A Different Reality (Lasting Love)

Grandparents Day

John's POV

"Sherry, they're awake." I groan rolling over in bed to wake her. Kayleigh is trying to open our door and Ben is in their room crying.

"Sherry!" I yell when I don't feel her. She doesn't reply so I'm forced to get up.

"Hi, papa!" Kay yells way too excitedly for the morning. I pick her up and carry her over to where Ben is now screaming. Sherry is standing in front of the changing table changing him, which apparently is pissing him off.

"Zoo?" Ben asks after we get downstairs.

"Yeah."  Sherry picks him up "You get to see lots of animals!  Even the elephants you like!" He jumps around in her arms excitedly.

"What about you, Kay?  Are you excited to go see all the animals?" She asks.  Kay nods her head jumping up and down.

"I wuv aminls!" She says "Monkeys!"

"There's going to be lots of monkey's there."  I tell her "Maybe we can throw you in the cage with them and you can act like one."

"No, papa!" She says quickly "I not monkey."

"Don't worry, honey.  I won't let him do that to you."  Sherry puts her at the table and Ben in the high chair.  They sit there talking for a while and we make them breakfast.

We all finish our breakfast, the kids eating theirs in seconds, and get ready to leave.  Sherry gets Kayleigh ready while I get Bentley.  Just as we get in the car, Jen calls.  Sherry puts the phone on speaker so the kids can talk.

"Hi, mommy!"  Kay yells.

"Hey, baby.  Are you being good for grandma and papa?"

"Yeah!" Ben yells just trying to get a word in.

"What are you doing now?"

"We going zoo!  We see aminals." Kay tells her excitedly.  Sherry and I laugh at her.

"Mommy."  Ben says "Elpant!"

"You're gonna see the elephants??" Jen asks rhetorically.

"Yeah."  He replies.  Kay talks to her a little more and then Sherry before they hang up.

"We there now?"  Kay asks as I pull into the parking lot. 

"We are!"  Sherry gets her excited "Let's help get Ben's stroller ready."

I get Ben's stroller set up then give it to Sherry while I go to get our tickets.  She stays with the kids trying to keep them entertained.

Sherry's POV:

"Grandma where monkey?" Kay asks.

I lean down to her level, picking her up so she can see better "I think they're all the way over there."  She squints her eyes looking out to find them.  Ben yells something from the stroller, so I move him a little letting him see the different fake animal decorations.

John comes back a few minutes later with our tickets and some things for the kids.  They each get a funny hat that they can wear.  Kayleigh grabs the monkey one right away saying she's never taking it off, and Ben plays with the elephant one more than he wears it.

"Let's go see the animals now."  I start walking towards the entrance pushing the stroller.  Kay jumps around next to us way too excited to be here.

"Look, guys there's lions!"  John stops walking and lifts Ben out of the stroller so he can see.  I hold Kay up next to him.

"It iceam!"  Kay yells comparing them to her kitten.

"Yeah, honey they are like ice cream, just a lot bigger." I point out the baby lions "Those look even more like ice cream."

"Cat!"  Ben yells letting us know that he sees it too.  He points out a few different things then tells us he wants to see the "epant".

We walk around until we find where the elephants are.  Ben starts freaking out and we let him look at them up close. 

"Epant!"  He yells over and over again trying to get them to come closer.  One does, and it's trunk gets too close to Ben and ends up scaring him.  John quickly moves him away once he starts crying.

"No epant."  He cries in my arms as I carry him.  I hand him some snacks and he magically becomes happy again.

"My turn!"  Kay announces leading us towards where she thinks the monkeys are. 

I walk up to them with her while John stays back with Ben.  She practically runs in front of me because she's so excited to see them and show off her hat.  She gets as close to the railing as she can without falling over.

"It waving!"  She looks at me and her eyes light up.  The monkey is moving it's arm around like crazy.

"Stand here so I can get a picture of you for mommy and daddy." I set her down in front of the monkeys.  She smiles for me and we stay for a few minutes before it's time to go home.

We pull up Jen and Justin's drive way an hour later and both kids are fast asleep.  As soon as we open their doors, they wake up, excited to tell them everything about today.  They run right up to the door trying to open it.

"Go find mommy and daddy!"  I open it for them and they run in.  They find them in the living room where they're watching TV.

"Hey, guys!"  Justin picks them both up right away "Did you have fun with grandma and papa?"

"Yeah!"  They both reply before telling him all about their day.  John joins them while Jen helps with bringing their bags inside.

"Thanks again for taking them.  They definitely had lots of fun." She hugs me once we're done "I just wish we were there to see it."

"You're welcome.  We love taking them places." I smile watching John and Justin play with the kids "Are you feeling better yet?"

"Yeah, a little." She sighs "I feel so much worse this time though.  Huge and sick.  And super tired."

"Well, at least you only have 6 more months of it."  I joke trying to make her laugh "Seriously though, you know it's all worth it.  Even if it takes forever."

"It really is."  She smiles.