Chapter 95 - Jovial

I had entered the den with her father and noticed another older man sitting as well. It must be her maternal grandfather. I remember them coming as a point of conversation when I dropped off Celeste.

He was a tall man who seemed very athletic. His aura was that of a military man. He commanded power in the space he was in. Though looking at his face closely I can see some familial resemblance. In particular his eyes. Celeste had the same eyes when she was in her stoic state though his were fiercer. 

He glanced up at me at first disinterested but then very interested. "Beau this is Dean Cortez he is the son of a longtime family acquaintance. Dean this is Beau May, he is my wife's father." He got up gingerly and gave me a firm handshake. I could tell he wanted to see if he could rattle me but my father gave off similar vibes, so I was used to the pressure. "Call me General May."

He gave me an odd look before grunting in response and sitting down again drinking some beer. I did not take it to heart, he seemed like a very stoic guy.

The den was actually pretty cool, the TV was a huge screen which was super clear and in high quality. Lots of baseball memorabilia hung around the walls in addition to other games. On the side table there was lots of food which seemed a bit much for three people but I was a good eater so I hoped to help not leave a lot of leftovers. 

"He played as the star pitcher and batter in highschool." I served myself some food and grabbed a beer before taking a seat." I smiled in response. "Well I don't know about star but I did play those positions a lot." 

Her grandfather glanced over at me for a second before suddenly loudly proclaiming "At ease!" It was like I was back in college. The instructors were fierce and it was like you were actually in the military. Though I stayed seated my back automatically straightened up and my hands came down to my sides keeping perfectly straight. 

My face became devoid of any emotion. However he suddenly laughed hard which eased me out of the stiff stance I was in. "Oh I knew it! Boy it was as if I could smell it off you. You have the same build that a military brat should have. I could also feel it in the way you shook my hand. Did you serve? What branch and rank?"

It took me a second to recover but I laughed it off as well. "Sorry to disappoint I did not formally serve but I went to a boarding school for college. Specifically it was a Marine Academy. So aside from my education, where I majored in business administration with a minor in economics, I also underwent training for the marine base. "

I thought he would be more disappointed but he still seemed very happy. "Was it the GP Marine Academy?" I was surprised he knew the same, while prestigious it was not a household name. "Yeah it was." He slapped my back and gave me a toothy grin. It was then that he strongly resembled Celeste, the joy their faces held when happy was prominent and their cheeks got rosy from glee. 

"My family has attended military universities for years! I have a few family members who have attended there before. It is not easy to graduate but look at you. I must say I am very impressed. You said your name was Dean, call me Grandpa Beau." He re-shook my hand but it felt more friendly. 

"Ah thank you and will do." Well I'll be damned I was so angry that my dad sent me there but it worked out in my favor all these years later. Who knew that Celestes family had ties to the military. Suddenly those years did not feel as rough as it was.

The tension was instantly gone and the three of us enjoyed the game and each others company. He asked me various questions about my personal life as well as my opinion of the game. Overall it was enjoyable and he seemed to like me more and more. Maybe he was a bit tipsy but Celestes grandpa was very jovial with me.

I thought Celestes dad would get miffed but he too also asked me questions and was engaged in my answers. I learned quite a bit about both men in return. During commercial breaks Grandpa Beau would show me photos on his phone from when he served as well as his family members who served.

Suddenly a picture came up of a cute little red head who was hugging her grandfather fiercely. "Oh this here is my ladybug. She was such a cutie as a kid. Huh Enzo, I must say though she doesn't resemble my daughter a lot that hair you gave her made up for it."

"Ladybug? You mean Celeste?" Though I have known Celeste for a longtime we did not meet until elementary school, here in the photo she looked to have been a toddler. Celestes father leaned over and smiled fondly at the photo. "I think you give me too much credit she looks more like my wife than me, I just gave her the hair."

The two men laughed loudly as they clinked their beer bottles together and got back to the game. The table of food shrunk down just in time as before long the game ended and our team won. I felt full and but not sleepy. "This was fun I know you work kid so lets plan for another round maybe next month. We can text about the results of the games between then."

I stretched as I got up. "Yeah of course feel free to text me whenever. Thank you for inviting me." We all got up and out as both father and grandfather walked me out to go home. "I have been meaning to ask earlier but I am surprised you have time to hang out with old geezers like us, don't you young folk have girlfriends or parties to go to?" Celestes grandfather questioned me a bit as we walked towards the entrance of the house. 

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck. I did not really want to mess up my image, also I did plan on changing some of my bad habits. "Ahh well I am a bit older so I have been phasing out of that lifestyle. As for a girlfriend no I am currently single." 

He seemed a bit perplexed about that but suddenly leaned in and said in a low voice. "Well why don't you go out with my ladybug, she is currently single right now."