“I haven’t even brushed my hair,” she said when she realized what I’d done. She put her hand up to her head in shock.
“You don’t have to worry about that with me. I think you’re beautiful no matter how awful you look.” I’d meant it as a compliment, but Marilyn’s confused expression made me realize what I’d actually said.
“So, I look awful? She got out of bed and went to her ensuite bathroom. What she didn’t know was that her nightgown had ridden up, exposing one of her buttcheeks. It brought out a reaction in me instantly, so I decided to leave her alone to eat her breakfast.
Once I was downstairs, I took a deep breath in and held it. I had to get out of here, or I might go back up to her bedroom and ravish her. I went outside and brought in the garbage can and recycling bin.
“Are you two an item?” a voice from behind me said.
I turned around to see old man Hubbard in his robe, morning paper in his hand.
“Good morning, Mr. Hubbard. No, we’re just friends. She’s under the weather, so I’m helping her out,” I explained.
“Don’t kid yourself. A man doesn’t do what you’re doing for a female friend unless he thinks something real can come from it. Good luck, son,” he said as he turned and hobbled back to his front door.
I stood there for a moment, thinking about what he’d said.Is that what I’m doing?I knew it was but didn’t want to admit it to myself. I was waiting for her to realize she wanted to be with me and using this as a tool to insinuate myself into her mind and heart on a daily basis.Well, I damn well hope it’s working!She was being nicer to me every day, so there was that.
Keith drove up and parked on the street in front of my house. Faith opened the passenger door and ran over to me. “Uncle Chris, look what I’ve got!” As she came closer, I saw it was a Barbie doll. I laughed and took it out of her outstretched hand, inspecting it. This one appeared to be wearing a ski outfit with mittens and a tuque. There were skis, ski boots, and poles as accessories. I handed it back to her. “That’s really cool, Faith.”
“I wanna ski,” she said, grinning, as she jumped up into my arms. I walked her back over to my place, and Keith followed me into the kitchen.
I fixed a plate for her. Pouched eggs as eyes, a piece of toast I cut into a triangle for the nose, and bacon as the mouth. I squeezed ketchup around as hair. She let out a delighted “whoop” when she saw it. It made my heart smile. I couldn’t wait to have children someday. I was hoping my first child was with Marilyn right now.
“Has she ever seen snow?” I asked my brother as he sat down at the kitchen table to help his daughter eat.
“Just on TV. Never mind, I’ve never even seen snow in real life. You went to Vermont on a ski trip, didn’t you?”
“I’ve been quite a few times, actually. My ex-girlfriend had a cottage there, so we’d go several times a season. It’s cold and chills you right through to the bones, but it’s beautiful. Breathtaking actually. And it can be a lot of fun. We’ll have to take a trip there sometime so both of you can experience it,” I told him.
“Sounds amazing and strange at the same time.”
“Have you heard from Layla’s lawyer?” I asked as I put a plate in front of him.
“Hey! Where’s my fun food face?” Keith said, pouting.
Faith laughed. “You don’t get one, Daddy. You have to be good to get a food face from Uncle Chris.”
“Wow. She’s getting really good at talking,” I commented, sitting down myself with a plate.
“Well, sheisfemale. They are born with the gift of gab, I believe,” Keith said.
“I have to agree with you on that one,” I said.
“Yes, she called and left a message that she’s going to her lawyer, and she’s going to suck the life out of me and take our child and live somewhere far away. She can’t do that, can she?” The anguished look on his face was so sad.
“Of course, she can’t. You have full custody right now. The court gave that to you when she ran off to be a druggie and alcoholic. At best, she can expect to have limited supervised visits with Faith. Stop worrying, and whatever you do, don’t delete that voicemail. Actually, play it on speakerphone for me and I’ll record it and send it to you. She’s threatening to kidnap Faith or threatening to take her far away when she’s visiting her. That will serve as proof in court that she cannot be trusted and shouldn’t have any custody of the child,” I explained.
The deep worry lines on his brow faded when his expression softened. “I’m trying not to worry, but I’m scared she’s going to take Faith away from me somehow. When I fell in love with her, I never thought a day would come that I’d be afraid of her.”
I put my hand on his back. “I know but stay strong. She’s trying to use your weakness against you.”
“My weakness?”
“Admit it. You still love her on some level. Your weakness is your lack of knowledge on all of this. She’s assuming you’ll just believe whatever she tells you. Make sure you research everything she says. Don’t just automatically believe her,” I warned him.
“When do you think we can talk to Marilyn and see if she’ll take my case?” Keith asked.
“I think we should wait until after her week at home. Give her a few days to get into the office and get organized, then we’ll ask her together, okay?” I didn’t want to put too much stress on her.