaps me out of my thoughts. I take a calming breath, enjoying the last moment of peace and quiet. I follow the signage to the arrivals level, pulling sideways into a spot under their airline's sign.

Soon after, I spot my grandfather's head--he always wears a funky Hawaiian baseball cap when traveling. My grandmother doesn't want to loose him in a crowd.

"Amma! Pa!" I call, getting out of my car.

I see my grandma say something to Pa, pointing in my direction. In a minute they're by my side, hugging me, kissing my cheeks, exclaiming how thin I've become, and complaining of how long the flight was and how service isn't what it use to be (well, mostly my grandmother does the exclaiming and complaining).

We finally load the luggage into the trunk and squeeze into my car. I manuver my way back onto the highway again, and settle into the coversation.

"Darling, don't you think you're going a bit too fast?" Amma interrupts. She's clutching the door handle with white knuckles. It looks rather comical. I notice my grandfather supressing a smile.

"I'm actually 5 miles under the speed limit. They're higher out here, Amma. You don't need to worry."
She rolls her eyes. "That's in my job description, dear. I'm also here to fatten you up. It looks as though you would blow over in the first strong wind, my love!"

"I think she looks nice," Pa interjects.

"I'm not saying she doesn't, Father, I'm just saying it looks like she hasn't seen comfort food in a while." She narrows her eyes. "Have you been eating any of the food I send you in the mail?"
"Of course, Amma. How could I pass up your cooking?"

"Then why are you so skinny?"

"Well, I run almost every morning."

"That'll do the trick," Pa says.

We stop for dinner on the way home, with my grandmother filling me in on all the happenings of her bridge club, local goings-ons, and the sad state of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. We are really quite lucky my grandfather is the strong, silent type.

As my grandmother talks, I realize how much I've missed her familiar chatter. I let out a sigh of relief, lightly scolding myself for dreading their arrival so much. These weeks of their visit will be comforting, like a worn-in pair of slippers that makes you feel warmer inside upon wear.

Before I know it, we've arrived at my appartment.

"This is it, Amma and Pa."

"Where's your jogging trail, Zo?" Pa asks.

"Right over there. Hard to see now that it's dark, but it loops around in a wide circle through some woods."

We make it up to my place on the third floor. As soon as I open the door, my grandmother notices the cleanliness. I smile to myself, thanking God that Nate came over to help me.

My grandparents quickly start to yawn, so I get them settled in the guest room/office.
"I'll see you in the morning, then. Sleep well!"

It's only a little after 10, so I decide to take a shower and read in bed. My new romance novel is calling my name from the bedside table.

Barely through Chapter One, my cellphone dings. I check the screen in case its important.
"Nathan Serther," the text reads. I open it.

"Hope your grandparents got in safe n'sound. Run or no tomorrow?"

I smile at the message, and quickly type my reply. "They did, thanks. No run tomorrow, but would you like to join us for breakfast?"

"Good to hear. Yes, thanks for the offer? What time, and would you like me to bring anything?"

"9:00, and no. See you soon."

"Looking forward to it. Sleep well :)"

The warm feeling of assurance fills me as I fall asleep that night. My grandparents are visiting, and my potential boyfriend will meet them tomorrow. Everything will turn out ok.