Concluding Family Lessons: One Last Book to Read To, or With, Your Kids and Grandkids

By Steven H. Propp

In the final installment of a quadrilogy, Steven Propp once again invites others to spend a few moments with his family to not only appreciate the difficulties of being young, but also realize the crucial importance of family values, learning together, and loving each other unconditionally—especially in today’s ever-changing times.

It’s been five years and the Propps’ six grandchildren are still going to school, playing sports and cheerleading, taking nature walks, playing card games, eagerly awaiting the release of blockbuster movies, and asking for help with homework. Now as they move onto middle and high school and even college, there are also new experiences that include learning how to drive, visiting a farmer’s market, listening to classical music, and even dealing with mice in the house! The questions they pose to their grandparents are becoming more complex, even controversial, as they ask about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, IQ tests, illegal drugs, the dangers of smoking and vaping, protests by prominent athletes, and the issues of race, ethnicity, genetics, and multiculturalism.

Concluding Family Lessons completes the insightful journey into the lives of six grandchildren and their grandparents as they face challenging issues together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532085765

Steven H. Propp

Steve Propp and his wife live and work in northern California. He has written many other novels, as well as two nonfiction books (‘Thinking About It,’ and ‘Inquiries: Philosophical.’)

Book preview

Concluding

Family Lessons

One Last Book to Read To, or With,

Your Kids and Grandkids

STEVEN H. PROPP

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CONCLUDING FAMILY LESSONS

ONE LAST BOOK TO READ TO, OR WITH, YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS

Copyright © 2019 Steven H. Propp.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-5320-8520-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-8519-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-8576-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019916488

iUniverse rev. date:   10/16/2019

DEDICATION

To all the Parents, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Single Moms, Single Dads, Step-Moms, Step-Dads, In-Laws, Daughters, Sons, Grandkids, Brothers, Sisters, Uncles, Aunties, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, Friends, and everyone else who works to make our families the source of support that they are for the young people that we love…

CONTENTS

PART ONE: THE FIRST YEAR

CHAPTER 1:   ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

CHAPTER 2:   PETS, BASEBALL, AND BIRTHDAYS

CHAPTER 3:   FEELING BLESSED

CHAPTER 4:   GETTING UN-BORED

CHAPTER 5:   WORKING ON PROJECTS

CHAPTER 6:   BUBBLES, BALLOONS AND BIRTHPLACES

CHAPTER 7:   FIREWORKS, GETTING OLDER, AND VERTICAL LEAPING

CHAPTER 8:   FIRST TIME OUT, AND FIRST TIME PERFORMING

CHAPTER 9:   DOING TWO JOBS

CHAPTER 10:   HAPPY GRANDPARENTS’ DAY

CHAPTER 11:   A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

CHAPTER 12:   SOME PRE-CHRISTMAS GAMES

PART TWO: THE SECOND AND THIRD YEAR

CHAPTER 13:   A GIRLS’ WEEKEND, THEN A GUYS’ AFTERNOON

CHAPTER 14:   VOICES, FISH EGGS, AND HOMEWORK

CHAPTER 15:   NO SLUGS ALLOWED

CHAPTER 16:   PREVIOUS LIVES, AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES

CHAPTER 17:   ACHIEVING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

CHAPTER 18:   BIRTHDAY GIRLS, AND A VERY SPECIAL OLYMPICS

CHAPTER 19:   TWIGS, TRIBES AND TOUCHDOWNS

CHAPTER 20:   HUGS, TEENAGERS, AND SURPRISES

CHAPTER 21:   A QUIET WEEKEND

CHAPTER 22:   FARMER’S MARKET

CHAPTER 23:   PAPA TEAGUE TO THE RESCUE

PART THREE: THE FOURTH YEAR

CHAPTER 24:   RAINY DAYS AND HAIRCUTS

CHAPTER 25:   THE COST OF LIVING SPECIAL

CHAPTER 26:   DOING SOME OLD-FASHIONED STUFF

CHAPTER 27:   PAPA TO THE RESCUE, AGAIN…

CHAPTER 28:   SHOPPING DAY

CHAPTER 29:   LOST CHILDHOODS, AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

CHAPTER 30:   HOMELESS PEOPLE, AND HEROES

CHAPTER 31:   BEING FORTUNATE, AND BEING THANKFUL

CHAPTER 32:   LOTS OF SWEET THINGS

CHAPTER 33:   RARE WORDS, AND SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE MUSIC

PART FOUR: THE FIFTH YEAR

CHAPTER 34:   POLITICS, AND PAYING ATTENTION

CHAPTER 35:   JUST AMERICAN HUMANS

CHAPTER 36:   PEACE, LOVE, AND PROTESTS

CHAPTER 37:   EVERYTHING CHANGES

CHAPTER 38:   EASTER AND MONEY EGGS’

CHAPTER 39:   WAITING, AND MORE WAITING

CHAPTER 40:   GENES, GRADUATION, AND GROWING UP

CHAPTER 41:   COMPLICATED SCHEDULES, AND FAMILY MEMORIES

CHAPTER 42:   FUTURE PROSPECTS, AND CHEERING ALONE

CHAPTER 43:   THE GRAND FINALE

CHAPTER 44:   NEW GUESTS, AND NEW GAMES

CHAPTER 45:   FAMILY DAY

CHAPTER 46:   NOT GETTING TOLD

CHAPTER 47:   HAPPY GIRLS’ BIRTHDAY

CHAPTER 48:   POST-DENTIST OPTIONS

CHAPTER 49:   GIRLS’ BIRTHDAY PARTY, AND DON ALONE

CHAPTER 50:   ENDGAME

CHAPTER 51:   A NEW SEASON, A NEW YEAR

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book is written with deep love for the help, encouragement, and support of:

Our six wonderful grandkids: Devonte, Joseph, Dominic, Mariah, Kayla, and Brea;

Keri, Joe, Danielle, and Michael—the parents and role models;

My brother-in-law Darrel Buzynski, and my stupendous big sister Susan;

My niece Jennifer and her husband Brade, and their delightful daughters, Madison and Leila;

My favorite nephew Jason;

My wonderful sister-in-law Phyllis;

All the rest of our diverse, changing, and always loving family;

My readers and other friends everywhere;

But most of all: to my beautiful, wonderful wife Nancy; the loving Nana, Mom, Sissy, and Auntie, whose unconditional love of us all helps us to make it through any and all challenges that life has in store for us; and whose love has made the last 33 years of my life truly wonderful, and a continuous source of gratitude…

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A WORD OF EXPLANATION

This book is the last of a ‘quadrilogy’ that began with Family Lessons, followed by More Family Lessons, and then Further Family Lessons.

These four books are not kids’ books; that is, they do not deliberately limit their vocabulary to only words used by young people, at a certain age level. (They would hold no lasting value for adults, or for older kids, if they did.)

They are intended to be read to, or with, young people; when you or they come across a word they are unfamiliar with, that’s an occasion to explain the word to them, or even to look it up in the dictionary—which, after all, is a useful Family Lesson!

This book contains about 85% real experiences with our own grandkids, and 15% my imagination (although I decline to specify which parts are the 85%, and which parts are the 15%!). I do a fair amount of chronological re-arranging and combining different incidents into a single day’s narrative, however, to create a smoother reading experience.

Nearly all the questions posed by the kids in this book were really asked of us by our grandkids (although I have taken the liberty of adding follow-up questions in certain cases, to allow for a more extensive answer to their original question). And no, the answers I gave in real life were seldom as detailed as they are in this book. My answers in the book are what I would have said, given no interruptions, and an attentive audience.

I hope you enjoy spending some time with our family, and that it helps you to appreciate your family even more!

PART ONE

THE FIRST YEAR

CHAPTER 1

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

(February)

Nana and I had just finished our Friday night dinner, and were watching the DVD, Dear White People, when her cell phone rang.

Nana looked and the display of the phone, and said, It’s Josh, as she answered the phone. Hello? she asked.

Nana! came Josh’s voice over the phone.

Hi, Josh, she replied. What’s up?

Nana! Josh repeated.

I’m here; it’s me, Nana said, pronouncing the words louder and more carefully.

Josh asked, Is Papa Teague there?

Yes, he is, she said, pressing the ‘Speaker’ button on the phone, as she handed the phone to me.

Hey, Josh, I said into the phone.

Papa, do you have a tire jack? Josh asked.

I thought for a moment, then said, Uhh… yeah, we should. Do you need to borrow it?

Josh explained, I was taking the boys to see the Kings game, and we got a flat.

Oh, shoot, I said, becoming concerned. Do you have a spare?

I’ve got a spare, Josh reassured me. But I left my tire jack in the other van, after I had to change Karen’s tire yesterday.

Where are you guys at? I asked.

We’re pulled off to the right-hand side, in-between the freeway and the Jefferson Boulevard exit, he replied.

Nana urgently whispered to me, He needs to call AAA, or some other tow service!

I turned off the phone’s speaker, then whispered back to her, "They don’t have AAA, remember; they only have that stupid and inefficient towing service that came when they bought their vehicles. Remember how when we all went out to dinner a couple of months ago, and Josh’s SUV had a flat, and he needed to call the towing service to change the tire, because the wheel’s lug nut studs were close to breaking? Karen drove the kids home in the other van, but poor Josh had to wait five hours for them to get there—they didn’t arrive until 1 a.m.!"

I turned the phone speaker back on, and said to Josh, I’ll get there as soon as I can; keep your phone on, in case I have trouble finding you.

I will, he replied, sounding relieved. But we’re easy to find; I’ve got the emergency lights on, too.

Okay; see you soon, I said, and I ended the call.

Nana was upset, and said, Teague, I don’t want you to go out there! It’s dark, and there’s too much traffic on the roads at this time…

Trying to sound confident and reassuring, It’s not a big deal, my love. I’ll be back before you know it. Putting her cell phone into my shirt pocket, I said, I’ll take your phone with me, and I’ll call you when I’m on my way home.

Call me as soon as you find them! she pleaded, and I nodded. I quickly put on my shoes, got my keys and wallet, then went out to the garage, and pressed the button to open the garage door. As I took the tire jack of the gray car and put it in the trunk of the Saturn, I thought, I hope the jack of our gray car is strong enough to lift up Josh’s SUV. I backed the car out of the driveway, then waved to Nana (who was looking out—with concern—of the front screen door), and I drove toward the northbound freeway.

About fifteen minutes later, I started driving a bit slower, while looking anxiously at both sides of the freeway. I thought nervously, Josh said he was pulled off to the right-hand side, but I don’t want to take a chance of driving past him, and having to get off the freeway and come back around…

But then I saw the emergency lights of a black SUV up ahead (in the area of the freeway called the ‘gore’—the triangular area between the freeway and the offramp), and I turned on my right-hand turn signal, and started slowing down. I was immensely relieved to see that there was ample space in the ‘gore,’ so that I could safely park in front of Josh’s SUV.

I got out of the car, and waved to Josh (who was standing on the driver-side of his vehicle), then opened up my trunk, and got out the jack and crowbar. I started walking toward Josh, who was looking at his flat rear tire.

Thanks for coming, Papa, he said appreciatively, as I handed the tools to him.

Do you need help in changing it…? I asked tentatively.

He shook his head firmly, and said, I’ve got this. Just let the boys sit with you in your car, while I change the tire.

I nodded, then went to the passenger side of the car, and opened the door. Joshua (now twelve years old) and Donovan (ten) were sitting in their seats. Hey, guys, I said, trying to sound relaxed.

Hey, Papa, they both replied nervously.

I suggested, Come sit in our car, while your Dad changes the tire. They immediately got out, and went forward to our car, and sat down in the back seat, while I sat in the front.

I snapped my fingers, and said, Oh, shoot, I forgot; Nana wanted me to call her as soon as I found you guys. I took the phone out of my shirt pocket, and dialed our home phone.

Yes? Nana answered immediately, sounding anxious.

Hi, honey, I replied easily. I’m here, and everything’s fine; the guys and I are sitting in our car, while Josh is changing the tire. I turned the phone’s speaker on, then held it up toward the guys in the back seat, who said cheerfully, Hi, Nana!

I handed the phone to Joshua, then I got out of the car, to go see how Josh was doing.

He stood up, after fitting the jack underneath the SUV; cars were whizzing past us, in the cold night air. I thought with a smile, I’m glad Nana isn’t here to see this; she’d be freaked out!

Need any help? I asked.

He shook his head, saying, No, thanks; I’ve got it. He began pumping the tire jack, to raise the vehicle up. Then (very efficiently) he removed the lug nuts, and pulled off the flat tire; the spare was already laying on the ground next to him.

Here, let me take the old tire, I offered, and I rolled the flat tire around to the passenger side of the vehicle, and put it into the back of the vehicle.

Josh had already put the new tire on, and was just tightening the lug nuts. Then he began lowering the vehicle back to the ground. When this was done, he picked up the tire jack and crowbar, and started to hand them back to me.

I waved this off, and suggested, Why don’t you keep them for a little while? When one of your tires goes flat, you might have others that go flat soon after, since people usually buy tires in a ‘set.’

He nodded his agreement, then put these tools in the back of the SUV. Dusting his hands off, he said, Well, that’s that. Thanks for coming so quickly, Papa.

As cars continued to whiz past us, I said with a slight smile, Now you realize, this is the third time in the past few weeks that you’ve had some kind of ‘problem’ while trying to take the kids to see a Sacramento Kings game: first, your car was towed after you parked in that vacant lot that was marked ‘No Parking,’ because you didn’t want to pay the outrageous prices they charge for parking at the Arena; then, you had those two drunken men who got into a fight just two rows in front of you guys. And now… you have a flat tire on your way to the game! I patted his shoulder, and said, "Is it possible that the universe, or someone else, is trying to tell you something?" and we both laughed.

Pretending to be serious, I said solemnly, "You know, Josh: there’s a marvelous invention that’s called ‘television’; and many, many people in the Sacramento area watch the Kings games on television—way more people than actually go to the game in person, in fact. And when you sit at home and watch the game on television, your vehicle won’t ever get towed; you won’t get a flat tire on the way to the Arena; and you don’t ever have to sit next to any drunk guys who are fighting. So, since you’ve already missed the tipoff for tonight’s game, you and the boys are more than welcome to come and watch the game at our house—where you’ll also save the cost of tickets, parking, and food."

He smiled and said, That sounds good, Papa. Go ask the boys if they want to ride with you, or me, back to your place.

Will do, I replied, and I began walking back to my car.

Opening the door, I told the guys, Your Dad fixed the tire; but we’re going back to our house to watch the game, rather than go to the Arena. So do you want to ride with your Dad, or with me?

The guys looked at each other with uncertainty; Joshua said softly, We’ll ride with you.

I nodded, then called back to Josh, They’re just going to stay in our car. So we’ll see you back at the house! He gave me a thumbs up sign, and we both got in our vehicles, and took the offramp; then we drove underneath the overpass, and headed back to south Sacramento.

Who’s got Nana’s phone? I asked.

Me, Joshua replied.

Call Nana and tell her that all of us are coming back to the house to watch the game, I requested. Joshua pressed the button to dial the house phone, turned on the phone’s ‘Speaker’ mode, and when Nana answered, he said, Hi, Nana; we’re coming to your place.

With concern, she asked quickly, Are all of you okay? Did something…

I said (loudly enough for Nana to hear me), Everything’s fine; Josh changed the tire with no problems. But we thought it might be easier to just watch the game at our home.

I’m glad, she replied, relieved.

I suggested, "You might want to preheat the oven, and put a couple of pizzas in. I think we’re probably going to have a carload of hungry men, when we get there!" She agreed, and I told Joshua to hang up the phone.

So the guys and I talked excitedly on the way back home—now that our ‘adventure’ was safely over.

CHAPTER 2

PETS, BASEBALL, AND BIRTHDAYS

(March)

On Friday evening, Nana and I were driving to Karen and Josh’s house. I asked her, Can you go over the schedule one more time? I’m still confused.

Nana explained patiently, "We’re staying overnight at Karen’s, because she and Josh are leaving really early in the morning to catch a bus to Reno. So we have to take Donovan to his baseball game tomorrow morning. But right now, we’re picking up Rhea, so that all the girls can spend the night together."

Smiling, I said, So basically, we’re watching five of our six grandkids overnight at Karen and Josh’s place, and then taking at least one of them to a baseball game the next morning. I added teasingly, I’m tired already.

It’ll be fun, she said confidently. We haven’t had all the girls together for a long time.

I added, "Only in this case, we’ve also got two of the guys, as well!"

She said reassuringly, They’ll be fine, Papa.

We were pulling up in front of Donnelle’s home, so Nana called her on the cell phone; Donnelle picked up immediately, saying, Hi, Mom; she’s already downstairs. I’ll send her out.

I parked directly in front of the house, and a few seconds later a smiling Rhea (now seven years old) came outside, carrying her suitcase in one hand, and dragging her scooter behind her with the other. Hi, Nana and Papa! she said happily.

Hi, Rhee-Rhee! Nana called back. Rhea reached through Nana’s open window, and gave her a hug. Then she said, Hi, Papa!

Hi, sweetheart, I replied. I got out of the car, and put her scooter and suitcase in the trunk, as she climbed into the back seat.

I asked her, Did you have dinner? Are you hungry?

She shook her head, and said, No, thanks, Papa.

I said, We brought along some snacks, in case you guys get hungry later. As I drove, Nana talked with Rhea about her week at school.

We’re here! Nana announced, as we pulled up in front of Karen and Josh’s place. We got out of the car (I was carrying two bags—one of them full of snacks and beverages—into the house).

After all of the usual greetings and hugs were over, Nana asked Karen, What time are you leaving tomorrow morning?

She replied, At 4:00; we’ll be back in the evening, sometime after 7:00. She said to me as I walked past her with my two bags, "Thanks so much for watching the kids, Teague!"

I smiled and replied, We’re always glad to watch the kids!

She said to Nana, I need to go upstairs and finish getting things ready for tomorrow; we won’t have time to do anything in the morning. She said goodbye to all the kids, then headed to the stairs.

The five kids were all sitting on the living room couches, or cuddled up in blankets on the floor, and having a lively discussion about what to watch on TV or DVD.

Nick Jr.! Kaitlyn and Maria (the twins, both eight years old) shouted.

Captain America! Joshua countered.

Music videos! Donovan suggested.

"Bring It On!" Rhea asserted.

Nana said to the group, "Well, if you can’t all agree on what to watch, I’m going to put on what I want to watch!" (This produced a chorus of disappointed groans from the group, as Nana took the TV remote control away from Joshua.)

I stood up and said to the group, "Well, if you can’t all agree, but you don’t want to watch what Nana wants to watch, I’m going to put on a movie…!" and I pulled a DVD out of one of the bags I had brought into the house. (Everyone looked at me with suspicion and unease, as I inserted a disc into the DVD player. The DVD’s opening Menu screen then appeared on the TV.)

"Good Burger!" all the kids shouted gleefully, surprised (and pleased) by my choice.

Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, Nana quoted, with a smile. She said to me approvingly, Good choice, Papa.

I replied with a smile, "See? I keep telling you: I’m not as dumb as I look!"

The kids all found places to sit or lay down, as they contentedly began watching the movie.

Josh then came down from upstairs, and called out to Joshua, Junior! Let’s go!

I looked at Josh with curiosity, and he explained, Junior wants to go to the Pet Store.

I frowned, and asked, Are they open this late, on Friday night?

They close at 9:00, he replied.

Joshua (his eyes shining with eagerness) jumped up and walked swiftly over to his Dad, and they went out to the garage. I heard the SUV start up, the garage door opening, and the vehicle departing.

I got up and went to the kitchen counter, and I took the bag of snacks into the living room area, and asked, So who wants snacks? All the kids replied, Yes! so I let them each pick out two snacks and a beverage from the bag. They ate, as they continued watching the movie.

When the movie got to the part where the ‘Ed’ character developed his ‘Secret Sauce,’ Nana said confidently, I can make a better ‘Secret Sauce’ than he does!

I smiled, and said, You tried that once at our place, Nana; but none of the kids liked your sauce!

She said dismissively, "That’s only because I didn’t have all of the ingredients that I needed to make it!"

The movie came to an end, so I took the DVD out of the player, and replaced it in its case.

The girls started playing and dancing, while Donovan was watching an Eminem music video on the TV.

We then heard the garage door opening, and a minute or so later the inside door to the garage opened, and Joshua raced inside, then headed straight to his room. Josh came in, carefully carrying a medium-sized bag, which he gently placed on the kitchen counter. We all looked at him with curiosity.

Joshua came back into the room, carrying a medium-sized cage, which he placed on the kitchen counter, next to the bag Josh had placed there. The other kids were now very curious about all this activity.

Josh pulled a small box (with airholes in its lid) cautiously from the bag, and told Joshua, Open the cage for him.

A hamster?! Donovan said, jumping up and running over to the kitchen counter. You got the hamster? This immediately got all the other kids’ attention, and they all crowded around to watch.

Josh explained, It’s Junior’s birthday present! One of them, anyway; he’ll get his other presents on his birthday Sunday.

Between Josh and Joshua, they got the hamster out of his box, and safely deposited him in the cage; Joshua locked the cage door, and everyone looked at the small animal with fascination. I took out my video camera from my other bag, and began filming the kids as they were watching the hamster.

What’s his name? Rhea asked Joshua.

Joshua shrugged, and said, I haven’t named him yet.

Can I pet him? Kaitlyn asked.

Joshua shook his head, and said, The man at the pet store said that you’re not supposed to touch him, or do anything with him—except to give him food and water—for the first four days.

Aww… Kaitlyn and Maria said in unison.

Josh explained, The hamster needs a few days to get used to his new home. But after that, you can take him out of his cage, and gently hold him.

As the kids stared at the hamster (who remained unmoving, half-hidden in the wooden shavings on the bottom of the cage), who was looking out nervously at all of the people staring at him.

After about fifteen minutes, Josh told Joshua, June, you’d better take the hamster into your room, so he can get some peace and quiet. Remember to put the cover over his cage, so he’ll feel more secure. Joshua nodded, and carefully carried the cage into his room, where he placed it against the wall.

Donovan asked Josh, Can I sleep in Joshua’s room tonight? I want to sleep next to the hamster’s cage.

Joshua said indignantly, "I want to sleep next to his cage!"

Josh said diplomatically, "You can both sleep next to him. But just remember that you shouldn’t bother him for a couple of days; he needs time to get used to his new home." The guys both adjourned to Joshua’s bedroom.

Josh yawned and said, Well, I need to get to sleep; Karen and I are leaving early in the morning. He kissed all of the kids good night, then headed to the stairs.

With the excitement now over, the three girls suddenly began yawning, so Nana told them, All of you get your blankets and pillows, and find a place to lay down on the floor. The girls began (sleepily) to make their preparations.

Nana looked at me with concern, Are you going to be okay, Papa? You can sleep on the couch, you know.

I said with assurance, I’ll be fine. I’ll just sleep on the floor, like I did when the kids were staying over at our place.

Nana turned the TV volume down, and I took a pillow and blanket and went into the adjoining room.

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I woke up at about 7:15. (Although I had been awakened earlier, as Karen and Josh left at 4:05.) I got up, and went into the next room to check on Nana and the kids. Nana’s eyes opened when she saw me, and I whispered to her, What time does Donovan need to get up, to go to his game?

She whispered back, Go ask him if he wants to go to the pancake breakfast at the park, with the other kids from all the teams in the league. If he does, then he needs to get there before 7:45; if he doesn’t want to go to the breakfast, he doesn’t need to get there until the 8:30 ‘parade’ with all the teams, so you can just get him up half an hour before that. And see if Joshua wants to go to the game with you two. I nodded, then went into Joshua’s room, to check on the guys.

Joshua was fast asleep in his bed, but Donovan was moving around on the floor, wrapped up in his blanket. Don, I whispered. Do you want to go to the pancake breakfast at the park?

Ohh… yeah, can I? he whispered back.

Sure, I said. But you need to get dressed quick, in that case—it starts in half an hour.

He was immediately up, and he hurried into the living room, and then up the stairs.

Joshua started to wake up, and I asked him, Joshua, do you want to go to Donovan’s game with us? If not, you can stay here with Nana and the girls.

Sleepily, he said, I don’t want to go…. and I nodded, then quietly stepped outside his room, and silently closed his bedroom door behind me.

I walked over to Nana, and whispered, Donovan wants to go to the breakfast, but Joshua wants to stay here.

Okay, she said. Take my phone with you.

I took out my video camera, and verified that it was still almost fully-charged. A few minutes later, Donovan came bounding down the steps, wearing his baseball uniform.

Ready to go? I asked him, and he nodded, and then took out his baseball bag from the closet. We went outside through the garage, and got in our car.

As we drove off, I asked Donovan, Now, the pancake breakfast is at the baseball complex where you usually play, right? He nodded. Then I said, Your Mom sent Nana the notice about your game, and it had a map on it; so I’ll follow that to get to your actual game.

When we arrived at the parking lot of the baseball complex, I easily found a parking place. We just followed the other kids and parents, to where the breakfast was being served.

The servers handed out paper plates with pancakes on them to all the players, so Donovan thanked the server, and found a seat next to some of his teammates.

After the breakfast was over, all of the players got up, then gathered with their respective teams and coaches on the nearest baseball field. (I filmed a few minutes of this activity with my video camera.) A couple of adults made brief introductory speeches, and then … it was over. Somewhat surprised at the brevity of this activity, I rejoined Donovan, and we walked back to the car.

Once we were in the car, I opened (on Nana’s phone) the note from Karen, that gave directions to where Donovan’s game was being played, and we set off.

I had some difficulty following the map (which, I belatedly realized, didn’t have any street names on it), but we eventually got to the field just as Donovan’s teammates were starting to warm up. He quickly took his bag out of the trunk, and ran to join them. I found a seat on the bleachers, from which I could film the game.

Donovan didn’t have a very good game. When he was in the outfield, the ball was never hit in his direction, so the only time he ever got his hand on the ball was once, when the 2nd baseman failed to catch a ball that was thrown to him by the catcher, and Donovan was able to field it, and throw it to the 3rd baseman. But he struck out twice when he was up at bat—and after the second time, he threw his batting helmet down on the ground, and he dejectedly headed back to rejoin his teammates in the dugout.

The game was over after about ninety minutes, and I waited for Donovan while the coach gave his post-game talk. When this was over, Donovan took his cell phone from his pocket and called his Dad; he looked very depressed after this call, and was very quiet as we walked back to the car.

I let everyone down, Donovan said, glumly.

What? I said, stopping him with my hand from walking, then asked, Says who?

I struck out twice, he added.

So what? I asked. "Donovan, even professional major league ballplayers only have a batting average of about .300—which means that they only get a hit three times out of every ten times they get to bat! And they therefore get an ‘out’ seven times out of ten! Even the very best ballplayers of all time only had an average of about .400, which means that out of every five times they got up to bat, they only got a hit twice! So the rest of the time, they either struck out, hit a fly ball that was caught, or got thrown out at first base."

He looked interested (and reassured) by this information, so I continued, "Donovan, in every single inning that you guys played, three of your teammates got an out! They might have struck out; or hit a ball that either got caught, or they got thrown out. So all of your teammates either struck out, or failed to get a base hit." He looked relieved after hearing this, and we resumed walking toward the car.

I added, "The important thing to me, is that a lot of kids your age aren’t out here playing baseball on a Saturday morning: they’re still sleeping, or sitting at home playing video games, or watching cartoons on TV. But you’re out here in the fresh air, getting some healthy exercise, and learning some valuable lessons—like being a ‘team player’; following rules; and showing good sportsmanship. So even if you never got a hit for the entire rest of your time playing baseball, and even if you never ever catch a fly ball, you’ve still done good for yourself, by playing baseball."

We arrived at the car, and I patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, and said, "And I’m very proud of you, and I always love to watch you play. And you’re gotten much, much better since the days when you were playing T-ball! And most important, you’re a ‘good person’; and I’d much rather have you be a ‘good guy’ who strikes out sometimes, than to be a ‘bad kid’ who hits a home run every time he’s up at bat. So I think that today, you just had ‘opening day jitters’—but that you’ll have a lot of great games, as the season goes on."

Thanks, Papa, he said, as he put his bag into the trunk. We got into the car.

I added, "And who knows? Maybe eventually you’ll decide that baseball isn’t ‘your game’; maybe you’re better at football, or basketball. Or maybe you’ll decide that you’re not destined to be a ‘sports guy’ after all; the world’s richest man is Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft—and I’ll bet he now thinks that it’s a good thing that he went into computers, rather than trying to be a baseball or football player!" and we both laughed.

A thoughtful expression came over his face, and he said, When we get home, I think I’ll work on my Web page, that I’m designing.

Good idea, I agreed, as I started the car up, and we drove away.

(Interestingly enough: two weeks later, when the coach was giving his post-game talk to the players—where he awards the ‘game ball’ to the best player that day—he said to the team, But I’ve gotta say: one guy didn’t even know he was going to pitch today. Late in the game, I asked him if he wanted to pitch, and he said, ‘Yeah!’ And what’s he do? One, two, three, BOOM! Three batters up, three down—game over! So the game ball today goes to … Donovan!)

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As we drove up to the house, we saw that Nana and the three girls were all sitting outside, and polishing their fingernails.

Nana told Donovan, I made breakfast, Donovan; it’s there on the table for you and Papa.

Thanks, Nana, he replied, and he hurried into the house with his baseball bag.

Nana asked me, How did he do? And how was the parade?

I replied, He did fine. But it wasn’t a ‘parade’; they just had all the teams stand around on one of the diamonds, while a couple of guys said something. ‘Much ado about nothing,’ it seemed to me. I went inside the house, and had a few bites of breakfast.

While Donovan went upstairs to change clothes, I took my video camera into Joshua’s room, to check on him (and the hamster).

Joshua had removed the cover from the hamster’s cage, and was looking at him when I came into the room. He said, Papa, I need to get a water bowl for the hamster.

I began filming Joshua and the hamster’s cage with my video camera, then I said, We can make him a bowl; let me just film him for a minute. The hamster was still huddled among his wood chips, and not moving.

I said (for the benefit of the video camera), "This is station HMST, bringing you another in our series of Hamster Reports. Our station’s policy is, ‘All Hamsters, All the Time.’ We’re now setting out on a mission, to secure a source of water for the new hamster in the Leonine household. I turned the camera off, then said to Joshua, Let’s go make him a water bowl." We went out of his room, and into the kitchen.

I looked around the kitchen, eventually spying an empty plastic water bottle. I said to Joshua, We can use that; where do you keep your scissors? He retrieved a pair from a nearby drawer, and handed it to me. I cut off the bottom inch of the bottle, then handed it to him, and asked, Think that’ll work?

Yeah! he replied. Thanks, Papa. He filled the ‘bowl’ with water from the sink, then carefully carried it back to his room.

Donovan (having taken off his uniform) came bounding down the stairs, and asked, Where’s the breakfast that Nana made?

I pointed him toward a stack of French toast on a plate next to the stove. He put several slices on a plate, poured syrup on it, then sat down at the kitchen counter, and began to eat hungrily.

I went back into Joshua’s room, and saw that he was just closing the door to the hamster’s cage. Does the bowl work? I asked him.

Yeah, he said. He watched the hamster closely, but the hamster remained motionless.

I suggested, Maybe you should just put the cover back on his cage; he probably won’t drink from it if we’re watching him, and making him nervous. He nodded, and did that.

Maria and Rhea had now come inside the house, and were watching TV with Nana. I could hear the sound of a ball bouncing on the cement floor of the garage, so I went out there.

The sound was Kaitlyn, who was bouncing a large plastic ball. Seeing me, she said brightly, Hi, Papa; want to play Two-Square with me? (The garage door was open, and it was a warm, sunny day.)

Sure, I said. Using a line in the cement floor as the ‘divider,’ we bounced the ball back and forth to each other.

Before long, three kids from across the street noticed us playing, and they wandered over. Hi, Kaitlyn, one of the girls said. Can we play?

Kaitlyn looked at me, and I nodded. So we moved from the garage to the driveway, and Kaitlyn and the three kids changed the game to Four-Square. (I didn’t play now, but I just retrieved the ball whenever it got knocked out into the street.)

About half-an-hour later, Nana came outside, and sat down at the table on the front porch to watch the kids play; I went and sat down next to her.

"That one girl is so tall!" she observed, amazed. Is she Kaitlyn’s age?

I nodded, and said, I overheard them talking; they’re in the same grade at school.

Nana said, "That girl’s going to be a basketball player!" Then she asked me, Can you go get some pizzas and pepperoni bread from Tiny Nero’s? And then get Joshua a birthday cake? I’ll call ahead and have the pizzas and bread waiting for you; then you can just go to the store next door, and buy the cake.

Sure, I said, getting up.

Take Joshua with you, she suggested, adding, "We need to get him away from that hamster, for a while!" I nodded, then went inside to get Joshua.

As he and I headed to the door, I noted that Donovan was watching TV; I asked if he wanted to go with us to get pizza, but he said he was tired. So Joshua and I went out to the car, and drove off.

As we drove, Joshua asked me, Papa, have you heard about the new ‘Creed’ movie? It’s coming out on Thanksgiving day.

No, I haven’t, I replied. What’s it about?

I’ve seen the trailer, he explained. Apollo Creed’s son Donnie was in a foster care home, and Apollo’s wife adopts him, and he becomes a boxer. And Rocky trains him!

I frowned, then asked, Apollo Creed had a son? I remember his wife in the movies, but I don’t remember him having a son…

Joshua explained hesitantly, Apollo had him with someone who… uhh, who wasn’t his…

I nodded, and said, Aha; I get it.

Joshua continued, "And Apollo died in Rocky IV before his son was born, so his son never knew him."

I began to catch on, and then observed, "So Donnie grew up in foster care, not knowing that he had a famous father, until Apollo’s wife does something incredibly sweet, and adopts him."

Joshua went on, But Donnie wants to be a boxer—and so he moves to Philadelphia, then looks up Rocky, and explains who he is.

I smiled and said, And the movie presumably ends with a big fight for the world championship, or something like that. It sounds like a good movie!

He said impatiently, I can’t wait until it comes out! He sighed, then asked, Want me to let you know when another trailer comes out?

Sure, I replied. I thought for a moment, then said, "That’s actually a pretty good idea for a movie. It kind of gets the Rocky character away from boxing, and into coaching a younger boxer, which is more realistic. That’s what they tried to do with Rocky V, I think, but that movie didn’t come off so well."

Joshua nodded, and observed, "I didn’t really like that movie; or Rocky Balboa, either."

I said, "And having the ‘Donnie’ character grow up without a father gives him some understandable motivation for becoming a boxer: sort of like seeking the approval of the father he never knew."

Joshua asked, I can’t remember. Didn’t you tell me once that your Dad died a long time ago…?

I explained, "My parents divorced when I was ten years old; so it was just my Mom, my sister and I living together. My father moved back to Oklahoma a few years later; we were never close, after the divorce. But I think it’s definitely tough for a young guy to grow up without having that ‘male role model.’ While my Mom was absolutely fantastic, it’s still just not the same as having a father you can talk to about ‘guy stuff.’ So I can understand Donnie in the movie wanting to prove himself, after growing up without his father."

We had arrived at Tiny Nero’s, so I parked, we got out of the car, and went inside.

The girl at the counter smiled, and asked me, Hi, what can I get you?

I replied, I’m Teague; my wife Nadine called an order in about fifteen minutes ago, and…

She said, It’s ready. That’ll be $16.73. I handed her my debit card, and she charged it, then handed it back to me. Then she packed up the pizzas and pizza bread, and handed them to me. Thank you! she said cheerily, as Joshua and I left.

I said to Joshua, The grocery store’s practically next door; want to just walk to it?

Yeah! he replied. So we put the pizza in the car, and began walking to the store.

Once in the store, I picked up a basket and we headed over to the Bakery section. I told Joshua, You can pick out whatever kind of cake you want; it’s totally up to you. He began looking eagerly at all the cakes on display.

That one, he said, pointing to a chocolate cake.

Chocolate cake, and chocolate frosting, I observed, adding with a smile, Good choice. I pointed it out to the girl behind the counter, and she put it into a