After we finished, we alternated between showers and a real breakfast. Afterward we gathered in the living room, wearing nicer clothes. There were no early baseball games on a Thursday so they picked a sports talk show as it went through some of the big headlines. Surprisingly, Zeke was mentioned. A lot of people on the tv talked about how he was making a mistake and it was because he was greedy for a bigger payday. Jeremy's short pregame interview was mentioned, proving that he knew Zeke and knew that he settled on college.
"It's weird to hear them talk about people we know." Dave said.
Kyle nodded in agreement. "Just imagine, we could be talked about too, this time next year."
"I bet they'll still be talking about Zeke." Noah laughed. "He'll be fighting for the College World Series. That starts this weekend, you know."
"Did Stanford make it?" Kyle asked, pulling out his phone.
Noah nodded. "Yep. Won Regionals this week. Easy bracket."
"That's good. Number one seed?" Dave asked.
Noah shrugged. "Probably. At least near the top. They have a good record."
"We'll probably get to see them on tv too." Dave remarked.
"I wonder if the broadcasters will talk about Zeke then too?" Kyle wondered.
"Most likely." Noah nodded. "They talk about him all the time. He's Zeke. Someone who takes their own path and doesn't give two craps about it."
"Language." Zeke warned. "Gramma and Grampa will be here soon. Try to be good."
I looked to Noah. "Are your grandparents like your mom?"
Noah hesitated. "Kind of, but not really."
I frowned.
"They're super old." Dave added.
"They're nice though." Kyle included, looking me in the eye, making me feel slightly better.
"Ohhh." Noah said. "That's what you wanted to know? Then yea, you'll like them. I thought you wanted to know if they had the same personality as Mom."
"You guys never talk about them…" I mentioned.
"They're so far away." Noah sighed. "And there isn't much to talk about. I know Mom calls them every other week or so."
"Every week." Zeke corrected. "I think she wants them to move back down here, but…"
"They're super old." Dave repeated.
"David." Zeke glared at him.
Dave shrugged. "What? It's true." Dave looked at me. "It's hard to communicate with them sometimes. The generation gap is too big. They're nice though. We get birthday cards with money every year."
"I don't remember you guys getting any..?" I pointed out. Wouldn't they have mentioned it?
Dave laughed. "That's because it doesn't come on our birthday. They forget to mail them and it usually comes with a Christmas card or if they're physically here for Christmas. It's really funny. I remember when Noah was little, he tried returning it because he knew it was no longer his birthday."
"That doesn't sound like Noah." I smiled.
"Hey!" Noah yelled. "I was five, okay?"
"What happened to that cute kid?" Kyle sighed.
"I grew up with you jerks." Noah said.
Two couch pillows were thrown at him.
With their comments, I was less anxious. Up until the front door opened and I heard Mrs. Atkins calling for us. "Boys!"
We all got up and went to the foyer. Their gramma was noticeable for no other feature except that she was small. Like a whole foot shorter than her daughter. She was eye level with me, holding onto a cane. She had short gray hair and thick glasses on. She was…really old.
"Hi Grams!" Kyle raised his voice and went up to hug her first. The other boys followed suit.
"No need to yell. We have these things called hearing aids." The old man said flatly. He was scary thin, and taller than Mrs. Atkins, looking like a skeleton with skin.
His comment surprised not only me, but the boys too.
Zeke was the first to recover, going up to the old man and shaking his hand. "How are you Grampa?"
"Fine. Just fine. Another day in the life." He waved a thin, wrinkled hand in the air. "I heard you said no to going pro."
Zeke blinked, glancing at his parents. They both shrugged helplessly. "Who told you that?"
"The tv, boy!" His voice cracked, causing him to start coughing.
"We hear your name on the tv all the time." Their gramma nodded. "You're famous."
"Not in a good way." Dave laughed.
"It's honorable to pick college." Their gramma said. "I'm proud of you." She squinted. "No one is picking on you, are they?"
"Who would dare?" Kyle laughed. "Zeke is too scary."
Their grampa finally caught his breath. "Good. Good. I'm glad. No grandson of mine should be called any names. You stick to your guns." He pulled out a few envelopes. "Now…let's see…Zeke…" He handed Zeke a blue envelope. "College ain't cheap. Better save this for when you go."
Zeke look like he wanted to laugh, but settled on a friendly smile. "You didn't have to get me anything, Grampa. I've got a scholarship. Almost everything is covered."
"Taking pretty girls out on dates is being covered by the fancy school? Don't kid me, boy." Their grampa said.
The twins and Noah busted up laughing. I grinned at the Zeke's dumbfounded look. This isn't how they described their grandparents at all.
Their gramma grabbed the stack of envelopes out of the old man's hands. She picked two out and gave them to the twins. "Happy belated birthday."
Noah was stunned.
The twins happily accepted the envelopes.
The old man stared down at me. "And you."
I straightened up, dropping the smile.
"You must be Jake." He said. "We hear about you every week for the last three or four months."
I didn't know what to say so I glanced at Mrs. Atkins.
"No need to look like a deer in the headlights. We ain't gonna eat you." He took the last envelope out of his wife's hands. "This is for you. Fourteen missed birthdays. Don't be spending it all in one place and don't let anyone take it away." He handed me a heavy envelope. "Now let me hear you say Grampa."
I held the envelope in amazement. My first birthday gift. And it wasn't even my birthday.
Noah nudged me. "They're waiting."
Waiting? I looked up at the very tall, thin man. "You…want me to call you Grampa..?"
"Of course!" He nodded. "What else would you call me? Mr. President? I think not. All my grandsons call me Grampa."
I gulped. This means…he accepts me right? "G-G-G-Grampa…"
He nodded again. "Not bad." He tilt his head in silence as no one else spoke. He looked to Mrs. Atkins. "What is it, Mary?"
Mrs. Atkins wiped her eyes. "Nothing. I'm just surprised."
"He called you 'Grampa' so quick." Dave eyed me. "Yet, you haven't even called Mom and Dad by 'Mom' and 'Dad'."
I blushed.
"I have no time to waste." The old man spoke up. "I'm nearing the end of the road. I can't wait forever for this kid to call me 'Grampa'." He nudged his wife forward. "Your turn."
The little old lady was a funny sight next to her husband, but I didn't dare laugh. Especially with us being the same size. She squinted at me with a big old smile, with a look of expectation. "I'm Gramma."
…
"G-G-Gramma..?" I stuttered.
"See! He's getting better at it." The old man said proudly. He patted Mrs. Atkins on the shoulder. "Do you want to hear him call for you too? This is a good moment. He's very obedient."
