Cassian Andor (rebelspy) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2017-09-30 22:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, r * chel, r * laura, r: diego rojas, r: grace rojas |
Who: Diego & Grace Rojas
When: backdated to... the first day of school!
Where: Dunhaven Elementary
What: They drop their daughter off for her first day, and Diego almost cries.
Warnings: They are Disney, okay. ;)
He was not ready for this. Diego had known this day was coming, of course. He’d been there for Finn’s first day of high school, and he fully planned to be there to drop Finn off at college, wherever he ended up going. That hadn’t really prepared him for getting Molly ready for her first day, though. He thought it would help, to have some experience under his belt, but the emotion he experienced dropping Finn off didn’t have anything on this. Maybe that was because Finn was older and had been through it before himself. Was it that Molly was his first born? Diego hadn’t wanted to think that would make a difference, but did it? That made him feel worse. He loved all of his children -- Finn included, even if Finn wasn’t legally or biologically his. But maybe there was something to be said for a first that he was experiencing alongside his baby girl. It’d probably be easier with Hannah. Come on, Diego. You can do this. He took a deep, shaky breath and grabbed Molly’s backpack. “We ready?” Hannah spoke up with a little yawp when Grace began unbuckling Molly from her seat. She gave her daughter’s braid a little tug and helped her out of their Jeep. Behind her, she knew that Diego was processing this moment and dealing with every second of it, trying to memorize all details -- the morning sun filtering through the maple leaves, the bluest blue promising an Indian Summer, and their daughter’s bright and excited eyes. Grace couldn’t help herself from wrapping her daughter up in her arms. She squeezed tightly and then stepped back to hand her daughter her lunch box. “We’ll be back to pick you up at 3:00 PM, Molls. Have fun.” Did she have to go? Diego wanted to ask. How was Grace such a pro at this? How was she so calm? He swallowed and tried to hold back whatever emotions were bubbling at the surface -- pride, sadness, a mix of both. He could do this. He passed Molly’s backpack off to her, bending down to make sure it was secure on her shoulders. She’d grown up in the blink of an eye, and she wasn’t his baby anymore. She hadn’t been in a couple years, truthfully, but it was very obvious now. “You be good, and remember you have to tell me everything when you get home.” Grace smiled, snaking her arm along the small of Diego’s back as Molly ran gainfully up the stairs and tore her way into the school. The girl had not one ounce of fear. She suspected her teacher would know her - and know her - well by half-way through the day. Her fingertips pressed into his hip. “Good job, Dad.” He hadn’t realized that he’d been holding his breath as he watched his daughter walk -- no, run -- away from them until he felt the gentle pressure of his wife’s hands on his hip. He looked down at Grace and offered her a small smile. “You mean for not crying?” Diego asked. “Yeah, I’m proud of myself too.” He glanced back towards the doors to Molly’s school one more time. How they’d created such a brave little girl, he didn’t think he’d ever know. She was the best of both of them. Well, the best of her mother, mostly, as far as Diego was concerned. “You let her go. She’s learning how to be a person.” The first time this happened with Finn, she remembered going home and weeping for hours. Now, with Molly, she felt herself relaxing. The girl was so self-possessed and sure of who she was (even at this age) that she thought there was nothing that could shake her out of it. She paused, pressing her lips to his cheek. “You also didn’t cry. All good things, Dad.” Learning how to be a person. Diego played that over in his mind. Learning how to be a person without them. He knew that was what was supposed to happen, and that if they did this whole raising kids thing right, she’d be out their door one day ready to take on the world on her own, but did it have to hurt so damn much? He turned to drop a kiss on her forehead. “You should’ve seen me on my first day of school. All tears. She must take after you.” “If you want to cry now, I promise not to tell anybody.” Grace smiled, gently extricating herself from her husband’s grasp. Their daughter was up the stairs and in her classroom, not another thought of them in her head. Until, of course, the bell sounded and it was time for home. “You let her know she’ll be safe, then have the PB&J waiting in the shape of a dinosaur when she’s home. That’s how I didn’t cry. Plus, I wanted to be like all the big kids.” A part of him still wanted to. A very large part, if he was honest. Ultimately, it was the public aspect of the drop-off that made him hold back. She was already in the school, so it would be even more embarrassing now than it would have been before. Grace had a point, though. If he was emotional and frazzled about it, their girl would’ve been too. The best thing for her was for them to act like everything was going to be okay, because it was. “You’re amazing, you know that? C’mon, let’s get this other little stinker home. Unless you have time to stop for coffee?” This was going to be a big change for little Hannah, too. She deserved a special outing so she didn’t feel like everyone was abandoning her. “Let’s stop for coffee -- and we can get Hannah a donut,” she said. She had time before her shift and these days, though Grace displayed that certain kind of strength, she too understood herself well enough to know that she wanted a bit of extra time with her family. “Ohh, lucky girl.” Diego glanced at their youngest, entertaining herself in her car seat. “Bet she knows it, too.” He stepped over to the passenger side door to open it for Grace. “It gets easier, right? All of this?” That was what he’d been told, at least, but Diego doubted it. He hadn’t been a dad for too long, but he had a sinking feeling that he’d always feel a little bit empty every time one of their three kids walked away from them. “It’s never easier,” she told him, letting her hand linger on his shoulder before she stepped down into the car. Behind her, Hannah gave a good natured screech. Mama. At least that’s what it vaguely sounded like. No, it was never easier leaving your child and living life with them while they were yet beyond you, too. “You just process it differently.” While Diego was getting settled, she fiddled with the radio dial until she found a station she liked. The speakers crackled softly with the sounds of Fleetwood Mac. She grinned over at Diego and began to sing out of key -- “Thunder only happens when it’s raining. Players only love you when they’re playin’!” “Oh, is that how it is?” Diego chuckled and chimed in with the next few lines, “say, women, they will come and they will go, when the rain washes you clean, you’ll know…” and in the back seat, Hannah clapped along. “Your voice is prettier than mine, mi amor,” he said, reaching over to take Grace’s hand as they drove away from the school. Grace pulled his hand into her lap, resting the both of them over her knee as she sang “Oh, oh, oh, you’ll know!” Diego’s sweet line, however, made her turn and shake her head at their daughter. “Hannah, Daddy must be tone deaf. Mommy can’t sing a lick but he’s going to get very lucky for being so sweet all the time. Mommy thinks it’s probably a tactic.” She turned back to Diego. “It’s a very effective tactic.” Diego really wanted to play innocent, but he knew he couldn’t pull it off, at least not this time. “It’s a tactic,” he admitted, waggling his eyebrows at Grace. “You know me well. I’m very lucky you’re not offended.” He was very lucky, and he knew it. He didn’t plan on forgetting that. “The tactic’s how we ended up with,” he nodded his head towards the backseat, glad that Hannah was too young to understand most of what he was saying, “two babies. My smooth moves." He would have made a joke about three, but he was pretty sure that making the joke at all would guarantee that another one never happened. He was happy, anyway. Between the girls and Finn, Diego really couldn't imagine a more perfect family. |