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“Your feelings are yours and my feelings are mine,” she explained.
“Man, what the fu—I mean, world you teaching this kid?”
“Life,” I admitted.
“Yeah. It’s about time to get up out of here. You got me ready for one of them my-damn-self.”
“You won’t regret it.”
I saw him out of the door where Milo and Makai were waiting in the truck up the stretch. Aussie and I stayed behind. She’d run off to go wash her hands and change into her cooking gear while I watched them disappear in the distance.
* * *
Fresh,whole sweet potatoes, garden salad, and deep fried cauliflower made the perfect meal. The ability to harvest dinner from my front yard was a luxury I never considered. Private chefs, grocery stores, five-star restaurants, and the finest markets Berkeley offered, those were my definitions of luxury living in the city. Now, I understood how limited my thinking was then.
I grew vegetables that were richer and more flavorful than anything a fine dining had ever presented me with. The fruit was juicy and sweet and never-ending. There wasn’t a day that I wondered what we’d be eating or what groceries we’d be needing. For the most part, our food was planted, grown, and harvested on our land. Ada and Bee, our goats, provided milk. The three chickens we owned kept our egg cartons full.
The day my wife died, I’d finally given up meat completely and removed it from my diet. Because I didn’t consume much of it, it was an easy departure. Now, both Aussie and I gardened all year long to make sure our bellies were full every night before bed.
Her cheeks swelled with joy as she placed the final dollop of moisturizer on her birthmark. It stretched the length of the right side of her face and was only slightly lighter than her brown skin. Even with swollen cheeks, curved lips, and a loving glare, her lack of energy and enthusiasm was clear.
“All done.” She yawned, swinging both arms in the air to signal her completion.
It was her favorite of the American Sign Language.
“Come on.”
I tapped the spot on the bed next to me. Happily, she pounced on the pillow top, smiling along the way. Her untamed mane moved as she did while trying to get situated underneath the covers. She melted into the sheets after getting comfortable.
“Cozy?”
“Ummm hmm.”
Another yawn nearly ripped her face apart, leaving me no choice but to snigger. The poor thing was barely holding it together.
“You want a story tonight?”
No thanks, she signed.
“Too tired?”
Aussie nodded, closing her eyes briefly and then reopening them.
“Ready for Grams and Gramps tomorrow?”
“I don’t know, Daddy.”
I could hear the sadness in her voice.
“Why not? We’ve talked about this so many times, Aus.”
“I just… I just don’t wanna leave you all alone.”
“Daddy will be fine. I promise. This is a chance for you to finally meet some friends and hang out.”
“I have friends,” she tried convincing me.
“Friends your age, Aussie. Uncle Milo, Uncle Kai, Uncle Hank, Uncle Portland, they don’t count.”
