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Leon
I went to bed with a mix of feelings after dinner with Ava and Valentina. On the one hand, I was extremely excited and looking forward to getting to know Ava and being there for her. I loved how her eyes sparkled and how very intelligently she spoke for a child her age. On the other hand, I was conflicted on what changes I’d have to make in my life.
Would I need to stop clubbing and partying with my friends? Would I need to baby-proof my house? When was I going to introduce them to my father and brothers? These thoughts ran over and over in my mind until I fell asleep.
I was woken up by my phone ringing loudly. The call ended before I had the opportunity to grab my phone. By the time I reached the phone on my dresser, it had started ringing again. It was my father calling.
“Hello, Dad. It’s so damn early in the morning.”
“It’s 7 a.m. Serious minded people should be up by now.”
“I am serious minded… yunno what? It’s too early for this. How may I help you, sweet father?” I asked, rubbing my eyes with the back of my palms.
“How long were you planning to hide the fact that you have a child from me?”
“Ugh dad. I am not hiding it. I’m still figuring things out.”
“Figuring what out? Is the child yours or not?” he asked.
“She’s my daughter.”
“So what’s there to figure out? You have to take responsibility immediately.”
“I know that Dad, but who told you about this? Which one of them ran their mouths?” I asked and he laughed.
“I’d never expose my informant. Tell me what happened.”
I told him the full details of how Ava came about, leaving out the extra details of Valentina and I having sex on the night she told me.
“I want to meet my granddaughterat once.”
“I am still getting to know them. Things are still too early for introductions.”
“I don’t care. Nobody knows how much longer I have on this earth; so please, let me see her as soon as possible.”
“Why are you saying that Dad? Is anything wrong? Are you taking your meds?” I asked, feeling concerned over his last statement.
“I’m fine, Leon. But I’m an old man and I’ll say whatever it takes for you to bring my granddaughter to me.”
I laughed. “You’re a little too old for that.”
“Try me and see.” He laughed.
“Alright, Dad. I’ll arrange for you to meet them.”
The call ended and I got ready for work. At work, Valentina called me to ask if I had time to come over so that we could have the conversation about me being Ava’s father with her. I had made plans with Miguel, but I told Valentina that I’d be available. Then I sent Miguel a text informing him that I’d be unable to show up for our plans.
After work, I went over to Valentina’s and we had the talk with little Ava. On the most part, she didn’t seem bothered by the information. She just asked if I’d be moving in with them to which I laughed and responded in the negative.
The next couple of weeks were spent with me devoting any spare time I had and most of my evenings being with Ava. Valentina and I started talking about schools and if it wasn’t too early to enroll her. Valentina spoke about how she and Vivian started school really early and that attributed to how intelligent they both are. My brothers and I started school early too, so I understood what she was talking about.
We decided to enroll her in a nursery school and then we started talking about which one would be the best. Valentina wanted to enroll her in one that was close to their house, but it was substandard and very cheap. I, on the other hand, wanted her to attend the best nursery school in Chicago. It took us some time but we finally agreed on the one closer to Valentina so that it’d be easy for her to check on Ava.
One evening, I came over and dinner was pizza while Ava ate her favorite blueberry pancakes. While we all ate, I looked over at Valentina and the feelings of affection I felt towards her rushed to the surface. I’d been trying to suppress those feelings because I didn’t want to complicate things or make them weird but with each passing day I spent around her and Ava, the feelings became more evident to me.
“Why are you staring at me?” Valentina asked without looking up from her slice of pizza. I shook my head.
“Nothing. I was just lost in thought.” Thoughts of you, I inwardly said.
