AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We finally get out of the school zone, and I hit the road toward Manhattan.
On the way, Anna starts drilling me with questions.
“Daddy, Joyce is your girlfriend now, right?”
“Right, baby. And I’m her boyfriend!” I say with cheer, then decide to joke around with her. “Why? Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No!” She winces with all her might. “I don’t have a boyfriend, daddy! Carol told me that’s only when I’m older.”
I laugh, “Good answer.”
If she dare show up with a date before she’s eighteen, I think I’ll have a heart attack. “But why all the questions, baby?”
“Well… You and mommy were boyfriend and girlfriend, right?” she continues, her curiosity killing me.
“Right,” I say, doing my best to keep my patience.
“When did mommy become my mommy?” she asks, hands moving wildly around to emphasize the emotion behind her question.
My breathing halts for a second. “When you were born?”
“And what happened before that?”
Please God, no… Give me a few more years of innocence before I have to give her ‘the talk’.
“She was pregnant, dear,” I say shaking inside.
“That was before you got married?” she asks.
Now I see where this is going.
“No, we were married when she got pregnant.”
We are almost to Jefferson’s apartment. I am stopped at a red light behind traffic. Feeling bold, I turn around to face Anna and say, “You want to know if Joyce can be your mommy, don’t you?”
“Yes!” she laughs and nods emphatically. “Does she have to get pregnant with me?”
“No, baby,” I laugh too, quietly. “You can only be born once. Though children can get new mommies out of love, though. So maybe? It depends on Joyce…”
Anna stays quiet for a moment, but soon she shoots me with another dagger. “When will you and Joyce get married?”
I dodge the conversation quickly, and soon we’re at Jefferson’s building.
The doorman announces us to them and then lets us in. We head up through the elevator to the 15thfloor, with Anna bouncing around everywhere like a ball in a pinball machine.
Joyce greets us at the door, her glowing green eyes sparkling. I kiss her cheek, and let Anna run in to go find Esther. I can see paper and markers spread out over the coffee table.
“I’m glad you are here!” Joyce says, nuzzling me, catching me by the collar and pulling me inside.
“Me too,” I say, thumbs in my pockets, waiting for her to guide the way. “Anna does need to get out of the house more and socialize.”
“And her dad too!” she says, locking her arm around mine and walking me from the living room to the kitchen. She turns towards Anna and Esther, “You girls getting along?”
“Yes, Joyce,” Esther says. I never realized the girl had a slight lisp. “Anna is my best friend!”
I smile at her words, and so does Joyce, but I see the smile fade away from her face the very next moment.
“What’s wrong?” I nudge her.
