One week later at the NJC
Shane's pov
"Who knew parenting kids through college would be so exhausting?" Mike sighed, collapsing on his back atop my bed.
"I'm guessing every parent with college-aged children," I sarcastically replied, smirking.
"Oh, so we're the only two oblivious idiots then?" Mike laced his fingers behind his head as he stared at my ceiling, lost in thought.
It's been an emotional past few weeks. Stacey's pregnancy, Julie's alcohol violation, and Lisa running away with Carrie in tow have put us through the wringer. I feel like a fool for naively believing once the girls were older, our job as their guardians would get easier. I have an inkling my best mate has also come to the conclusion that with age the issues our girls face become more complex and the trouble they find themselves in merits heavier consequences.
"Shane, I can't believe I honestly thought once they started college, there would be nothing our girls could throw at us that we hadn't seen before or dealt with already. Will they ever cease to surprise us with their misconduct?" Mike turned on his side to face me, squaring his elbow to prop up his head.
I chuckled at how in sync we were when it came to matters concerning our daughters.
"What?" Mike looked at me as I smiled shaking my head. "What's so funny?" He asked, more curious than offended by my mirth.
"Nothing, mate. I was just thinking the exact same thing, that's all."
"So when do we get to reap the rewards of all our hard work parenting four girls from childhood to adulthood? Where's our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?" Mike looked at me expectantly.
"Well, if they take after you, I'm guessing we'll never see the day when they cease to give us a run for our money and actually start behaving," I replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mike scoffed in jest, pretending to be hurt by my analysis as he laid on his back, crossed his arms, and pouted.
"Seriously?" I asked laughing. When Mike nodded, I said, "Blimey! Neil punished you just last week, so you tell me when it ends, doctor."
"Oh, I see how it is, Admiral. When they behave, they're your kids but when they're hellions, they're mine."
"Good, I'm glad you understand." I grinned. "I was afraid I'd have to act it out with puppets to cater to your American sensibilities."
Mike's cell rang.
"Saved by the bell, gov'nor." Looking at the name on the screen, he sighed as he turned on his hip to face me. "It's Julie. I'm guessing she's either in trouble or in need of money. I honestly don't know which situation I'd prefer right now." Sitting upright, he swiped to answer. "Hello, darlin', give me just a second." Muting the phone, he said to me, "I'll let you get back to work while I take this in my room. We'll finish this later at the pub," Mike joked, referring to our playful ribbing.
On his way out, I saw him rub his forehead as I heard him sigh and say, "Don't tell me not to get mad, Julie. I'll decide that all on my own after you explain yourself." I shook my head and chuckled, wondering what mischief our second oldest had gotten herself into now.
Knock knock
"Come in," I shouted, not bothering to look up from the paperwork capturing my focus at the moment, assuming it was just Mike returning because he forgot something.
"Shane, can I talk to you for a minute?" Carrie asked shyly, entering cautiously while gently closing my door behind her.
Looking up at our youngest daughter, I smiled replying, "I'm almost positive you meant may I talk to you and the answer is always yes, sweetheart."
Carrie's cheeks blushed pink with embarrassment at my mild correction as she looked down at her feet and nervously bit down on her bottom lip.
"Now, what's on your mind, luv?" I set my pen down atop the latest security update memo from the Foundation, to give Carrie my full attention.
Hesitating as she searched for the right words, Carrie continued to keep her head down as she avoided looking at me.
"Uh, Shane..."
Interrupting her mid-sentence, I said, "Carrie sweetheart, look at me when you're speaking to me please," as I came out from behind my desk to stand in front of her.
"Sorry, Shane, I just..." Carrie stammered uncomfortably.
Gently tilting her chin up to meet my gaze, I tried to set her mind at ease.
"No need to be sorry, luv. Now, tell me what has you so flustered." I smiled warmly as I guided her to take a seat across from my desk while I returned to my original position.
"Shane, how do you know when you're in love?" our innocent baby girl asked timidly, completely catching me off guard with this topic of conversation.
"Uh, well..." Now it was my turn to be flustered as I struggled to form a proper response to her question. "There really isn't one answer to that question, sweetheart. Love means different things to different people."
"Will I ever fall in love, Shane?" Carrie asked, worry and sadness permeating her tone.
"Come here, sweetheart," I replied, patting my thighs as an invitation for Carrie to sit on my lap. I've missed these moments with our girls since they're practically all grown up now.
Carrie stood up blushing as she whined, "Shaaane, I'm too big for that now. I don't fit on your lap anymore, I'll crush you."
I chuckled at the thought of our 55kg daughter thinking she was too heavy to sit on my lap.
"You'll never be too big to sit on my lap, luv," I said smiling, as I reached out to pull her into my arms. "Or, too big to be over it for that matter." I gave her a playful swat on the behind before pulling a giggling Carrie atop my thighs.
"Shaaane." Her cheeks blushed with embarrassment as I bounced her gently on my knees, like I did when she was a little girl.
"Now, tell me what prompted this line of questioning. Is there someone special in your life Mike and I should know about? Hmm?" I tilted her chin up as she tried to shyly look away. Sighing I thought, I can't believe our baby is old enough to be in love.
"No, Shane," she replied, rolling her eyes in the traditional fashion of a dismissive teenage daughter, while thankfully leaving the duh out. "We've only gone out a few times and we haven't even had se..." Carrie stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly remembering her audience.
I wrinkled my brow, frowning at the thought of our youngest doing that.
"...seafood. We haven't even had seafood together yet." Carrie bit her bottom lip as she nervously looked away. "Ya know, cuz that's a big decision and all," she stammered.
"Please just be careful, sweetheart. When you do decide to have seafood, I mean." I patted her knee as she blushed. "You know there's no rush to have seafood, right? Some people don't even like seafood and some people are allergic to it so maybe you should just avoid it to be on the safe side."
"Shaaane," Carrie facetiously objected, as she giggled at my ridiculous ramblings.
"Seafood can be very costly, luv. Not just financially speaking, but physically and emotionally as well. I just want to make sure you protect yourself before you partake in seafood, I mean." I worry about all our girls when it comes to the repercussions of seafood but for some reason, I just worry about Carrie more. As our baby, she seems so naive and innocent, even though that probably isn't the case. There are just so many factors to consider and so many things that can go wrong. Obviously we're seeing one of the consequences of unsafe seafood preparation and handling firsthand with our oldest daughter right now.
"I know, Shane. OMG!" Carrie rolled her eyes at me in jest.
"I mean, you don't ever even have to try seafood if you don't want to, but if you do, you should know that some people even wait until they're married," I proposed hopefully. I have a feeling our baby girl isn't a virgin to seafood consumption, especially after seeing her on deck with that young officer on the cruise, but a father can dream.
"Okay, Shane, I get it," Carrie avoided my gaze, clearly uncomfortable with this topic of conversation.
Directing her eyes back to me, I said, "Sweetheart, I wish I could tell you you'll know for certain when you're in love, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes situations, circumstances, and feelings just aren't that cut and dried." I pressed Carrie's cheek against my chest as I pulled her closer. Rubbing her arm while resting my chin atop her head, I gently rocked her. "I wish I had a better answer for you, luv. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear."
"It's okay, Shane. I'm actually glad you didn't say, oh you'll know when you're in love, you'll just know, cuz that's what everyone says and I don't think that's really true, at least not all the time."
"When did you become so wise, luv?" I asked wistfully, kissing the top of her head.
Carrie giggled as she snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around me.
"I know I love you Shane, and Mike, and my sisters, and that's good enough for now."
Smiling in contentment, I replied, "I love you too, baby girl, so very much," as I swayed her slowly on my lap. "So very much," I repeated, softly sighing, knowing moments like these will become a distant fleeting memory all too soon.