Sauteed peppers and onions lured me out of my sleep. My arm flopped carelessly to the other side of the bed, landing on the blanket instead of my wife’s body. She rarely got up early, but she was downstairs preparing breakfast for us. I must have been in that good good sleep when she got up because I never felt her leave. I thought about lingering in bed a little while longer since breakfast was no longer on my list, but I wanted to see Desiree before she left. She and Sophia were eating together at the island, so I sat alone at the dining table. I loved watching them get closer, but it would have been nice for all three of us to dine together on the first morning back in our house. True, we had nowhere else to eat in its former state, but the dining table had become a strong symbol of togetherness in our family. Oh well. Change is always afoot, right?
Sophia forgot to take the day off, so she left me alone to put our house back together. It was all good, though. Having more to do meant I could stay busy longer. I tried to get started after she left, but Kooper was oddly rambunctious. Honestly, he reminded me of Rosie, barking at me like he was fussing and running around like a crazy dog. I took him for a jog so he could spend that energy. Even though I loved Gilbert Gardens with all my heart, I was so happy to be back in Hopewell Hills, my home. That neighborhood held so many memories, especially when I passed by Dad’s house. When we moved in, I was a silly boy, scared of the world and all the women in it, ha! But I left there a man. So glad my dad lived long enough to see my life turn around.
I spent the rest of the day framing and hanging family pictures and was so grateful Mama left me all her most treasured photos. Seeing her as a child and my grandparents in their youth was so special. Those pictures were all I had of my grandfather, and I hoped learning about Gammy would give me insight into him as well. I carried his name, but that was all I had from him.
Desi came home, raving about camp and all the fun she had. It turned out I had the completely wrong picture of what this camp would be. When she told us about it, I imagined them playing “yard sports” like basketball and soccer all day. But she said they had learned the basics of snowboarding and rock climbing. Sounds like those folks were trying to turn my child into a professional extreme sports athlete! Not mad at all. They also did yoga, and my baby was the best one in the class. #prouddad
She went on and on late into the night, making me realize how little time we had with her. Camp went from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The next week, she’d be back in school. And then it’ll be her birthday again. If we kept waiting for the perfect time to talk to her about woohoo, we’d never do it. I risked repeating my last mistake, but something in my daughter’s eyes told me she was ready to dive headfirst into this crazy dating world. Now or never, Luc. This time, though, I didn’t go rogue or leave Sophia out. I caught her eye and tried to communicate my intention as Desi continued on. It took her a minute to get it, but we conversed silently with our eyes and subtle head nods. She nodded and gazed at me as if to say, this is your show…you’re up. So, at an appropriate pause, I jumped in.
Jumped in was more like a figure of speech because my palms were just as clammy as when I talked to the boys. My fear wasn’t quite as high, though. Talking with the boys was a favor for my sister, but talking to Desi was my duty. Maybe even an honor. That depends on whether I can get through this, heh.
“So, Des, uhh—if you don’t mind—I was hoping we could have a, uhh, a bit of a…grown up conversation tonight,” I said, wiping my hands on my pants under the table.
Her eyes brightened, surprised and eager to know what was on the agenda.
“We, uhhh, we heard you and Breanna talking about some boy the other day.”
I didn’t mean to pause there, but I definitely alarmed my poor child.
“It’s fine-toooootally fine.” I was definitely trying to convince myself. “Having those feelings is totally normal. Hearing you guys, though, it just made me realize how fast you’re growing up on me. I mean, just last week, you were a kid, and now you’re talking about cute boys.” I snorted, shaking my head. “Anyway, me and Mommy thought we should talk to you about some things before…before, ummm-“
My voice failed me, so I cleared my throat a few times to get the words out. Honestly, I found the situation quite comical, even though I didn’t laugh. I had low key accused Sophia of fumbling the ball the other day, but here I was over here straight trippin’. Luckily, she jumped in—all the way in.
“We need to talk to you about woohoo.”
