“Hey,” I said, but he ignored me, going straight to Aleesa and picking her up to inspect her head.
“Hey, Daddy.” Aleesa’s voice was bright and bubbly.
“How did this happen, again?” he asked, studying her head a few seconds longer.
“She and another girl named Rosie bumped into each other while dancing. Both girls were already sort of teetering while trying to hold a pose. Both tipped to the side and came head-to-head.”
The kitchen fell silent as he continued staring at the knot.
The silence was thick, and slightly uncomfortable, so I climbed off the stool and continued with “She’s fine now. I wouldn’t worry.”
“What if she has a concussion?” he asked, snapping his gaze to me.
“Uh ... I don’t think she does. The run-in wasn’tthathard. They aren’t football players, Javier. They’re three- and four-year-old girls.”
“Octavia, this is not the time for you to get smart with me,” he said in a near growl. “You brought my daughter home with a knot the size of Pluto on her head. She is hurt. This isnota joke.”
“I know it’s not a joke.” I frowned as he placed Aleesa back on the counter and ran a thumb over her forehead. “I was just as concerned as you are right now, but as you can see, she’s okay. She wasn’t disoriented, and she didn’t pass out or anything. I truly don’t believe she has a concussion, but if you want me to take her to urgent care, I can.”
“Where were you when this happened?” he asked. More like demanded.
“I was sitting on the bench with all the parents.”
“Are you sure you weren’t outside of the room? Or texting? Could this not have been prevented?”
I scoffed. What was with him? “I don’t understand why you’re interrogating me about this. Children have accidents all the time.”
Javier shook his head and removed Aleesa from the counter to place her feet on the floor. “I do not want this to happen again.”
“Okay. But I can’t prevent every accident she has, and neither can you.”
“Well, I can try.”
“Look,” I said with a sigh. “I’m very sorry that it happened. I wish you could be a little more reasonable about this.”
“Reasonable?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Oh, I am being unreasonable?”
“Yes.” I folded my arms. “Unreasonable.”
“No, what isunreasonableis you acting like every serious situation is no big deal, Octavia!”
“Oh, you mean because I don’t coddle her the way you do? Sorry to tell you this, my friend, but I don’t have the helicopter gene in me. I don’t hover over her or try and dictate her every move! Kids have to explore! They have to learn!”
“You know what?” Javier cut a hand through the air. “I’m the parent. I should not be arguing with you about this. We do not see eye to eye. Clearly I was wrong to hire you.”
I blinked at him, stunned. His words were sharp and seemed to cut through me like a dozen knives. I hated that they felt so powerful, and I wasn’t sure why, out of everything he’d said to me during all these months, those words bothered me most.
Maybe because I thought I was doing right by Aleesa.
Maybe because I cared about her and liked seeing her explore and try new things.
Maybe because it was true that we didn’t see eye to eye, but I’d hoped he would eventually look past our differences and realize that, no matter what, Aleesa was okay. She was protected and she was happy with me.
I only ever had her best interests in mind.
But I suppose he couldn’t see that.
I smashed my lips together, fighting the sting in my eyes by lowering my gaze to Aleesa. She’d finished her Popsicle and was looking between us, confused and upset too.
