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Even though the look on her face says she’s serious, I hopefully guess, “You’re teasing me again.”
“When did you have your first kiss, Dad?” she demands.
“Why is that relevant?”
“When?”
I lift my shoulders slightly. “I don’t know. I guess I was thirteen.”
“I’ll be thirteen in a few months,” she reminds me.
I’m suddenly not hungry anymore. “Just because I jumped the gun, doesn’t mean you have to.”
She stares at me like she can see through me. “I’m growing up, Dad. Stuff is going to happen.”
If that doesn’t sound like a threat, I don’t know what does. “Don’t be in too much of a hurry, Sam. You’re only a kid once.”
“Yeah, but kids grow up. It’s what they do.”
I stand up before picking up my plate. “I’m going to hop in the shower. I’ll be ready to go in thirty minutes.” I leave her at the table to finish breakfast while I start to panic in earnest. My daughter is heading into a stage in her life that I feel one hundred percent not ready to deal with.How is she almost a teenager?
After showering and getting dressed, I pour myself a cup of coffee before calling out, “You ready?”
Sammy walks around the corner looking like a mini adult. She’s wearing a spring green sundress and her hair is pulled back in a bun. “You look awfully grown up,” I tell her.
“That’s because I’m growing up.” She shoots me a playful wink before asking, “Should I meet you at the diner for lunch?”
“How about twelve thirty?”
“Sounds like a plan, Stan,” she says as we walk out the front door.
“Frying in a pan, Jan.” The rhyme game is another of our favorites.
“Lounging in a can, man.” It rarely makes sense, either.
My last-ditch effort is, “In Pakistan, Dan.”
“Making flan, crayon.”
“Flan and crayon don’t rhyme,” I tell her. “You lose.”
Sammy opens her car door and hops in. “Mr. Holt says that imperfect rhymes are still considered rhymes, so it’s your turn.”
Hurray, another thing I’ve forgotten. “Okay, fine, it’s a draw.”
“Only because you can’t come up with something else.”
Sammy and I drive downtown, both clearly preoccupied, thinking about our new life. Day two feels like it’s off to a great start. I hope we find our new home in the next couple of weeks, so we don’t have to lease our rental for any longer than necessary.
After dropping Sammy off at Bride’s Paradise, I continue down Main Street until I see the sign for Elk Lake Realty. Being that I don’t know anyone in town yet, I didn’t call ahead. I figure I’ll offer my business to whomever is available to talk to me.
After parking, I wait while a mother duck leads her babies in a line toward the trees behind the building. This is not something I’ve ever seen in Chicago, and I’m downright charmed by it.
Once they pass, I continue to the building. As soon as I open the front door, I’m hit with the intoxicating aroma of fresh cinnamon buns. I look around and spot a lone woman sitting at her desk. She’s busy eating. “Good morning,” I call out to her.
She points to her mouth and chews faster. After swallowing, she stands up. “Good morning to you, too. How can I help you today?”
“I want to buy a house and I figured this was a good place to start.”
