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“Okay!”
I swear, he could tell her to eat brussels sprouts and she’d do it without a fuss. Willow is so enamored with Demyen, it’s like he hung the moon in the sky just for her.
My heart squeezes. Not just because of how much she loves and trusts this man…
But because I swear, every day, I see him wrap himself around her little finger more and more.
The flight attendant signals to Demyen, who nods and carries Willow over to one of the plush chairs. “Alright, time to buckle up,malysh.”
We settle in for takeoff, Willow nestled between Demyen and I. Her little feet can’t stop kicking with excitement, and I don’t blame her. My heart is racing with the reality that we are, in actuality, about to leave the ground and the nation behind.
For the first time in my entire life, I’m about to be somewhere that Martin and Dad will never, ever find me.
It feels good.
We’ve been in the air for about an hour, arching over the mountains so we can enjoy smooth sailing over the Pacific. Shortly after we leveled out enough to unbuckle, Demyen let us know that he had work to do for most of the flight. I completely understand; I can’t expect him to constantly drop everything for us.
Willow… doesn’t quite understand.
It started with her asking him if he’d color with her. Demyen gently reminded her that he really needed to do some work on his laptop, but when her face fell, he quickly invited her to sit at the table with him and color while he worked. This seemed to cheer her up, and she got right to it with the activity book and fresh box of crayons they just “happened” to have on board.
But then she got stuck on a puzzle. She very quietly asked him for help, and he was more than happy to take a quick second to point out a possible solution.
A few minutes later, she was stuck again.
And again.
Now, they’re doing a crossword puzzle together, and he’s into it more than I think he’ll ever want me to point out. His laptop has been set aside so he has more room to peer at the puzzle, and he keeps flipping to the cover to check the age group the book was designed for.
“Need any help?” I offer from the couch where I’m actually way too comfortable to get up.
“No. We got it.”
“You sure?”
Demyen narrows his eyes at me. “I think I know a four-letter word you say when you stub a toe.”
“Does it rhyme with ‘duck’ or ‘couch’?”
He opens his mouth to retort, then stops. Then scribbles the kid-appropriate answer down with a crayon. “Alright, kiddo. Seven letters, something with two wheels but sometimes four.”
Willow furrows her brow. “Hmmm…”
“She may not be too familiar with this one,” I tell him while she thinks it over. “She’s never had one.”
Demyen frowns. “What? Seriously?”
I nod.
He rolls his eyes and blows out a low whistle. “Alright. I guess I know what we’re doing once we get back, huh?”
Willow peers up at him. “What? What are we gonna be doing?”
“Solve the riddle and you’ll find out.”
She scrunches her face at him, but he does the same to her and she bursts into a fit of giggles.
Oh, my heart.I can’t… No, I won’t even begin to imagine the day we’ll have to leave. I don’t know why we would; nothing comes to mind since I am technically employed by him. He’s invested so much into Willow, from her education to her safety and well-being, and the way he reacted to her disappearance made it very clear he cares deeply for her.
