Page 27 of Size Game
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sitting up.
“Oh, no, no, no.”
She is clearly panicking. She is sitting up with her hands on either side of her head, shaking it and repeating herself. She quickly jumps off the bed, and I get a little distracted by the gorgeous, naked woman standing before me.
Claire frantically reaches for her clothes and starts to get dressed. I get up and grab my robe. She gets her panties and bra on by the time I stop her with my hands on her shoulders.
“Claire, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Alex,” she starts. Which is of course what every man wants to hear the morning after amazing sex. “I didn’t mean to stay the night.”
“It’s not the worst thing that could’ve happened.” I brush some hair from her face and lift her chin to look me in the eye. “I can make up some coffee and breakfast and we can just talk things over, okay?”
“Alex, I have to go.”
She pulls away from me, and I watch her pull on her dress. I remember the last time I watched her get dressed. I remember how I felt lying alone in that hotel bed, feeling cold and alone. I don’t want to feel that again. Not after last night.
She is dressed and heads for the door. Right before she opens it, I grab her by the wrist. She looks back at me with sad eyes.
“Please?” I beg.
She just shakes her head and heads downstairs. I stand there in my room listening to her leave my house. Once the front door shuts, I sit down on the edge of my bed. I sit there for a long moment wondering if it all was a big mistake. It surely didn’t seem like one then.
I finally muster enough energy to get up, put on some pajama pants, and head downstairs. Sadie isn’t awake yet, which is probably for the best. I get down into the living room where the wine bottles are sitting on the table.
I rub my head and suck my lips in, thinking that maybe it really was a mistake. I clean up the living room and head into the kitchen to make breakfast. The day after my little girl’s birthday is not a day to disappoint, so I make waffles with scrambled eggs and sausage.
By the time the second waffle is made, I hear her stirring upstairs. A flash of last night pops into my head, and I breathe a heavy sigh of relief. It’s a wonderful thing that Sadie is such a heavy sleeper. I hadn’t even thought of what could’ve happened if Claire’s moaning and screaming had woken Sadie up. Even worse, if Sadie had wandered into my bedroom to find us wrapped together.
I hear her little feet pattering down the stairs, and soon she is up in her chair. “Good morning, Daddy!”
“Good morning. How does it feel to be five?”
“Am I big enough to ride the big-kid rides at the fair?”
I smile and laugh. “You can ride the big-kid rides, but not the teen rides.”
She pouts at first, then smiles with a nod. “I can live with that.”
I chuckle and hand her a plate with a waffle, on which I drew a happy face in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Then I hand her a plate of eggs and sausage, which is all laid out in another happy face. Sadie laughs and digs into her waffle.
We sit together and eat in harmony. I ask her about her party and how she liked it. She tells me all sorts of stories about the various presents she got and who showed up and what fun they all had playing together. Then she tells me how amazing Claire is for putting it all together.
I nod, knowing entirely well that Claire is amazing. But that’s not a conversation one has with their five-year-old.
We finish our breakfast, and I let her bring down a few toys to play with in the living room. First, she brings down a new dollhouse complete with kitchen, walk-in closet, and Jacuzzi. I’m impressed with these dolls. They’re living the life. Then she goes back upstairs and brings down a few new dolls and stuffed animals.
We sit together on the floor playing with her new dolls. Somehow these dolls, although only a day old in Sadie time, have immensely complicated backstories. One doll has recently gone through a major surgery and only has days to live. Another is a world-renowned wildlife expert on unicorns and has done extensive studies. Her new flamingo plush is just small enough to fit into the doll clothes, and although his name is Jimmy, he looks fabulous in the dresses and all of the other flamingos are jealous.
I am astounded by the stories she can come up with.
There is a knock at the door, and I excuse myself to answer it. There is a small piece of me that really wants it to be Claire, but with how she left this morning, I doubt it very much.
I open the door, and there is Phil with an armful of brightly wrapped presents for Sadie. I invite him in, and he goes straight over to the living room. Sadie jumps up and runs over to hug him, which really wasn’t the best option.
Phil stumbles and does his best not to drop the packages on my daughter, which I greatly appreciate. I grab a few from him, and he safely sets the rest down. Then he picks up Sadie in a twirling hug.
“How’s the birthday girl this fine, cheery morning?”