Page 13 of Kit

“Did you see Santa yet?” He wore very little. A shirt with a glitter rainbow and a Huggie. He had a cute lisp when he spoke like a baby.

“Yep.”

“He’s nice. I love his soft beard and coat.”

“Me, too.”

“That’s a pretty doggie,” Miles said, reaching out to pet my stuffy’s head.

“Thank you.”

“Where’d you get him?”

“He was a gift.” I puffed out my chest. “A Christmas gift.”

His eyes glowed. “From an admiring daddy?”

I didn’t want to brag that it was special from Santa, so I just nodded. No one else had a dog like him that I’d seen. It made me almost dizzy to think about.

“Lucky you.”

“I guess.”

“Wanna do a puzzle?”

“Okay, Miles.” I looked around. “Are you here alone?”

“Nope. Daddy George is over there.” He pointed. “He’s wonderful. I’ve been with him two weeks. I hope he keeps me.”

“Congratulations.”

He smiled, then took my hand and led me to the puzzle table.

Miles and I started to play.

After a while, he said, “You keep putting pieces in the wrong places.”

“Sorry.”

I couldn’t concentrate. I kept looking at the kitty clock on the wall. It had a long black tail that went back and forth like a pendulum counting the seconds.

I kept wondering when Santa might leave. Maybe I could go get in line one more time and see him again.

Finally, Miles put his elbows on the table and his chin in his upturned palms, staring at me.

“What are you dreaming about tonight, Kit?”

“What?”

“You’re definitely off in dreamland. Is it past your bedtime?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“You should go to bed.”

“Yeah.”

“You need a daddy to tell you when your bedtime is and tuck you in real good and give you sweet, all-over kisses.”