The Sammie Effect Pt. 01

"Let's go inside. I'll get a little fire going and we can sit. We've got a lot to talk about."

She headed to the bathroom, and I touched a match to the kindling I'd set a few days ago, expecting a cool night soon. While the flames began to take hold, I went and grabbed our mess from outside and brought it in. As I was doing the dishes, I heard her come out. A look over my shoulder showed her stoking the fire.

She sat on the couch, and I went in and sat down next to her, putting my arm around her shoulders as I did. She leaned into me. It felt right.

Looking at the flames as they grew, she asked,

"You really mean it? You won't leave?"

As she finished, she turned her head toward mine and looked me in the eyes. I think she was going to try and see if what I said was the truth.

"I really mean it, Sammie. I have no intention of leaving you. I think even if you decide you don't want me in your life...but I hope you do...I'd still stay. Just so I could be near and try to...I don't know...witness your life from a respectable distance."

"But you only rented this place for the summer. I thought you'd be leaving...going home."

She was still looking at me, but I'm pretty sure I felt some tension go out of her. I kept talking.

"I don't have a home. At least not in the physical sense. I don't really own much. I spent most of my professional life on ships at the start, and then hotels. I was constantly on the move. What little I did accumulate is in a storage container in New Hampshire."

"Why New Hampshire?"

"My parents moved there when I left for college."

"I have grandparents?"

There was excitement and a little awe in her voice. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes, and oh boy are they going to love you. It won't matter that you're twenty. They're going to spoil you!"

Tears started forming again, but this time she was smiling.

"And you've got a cool uncle too! My little brother. He accomplished what I didn't. He became an engineer and lives in L.A. with your aunt and cousins."

"That sounds wonderful!"

There was still excitement, but you could tell this was a lot for her to absorb. Believe me, I was stunned too.

"But Sammie, right now I'm your father. I'd like to audition for the job of Dad."

She wrinkled her nose at that. I realized my mom did something similar. God, I'd probably be discovering little things like that for years. I hoped so anyway.

"What's the difference?"

"Well, 'father' is a title you get for having offspring. Dad is the role. Caring, teaching, and of course loving."

She smiled, but I continued.

"First, I really need to tell you a few things about myself. I had no idea your mother had a boyfriend, let alone a fiance, when I was...with her...that night. If I had, I would not have done it. I'm not that kind of guy. Never have been. And regardless, if I'd known and found out I was the father, I would have tried to do the right thing. I'm so sorry it resulted in you having to deal with a string of uncaring stepfathers."

She surprised me with her response.

"I'm not sorry."

All I could do was look as puzzled as I felt and wait.

"If you had done the right thing and tried to marry her or at least live with her, she would have driven you away, probably by cheating on you. Trust me. If you had tried, she'd have ruined it, and we wouldn't be here now."

"And...you're already more of a dad than I've ever had. I'm blown away thinking it can get any better. I feel like I need to pinch myself. After just a couple of weeks of you coming into the diner, I had already started thinking about how cool it would be if you were my dad. You were interesting, handsome, a biker, and had a good job. Then to add to it, you saw me every day, were nice to me, cooked for me, bought me gifts, and most importantly, listened to me."

I almost choked up. She'd really not had any good male role models in her life. I asked,

"None of your stepfathers ever cooked for you? Even when you were little?"

"No. John, the nicer one, once let me know he'd put a bowl and spoon on the table along with a box of cereal. I thought that was so nice at the time."

All I could do was wrap her in another hug for a minute. Then she asked,

"Can I ask a question?"

"Of course! We'll both have a lot of them, I'm sure."

"Out on the deck, when I asked you if you were my dad, you nodded and said you were 'pretty sure'. How?"

I actually blushed with embarrassment.

"I owe you an apology. I did something kind of sneaky. I should have asked, but I wasn't sure what you would say. Remember the cake pop?"

She nodded.

"I kept the stick that had your saliva on it and used a kit to swab my own mouth. I had our DNA sent off to a lab and tested."

Her eyes got wide.

"Are you upset with me?"

"No! That's brilliant! I hadn't thought of that. Did you get the results?"

This all came out of her mouth in the typical Sammie rush. It made me smile...and feel a bit relieved!

"I got the results, but I haven't checked them. I'll leave that up to you."

"Why me?"

"Because it won't make a difference in my heart."

The smile she gave me would be one I'd remember for the rest of my life.

"Me either. But I'd like to see. If they confirm what we both believe, I could get my birth certificate corrected."

It was my turn to get teary as I fumbled for my phone. I opened the email and handed her the phone to 'do the honors'. She didn't hesitate to open the attachment. There were a lot of words that we'd read later, but she scrolled. At the bottom were a lot of nines. She was mine! And of course, I was hers.

We sat quietly for a while and then started to discuss our next steps. In addition to the birth certificate, she wanted to be adopted. I explained she was already an adult but could change her name if she wanted to. She did, so I told her I'd hire someone to help expedite those things. We also realized she would need a passport if she wanted to go on any of my trips.

The next item was a place to live. When she asked, I admitted that I only had this place for another week or so. I was surprised but pleased when she said I'd need to find a place with room for her. She didn't care if she was twenty, she wanted to have a home. For now, we agreed to look for a rental. She said there wasn't much in town, but she still didn't realize what I could afford. I knew she loved the ocean and told her I'd take care of that.

I encouraged her to quit her job so we could be free to travel, visit family, and spend time getting to know each other. I was proud of her when she said she couldn't leave Irma's in a tough spot. She did say she'd put her notice in and stay until they found a replacement.

We talked long into the night, and in the early morning hours, fell asleep on the couch, emotionally exhausted.

I'm smiling as I watch Sammie run around the house trying to clean it, even though it's spotless. My parents are due any minute and she's desperate to make a good impression. I've got to say, it's the only kind she makes. They already love her.

The night I called to give them the news...'Surprise! It's a girl!'...my mother was understandably confused; my dad in shock. Then Sammie got on the line. She had no fear, just raw excitement as she talked their ears off. When I finally got back on the line, I could hear my mother crying softly. I'm sure Sammie's immediate use of 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa' were at least part of the reason. My dad sounded choked up when he said,

"Your mom can't talk right now, Kip. I'm sure there's a story, and you'll have to tell me soon. But right now, we don't care. You've made us very happy."

After that we talked. I'd caught them just before they made an offer on their retirement condo in Florida. With their pride, it took a bit of convincing, but I insisted I'd help them upgrade from two to four bedrooms and get them on the beach. Suddenly, family gatherings had become important to me.

Speaking of homes, I surprised Sammie a couple of weeks ago. I had the realtor hunt down some house rental options for us and Sammie got to pick between two nice places. Both were oceanfront with privacy and spectacular views. She picked the one with the biggest deck. A deck that felt like it extended out over the cliff above the churning, gray Atlantic. I think the three-car garage was a selling point too.

We've each got a vehicle now. I was surprised she wanted a small, four-door truck, and liked it so much, I got one too. The motorcycle is in the third bay, and she noted there'd be room for another next to it.

She's got her own ocean view bedroom with a private balcony. The place has four master suites, so neither of us lack for space or views. Our things got delivered less than a week ago, but we're already unpacked. Neither of us had much.

Yesterday, Sammie rode with me to the motorcycle dealership to get her proper riding gear. She's already introducing herself as my daughter, Sammie Campbell, even though that's still in process. I saw her eyeing a bike similar to mine, but explained she'd have to start with something smaller. She just grinned, knowing she'd already convinced me.

She finally seemed to think there was nothing left to do and sat on the porch with me, facing down the driveway. We talked a little about her schooling. She'd found a replacement for Irma's and was going to take a course or two. I suggested liberal arts until she decided on a major.

We're leaving for L.A. in another two weeks. I got asked to do some system checks on a crane they had down for maintenance at the Port of Los Angeles. We'll take the opportunity to visit my brother and his family. Sammie is thrilled.

Of course, Sammie told her friends about us, and the cat is now out of the bag about my return. So far it isn't too bad. She made me a better person. And I found I was really happy to talk about my daughter. Smiling, I asked,

"So, we've got this place for a year, and have plenty of time to plan the future. What do you want to do next?"

"Work on getting a mom!"

My jaw dropped as she giggled.

"Oh look! Here come Grandma and Grandpa!"

She left me stunned, sitting on the porch, as she raced down the steps to greet them.

To be continued...