“Yeah-yeah. I missed you too,” Georgi replies, his tone playful and even affectionate.
As he shuts the door, I ask, “Do you want to use the bathroom first?”
He shakes his head. “I’ll get dressed while you take your time in there.”
I walk into the luxurious bathroom and set Simi down on her feet. When I go to lock the door, I notice there’s no key.
Hmm. Georgi probably took.
Shutting the door, I gather two towels and bring them closer to the big tub. Smiling at my daughter, I ask, “How warm must Mama make the water?”
“Not too hot. Tanya always makes it too hot. It makes my skin red.”
Jesus.
Unable to regulate my turbulent emotions, I drop to my knees and sweep my baby up in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry,milo moe.”
“From now on, your Mama will bathe you and the water will be perfect,” Georgi suddenly says from behind the closed door, his tone very tense. “Sorry to interrupt. Just want to know if you and Simi would like anything specific to eat and drink.”
I appreciate that he’s speaking Bulgarian.
“Can I have juice, toast, and cheese, and an egg in a cup?” Simi rattles off a string of things. “You know, with the shell still on? Tanya always has it, and it looks yummy.”
It’s impossible to keep my tears back as they begin to fall, and it instantly makes Simi’s eyebrows knit together with worry.
My precious girl places her hand on my cheek and tries to comfort me. “Don’t cry, Mama. I’m not that hungry.”
The door creaks open, and Georgi asks, “Are you both dressed?”
A sob building in my throat stops me from replying, but Simi says, “Yes. We’re not bathing yet.”
I take hold of her hand as the sob escapes and press a kiss to her palm, aware of Georgi coming in.
Somehow, he pushes through the pain as he crouches beside us, the sheet still wrapped around his waist.
He grips the back of my neck and pulls me against his black and blue bruised side while he ruffles Simi’s bed hair.
“You can have whatever you want, little one.” He rubs his hand up and down my back. “Tell me about the egg in the shell, so I get you exactly what you want.”
The intense gratefulness I feel that he’s being kind to my daughter while giving me a moment to regain my composure is something I’ve never experienced.
It actually makes it even more difficult to stop crying, and not wanting to cause Simi distress, I smile through the tears and say, “I’m just so happy to spend time with you. That’s why I can’t stop crying. Okay?”
The bright grin returns to Simi’s face. “The egg is in the shell in a little cup, and you break the top open with a spoon, then dunk pieces of toast in it. The yellow must be gooey.”
“And do you want the cheese sliced?” Georgi asks.
Simi shakes her head and moves closer to him. Instinctively, I reach for her and place my hand on her side so I can grab her quickly should the need arise.
“I want it shredded, please.” Her eyes dart between Georgi and me, and when hope shines bright from her, my lips part to stop her question, but I’m too late. “Are you the prince? Were you taking so long because you had to fight all the bad guys? Why don’t you have a sword?”
She moves even closer to him, and I grip her shirt tightly as I pull away from Georgi.
My daughter is oblivious to my panic and continues to pepper him with questions. “How did you fly yesterday? Will you show me? I wanna fly too.” She pulls her shirt out of my handand moves to Georgi’s side so she can see his back. “Did they steal your wings? Is that why you have so many owies?”
“Simi,” I finally manage to get her name out.
“It’s okay,” Georgi murmurs, his tone soft. “Yes, I took so long because there were a lot of bad men, but they’re all gone now.” He lifts his hand, and as if he’s scared he’ll hurt her, he carefully tucks a wild curl behind her ear. “I don’t have wings. I only get the power to fly when you’re falling, so it’s not something I can do all the time or teach you.”
