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I kissed my little babe’s forehead, the tips of her long eyelashes, her blue eyes, and the little dimples on her cheeks.
She was the living, waking image of her mother. So precious, so tied to my soul.
My world would be utterly empty without her.
“So, what does Sally have on her timetable today?” I asked, feigning an air of importance.
“Nwum-bess.” She frowned at the name, as if the mere mention of it was offensive.
Sally had an articulation disorder that made it difficult for her to pronounce her “r’s”. It wasn’t too bad on some days, but even when it was, I found it precious.
She was new to the world of Xs and Ys and multiplicationtumbles(as she liked to call tables), but like all other things, she was getting the hang of it so darn fast!
I wished I could cherish each moment with her and replay it in my head, again and again. I’d never get tired of watching her grow and become her own little person.
But she’d always be my baby first.
“You’re going to be so amazing.” I walked, Sally still in my arms, to the kitchen. Perching her on one arm, I made my cup of coffee before setting her down.
“What fruit would you like to eat, darling?”
She pottered over to the fridge and fetched a bowl of nectarines and some mangoes. I blended them with whole milk and made her some breakfast porridge.
The bell rang. Sophia, Sally’s nanny, was here. And right on time, because today was my first day at East Harbor.
I enjoyed teaching, but it was the connection with my students that drove me most of all. There was so much to learn from them, and even more to give back.
That’s what my wife loved most about me, too. But her memories were distant to me now, as was the time we’d shared.
Nothing, however, could touch the love that had existed between us. Nothing could surpass what we had created together.
A home. The most beautiful little girl in the world. So many good memories.
I let out a little sigh as Sophia entered the kitchen. Sally squealed and ran over to her. She picked her up and smiled at me.
“Thanks, Sophia.” I nodded at her, never not grateful for the solidity of her existence. She’d been here since Sally was two and my wife fell ill.
When things passed the point of being difficult to borderline impossible, she promised she’d stick around and give Sally the stability she needed to be whole.
It was rough weather there for a while, but she helped Sally navigate the worst of it in ways I never could.
She regarded me from behind her owl-rimmed glasses, her smile kind. “I got this, Mr. Taylor. Go on, now. You don’t want to be late on your first day!”
I chuckled. I missed Sally already. She cooed from Sophia’s arms. “Daddy, can we go to the park later?”
Taking her from Sophia for just a wee minute, I cradled Sally in my arms so I could smell the coconut-jasmine scent of her baby curls and feel her warmth in my arms.
She gave me so much hope. Children did that. They took the old strings of our frayed hearts and tied them and made them stronger.
“We’ll do anything you like, baby.” I kissed her nose once more before setting her down. “But make sure you get all your studying done, okay?”
She nodded obediently.
I checked the time. I had to get going. “Okay, Sophia. Over to you.”
My bag already packed, I made my way to the front door and turned at the threshold to wave to Sally.
I touched the tip of my nose, and she did the same. A tiny ritual.
