XO’s wife, Jenna, and her son, Drake. He’s my friend who had the off the chain birthday party yesterday.”
Drake giggled as Gracie wished him a happy birthday and greeted Jenna.
Drake pulled a model car from under his arm to show Sonny. It was obviously a very simple snap-together model for very young children. “Look, Sonny! I already finished it.”
“Wow! You must have stayed up all night to get it done,” Sonny exclaimed, as he took it from the boy and studied it carefully, then handed it back.
Drake giggled again. “No-o-o . . . Mommy wouldn’t let me do that . I had to rest up for my game.”
“Well then, I guess you’re just a genius model builder.” He ruffled Drake’s sweat- tousled hair. “Hey, Mom, see that bag over there beside the door? That’s a model I bought to do myself, but I think I need to have this highly gifted engineer do it for me.”
Drake ran over to pull a box out of the toy store bag. “Wow! Can I, Mommy?”
Jenna shook her head at Sonny. “Sure, honey. You build it for Sonny and we’ll bring it back to him when you’re finished.”
“No, you need to keep it at your house, so I have one to play with next time I come over,” Sonny said.
Jenna looked tenderly at Sonny, and Gracie could tell this was family. She felt a little uncomfortable, as if she were an intruder.
Jenna said with a smile, “Well, I was going to ask if you needed anything, but I can see everything is under control here. It’s nice to meet you , Gracie.”
“Nice to meet you too, Jenna. And Drake, good job on the car!”
“Thank you,” the little boy said politely.
“Come on, Drake . . . we have to go. Let’s let Sonny get some rest now.”
“No! Maybe Sonny can help with the model,” Drake wheedled.
“No, honey . . . we have to go pick up Mikey and the baby from Grandma’s. We’re already running late and Grandma has bingo tonight.” She rolled her eyes at Sonny and Gracie.
“Okay.” Drake dragged his feet toward the door.
Sonny called out, “Maybe my knee will be better next week and I can come to your game. Okay?”
That perked the little boy up. “Okay!”
Jenna walked over and brushed her lips across his cheek. “Thanks, Sonny,” she said softly.
Sonny looked into her eyes and answered , just as softly, “I know it’s not the same.”
“ It means a lot, though.” She straightened up, winked at Gracie and followed Drake toward the door. “You know you can call if you need anything, Sonny.”
He laughed. “I know. But I won’t have to call, because you and the others are just going to show up anyway.”
“This is true,” Jenna replied as she shut the door behind her.
“Wow. That’s your family, huh?” Gracie asked.
He smiled tenderly. “Yeah. For someone with no family, I sure have a big family. They’ve all been great.”
“I think they’d say you’ve been great to them too.” She twisted around, turning toward him as the curiosity got the best of her. “So ‘Sonny,’ huh? Who’s Sonny?”
“’Sonny’ is Luca Ionescu’s SEAL nickname,” he laughed.
“And why ‘Sonny’?” she asked.
“Well . . . that’s not really important . . .”
“Oh no,” she laughed. “You can’t get away with that. Why ‘Sonny’?”
“I can’t really recall. I got it so long ago . . . way back during BUD/S.” He tried to look baffled, but he could tell she wasn’t buying it.
“Yeah, and that’s been what? Three or four years ago?” she prodded.
“Almost five.”
“Well, that’s a lifetime!” she joked. “Come on. Spill it. You know you want to get it off your chest. It’ll be like therapy.”
“Okay, fine. When I got to BUD/S all the guys thought I looked too young. They said I was a pretty boy, like I should just ring out and join some boy band or something. Which is totally not true. Apparently the nickname ‘Junior’ was taken and I ended up with ‘Sonny.’ After about a week, I just quit fighting it. I’ve been Sonny ever
Drake giggled as Gracie wished him a happy birthday and greeted Jenna.
Drake pulled a model car from under his arm to show Sonny. It was obviously a very simple snap-together model for very young children. “Look, Sonny! I already finished it.”
“Wow! You must have stayed up all night to get it done,” Sonny exclaimed, as he took it from the boy and studied it carefully, then handed it back.
Drake giggled again. “No-o-o . . . Mommy wouldn’t let me do that . I had to rest up for my game.”
“Well then, I guess you’re just a genius model builder.” He ruffled Drake’s sweat- tousled hair. “Hey, Mom, see that bag over there beside the door? That’s a model I bought to do myself, but I think I need to have this highly gifted engineer do it for me.”
Drake ran over to pull a box out of the toy store bag. “Wow! Can I, Mommy?”
Jenna shook her head at Sonny. “Sure, honey. You build it for Sonny and we’ll bring it back to him when you’re finished.”
“No, you need to keep it at your house, so I have one to play with next time I come over,” Sonny said.
Jenna looked tenderly at Sonny, and Gracie could tell this was family. She felt a little uncomfortable, as if she were an intruder.
Jenna said with a smile, “Well, I was going to ask if you needed anything, but I can see everything is under control here. It’s nice to meet you , Gracie.”
“Nice to meet you too, Jenna. And Drake, good job on the car!”
“Thank you,” the little boy said politely.
“Come on, Drake . . . we have to go. Let’s let Sonny get some rest now.”
“No! Maybe Sonny can help with the model,” Drake wheedled.
“No, honey . . . we have to go pick up Mikey and the baby from Grandma’s. We’re already running late and Grandma has bingo tonight.” She rolled her eyes at Sonny and Gracie.
“Okay.” Drake dragged his feet toward the door.
Sonny called out, “Maybe my knee will be better next week and I can come to your game. Okay?”
That perked the little boy up. “Okay!”
Jenna walked over and brushed her lips across his cheek. “Thanks, Sonny,” she said softly.
Sonny looked into her eyes and answered , just as softly, “I know it’s not the same.”
“ It means a lot, though.” She straightened up, winked at Gracie and followed Drake toward the door. “You know you can call if you need anything, Sonny.”
He laughed. “I know. But I won’t have to call, because you and the others are just going to show up anyway.”
“This is true,” Jenna replied as she shut the door behind her.
“Wow. That’s your family, huh?” Gracie asked.
He smiled tenderly. “Yeah. For someone with no family, I sure have a big family. They’ve all been great.”
“I think they’d say you’ve been great to them too.” She twisted around, turning toward him as the curiosity got the best of her. “So ‘Sonny,’ huh? Who’s Sonny?”
“’Sonny’ is Luca Ionescu’s SEAL nickname,” he laughed.
“And why ‘Sonny’?” she asked.
“Well . . . that’s not really important . . .”
“Oh no,” she laughed. “You can’t get away with that. Why ‘Sonny’?”
“I can’t really recall. I got it so long ago . . . way back during BUD/S.” He tried to look baffled, but he could tell she wasn’t buying it.
“Yeah, and that’s been what? Three or four years ago?” she prodded.
“Almost five.”
“Well, that’s a lifetime!” she joked. “Come on. Spill it. You know you want to get it off your chest. It’ll be like therapy.”
“Okay, fine. When I got to BUD/S all the guys thought I looked too young. They said I was a pretty boy, like I should just ring out and join some boy band or something. Which is totally not true. Apparently the nickname ‘Junior’ was taken and I ended up with ‘Sonny.’ After about a week, I just quit fighting it. I’ve been Sonny ever
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