Page 47 of Just A Little Joy

“Come on before we get ourselves in trouble,” Daddy said firmly.

He tucked my hand in his again and led me toward the craft section of the store. If I thought the LEGO was going to do me in, this section was a whole new level of trouble. There was crafting of every type, plus mineral kits and cooking kits. It was all too much, mostly because I wanted every single kit I saw.

My fingers trailed over the crystal-growing sets before I lingered in front of the kinetic sand. Then I parked myself in the craft-making section. Daddy watched me quietly without interfering while I went from one end of the area to the other, picking something up, putting it down, tapping my finger while I tried to think it through. It was next to impossible for me to make a decision. After a solid twenty minutes of ping-ponging through the section, I gave up trying to pick anything and returned to Daddy’s side.

“Okay, I think I’m ready to go.”

“Obviously not, because you still haven’t picked anything.” Daddy’s tone was perplexed but not annoyed, which was nice because, truthfully, I was annoyed enough at myself. My indecision meant I didn’t get anything because I couldn’t make up my mind.

“Yeah,” I sighed. “There are too many choices, so I’m gonna focus on LEGO, and that’ll be fine.”

“Nope. Bub, I’m sorry, that’s not gonna work for me. We’re gonna get you the toys you need to be comfortable because it matters. It’s important to me that you are. So how about this?” Daddy stepped ahead to the first section, the crafts, and said, “Pick one from this section. Don’t think about it. Just pick the one you like the most.”

I shot him an uncertain look, but I stepped forward and followed instructions like I was told. I grabbed a friendship bracelet kit from the table and handed it to him.

“Are you telling me you’re a Swiftie?”

“Yes, and I’m not ashamed to say it.”

“Well then, I guess my mom knew what she was doing when she named me Travis.”

I laughed at him and started turning to leave the aisle.

“Where are you going? We’re not done.” This time, he guided us toward the science kits. “Now we gotta pick one of these.”

“Are you sure?”

Daddy came close and whispered, “Are you arguing with your Daddy ’cause that’s going to start off your playdate with a punishment. We’ve covered this.”

I nodded mutely and turned to ponder my choices. I debated with myself for a solid three minutes before I selected a crystal-growing kit. Daddy plucked it out of my hand and added it to the basket.

“Oh, good choice, those are really cool-looking.” I preened under his approving tone. “I hope you have a stuffie, yes?”

“Yep, I have a super cute puppy named Spot.”

“Does he have spots?”

“Nope, but he was sad about it, so I named him Spot so he’d have one.”

Daddy cuddled me close after my explanation. “You’re a sweet boy, bub.”

On our way back downstairs, Daddy kept me close, and I wasn’t mad about it. The space between big and little blurred when he was around, leaving me in a cozy cocoon that allowed me to be both without being forced to choose between them.

“I think Spot needs a friend or two.” Another squeeze, another cuddle, and we were on our way to find me a stuffie friend. Christmas music filled the store, and I happily hummed along to Rudolph and ran over Grandmas.

The rows of stuffed animals were a mountain of plush that was almost too much to focus on. There were so many options that if I’d been overwhelmed before, it was a hopeless task now. I stood frozen in the aisle before slowly moving forward.

“Let’s make it easier for you, bub.” Daddy offered. “Do you like baby dolls?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Okay, then let’s skip this whole section.”

Daddy ushered me to each section and let me decide to say maybe or reject it. It was methodical but fast. In under ten minutes, Daddy helped me narrow it down to sections I loved the most: real-looking animals, squishy cartoon stuff, and dinosaurs.

“Daddy, I’m not sure which one to pick now,” I worried.

I pursed my lips and studied them all. The cat to match Spot would be cute, but the dinosaur with his ruffled rainbow neck collar was adorbs, and a tea cup trio that held each other’s hands was the sweetest.