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I did my best to make time in the day to have lunch with the two of them; then I took over being the parent again when Cassie left at six. That was after dinnertime for Lucy, so I would grab something easy and get her ready to go to bed.
I thought we had settled into a perfect routine until Thursday night when I was putting Lucy to bed, and she reached up to take my hand.
“Can you read me a book?” she asked. “Two books?”
“Two?” I asked in surprise. “But you’re going to sleep. I don’t think you’re going to make it through the first one.”
“I want you to be in here with me,” she said. “I miss you.”
My heart melted at her words. I realized at that moment that I had been so wrapped up with the work I was doing and the fact Cassie had been helping me with Lucy that I hadn’t been there to care for her myself. Cassie was doing a great job, but I was Lucy’s dad, and it was up to me to be there for her the most.
“I’ll tell you what,” I said. “Why don’t I read you two books now, then tomorrow, you and me will spend the whole day together. Would you like that?”
“The whole day?” she asked with wide eyes. “And Cassie, too?”
“No,” I said. “Just you and me. I miss being able to spend all the day with you and think it would be fun for us to do that.”
“Yes!” she cried, throwing her arms around my neck. I gave her a hug before putting her back in bed, then I picked up the book she’d brought with her. I knew she wasn’t going to make it all the way through, but I read her a second book anyway.
I then texted Cassie on my way out of Lucy’s bedroom, telling her to take the next day off and that I would be the one to watch Lucy myself. I knew she wouldn’t mind having the surprise day to herself, and I was glad to step in and take care of Lucy.
I’d planned the entire day out before she was even up the next morning. I would make pancakes for the two of us, and then we would go out to the park. That afternoon, we would be getting ice cream, and that evening, we could get a movie and have fun just hanging out. I knew the work notifications would stack up as I did, but I also knew those things could wait.
There would always be more work to be done, but Lucy’s childhood was slipping by, and I couldn’t get that back once it was gone.
Even with my phone on silent and Lucy being the only one I was spending time with that day, Friday still passed in a blur. It was as though time itself moved faster than ever, and I could barely keep up. After ice cream that afternoon, we went back to the house, where Lucy promptly told me she wanted to give me a makeover.
“You do?” I asked. “And how do you want to do that?”
“You need pretty things in your hair,” she said. “Like Cassie.”
I had noticed how Cassie had changed up the way she was wearing her hair, and I had to admit, it looked good. It suited her just as much as pulling her hair back ever did, and I was happy to see the change.
“Alright,” I said. “Do what you think looks good.”
Lucy didn’t have to be asked twice. She grabbed her brush and sat behind me, brushing my hair straight back over the top of my head. There wasn’t much she could do with the sides, but she was happy to stick several bows right on top.
“Now you look pretty,” she announced. “I like it.”
She put her little hand mirror in my face, but before I had the chance to reply, there was a knock at the front door.
“Who’s that?” Lucy asked. “Is it Cassie?”
“I don’t know,” I told her. “I’ll go see.”
I hoped it would be Cassie despite the fact I had told her to take the day off, though I knew it would be a surprise for her to show up anyway. Although she and I had grown increasingly friendly over the past week, I still didn’t think she would just show up on my doorstep without telling me she was on her way first.
I looked through the peephole, and immediately, my heart sank.
Jordan stood expectantly on the porch.
I opened the door. “What do you want?”
“To see my kid,” she said. “Is that a problem? What the fuck are you doing with your hair?”
“Mommy!” Lucy cried out, rushing past me. I hated how excited she still was to see her mother despite the way Jordan barely came around. I hated it even more when Jordan would use that language around Lucy, too. Lucy knew which words were bad words and ones she couldn’t say, but I hated the use of swear words around her all the same.
“I gave Daddy a makeover,” Lucy proudly announced as she grabbed Jordan’s hand and pulled her into the house. “Can I give you one, too?”
