I couldn't stop smiling as I pulled the car into my driveway. My shift was over at the cab company and I had an entire weekend of Grandpa/Grandson time to look forward to. Although I had spent many days at my daughter's house, enjoying the lake and the cabin my son in law graciously had built for me, it would be the first time that I would spend the weekend there, teaching my first grandson how to fish.

I had been waiting for this opportunity since my other daughter, Valerie, first announced she was pregnant years ago. Don't get me wrong, I love my granddaughters, always have, but there is something incredibly special about grandsons. I can't describe the feeling of playing with Julian, the joy in showing him the things that I'm interested in, and to see the look of fascination on his face as I describe how a car works or the joys of reeling in a fish. I know that at four years old, he's too young to fully understand such things, but his interest in the things that my granddaughters found too boring to follow always fills my heart with pride. This weekend, I planned to show him how to bait his first hook, how to wait for the bobber to bounce under the water and hopefully watch him experience the wonder of catching that very first fish. I remember the first fishing trip I took with my own grandfather as a little boy and I can only hope that when Julian is all grown up with a family of his own, he will remember this weekend with me.

I walked into the house, catching a glimpse of Ellen ironing in the dining room before heading upstairs to the guest room. I'd moved my things out of the master bedroom not long after my wife came home from the psychiatric hospital and we've been sleeping apart for the past three and a half years. Despite the medication she was on and the weekly therapy sessions she grumbled about having to go to, she was still the same selfish woman that had caused the rift in our family in the first place. It would probably make sense to file for divorce, but to start over at my age seemed incredibly daunting. Plus, a tiny part of me remembered the beautiful, considerate, loving woman Ellen had been when we first got married. That woman is long gone, buried under years of hate and Burg expectations, but sometimes, when I see her in the hallway in passing, or if I meet her eyes when she passes me the potatoes at the table, I can catch a glimpse of the old Ellen. Spending any length of time in this house is an exhausting, depressing challenge, but thankfully, I can escape to my youngest child's house and fill up on happy family time. I can feel my loneliness evaporate the second I walk through the doors of their house.

That thought made me smile again as I packed an overnight bag with my pajamas and a change of clothing. I tossed a small travel kit with my toothpaste and toothbrush inside along with a small bag of the old fashioned hard candy sticks that I used to love as a child. I relished the thought of sharing another memory with my grandson.

Zipping up the bag, I carried it out into the hallway, closing the door behind me. Ellen was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs and I immediately noticed the hard look in her eyes at the sight of my bag.

"Where are you going? The roast will be done soon."

I sighed, walking right past her. "I told you that I was going fishing this weekend."

She followed me outside to the garage where my fishing gear was all set up and ready to go. Carlos had told me that there were new poles and equipment stocked in the cabin for me, but it seemed wrong to go fishing without my ancient tackle box. Although, I wouldn't mind trying out the new stuff as well. Grabbing up my gear, I turned and almost plowed into Ellen. She stared angrily at me, hands on her hips.

"What do you want, Ellen? I told you this numerous times in the past month. It's not my fault you don't listen."

"You're going to her house, aren't you?" The woman couldn't even say Stephanie's name, or refer to her without the scathing, icy tone; the main reason why I spent as little time as possible in this house anymore. The overpowering hatred she still held for my youngest child and her family sickened me. I couldn't blame Stephanie at all for staying away from her mother. Hell, Ellen had never met Julian or Sophie, and any time spent with Valerie's girls was growing few and far between. The entire family had had enough of her and she couldn't stand being left out of everything. I mentally shrugged. It was her own damn fault.

I took a step forward, towering over Ellen. She had the sense to back up uncomfortably at my hard stare. "And that is another reason why you haven't met your grandchildren. Another reason why your own children want nothing to do with you. Why I spend as little time as possible in this house. After all these years, after all of us telling you that your behavior and attitude was a problem, after numerous psychiatrists have told you that your behavior and attitude was a problem, you still act like some kind of victim."

"I am a victim!" She shrieked, lowering her voice and glancing nervously at the door to make sure nobody had heard her. "Those children don't even know that I'm alive! That woman has kept my grandchildren from me and I have to hear about it every time I go to the store! It's scandalous!"

"Stephanie is not that woman. She is my daughter. I don't blame her one bit for staying away from you and keeping her children, my grandchildren, away from your toxicity. Those beautiful kids don't need to hear the hateful garbage you spew about their parents. That is Stephanie and Carlos being great parents. They care about their children, unlike you ever did." I pushed past her, lugging my stuff to the car. Ellen ran after me, crocodile tears swimming in her eyes as she wrung her hands. I glared at her as I slammed the back door closed, moving towards the driver's seat. "The only scandalous thing about this whole situation is you, Ellen."

"But what about dinner? I made your favorite!" She wailed, though still quiet enough that the nosy busybodies next door couldn't hear.

"I'll be sharing dinner with Stephanie, Carlos and the kids tonight. And then I will be spending a glorious weekend teaching my grandson how to fish. And you will be here alone, with your damn precious pot roast and your bottle of whiskey. Enjoy your weekend, Ellen." I climbed behind the wheel before she could respond, slamming the door shut and turning on the engine. I could see her hands swinging and her mouth flapping through the windshield, but the trusty Buick blocked her voice. Chuckling, I pulled out of the driveway, leaving the old harpy to throw her tantrum in the yard.

FP*FP*FP*FP*FP*

Three hours later, with my belly full of Elizabeth's phenomenal Chicken Carbonara and a container of Julian's favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in hand, I had our fishing gear and my grandson loaded in the golf cart- yes, a golf cart!- that Carlos had bought so I wouldn't have to carry everything all the way to the cabin. I didn't want to admit it, but I really appreciated the gesture. We waved to Stephanie and Carlos and were on our way, Julian bouncing in his seat in excitement.

I couldn't help but chuckle as Julian told me all about his day. He had helped Elizabeth bake the cookies that morning and then spent a few hours with Stephanie and Sophie at Rangeman while she and Carlos both worked. His uncles had taken him to the gym to "work out" on the child sized gym set that Carlos' men had set up for him. He bragged about his muscles getting bigger like his Daddy's and that someday, he would be even bigger than Tank. I laughed loudly at that. If Julian set his mind to it, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it happen.

"I told my uncles that me and you was having a guy's weekend and that you was gonna teach me how to catch a fishie!" Julian smiled up at me, his big blue eyes an exact replica of Stephanie's.

"You did, huh?" I smiled down at him before turning my attention back to the short cart ride. "I bet they were jealous."

"They were! They said they wanted to go fishing with us, but I told them that it was for Grandpas and Grandsons only. They have to wait for their turn."

His words melted my heart. I hope someday, he would understand just how much this meant to me. "Well we'll have to take them fishing with us sometime, but you're right. This weekend is all about us."

Julian giggled, reaching out and touching my arm. "I love you, Grandpa."

Darn pollen, making my eyes water. I blinked quickly, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "I love you too, Julian."

FP*FP*FP*FP*FP*

It was early morning, the sun just starting to make an appearance over the horizon. I was sitting comfortably on the dock, my line already casted. Julian sat beside me, eyes wide as he watched me bait his hook with the worm.

"Are you sure the fishies want to eat the worms, Grandpa? Maybe they would rather have some of my cookies."

I chuckled. "The fish love worms, son. Just as much as you love your cookies."

He wrinkled his nose but continued to watch my actions closely. Once the hook was baited, I placed the little pole in his hand, keeping my own hand over his.

"Now, this part is important. You want to hold your thumb over this button here but don't push down on it until you're ready to cast the line. Look out at the water where you want your hook to go," I pointed towards a spot a few yards from my own line and Julian eyes followed. He nodded, looking back up at me. "Now, just pull your arm back like this, aim towards the spot you want the line to go and jerk your wrist and push that button at the same time."

With my large hands guiding his small ones, we got his line cast. The pride on his face was spectacular and I swallowed hard. This moment was better than I ever imagined it would be.

"Now what, Grandpa?"

I grinned and handed him a juice box that had been stocked in the cabin refrigerator. "Now we watch those orange bobbers and wait."

FP*FP*FP*FP*FP*

"These are better than the candy canes at Christmas, Grandpa!"

I watched as Julian enjoyed the root beer flavored stick candy that he had picked out of the small assortment I had bought at the penny candy store the day before. Choosing a flavor had taken quite a while for him, since he wasn't as familiar with some of them. I let him sample the horehound candy but he didn't like the black licorice flavor of it, so I enjoyed that one myself. The flavor brought me back to my childhood and a warming sense of déjà vu covered me like a warm blanket. It was a little strange, my memories of my own time with my grandfather merging with this time spent with Julian. It almost felt as if Grandpa were sitting here with us, enjoying the morning and the candy.

"How come Mommy never buys this kind of candy?" Julian asked, his eyes still focused on the bobber in the water with the candy stick in his mouth.

"Mommy's favorite candy is chocolate, so that might be why. This kind is harder to find. It was the kind of candy I ate when I was your age."

His eyes met mine, wide with wonder. "This is your favorite candy, Grandpa?"

I nodded. "I've always loved horehound candy and black licorice. You'd probably like red licorice. It's sweeter than this."

"Can we get some red licorice sometime? Just you and me?"

"I think we could do that. I'll take you to the shop I got this at. They've got a lot of stuff from when I was little."

FP*FP*FP*FP*FP*

"Grandpa! Grandpa! The orange thingie just went underwater!"

I reached out and grabbed Julian's fishing pole, jerking the line back slightly before placing it in his hands, mine covering his. "Okay, buddy. Start reeling it in. Just spin this handle in circles, but not too fast."

He followed my directions, going between bouncing in excitement and focusing intently on the bobber that was slicing through the water towards us. He shrieked with joy when a little bluegill popped above the surface.

"A fishie! Grandpa, I caught a fishie!"

I smiled so big my face actually hurt a little bit. "You did! I'm so proud of you!"

Once the fish was on the dock, I snapped a picture of Julian with his catch on my cell phone to send to Stephanie and Carlos later. I took the hook out of the fish's mouth and held it up. "Very good for your first catch, Julian."

My grandson beamed with pride, giggling as the fish squirmed in my hands. He reached out and touched it with the tip of his finger, pulling back quickly. "Do you think if we put it back in the water, he'll let me catch him again?"

I chuckled. "Maybe. Do you want to put him back in or do you want me to do it."

"You do it!"

He watched as I released the fish back into the lake before looking back at me. "This is my favorite day ever!"

It was mine too.

FP*FP*FP*FP*FP*

The little campfire crackled merrily as I leaned back in the oversized Adirondack chair, Julian half asleep on my lap. We had brought our gear back to the cabin and I showed Julian how to start a safe campfire, but stressed that he was not allowed to do it until he grew up. Elizabeth had stocked the refrigerator with camping fare, so we roasted hot dogs over the fire and made s'mores. The boy ate like his mother and I loved seeing parts of her in the things he did. His excitement, his adventuresome outlook, his food preferences, his loving heart- all Stephanie. It did this old man proud to see.

Being out here, I can't help but think of the offer Stephanie and Carlos made to me a few times over the past couple of years. I knew I was welcome here anytime, but I never put a whole lot of thought into moving out here permanently. We were still in Trenton but it felt like the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature and quiet. Out here, the stress of life just melts away. There's no gossip, no bitching, no Burg and no Ellen with her icy stares and poison tongue. She could have the house. This cabin was all I needed.

Something to think about.

So yeah, it's been a LOOOOONG time since I've written anything and it feels so good to post something again. I figured, Hell, why not add on to this story. It could go on forever, I'm telling you!