“Stop fussing, Peanut.”
“No hair!”
I spray the detangler in thestrands, which helps.
“Dad!” yells Sawyer, my six-year-old, through the closed bathroom door. “I need help with reading for school.”
“Can you ask Harrison?”
“No, I don’t wanna. He’s mean.”
“He’s not mean.” For the most part, Harrison’s a good kid who helps me out a lot. But he’s only ten, so he has his own moods sometimes.
“Heis. He tried to drown Monster in the toilet yesterday.”
I sigh and chuckle. “Okay, let me get Emily ready for bed, then I’ll help you read.” And I’ll need to have a talk with Harrison about Sawyer’s stuffed monster. He can’t sleep without it. I’m positive Harrison wouldn’t harm it, but still, Sawyer is very attached to it. If you simply look at his monster wrong, he’ll freak out.
I love my kids, but taking care of them alone for the past two years has been trying, especially while dealing with the divorce and running a business.
The drop-off daycare was something my ex-husband, Malcolm, and I did together. After the divorce, he washed his hands of me, the business, and our kids. I thought he’d at least want to help raise the children, since we worked so hard to adopt them. There were three siblings, and we didn’t want to separate them. Yeah, it was a lot of work having an infant, a toddler, and a school-aged child. It wasn’t easy helping them adjust and be happy, but I guess it was too much for him.
I’ve been on my own since. I could file a suit against him to make him pay child support, but let’s face it, I not only make enough money, but I’d never see a dime anyway. I’d rather move on with my life without adding more stress, which would be especially hard on the children.
The only break I get is on poker night every other Friday with my friends. Royal Dad’s Poker Night is a poker team set up to create a community between queer fathers.
And tomorrow is game night. I can’t wait to see the guys.
Emily looks up at me with large, dark brown eyes. “Daddy, can you wead ‘Da Most Mag… Magni… Magisifant Ding?’”
“Of course, Peanut.”
God, should anything happen to that book, all hell would break loose. We read it every night, and it’s starting to look rough. I’ll need to buy a new copy soon.
After I’ve finished Emily’s hair, I leave her to play in her room and make my way to talk to Harrison.
I knock on his bedroom door and wait for him to respond. I do my best to teach my kids independence and autonomy, so I let them shut their doors, except for Emily, who’s too young.
“Yeah?”
I open up and walk in to find my eldest watching videos on his tablet. His dark brown curls are falling in his face, reminding me that I need to get them all haircuts soon.
“Sawyer said you were mean to Monster.”
He shrugs and keeps watching his videos. “He was being a whiny turd.”
I make sure not to smile as much as I want to. “Little kids can be a pain sometimes, but that’s no excuse to take it out on poor Monster. You know how your brother feels about him.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Thank you…”
Jesus, he’s already going from ten to a teen.
“Is your homework done?”
“Yeah.”
If Harrison is good at anything, it’s school, so I don’t worry too much in that area.
