Page 23 of Schooling Little Sage

“Yay! Can we have a sleepover at your place?” Daddy started choking. “Take a drink,” I said, but that just made him choke-laugh. “Are you okay?”

He held a finger up while he sipped his tea. “I am now. You caught Daddy off guard. I’d love to have a sleepover with you when you’re ready.”

“Good, ’cause Beary, Mikey, Roo and me are lonely at night. We want to fall asleep with Daddy.” My stuffy friends would be so happy when I told them.

“We can arrange that. How about Friday night?”

“Why not tonight?” Now he was back to laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“For someone who is new to all of this you sure are full of curiosity and ready to dive right in.”

“That’s cause I know Daddy will take care of me and everything will be alright.” Listening to other Littles I ran into like Sadie and how they talked about their Bigs made me think—a lot. Shoot, that reminded me. “The other Littles say their Mommies and Daddies read them bedtime stories.”

“If we’re gonna do that, we need to hit the store and pick out a couple of books, don’t we?”

I nodded. “I think it would be very Daddy-like of you to read to me. Do I have to drink from a bottle?”

“Nope.”

“Can I have a sippy cup?”

“If you wish.”

See, Daddy had all the answers. “What about a binky?” I wasn’t sure about that one either, but I really wanted to try. Sucking my thumb got my hiney spanked when I was younger, so I wasn’t going there. Some of the Littles in the nursery did today and they didn’t get in trouble for it. Everything was so different here. Different better for sure.

“You might enjoy one at bedtime.”

“’Kay.” I played dippy with my nuggets and sauce. Daddy never cursed at me for playing with my food either. He watched and smiled that smile of his that was just for me. He grinned at other people, but this one, this was a special one just for me.

Daddy loved me.

But I still had questions.

Being raised to see things one way then coming here and finding there are so many different kinds of relationships was overwhelming. The others I’d had classes with were open about theirs, sharing private details. I absorbed it all, spent my evenings wrapped up with my stuffies, phone in hand as I researched them. What was most helpful, besides asking Daddy, were the chats I had joined online.

Who knew all these lifestyles even existed?

I’d found a whole new side of me or maybe I’d finally found the real me. The one kept boxed up for twenty-one years. Now I had friends, toys, a Daddy—definitely not what I thought that role was before I landed at those wrought iron gates.

Did they even miss me?

Randomly, my parents would pop into my head, dragging my good mood down. Did I miss them? Yeah, even though they’d treated me like crap, which I saw now through the way not only Daddy was with me but how nice everyone at the Ranch was too.

But still, they are my parents…

Did they ever think of me?

Questions I’d likely never have answers to and ones I was probably better off not knowing.

“Are you alright, little one? You’ve been quiet all the way to the store?”

A sigh escaped before I had the chance to stop it. “Yeah, my parents popped into my head and washed away my good mood.”

Daddy crouched down and took my hands in his. “No matter what they said to you, you didn’t deserve what they did, Sage. I wish I could take away all your pain but those are issues only you can work through, but I’ll be right by your side for whatever you need. I’d been holding off asking, waiting for the right time, but I think you should schedule a session with one of the Ranch therapists.”

“You think I’m crazy?”

“Quite the opposite and this isn’t a matter of crazy. This is a matter of an unbiased third party helping you work through some of your past. Sage, your happiness and well-being are my top priority.”