Westley has always known Claire. She's always been a constant in his life, whether it be as his babysitter, his secret Santa, as his pretend-girlfriend, his confident, as the person he could always rely on.
But she's also always been the girl he lov...
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I'm sixty five and Dean is starting kindergarten.
Once again I'm baffled at how quickly the years have gone by. Just yesterday we were changing his diapers and now he's the one telling us he can take care of his brother and change his diapers and he doesn't need us around. He's actually shooed me a couple of time away from his brother telling me "it's okay grandpa, go read a book, I can take care of Sam." I can sense the family's penchant for smartass-ness in that one.
Eloise wanted to drive him to his first official day, but Dean incited on taking the bus, like he will be doing normally. He's a little independent man. Eloise complied with the bus bit, but he's got no say on the whole family gathering that happens that first morning.
He's hilariously huffing and puffing and groaning and pacing as he waits for the bus. "Can you guys leave? Please? I don't need this," he tells us. His mom and dad and little brother, and his two uncles and Claire and I are all there waiting a couple of feet behind him. "Please."
"Sorry buddy, we're starting a new family tradition," Eliah tells him with a grin.
"Humiliating me?" he whines, clutching to the straps of his backpack.
Eliah grins even more. "Exactly."
"Why don't you have a kid, you can humiliate him," my grandson shoots back and everyone says a collective OOOOOH.
"Burn by your nephew," Elise tells her brother, "Son, I taught you so well. See Eliah, when are you gonna have a kid?"
"When you get married," he immediately shoots back.
She rolls her eyes. "Why would we get married?"
"Because you're living in sin, sweet sister."
Claire is tucked between me and Eliah's husband, her left arm with his and her right arm hooked with mine. She's smiling at our offspring's antics. I smile with her.
They keep teasing each other back and forth and finally Dean's bus arrives and he hesitates a little before stepping on, like it's finally settling in and he's a little scared, but then he nods once to himself and climbs up the two steps.
We all wave at the bus for way longer than necessary.
