won’t bring it up again, will we Zakary ?” Tony glared at his partner again.
“We said it earlier,” Zak said, nodding to Tony before looking at me, “but it’s worth repeating again . To new beginnings.”
“Agreed,” I smiled back.
{6}
Thatch
“I miss you, Daddy.” Hearing Thaddeus’s voice through the telephone in my motel room made my chest clench.
“I miss you too, little man . Only seven more sleeps and I’ll be home again, okay? How was school today? Did you do anything fun?”
Thaddeus had recently started attending pre-school part time. Leaving him there had been so damn hard in the beginning. Harder for me than for him, I think. That experience paled in comparison to being separated from him for two weeks to attend the mandatory Ultimate Ninja Athlete boot camp, now that I’d made it to the Las Vegas Finals.
“I showed Miss Wade my ninja flip and she told me not to do it at school anymore,” he said sadly.
“Well, you can get hurt, little man. It’s okay to do it at the gym with me – where there are mats and things to protect you. You might fall and hurt yourself at school.”
“Okay . I won’t do it anymore.”
Damn, my kid was so melancholy all the time . It fucking killed me.
“What else did you do, Thaddeus?”
“We did singing. Bobby singed really loud and it hurt all our ears.”
I smiled into the phone, just so completely in love with the sound of my son’s voice.
“How’s Pop-Pop? He taking good care of you while I’m gone?”
“Yeah, Daddy . He’s making vegetables and everything. Today, he let me come down and watch him do a tattoo on a hairy man with shiny pants on.” Of course ‘hairy’ came out as ‘haiwy.’ So damn adorable.
“Shiny pants, eh ? Like leather, you mean?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Did Pop-Pop tell you I’m going to be on T.V. tonight?” I completed the Dallas Regional Finals course a month ago, but it was only being televised tonight.
“Oh , yes!” Thaddeus’ voice got animated for the first time since our conversation had started. “He says I can stay up and watch, but only until you’re on. Then I have to go to bed.”
“Make sure you pay attention when I get to the Wall, okay Thaddeus ? I wave to you, little man. The wave is only for you.”
“And Pop-Pop too, right?”
“Yeah, and Pop-Pop. But no one else, got it?”
“Okay, Daddy . I’ll pay extwa attention then.”
“I love you, Thaddeus.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
{7}
Cali
The next day, after my night spent with my neighbors, I didn’t get up until noon. Even with a nightmare-free, restful night’s sleep, some old habits die hard.
Then it hit me that I was alone for the first time in my life. Alone, alone, that is. No servants, no room service, no orderlies – just me, all on my lonesome.
It was a pretty great feeling.
I took another naked dip in the pool, ate an energy bar, got showered and dressed, and decided to take a stab at going grocery shopping.
It sunk in that I’d never been grocery shopping before, either.
Well, shit.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been into gas stations and drugstores to raid the junk food aisles before, but actual food shopping?
Using the kitchen phone, I called Zak.
“Hey, Zak, it’s Cali . You doing anything right now?”
“Hi Cali . I was just thinking about you! I was wondering if you’d headed over to see your hunka-hunka burning love yet. And, in answer to your question: nothing. Just puttering about the house while Hayles is at school.”
“No, I haven’t gone to look for him yet . I’m psyching myself up to it. Maybe I’ll go tomorrow. In the meantime, want to come grocery shopping with me?”
“You’ve never been grocery shopping, have you?” Zak chuckled.
“Not once in my entire life.”
“Meet you out front in ten then, girlfriend.”
We decided that Zak should drive .
“I’m going to start you out small, but with quality, for your first venture into the daunting world
“We said it earlier,” Zak said, nodding to Tony before looking at me, “but it’s worth repeating again . To new beginnings.”
“Agreed,” I smiled back.
{6}
Thatch
“I miss you, Daddy.” Hearing Thaddeus’s voice through the telephone in my motel room made my chest clench.
“I miss you too, little man . Only seven more sleeps and I’ll be home again, okay? How was school today? Did you do anything fun?”
Thaddeus had recently started attending pre-school part time. Leaving him there had been so damn hard in the beginning. Harder for me than for him, I think. That experience paled in comparison to being separated from him for two weeks to attend the mandatory Ultimate Ninja Athlete boot camp, now that I’d made it to the Las Vegas Finals.
“I showed Miss Wade my ninja flip and she told me not to do it at school anymore,” he said sadly.
“Well, you can get hurt, little man. It’s okay to do it at the gym with me – where there are mats and things to protect you. You might fall and hurt yourself at school.”
“Okay . I won’t do it anymore.”
Damn, my kid was so melancholy all the time . It fucking killed me.
“What else did you do, Thaddeus?”
“We did singing. Bobby singed really loud and it hurt all our ears.”
I smiled into the phone, just so completely in love with the sound of my son’s voice.
“How’s Pop-Pop? He taking good care of you while I’m gone?”
“Yeah, Daddy . He’s making vegetables and everything. Today, he let me come down and watch him do a tattoo on a hairy man with shiny pants on.” Of course ‘hairy’ came out as ‘haiwy.’ So damn adorable.
“Shiny pants, eh ? Like leather, you mean?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Did Pop-Pop tell you I’m going to be on T.V. tonight?” I completed the Dallas Regional Finals course a month ago, but it was only being televised tonight.
“Oh , yes!” Thaddeus’ voice got animated for the first time since our conversation had started. “He says I can stay up and watch, but only until you’re on. Then I have to go to bed.”
“Make sure you pay attention when I get to the Wall, okay Thaddeus ? I wave to you, little man. The wave is only for you.”
“And Pop-Pop too, right?”
“Yeah, and Pop-Pop. But no one else, got it?”
“Okay, Daddy . I’ll pay extwa attention then.”
“I love you, Thaddeus.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
{7}
Cali
The next day, after my night spent with my neighbors, I didn’t get up until noon. Even with a nightmare-free, restful night’s sleep, some old habits die hard.
Then it hit me that I was alone for the first time in my life. Alone, alone, that is. No servants, no room service, no orderlies – just me, all on my lonesome.
It was a pretty great feeling.
I took another naked dip in the pool, ate an energy bar, got showered and dressed, and decided to take a stab at going grocery shopping.
It sunk in that I’d never been grocery shopping before, either.
Well, shit.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been into gas stations and drugstores to raid the junk food aisles before, but actual food shopping?
Using the kitchen phone, I called Zak.
“Hey, Zak, it’s Cali . You doing anything right now?”
“Hi Cali . I was just thinking about you! I was wondering if you’d headed over to see your hunka-hunka burning love yet. And, in answer to your question: nothing. Just puttering about the house while Hayles is at school.”
“No, I haven’t gone to look for him yet . I’m psyching myself up to it. Maybe I’ll go tomorrow. In the meantime, want to come grocery shopping with me?”
“You’ve never been grocery shopping, have you?” Zak chuckled.
“Not once in my entire life.”
“Meet you out front in ten then, girlfriend.”
We decided that Zak should drive .
“I’m going to start you out small, but with quality, for your first venture into the daunting world
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