Now, when Daddy traced paths down my body with his tongue, that was different. That I loved…a lot.
“How was work?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. It was rough.”
“Well, if you change your mind, let me know. Dinner’s just about ready.”
“I can’t wait. I’m starving.” I’d skipped lunch, thanks to missing so much time evacuating the building all morning.
We took turns making dinner. He had the day off today, so he picked up the task. I liked it when he cooked. Daddy was the king of comfort food, and tonight was no exception. He’d baked a chicken with potatoes and root vegetables, one of my favorite meals.
“I was thinking that we could go meet some of the guys for a drink tonight,” he said, “but you look like you would be better off with some time at home.”
“Yes, home please.” I appreciated the fact that his friends always included me and that some of them had littles of their own I could hang with and not feel like the odd one out. But all I wanted to do was get out of my work clothes and into something far comfier.
“Did you want to be little tonight?”
“Gods, yes, Daddy, I do. I didn’t want to ask because I know you have to work in the morning.” We usually planned our little time in advance, but it was exactly what I needed right now.
After cleaning up after dinner, Daddy helped me get ready to play. He gave me a shower to wash away the day, put me in adorable clothes, brought out Pup-Pup, who Zoe had been very good about not touching since that day in the park, and set up Candyland, where he pretended he wasn’t letting me win the entire game. We followed that up with building with some plastic blocks and making some pictures with stickers. It was so much fun, but I was getting sleepy.
“Movie time?” Daddy asked, and I grabbed my blankie and snuggled on the couch with him.
We picked one about an alien who thought cats ruled the world. It wasn’t that far-fetched, all things considered. Any catI knew ruled their world, which was probably why I was a dog person more than a cat person. I didn’t like guessing what a pet needed, and cats gave an aura ofyou should know what I need. With Zoe, there was no guesswork. Whether she wanted loves or a treat or to go and pee, she made it known.
We were only a few minutes into the movie when Daddy’s phone rang. I assumed it was the guys wondering if we were coming, but as soon as Daddy saw the number, he stood up and said he’d be right back. It didn’t take long for me to figure out something was going on at work. He came over and crouched down in front of me, eye to eye.
“Daddy needs to go to work, honey. Somebody’s very sick, and the doctor thinks Daddy can help figure out what’s causing it. Do you want to help Daddy get ready?”
I nodded.
It was the first time we had to try the checklist. At first, it didn’t connect that’s what we were doing. I was too deep into little space. But slowly, I came out of it. By the time he left, I was ready to complete my tasks. I did them one after another, feeling good about things halfway through but not stopping there because if I completed them all, there was going to be a prize.
Daddy called only a few hours later, saying he was on his way home and everything had worked out. I didn’t ask him what happened. He wasn’t supposed to tell me, and asking him would only make him feel bad. But I trusted that everything was fine with the patient who needed him because while he couldn’t share details, he’d never lie to me about that or anything else.
He walked through the door, and, despite not being little, I instantly showed him my chart as if I were. There was a prize on the line.
“See, I did it, Daddy! I did it! Where’s my prize? Where’s my prize?”
He kissed my forehead, chuckling, very obviously amused. “You want your prize now?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Are you sure?”
“Uh-huh.”
He walked into the bedroom, and I could hear the closet door open then close. When he came back out, he was holding a small, wrapped box. This wasn’t just any prize. It was a present, wrapped and everything.
“Can I open it now?”
“Of course.” He went and sat on the couch, patted his lap, and I climbed on and ripped the paper open. When I took the lid off the box, inside were zoo passes.
“You’re gonna take me to the zoo? That’s my prize?”
“That’s your prize for today. I have lots of these boxes, and each of them is a different adventure, a special day out with Daddy.”
I threw my arms around him, holding him close. “You’re the best daddy ever.”
