The lyrics I wrote last night were hopeful. They were looking toward the future instead of dwelling on the past.
I slip on a T-shirt and head downstairs, walking straight to the coffeepot and pouring the morning goodness.
“What are these?” Cailin asks as she climbs onto the barstools next to the kitchen counter where I was sitting last night, multiple pages of my lyrics strewn about. She picks one up and reads the title, “Hear Me Now? What’s that?”
I take a sip of my coffee before setting it down and reading over the pages she has in her hand, impressed she can read it at all. “It’s the title of the song I was working on last night.”
“Is it finished?”
“Not yet, but I got a start on a few different ones too.”
She picks up the other sheets and tries to read my handwriting, but as the night went on, my writing got messier and messier. “Daddy, you have bad handwriting. Miss Russo can help you too. She has these sheets that I trace, so you can learn to write the letters better.”
I’m lucky I already swallowed my coffee, or I would’ve spit it out in laughter. I love Cailin’s innocence and how she’s always looking for ways to help.
“I know. It’s pretty messy. When I’m on a roll, I’m more focused on getting the words out instead of my handwriting, but I’ll try next time.”
We head to the living room to curl up and watch cartoons for a little while.
Once we’ve watched a few, she hops off the couch and heads toward the kitchen. “Can I have cereal for breakfast?”
“Sure.” I head to the pantry and grab the box as she takes the milk out of the fridge. After I pour it and grab a spoon, she asks, “Did you call her yet?”
I put the milk away and grab a few eggs to make my own breakfast. “It’s still early. Let’s give her some time. Besides, I don’t have her number.”
She grabs my phone and reaches across the counter to hold it up to my face to unlock the screen as I crack the eggs.
“Did you just unlock my phone?”
“Yep! I like this one so much better than having to get your thumbprint.” As her tiny tongue sticks out, she opens my phone app and dials Linda.
“Morning,” Linda answers happily.
“Hi, Linda,” Cailin says with it on speakerphone while lying the phone on the counter between us. “Can you give us Miss Russo’s number? I want to call her to see if she can come over to play today.”
“Morning, sweetheart. I can give it to you, but make sure it’s okay with your dad before you call her. He might not want her to come over to play today.”
“Yeah, I want to play with Miss Russo,” I shout toward the phone.
Linda chuckles under her breath. “Adam …” she says teasingly.
“What? You asked; I answered.”
I hear giggles again as she says, “I’ll text it to you. You guys have fun today.”
We both thank her as Cailin ends the call and goes back to eating her breakfast.
“What should we do today with Miss Russo?” I ask. “When you call someone, you should have a plan in mind. Our cover has already been blown, so no having to hide out at home. Where should we go?”
“How about the zoo?”
“Isn’t that a little far?”
Her tiny shoulders pop up to her ears while she holds her hands out to the sides. “I don’t know where it is. I just want to see the giraffes. I heard they had some here.”
I pick up my phone and search for the closest zoo. It shows one about forty minutes away, and yes, they have giraffes, so I guess that works.
Since we have a plan that we should get on the road sooner than later, I decide now is as good a time as ever to call Sarah. I click the number and step into the hallway as the line rings.
