Having a toddler in the house had been an adjustment, but I was slowly getting used to it. It had been two days since Janiyah and Mikayla came home, and immediately, the house felt warmer. Mikayla’s cute little laughs echoed through the walls throughout the day, bringing more life to the environment than it had known for the last few months. Janiyah’s scent now filled every room in the house, even ours. She may not have slept in there, but she still had things in the closet, so she would comeinto the room to get what she needed and left a trail of her sweet aroma behind.
Things were still a little awkward between us, but we were making things work.
I heard Janiyah and Mikayla playing in the room when I woke up, so I got up to fix breakfast for them. I wanted Janiyah to be able to tend to Mikayla and rest as much as possible. I knew she’d been through a lot over the last couple of days.
After I went into the bathroom to wash up, I went downstairs to the kitchen. I knew Mikayla liked oatmeal for breakfast, so I made a bowl for her. I wanted it to cool down before she came to eat. For Janiyah and me, I made egg and bacon omelets. I brewed a pot of Janiyah’s favorite coffee, and I was certain she would make her way down once she smelled it. I also cut up some strawberries for Mikayla and put them on the counter.
The day after I signed the papers, I had my mother help me get things that Mikayla would need. She went crazy in every store we went to, but it was worth it. If this thing was going to work, I wanted Mikayla and Janiyah to be comfortable. I didn’t need to, but I had purchased new bedding for the guest room even though it hadn’t been used.
Since Janiyah left, I didn’t bother with going into the other rooms, but my mom came over once a week to clean them. I didn’t ask her to do that, but she knew I wouldn’t. I could have hired a cleaner, but my momma shut that down. I wasn’t going to argue with her, so I let her do her thing. I wasn’t home half the time anyway, so I was never in the way. She even cleaned my bedroom, even though she didn’t have to.
As I flipped the omelet, I heard giggles coming from the hallway. I turned around and smiled at Janiyah and Mikayla as they stood in the entryway of the kitchen.
“Good morning. You are right on time,” I told Janiyah as I put an omelet on a plate.
“Good morning. I smelled my favorite coffee.” She blushed and went to put Mikayla in the high chair near the table.
I took in her attire and had to reel myself in. Janiyah still had her pajamas on, but it didn’t matter what she wore; she looked good to me. I especially loved her early morning look when her hair was in a messy bun, and her face was bare. I loved it when she dressed up, too, but her natural look did something to me.
“I told you I have to get back into your good graces.” I winked at her as I put her plate on the table. “I made some oatmeal for baby girl, too. It should be cool enough by now.” I put the bowl of oatmeal on the tray in front of Mikayla and grabbed the small spoon I purchased for her.
“From the way her eyes lit up, I’m assuming she’s happy about it.” Janiyah smiled at Mikayla as she shoved a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth.
“I’m glad she is. I’ll make your coffee for you.”
Janiyah watched Mikayla make a mess while I made her coffee the way she liked it. Once I made both our cups, I placed them on the table, then got my food. The three of us sat together like a family, and I had to admit to myself that it made me feel good. It was something I could see myself getting used to. I really didn’t have a choice anyway, since I signed those papers.
“Thank you for breakfast. You didn’t have to work today?”
“No. In fact, I was thinking we could do something fun today. I looked up some places we could take her. That’s if you didn’t have any plans for the day.”
I hoped Janiyah didn’t have anything else to do because I really wanted to spend time with them.
“I didn’t have any plans. What did you have in mind?” Janiyah asked as she continued eating.
Every so often she would help Mikayla with her food, but baby girl wasn’t feeling it. She was very independent for her age.I was sure that was something her parents had been teaching her before they passed.
“I was thinking about an indoor playground. We can spend a few hours there, then get some dinner. I’m sure it would be enough to tire her out.”
My goal was to spend time together as a family, and hopefully by the end of the night I could get some quality time with my wife. I needed her to see that I was serious about getting things back on track with us.
“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll pack her some snacks while she finishes eating, then I’ll get us ready.”
“Sounds good.”
Once we were finished eating, Janiyah took Mikayla to get dressed, and I cleaned the kitchen, then got dressed myself.
A few hours later, we were at the indoor playground, and Mikayla was having the time of her life. She got on the swings multiple times. The three of us bounced on the trampolines, slid down a few slides, and I helped Mikayla climb up a rock wall. Every time I glanced at Janiyah, she looked at us with a bright smile that made her eyes light up. She had her phone out, taking pictures of us, so I would give her a quick pose that caused her to giggle.
When we were done at the rock wall, we took a break for lunch.
“She still seems to have more energy,” Janiyah said when I sat down in the booth across from her.
Mikayla sat next to Janiyah on a booster seat, eating chicken nuggets and fries. Her little shoulders shimmied the whole time she ate.
“She reminds me of her mother,” I said as I looked at her dip a nugget in her ketchup.
“She does. Monica always danced when she ate something good.” Janiyah looked off to the side for a moment, then back at Mikayla.
