I paused in the middle of working on the second button to look into his eyes. He had been Robin for weeks.
“Why not?”
“I want to wear a tie, like you.”
Emotion clogged my throat as I realized he was dressed somewhat like me. Today I was wearing khaki pants, a dress shirt, a tie, and a jacket.
“You want to wear a tie?”
“Yes. Can I?”
I didn’t have a kid’s tie and hadn’t even thought about getting one, but Noah was looking at me with his big brown eyes full of hope and what looked suspiciously like admiration. If I could, I would’ve bought out every tie in the Houston department stores.
I continued working on the buttons. “I don’t have a tie that can fit you right now, buddy. But you know what we can do? After I pick you up from school today, we’ll go shopping and buy a couple. How does that sound?”
His face lit up. “Really?”
“Really. That way you’ll have options, depending on what you wear.” I finished fixing his shirt and tucked it into his pants. Then I stood and stepped back, eyeing him critically. “You know what though? You look pretty darn sharp, even without the tie.”
He straightened his spine and smoothed his shirt. “Thanks. I want to look like you.”
Geez, this kid. “I appreciate the compliment.”
“And you take care of me really good.” His voice softened. “Daddy would be happy.”
I lowered to his level again and pulled him into a hug, holding him tight while blinking back the burning in my eyes. This place was so freaking dusty. “I’m doing my best, and I think your dad would be proud of you too. You’re doing a really good job. You’re so brave and strong.”
“Can I still wear the Robin costume sometimes if I want to?”
“You sure can. Whenever you want.” We sealed the deal with a fist bump.
He sat down and had Pop-Tarts and orange juice, his legs swinging under the table. Later, after I dropped him off at school, I went by one of the houses we had sold to pick up my signs from the yard before the new family moved in. On the way to the office, I decided to give Julia a ring and ask her about going out with me. I had intended to wait until later in the week, but why wait? I knew she was feeling me just as much as I was feeling her.
Before I could call, my phone rang, and it was my frat brother, Jashaun. There were three of us who had pledged on the same line and were still tight—me, Jashaun, and Elijah. Jashaun was the most social of us and the one most in tune to the frat’s activities post-graduation. He had recently found outhe was the father to a little girl. Elijah also had a little girl, who he parented alone after his wife left.
“Yo, what’s up?” I signaled to pass into the next lane.
“Nothing, man. I know you’ve been busy taking care of Noah. How’s he doing?”
I gave him an update on my godson’s progress and the trip to the zoo over the weekend.
“He’s really improving,” he remarked.
“It’s incredible. His therapist says he’s not completely out of the woods yet, but she is impressed by the change in his behavior and wants to continue seeing him for a while longer.”
“Isn’t he supposed to move to Tennessee next month?”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. I’m going to tell Zenobia that I want to wait so he can continue with therapy for a couple more months at least. I talked to the therapist about it, and she agrees that waiting is best.”
“His aunt isn’t going to like that.”
“Doesn’t matter what she likes. All that matters is what’s best for Noah, and I’m always going to do what’s best for him.”
“That’s what’s up. Good luck dealing with her though. You already have your hands full taking care of him, and having her give you a hard time doesn’t help.”
“I’m handling the situation for now.”
“Hey, remember the organization I told you about, the Single Dad Society?”
