Written March 2001
 

Lee sat in the parking lot waiting for school to let out. Finally when he heard the bell ring he got out of his car and headed towards the line of buses. He wasn't sure which bus was Jamie's, so he milled about conspicuously on the lawn. At last he saw Jamie heading out of the building with his friends.

"Jamie!" he called out and waved. "Over here."

Jamie looked around, searching for the familiar voice. After a few moments, he spotted Lee and walked towards him. "Hey, Lee, is everything all right?"

Lee smiled as he put his hand on his stepson's shoulder. "Oh, yeah, everything's fine. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just in the neighborhood and thought I could give you a lift home."

"Sure, why not," Jamie shrugged a non-committal shrug, but surreptitiously enjoyed the idea of not having to ride the bus home and having his envious buddies watch him get into Lee's silver Corvette. Then he called over to his buddies. "I'll catch you later, guys."

The two of them headed for the car in silence, neither one was sure what to say to the other.

"So how was school today?" Lee asked nervously as he pulled away from the school just ahead of the busses.

"It was OK," Jamie answered, then looked over at Lee. "Are you sure everything's all right? You're going in the wrong direction, Lee. The house is the other way."

Lee swallowed hard - trying to start this conversation was going to be harder than he thought. He was glad he had taken the extra time to get to know Jamie, but right now it seemed like all the effort had failed him. All he wanted to do was have a one on one conversation with his stepson, but he didn't know how or where to start. "Yeah, everything's fine, honest. I've been wanting to talk to you privately for a while now. But I guess I'm not the best guy for deep conversations."

"Yeah, me neither," Jamie answered as he started nervously wringing his hands. "So what's up?"

"How about some ice cream?" he suggested, delaying the inevitable.

"Lee," Jamie urged with growing frustration. "What's going on? Is Mom all right?"

"She's fine - really." Lee finally turned into the local park and pulled into a parking space. After shutting off the engine he removed the key from the ignition, looked at Jamie and sighed. "I know at first you and I didn't hit it off and not only did I understand, but I actually appreciated the way you were looking out for your mom's best interest."

"Yeah, well, it had been a while since she'd brought anyone home to meet us."

Lee smiled. He could tell that Jamie was just as nervous about this topic as he was. "You know, I really love your Mom. And you and Phillip are the closest thing I've ever had to a family. I've really grown to appreciate it. I can't imagine life without you all."

"I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time at first," Jamie shrugged uncomfortably. "It's just, well, after Dad left, it was just Mom and us for so long, it was kind of hard to get used to someone new hanging around… but Phillip was right; you're an OK guy, Lee."

"Well I'd like to be more than just an OK guy," Lee answered mindfully. "I'd like to become part of your family - permanently. I want to marry your mother. I just wanted to talk to you first and let you know…"

Jamie was wide eyed. As he looked over at Lee his mouth opened but no words came out.

Lee had to chuckle at the situation. He was pretty sure that Jamie wouldn't be upset when he told him; their relationship had grown substantially since those arduous first couple of months. But he hadn't expected him to be speechless. "I guess the fact that you're still in the car means you're not totally opposed to the idea?"

"Um, no," he gulped nervously, his eyes still wide as saucers. Finally Jamie squeaked out, "Have you talked to Mom about this?"

Lee grinned. He didn't want to lie to his stepson any more than he had to, but the secret marriage had to end. Although Amanda didn't know he was talking to the boys individually. They'd discussed dropping the charade and getting married publicly - hopefully over the summer. "Your mother and I have talked about getting married for a while now, but she doesn't know I'm talking with you today."

"Are you asking my permission?"

Lee shrugged. "I guess in a way I am. I do intend to ask your mother to marry me. But I would really like your approval as well as your brother's. It would mean a lot to me."

There were a few uncomfortable speechless moments. The only noise was from the traffic on the road behind them. Finally Jamie responded.

"Welcome to the family, Lee," he replied respectfully as he extended his hand.

Lee shook his hand and then leaned over and hugged his stepson. He was impressed by the maturity this young man often exuded. "You've made me a very happy man today, Jamie King."

Jamie smiled, then prodded Lee with a delighted grin, "So when are ya gonna ask her?"

"Soon, I promise. Now not a word to your mother, your brother or especially your grandmother," Lee warned in a teasing manner, pointing his finger at Jamie. "This is just between you and me for now!"

Jamie grinned, pleased to be the first one in on such an important secret. "I promise."

Lee winked at his stepson. "How about that ice cream now?"

"Sounds great!" Jamie answered.

Lee turned the ignition on and headed out of the park. He thought to himself that he was finally heading in the right direction.
 

*** *** *** ***
 

Lee drove by the ball field to find the baseball game still in progress. Quickly parking the car, he headed over to the bleachers and watched the end of the game. It was close, but after an exciting last inning, Phillip's team lost by a run.

"Phillip!" Lee called out as the boys began to disperse to their waiting friends and families.

Phillip looked up, surprised, then waved at Lee as he began to head towards the bleachers.

"Of all the games you have to come to, it's one where we lose," he complained.

"You guys should have won, it was a bad call at third; he was out and it should've ended the inning," Lee stated firmly.

"Too bad you weren't the umpire," Phillip replied.

"Ah, don't blame the ump; he didn't have as good of a view of the play as I did. I know it's not much consolation, but you played well; that was a nice double," he praised with a smile.

"Thanks," Phillip answered proudly, glad that Lee had gotten to see it. "I appreciate you coming down to watch."

"Well, I'd like to come watch more often, if you don't mind," he answered.

"I'd like that. Mom comes when she can, but she's usually in the concession stand, and Dad, well…" He stopped, not knowing what to say. He looked at his teammates longingly, many of whom were heading home with their dads.

Lee understood the awkwardness that Phillip was feeling. He remembered the feeling only too well when he was a boy himself. But he wanted today's discussion to be upbeat, so he quickly changed the subject. "How about an ice cream?"

"But we lost," Phillip reminded him.

"You're a winner to me. Come on," Lee said as he headed towards the concession stand.

They sat down at a picnic table nearby, and quickly ate their ice creams. Lee observed his stepson unobtrusively. Amanda had done a wonderful job raising her two sons. Jamie was bright and unusually perceptive for his age. Although he was shy, he was beginning to come out of his shell. Lee hoped part of that was his doing. Phillip on the other hand was outgoing and athletic. He was intelligent as well, but schoolwork wasn't his top priority at this point in his life. Lee had to chuckle; he could see so much of himself in each of her boys and looked forward to becoming a bigger a part of their lives.

"Thanks for the ice cream and for coming to the game. Maybe next time you come we'll win," Phillip finally said as he finished licking his popsicle stick.

"I really enjoyed watching the game. I enjoy spending time with you, regardless of the game's outcome," Lee started. He knew this was as good an opening as he would get. "Phillip, I've been wanting to talk to you privately for a while now. I snuck out of the office today so we could talk. Just you and me."

Phillip looked at Lee and grinned. He knew what was coming. "You're going to ask Mom to marry you?"

Lee smiled. "That obvious, huh?"

Phillip nodded.

"Well you know how much I love her and I'm not just saying this, you boys mean the world to me, too. You know I've never had a real family before and at first you guys scared me to death, but now, I feel like I belong."

Phillip swallowed hard, but a smile grew on his face. "I've really liked having you around, Lee, and you make Mom happy."

"So does this mean I have your approval?"

"I never expected you to be old fashioned about this," Phillip teased, trying to hide a bit of his embarrassment. He finally answered as a teenage boy would. "I think you'll make a pretty good step-dad."

"I hope so," Lee answered as he stood up. They headed back to his car and Lee put his arm around his stepson's shoulders. He was starting to feel like a dad. "Well, we better get you home before your mother finds out I've been sneaking around town watching a ball game instead of working."

"So when are you going to ask her?" he asked as he got into the car.

Lee shook his head; Jamie had asked the same question. "Soon, I promise. But not a word to anyone until AFTER I ask her - OK?"

"Better not wait too long or you'll have to answer to Grandma; she's been waiting for you to ask Mom for months now," Phillip warned.

"Yes, she's dropped a hint or two along the way," Lee answered and they both laughed as they headed for home. It wouldn't be long now; he was finally going to be a real part of the family.
 

*** **** ***
 

"Lee, what are you doing here?" Dotty called out as she saw him enter their backyard, his arms filled with plants and flowers.

"Augie, a friend of mine, just opened a nursery and I thought I'd throw some business his way. So I thought you might like some new plants and flowers," Lee explained.

"Well, that's very thoughtful of you, Lee, but you have enough flowers there for a wedding," Dotty commented with a glint of sarcasm in her eyes.

"You know, that could be arranged," he commented spontaneously as he put them down near the gazebo.

Dotty shook her head in frustration. "You shouldn't tease an old woman about that."

Lee laughed; the conversation was going better than he could have hoped. "First of all, Dotty, you are far from being an old woman, and secondly, who says I'm teasing about the wedding?"

"Oh my gosh!" she cried, "You finally asked her; she said yes, didn't she? Of course she would…"

"Dotty, slow down," he suggested as he reached for her arm and guided her gently into the gazebo and sat her down. He took a deep breath and then started to explain. "Amanda and I have been talking about marriage for a while now, but that means a lot of changes for the boys and we wanted them to get used to the idea. Then there's work; since Amanda and I are partners, there may be some problems about whether we can continue to work together. So when you think about it, it's a bit complicated. We just wanted to take things slow and iron out some of the details before we rushed on forward."

"Oh, Lee," Dotty said as she shook her head, slightly ashamed of some of her comments over the past few months. "You were right in taking it slow; for heaven's sake, you're getting an instant family when you marry Amanda."

Lee grinned as he thought back over the last few years and especially over the last few months. "You know, at first that scared me, but now I really like the idea."

Dotty patted Lee on the knee. She was already proud of her son-in-law to be. Not only was he handsome and intelligent, but a sensitive family man already. "So did you set a date yet?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, no. Amanda doesn't know that I'm talking to you today. Can I assume we have your blessing?" he asked.

"My blessing?" Dotty asked, astounded. "I'd have the minister here this evening if you'd like."

Lee laughed heartily and honestly believed that she would. "Well, perhaps I should make it official and talk to your daughter before we do that."

"So when are you going to ask her?" Dotty asked impatiently.

Lee shook his head and tried to conceal his laughter. He had heard that question a lot lately.

"Soon, I promise," he answered. This 'secret marriage' was testing more than just his patience and he'd be glad to put it behind them. There would be details to iron out at work and security precautions that would need to be instituted at home, but for him, the sooner the better. "Well, I better get back to the office before I have to explain to Amanda where I've been for the last two hours."

They both stood up. Dotty hugged him tightly. "I'd be proud to have you as my son-in-law, Lee Stetson."

"I think I should be thanking you, Dotty. I'm lucky to have found a woman as wonderful as Amanda. I promise to make her happy," he answered, then without another word he headed back to his car.

Before he drove away he looked at the little white house with its white picket fence. It was kind of ironic, he thought. Here he had traveled all over the world, but yet, he found happiness right in his own backyard. He looked at the last bouquet of flowers, which sat patiently on his front passenger seat.

"We're going to make it official tonight, Amanda," he whispered as he drove off…

The end
 

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