“Food’s ready, little one.” At my voice. Oakley slowly lifted his head. He looked around like he forgot where he was for a moment. A blush filled his cheeks as he shifted in his seat before closing the coloring book.
“What were you thinking so hard about?”
Would he tell me?
He shrugged, popping his paci from his mouth and laying it on the table. Then, hugged his bunny super tight before placing it on top of the coloring book. All the while, the redness from his face didn’t disappear.
I had a feeling I knew what he had been thinking about. It was something I wasn’t going to force from this time.
Oakley was needy in a different way, and there really wasn’t a way for him to express that need.
I was surprised by my self-control. He had been hard as a rock while I dried him off, and the entire time I rubbed lotion into his skin.
He smelt clean and fresh, and I’d have loved nothing more than to show him a new type of pleasure. But he’d been through a lot today already.
I had questions, of course, but ones that wouldn’t be spoken out loud. Only time would give me the answers I wondered about.
“Here you go. And some pills. This one so you don’t feel so yucky when you can’t go to the bathroom.”
He picked it up, looking at the pill before shrugging and swallowing it. Then the other one followed.
He was way too trusting, I thought. Or maybe he was finally starting to get comfortable with me to not second guess what I gave him. I hoped that was the case. But something told me that Donny had given him things before and he wasn’t allowed to question those things.
“What’s one food thing you’d like to have?” I asked after a bit. At my voice, he looked up slowly with a bite halfway to his mouth.
I had mixed his hotdog into the noodle mixture, hoping he’d enjoy it.
“Anything?” His voice was quiet, but I still caught it.
“Yes. Pizza? Hamburgers? Ice cream? Chicken?”
He dropped his gaze to the food, taking another bite while he mulled over the thoughts and fears that ran through his head. I had to wonder what he’d pick. Most Littles would go straight for pizza or French fries. Even chicken nuggets. All of which were easy to obtain.
“Apples.”
That was not what I was expecting.
“Red or green?”
“They come in that color?” He looked up, eyes wide. “I… the ones I got were…always greenish brown.”
“The greener they are, the sweeter. Both are good. Dipped in peanut butter or caramel sauce.”
“Both” his eyes got even wider if it were possible.
“I can do that. We’ll go shopping and get them.”
I didn’t keep much fruit in the house, since it was always just me here. Half the time, they’d all get tossed out because I was too busy to eat them.
“Maybe some other fruits, too. Like pears, or cucumbers?”
He nodded quickly, shoving another bite into his mouth.
It wasn’t every day a Little asked for healthy things, but I’d take it.
“I…really can have that?”
“Yes, sweet boy. I’ll let you have whatever food you ever would want. There will be limits, like only having two cookies so you don’t eat the entire package, though.”
