Two of a Kind

Ella meets her family

She went after her father excitedly. She would get to know his colleagues as well as his boss - her mother's foster father and, accordingly, her grandfather. Of course, Jake again warned her by SMS that she should neither call him grandfather nor hug him. Jake doesn't have that much to do with his father's boss. Jake also wrote that he got on very well with Kevin.

"Tell me are you nervous?" Jay grinned and saw the insecurity of his child. The boy nervously played with his hands, wriggling from one leg to the other.

"No, not really!" Ella said. Jay nodded cautiously and led his son into the bullpen.

"Yeah, Jake! There you are, bro!" Kevin rejoiced and held out his hand. It took Ella a moment to realise that he want a high five.

"What's wrong with you?" Kevin asked stunned. Jake has never given a high five so gently and hesitantly.

"High Fives is for babies," Ella answered.

"Okay. I see. You're no longer a baby," said Kevin. Ella watched an older man who came out of a door and leaned against the door frame. Through telling her mother, she knew immediately who this man was, but she followed Jake's advice and ignored the man. But she was sure that he was watching her sternly.

"Do I have to stay here all the time now?" Ella asked. Her father picked her up from school, although in the morning she said that she could take the subway. Somehow her father was not convinced of the idea and emphasized that he would always take the time to drive his son anywhere or to pick him up. Something Ella was not used to from her mother. Since she was 8 years old, she went to school and home alone in New York. At that moment, she even felt a little bad. Her brother probably didn't know how the subway system worked.

"Jake, you know how it works. Go to the break room and do your homework."

Ella nodded and holed up in the room. She was done with her tasks in a relatively short amount of time, but she doubted that Jake would have done the tasks in half an hour. Apparently he was really a school muffle. Hopefully he didn't ruin her grades too much.

"Jay?" Ella asked, "Can I please go home? I can take the subway."

"You know the game, buddy. You stay here," said Jay, "It's not for long either. Mrs. Taylor will be back from vacation next week and can take care of you."

"Do you really think I'm causing so much chaos that I need a babysitter?" Ella asked, perplexed. She really wondered what her brother always did. After all, the teachers are very impressed with the new Jake.

"You torched the kitchen!" back then, a year ago, Jake put him in a very embarrassing position. The kitchen burned down, the 51 was about to extinguish, and Jay was allowed to hear some preaching of Chief Boden.

"Um, yes... but you also have to give me the chance to prove myself anew. I've improved, honestly! The summer camp was like a boot camp and worked wonders," Ella stammered.

"Jay, give your son another chance!" Hailey said and Jay nodded.

Ella grinned and as soon as she got home to call her father that she had arrived safely, she unpacked the groceries and prepared dinner - Ratatouille.

When Jay came home and smelled delicious food, he leaned against the wall and watched his son cooking in amazement.

"Since when have you been able to cook without the fire department?" Jay wondered.

"I attended a cooking class in the summer camp," Ella stammered.

"If the food tastes as good as it smells, you can cook every day from now on," grinned Jay, grunting the pot. However, his grin passed quickly. "Since when do you eat vegetables?" He asked curiously.

"You sent me to a summer camp. Did you seriously think there was fast food every day?"

"But there is still meat right?"

"Um, the best thing for you to do is sit down," said Ella, "I have to tell you something!"

He followed his son's request and looked at him promptly.

"I've become a vegetarian. I don't eat meat anymore."

"What?" Jay asked irritably.

"We saw an animal documentary and I'm so sorry for all the animals," said Ella.

"I really don't know if I should find the summer camp good or bad,"

"But you're not angry with me now are you?"

"No, not at all, buddy. I think it's good that you can make such decisions on your own. And you can be vegetarian, but you don't have to educate me vegetarian right?"

"Don't worry Jay. You can do something else for yourself," said Ella. At the same time, her smartphone beeped and an SMS from her brother appeared on the display.

Jake: help! Is there really a vegetable pan every day? I hate zucchini like the plague! And there are tofu sausages! Disgusting!

Ella laughed. She was so excited to get to know her dad that she forgot to tell her brother that she was a vegetarian and that her mom fully supported it.

Ella: Oops! I forget! I am a vegetarian... By the way, Jake too! *Laughing Smiley*

Jake: Woe! Jay can't let you! *Shock Smiley*

Ella: Dad thinks it's great that you can make such decisions on your own.

Jake:...

Ella just shook her head laughing and didn't notice that Jay was looking at her.

"What is there to laugh about?" He asked curiously.

"A friend from the camp wrote to me," she said.

"No matter when you talk, you only mention the camp," grinned Jay.