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That's my girl.
I order a basket of cheese fries. A strawberry milkshake for me and cookies and cream for Ellie.
Hanna glances at my carb overload, "How do you stay so fit if you are constantly junking?"
"I don't ever eat like this. This is a special day," I look down at Ellie, who is grinning. "My workout regimen is intense, and my diet is strict. I have to stay in shape."
"When you jump out of those planes, you'll hit the ground faster if your fat!" Ellie giggles.
Hanna places her hand to her mouth, mortified, "Ellison James!"
"What?" She shrugs, sucking some more of her milkshake. Hanna mouths, I'm sorry to me as she unclips Ellie's hairband, pulling her hair back into it neatly. I let out a laugh, thinking about how sweet this little girl is. Funny too, she obviously has my sense of humor. I bet her Grammy hates that.
"Do you fly your planes all over?" Ellie asks curiously, Hanna nervously fidgeting in her seat, obviously afraid of what Ellie could possibly ask next.
"Uh, sometimes, but not usually. We usually have a specific place that we are allowed to fly. Unless we're on a special mission."
"Oh!" Ellie claps excitedly, "A special mission, that sounds so fun!"
"It's not always a fun mission, but I love to fly. Have you ever been in an airplane?"
"No!" She barks, "I don't really like them."
Hanna looks at me, her gaze a little confused.
"Ellie, honey, why don't you like airplanes?" She asks, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Uncle Adam says that my daddy left in an airplane and that he isn't sure where he went. He's probably not coming back."
Hanna drops the napkin, "Ellie, that… that isn't…"
I can tell she is surprised, so I try to change the subject, "Wanna go swing some more? It'll be time to go soon."
"Can I, mom?" She begs, so damn polite, so innocent.
"Yeah, babe," She nods, and Ellie takes off running toward the swings. Hanna and I follow close behind, walking instead of running.
"They must hate me, your family."
She laughs, attempting to lighten the mood, "Jameson, they never liked you to begin with. You never stood a chance."
"They will be pissed to know I'm here with you, spending time with Ellie."
She offers me a tight-lipped smile, "Ellison is my daughter. This is my life, Jameson."
I don't say another word, Ellie grabbing my attention quickly, "Teach me how to jump!"
I look to Hanna, giving her a slight shrug, "I won't let her get hurt."
I follow Hanna and Ellie home, Ellie insisting that I stay for dinner. Hanna doesn't argue and just lets her daughter enjoy the day. I wash the dishes for her, while she insists the entire time that I don't need to. I want to take care of her though, she does enough. The least I can do is wash the damn dishes.
Ellie giggles and dries them with a towel, using a stool to put them away. She is very well-mannered and likes to help out and feel useful. I always did as a child, too, with my mom.
"Ellie bear, it's late. Why don't you go get your jammies on."
She smiles, her face lighting up, "Can Jameson tell me a story?"
She looks to me, unsure how to answer, "If your mom says it's okay."
"That's fine," She bends, kissing Ellie on the forehead, "but a quick one."
Ellie gets her pajamas on and comes back into the living area to get me. She skips to her room, diving onto her bed piled full of stuffed animals.
"Tell me a story about your secret missions!" She smiles, slipping underneath her purple and teal comforter.
I make up an elaborate tale of a princess that needed to save her unicorn from an evil witch. This princess was a trained pilot who flew her airplane into the witch's fortress to save her unicorn.
After a few minutes, I can tell Ellie is getting sleepy. She nuzzles up into my torso, interrupting my story, "On your next secret mission, do you think that you could find my daddy and his airplane?"
I feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I attempt to force the lump in my throat back down.
