As I found his name, I dialed his phone and waited for him to pick up. After a few rings, Garren’s voice finally greeted me a good morning.
“What’s the buzz, man? Why are you calling so early?” He sounded as if I woke him up from his sleep.
“Garren, I need to take the day off today.” He asked for an explanation right before I was able to provide him one.
“Why, dude? What happened?”
“Things got out of hand last night. Kylie’s house was broken into again, and she needed a place to stay. I volunteered to keep her around in the meantime. It’s the least I could do for all the help she did for Vince and me.”
He fell silent for quite some time. “Yeah, that’s good. I’m happy you’re finally on the right track, Hunter. I’ll get ready to go to the shop, man. No worries.”
“Thanks, Garren. I owe you like ten at this point.” I smiled and dropped the call as he agreed. I did owe him, and knowing him, he wouldn’t let me live it down.
I went to the kitchen and checked the pantry. Good thing I’d just gone to grab some groceries. We needed them. Anticipating the dinner date tonight helped somehow. I wasted no time and prepped our first meal of the day.
As soon as I finished making our breakfast, I went to Vince’s room to wake him up. There, I found Kylie sitting beside him as Vince showed her some of his drawings.
“Look, Kylie! This one is you, and there is Dad. And of course, this one’s me!”
I walked to see the drawing, but Vince hid it behind his back. I asked for him to show it to me, but he shook his head and stuck his tongue out instead. “No, Daddy. I’m not showing you this until you can take me to the lake and fish. I plan to give it to you as a present, so don’t cheat and look!” He kept the drawing out of my sight.
“Okay, fine, I give up. Let’s eat breakfast instead, buddy. I prepared something special for our beautiful guest.” I held out my hand for Kylie.
The three of us sat around our dining table. My mind drifted back to the dinner date I had with Kylie. A simple yet romantic night with her.
I put the meal I had prepared on the table, the aroma filling up the entire room.
“Let’s see what master chef Hunter has to offer,” Kylie teased, taking a little piece of everything onto her plate.
I observed her every move, waiting for her verdict. I didn’t know why but I felt nervous and anxious about what she had to say. I hoped she liked what I prepared for her.
“Mmm. I didn’t expect it to be this good. Come on, Vince. Try this out.” She put some of the food on the little guy’s plate and smiled over at me approvingly.
Relief flooded me, and I filled up my plate and enjoyed the sounds of them enjoying the meal. Vince talked the entire time. The kid was too much.
“So, I asked Jill why she needed to keep five pencils if she only needed
one. Anyway, she has a big sharpener with her,” he narrated, introducing us to one of his classmates. We laughed at his innocent perspective on things. At such a young age, he knew the importance of being resourceful and thrifty. It made me feel a little better as a parent.
“Hey, buddy. I forgot to tell you something,” I said when he ran out of things to say. “I took the day off today, so I can spend more time with you and Kylie.”
Vince hopped out of his chair, jumping up and down. I took Kylie’s hand and squeezed it tight. She must have felt the same.
“I like that idea. I will call Mom to say that I won’t be coming into the convenience store today.” After finishing her meal, she excused herself and called her mother. Vince continued his meal and finished off immediately.
“Buddy, you should get that drawing ready for me. We’re going to the lake today.” His face lit up with a bright smile. Standing up from his seat, he ran toward me and hugged me with those tiny arms.
“I love you, Daddy.” His words were the best prize I could get for all the work I did.
“I love you too, buddy.” I kissed his head while I hugged him tightly. “You better take a bath and get dressed. We’ve got a fun day ahead of us.”
He nodded and ran to his room to get his clothes ready for his bath. It was the day I had promised him for a long time. The day he had waited for so long. No disappointing him this time.
Kylie returned after she had gone to her house to get some clothes, going alone after she finished her call with her mother.
Crossing my arms, I glared at her like a father to his teenage kid. “Why did you go to your house alone?”
She looked terrified by my sudden mood shift. “I needed clothes?”