Family is Not Blood Ch. 06

"Later that day when we reconnected, you reminded me who I was, rather, who I blossomed into. You help remind me of who was important in my life, Little Freddie, you and my dad. You showed me that I had grown and became an adult. I took a chance, and you did too. But on the excitement number, you have not just made the grade."

The blood quickly drained from my face. "No Mike, you blew the top end of the bell curve off the wall." I immediately became beet red. "You keep things interesting beyond belief. It is rarely the same twice, unless one of us wants it that way. You read my moods and play along with me when I try something new, and I do that with you too. Our lovemaking is not forced. We get tired from real life and little Freddie, but we get rejuvenated with each other. The only thing that you can do to make this better, is to keep going and grow and explore with other."

"By the way, why is it that we don't have any porn around here? I know that guys like it. You're a guy. And occasionally, I like it too. We have lots of ways to keep it alive between us. We just have to take the time, and our noses away from the grindstones to keep it interesting between us. We have started with a couple of toys, maybe some clothing would be nice? Hint Hint." She chuckled while I smiled, envisioning her in something I saw last week passing by a Victoria's Secret.

"We actually have people in our lives that will gladly take little Freddie for an over night. People that she completely is spoiled by." She smiled and held my hand. I smiled and kissed her. "Cathy, as I said before, we both have to agree on things, and we agree. And I guess that we have things that we both need to do to make it all work out."

Life was getting on for us. It was time for Franciszka's second birthday. We were going to have a family and friend's party at the apartment. It was fun getting everything together. Food was going to be easy, Chicago Style roast beef from Johnny's with French bread and sweet peppers and giardiniera, some trays from a Polish deli, a cake from Costco, lots of polish beer and cognac, wine, soda, black olives, sweet pickles, polish dills, and a table for the nickel and dime friendly poker game in the living room. Because of the number of diabetics, we had food they could eat, and remain healthy. The spare bedroom was set with toys and games for the kids. Everybody always stands in the kitchen and talks, so we didn't really bother to make any more changes there.

We had a good time, talking with these family and friends, wonderful people. A couple of my cousins popped in and out with their children. They all had more than one, the most was three. In my parent's generation, it was 4-6 children or more, before that 8-10. The old joke about Polish family planning, plan on a large Polish family.

After the birthday party, I start thinking about another child. I grew up with a sister, who had always been there for me. Cathy was an only child. But we both had large extended families. What struck me at the party were the cousins with their children all running around. That was how I was brought up. I was also brought up that every parent had a right to correct me or tell my parents if I was doing something that was not right. Maybe that was why I never really got into trouble. Seeing the families of my cousins and Cathy's cousins, well, it was like home again, just looking at it from a generation later. There was always more than one child in a family. And the children seemed happy to have the siblings. They were never alone, that was good and bad, but basically good. But being alone is not always a good thing.

I looked at Cathy and back at our little one. Yes, she was OUR little one. She had started to call me Daddy on her own since we all moved in together. When Cathy started to correct her, I told her to just let it ride, she needs a daddy, everyone needs a dad. Now I was seeing what I wanted for all of us. It was time to talk it over with Cathy to see if this is what she wanted too. There was more that I wanted beyond that, but I learned to do one thing at a time.

A couple of days after the party and Franciscka was put to bed, Cathy and I were enjoying a glass of wine watching a sit-com. When it broke to a commercial, I asked if we could talk about the birthday party. Because I am a guy, and she knows me well, she turned off the TV. It's nice to have that level of focus without the distraction of the boob tube.

On Sunday, we had not spoken about the party. It took the rest of that day to clean up the apartment and settle Franciszka. The little one had been wired for sound and I never realized what 'to much sugar' can do really to a toddler. Now, while we were sitting there on the couch, Cathy and I could talk about it. Who came? What went on? What did they bring? What did they give? Did the thank you notes go out? That was yes, on her batch and yes on mine except for Uncle Stan and Aunt Iwona's note. For that I needed to pick up the waiting photo from Costco of them and Franciszka.

Cathy said that all the children of the cousins were a terror of sorts, but a nice terror of sorts. None of the kids got into things that they should not have. The 'old people's table' of our Aunts and Uncles were there to keep them in check. It was just a big excitement, but a good excitement.

I agreed with her about the excitement and spoke about my growing up with these cousins. "Cathy, you were an only child, but didn't your cousins fill in for a sibling?" That is when she looked in the distance and smiled. "I remember spending some time away during summers with one set grand parents or the other, then after it was beyond their ability, to be with one or another set of cousins. Those were great times for me. I had someone to play with, and tease, and be teased and just do kid stuff with."

I held my breath and asked "How would you feel about having another child to add to our family?" I know that I cannot hide a damn thing. My face becomes a billboard of what I think. I cannot imagine my look when I said that to her. Her face became questioning then angry and I immediately started to drop like a rock, telling my self once again, to far, to fast.

"So listen up her mister, you want me to get barefoot and pregnant so Franciszka can have a little sibling to fight with. So I may have two in diapers at the same time? That I am going to be bloated like a cow for months on end? Is that what you want??

"No way mister, not like I am now. You just wait here and I'll tell you what you can do." She stormed off to the bedroom and returned in 10 seconds with something in her hands. She got down on her knees in front of me and with a soft but strangely worried face and voice.

She looked me in the eye, "Michael, would you marry me? Again?" She held out our set of wedding rings from before. "We both are the same, but different people from before. We both have matured and figured out what we want out of life. You have accepted my daughter as your own. As important, you have accepted me as your own, and you as my own. We have gone through hell and back and we have stuck with each other."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want our daughter with us too. It is my turn to ask, will you take a chance with Franciszka and me and who ever comes on by next?"

I was speechless, smiling and beaming like a complete idiot. Cathy's worried look disappeared. So many things were running through my mind, but here were my hopes and dreams. Everything I could ever want. I just wanted one more thing.

"I want this to happen, more than anything else in the world. You and I are here for real. We have been honest and open with each other, more than we ever were before. Sometimes it was painful and sometimes it was joyous. We both have brought out things to the other that we would have kept inside before. The trust is there. We have corrected problems, and have figured out how to go forward."

"I want to be married to you again, but there is one more thing that I want to happen. I want to formally adopt Franciszka into our family. As far as I am concerned, she is my daughter. Family is not about blood, but bonds."