“This…is….a lot of food.”
Yeah, most likely. But whatever he didn’t eat could be saved for later. “Eat what you can.”
“What’s one thing you’d like to do today?” I wanted the entire day to be about him. I had no plans to step away from him at all unless something with work came up. But even then, most of it was done through the computer or phone. And I had Nathan keeping track of other things that would possibly need my attention. He’d step in for me if needed.
Oakley shrugged, not meeting my eyes. I figured that’d be the answer.
While there were a million things we could do, I wanted him to pick.
“Have you ever gone to the zoo?”
With wide eyes that didn’t meet my own, he shook his head. I didn’t think he’d done much of anything, which was sad. I highly doubted he even touched a foot into a school building either.
“Would you like to go?”
“There’s….animals there.”
“There is. And a gift shop that has stuffed animals, and probably books.” It’d been years since I actually visited the zoo, or even the other places I wanted to take my boy.
“Or, we can go to a museum or art gallery.”
“Zoo…please?”
I beamed. “Absolutely.”
His lips twisted just a tiny bit before he forced the smile down.
Progress, even if it was baby steps.
We fell into silence once more. In between bites, Oakley would take sips of the juice that was in a regular cup this time. I didn’t want to risk him going into a little mind frame too quickly. Not that I minded, but I wanted to get to know a shy, quiet Oakley just as much.
The rest of the breakfast was quiet like it was most of the time. I wasn’t sure if the boy would ever become more talkative, but I was going to try to bring him out of his shell.
One day at a time.
“Go get ready. Wear underwear.”
A blush coated his cheeks, but he nodded anyway as he stood from the table. Why he got bashful over wearing underwear was strange. I knew that if I didn’t tell him to, he wouldn’t wear them at all.
I took my time cleaning up the kitchen. I washed the dishes, wiped down the counter and table, and put away the leftovers. It was interesting to see that Oakley went more for the bacon and fruit over the waffles.
Forgoing my shower, since I took one later in the day yesterday, I changed clothes. Simple washed jeans and a black shirt. In a small backpack, I stashed a pacifier and a sippy, along with a change of clothes for a certain boy. Just one of my shirts and sleep pants.
I couldn’t predict when the boy would have a meltdown, and I wanted to be as prepared as I could.
Truthfully, I wanted to think that a zoo wouldn’t have any triggers. It shouldn’t unless we ran into someone who knew him somehow. Not that many people would dare mess with him if he was with me. But I didn’t want to take that chance, either.
Oakley was mine.
Halfway worried about the boy, he was taking a bit longer than he normally would in the shower. Not that we had to be at the zoo at any given time. It wasn’t quite open yet anyway, so we had plenty of time. But normally, his showers were quick and to the point.
Sitting on the edge of the bed to put my shoes on, I waited him out. The water wasn’t running anymore, and I heard movement, so I could assume he wasn’t panicking.
Pulling out my phone, I checked my emails and texts, making sure that nothing important had come up yet.
Soon enough, Oakley emerged from the bathroom, steam billowing around his frame. He stood there, blushing, in just a towel.
“No rush.” I turned my gaze back to my phone, pulling up some game. Although I kept the boy in the corner of my eyes, wanting to see him.
