“Of course not. Now, let’s get busy. You dragged me out here, let’s get this workout done.”
We spent the next forty-five minutes concentrating on lifting, and I was left wondering what had helped more, the advice or the workout. In the end, it didn’t matter because I knew what I needed to do, and hopefully my boy was receptive to it. Otherwise, I hadn’t a clue, and losing Gilly wasn’t an option.
It started with doing something fun with Gilly to help him forget about his troubles for a bit. I needed it, so I was pretty sure he would too. He had been so stressed, and if I couldn’t solve his problem, I’d at least ease the anxiety, taking the edge off while giving him some reassurances.
13
GILLY
Daddy called to see if I wanted to go bowling. Heck yes, I was totally in. It didn’t matter to me what we did, I loved hanging out with him, but bowling would be totally fun.
I pulled out the new clothes he’d ordered for me and got dressed. They were so comfortable, and I loved my Ellie the Elephant T-shirt. Before I might have been too embarrassed to wear it in public, but it was an adult size, and Daddy seemed to like it, or more likely, he liked that I was happy with it.
I wondered if we could have pizza again as I bounced around my room, hardly able to contain my enthusiasm. I wanted to bring my bottle, but since I had my Daddy-bottle, which was way better than the ones I had at home, I skipped it. Instead, I tossed clothes in an overnight bag along with my Ellie stuffie and my binky. I slept really well with those when I was cuddled up with Daddy and a full tummy full of his milk.
I was so happy, I skipped outside when he arrived to pick me up. We stopped at a Mexican American restaurant for dinner along the way. It wasn’t pizza, but tacos were another favorite. Whenwe got to the table, I ordered water, and Daddy had a beer. “Gilly, would you like to try the chicken quesadilla? We can have it with sour cream and fresh guac to dip the triangles into.”
I was going to order tacos, but that sounded better. “Yum.” It came with lime-flavored rice too, which was way better than regular rice. The food came out pretty quickly, and we ate as we talked between bites.
“Gilly, I have something important to talk to you about.”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking about the other night. You’re such a good boy, and so smart to be handling the business on your own for as long as you have, but if you want, I can help you.”
“What do you mean? Help me how?” I stuck a chip in the remaining dip and took a big bite.
“I know how to run a business, and a couple of points to keep in mind are that there are really only two ways to improve your bottom line. Either make more or spend less. I think that you could charge your clients a higher rate, and I’d bet we could find a few places to cut costs too.”
“Like I said, I can’t make changes like that without my uncle, and he’s not available. I’m not even sure when he’ll be back. He gave me a return date, but he’s missed them before, so I don’t count on it.” I knew this was important, and I already had a list of things I wanted to change. I also suspected that my uncle was spending from the business account here and there all willy-nilly instead of making regular draws, which made my job even harder. It was impossible to guess about that kind of thing. Too bad I couldn’t read my uncle’s mind. I sighed and dropped mychip back on my plate. “Actually, my uncle is kind of dragging the company down, and I don’t think he cares anymore.”
“Maybe it’s time to buy out your uncle. I can help you make a proposal if you’re interested?”
“I don’t think that would work well for me. I have money saved, but if I spend that, I’ll have nothing left.” I shook my head. I knew he was trying to help, but I wasn’t sure buying the business was something I wanted. “I already know all this.” I tossed my napkin down.
“It’s okay to be upset, Gilly. But no matter what you want to do, just know that I have your back and I’m more than happy to help however you see fit.”
“Can we go bowling now?” I was done thinking about business. My brain was overloaded and needed a break.
“Yep.” He raised his hand in the air, getting the server’s attention. “Check, please?”
After paying, we went to the bowling alley that was only a few buildings down from the restaurant. I didn’t feel any better as we got our lane and shoes. Daddy Nate helped me with my shoes and picking out a ball. He was good at helping me, and I liked it.
Did I want him to help me with everything? It was a nice thought to have someone there for me who could help ease the burden of life. But how much was too much, and what happened if he got tired of doing it? I’d be right back where I was and likely without the Daddy I was growing to love.
We played two games, and Daddy Nate beat me on both of them. Instead of pouting, I laughed it off. “Bet I could beat you at video games. Wanna play Fortnite?”
“No, I do not.” He practically stuck his nose up in the air.
“Because you know I’ll beat you.”
“Yep. Come on, you little rascal. Let’s go home.”
Home.
Would mine be with Daddy someday?
14
