“Well, grocery store after lunch then.”
“We’ve only been back a few days and just doing takeout. We really need groceries. And something special for Christmas dinner. Right, Daddy?” Donny looked over at me for the answers, and with them letting me make the final decisions, I had hope that this would run smoothly. Even if they were capitulating for my benefit. Did it matter as long as it worked for us?
The park was a few blocks away and full of green space. Donny and Kay got out of the car and ran around like lunatics. They climbed on the playground equipment and played chase with some actual children. No one said anything about it. It was simply a couple of guys acting up and entertaining the kids. Then they sat on the swings, and I joined in on that.
After a little gentle swinging, Donny asked me to push them both since they wanted to go higher. “We need like a race with swings to see who can go higher.”
“Higher or faster?” Kay asked.
Donny answered, “Yes. Both. Push us, Daddy.”
I obliged, pushing Donny first, and then Kay, but after a few pushes, they kicked their feet, getting higher with every pass. I was pretty happy the set was solid, or their combined weight might have tipped it.
“Let’s jump!” Donny called and slowed a little—thankfully—before jumping out of the swing, up in the air, and landing on his feet with a little run. I half expected him to fall but he didn’t
Kay did not follow suit. He slowed, then dragged his feet to stop. “I can’t do that. If I broke an arm or wrist…” He shook his head.
“I forgot. Sorry, Kay.”
“It’s alright. But that looked like fun.”
“It was.” He ran over and tapped Kay on the leg. “You’re it.”
They chased each other a little while longer, but it was getting late. “Hey, guys. Let’s go get lunch now.” I made a lasso motion in the air to call them in, and thankfully, they didn’t argue or fuss. We climbed into the SUV, and Kay drove again, while Donny climbed into the backseat, and I got into the passenger side.
When we got to McDonald’s, Kay asked what we wanted.
“Chicky-nugs. And fries,” Donny called out.
Kay got the same, but he picked apples instead of fries. I wondered how much of that was preference and how much was akeeping in shape because he was a rockstarthing. I hated the thought of him missing out on anything because of that, but that was his life choice and his decision. I had made choices that I needed to live up to as well. I ordered the McChicken sandwich, vowing to do better for dinner and to keep working out.
“Do you have a gym or anything, Kay?”
“Yes. I have two extra bedrooms, and one is a home gym. The other is going to be my playroom.”
“Hey…” Donny said. “We need to work on that while we’re here. Let’s do that tomorrow.”
When we got back to the house, he gave me a better tour, including the playroom he had mentioned, which had some cabinets and a daybed that needed to be put together. “It doesn’t look like much now, but when I’m done, it’ll be cool. I have a rug and a net thing to put stuffies in, like to hang from the corner.”
Kay snorted. “Do you even have stuffies?”
“N-No. Not yet.” He shrugged and looked at his feet.
I pulled him close and kissed the side of his head. “You’ll have stuffies. I’m sure you’ll get some really soon.” I was determined to make that happen. “Maybe we should paint before we start on the cabinets. What color do you want?”
Kay shrugged, and Donny bounced on his feet. “Kay, you should do purple. Or blue…maybe green.”
“Donny, it’s Kay’s room. Let him pick.”
“Yes, Daddy.” Donny looked at his feet but bumped his shoulder into Kay’s and whispered, “Get purple.” His little was entirely too cute and full of energy. But I didn’t want him pushing Kay into something he didn’t want.
“I want a soft blue on the ceiling and purple walls, but not like Grimace purple or plum, like a soft and soothing color. And white trim.”
“That sounds very nice. How about I go out and get paint and supplies while you two move this stuff out of the room? Then we can paint after dinner.” I wanted to see the room put together before I left.
After getting directions to the store and putting the address into my GPS, I took off. I didn’t have much to give the guys for Christmas, so I thought finishing the room was something great I could give them. It was Kay’s room, but they were inseparable, so it was for Donny too.
I picked a dusty purple with a gray undertone. Blue was for the ceiling, and I thought he meant it to be like the sky. I chose a robin’s egg blue, which was soft yet still striking, especiallyagainst the purple. I also figured he should have a break between the ceiling and the wall with a little molding. I chose a simple one as well as a miter box with a saw. Since his ceiling wasn’t very high, I thought it might look cool to put it on the ceiling edge instead of the wall. That way, he’d get the break and decoration without making the walls seem shorter. I tossed in rollers, tape, and plastic to cover the floor, along with all the other things we’d need.
