I love watching Winston teach Emmy things. He’s so patient and calm. So…fatherly. I love to see it. So does she. The way she looks at him sometimes makes tears threaten to fall. There’s so much admiration and love in her eyes. Maybe my life would have been different if I had someone to look at that way.
I thought we had gotten through the I-want-a-dog phase, but I was wrong. She reminded me we said she could have anything she wanted for her birthday, and what she really desired was a puppy.
I know exactly how this will go, and I will not fall for that trick. We’ll get the puppy, and she’ll love it for a month, taking care of it like she should, but after the new puppy smell wears off, I will be the one cleaning up poop all over the house. Nope. Not me!
Naturally, she was not happy with my response. Winston isn’t too keen on the dog thing either, but he made a rookie mistake. He stopped what he was doing to look back and see her reaction. I knew I was done for when she turned to him, demanding he take her side with those beautifully persuasive eyes.
He is powerless against her woeful gazes and pouty lips. His eyes bounced hesitantly between her and me. Then, he yielded, saying we needed to keep an open mind, and this could be a good way to learn responsibility.
Hmph. Here we go again. Two against one for the rest of my life. I know I’m right, but I don’t enjoy always being the bad guy. I told her we would think about it, but she needed to promise to feed it, walk it, bath it, brush it, and whatever else it needed because it would be her pet, not ours. She promised to do all the things and said we wouldn’t need to worry about a thing.
I said we would think about it and would let her know, but she gave me the side eye as if she knew I’d already made my decision. Hmph. I should wait a few days and tell her no, just to wipe that smirk off of her face.
