6.10: Mending Relationships

   "And the little piggy said oink, oink, oink!" I read from the storybook. Hazel sat next to me on the floor, clapping her hands every time I turned the page to the nest set of colorful pictures. She loved it when I read her stories. "Can you say oink?" I smiled widely, speaking in a sing-songy voice.
   "Oinky! Hehe, me piggy." She giggled. Hazel was a very happy toddler, always smiling and laughing. The last child's parent had just come to pick them up and after a day of playing with other people's children, it was time for me to play with my own.
   "Yeah, piggies oink!"
   "Nex-nex." She pointed at the book. Nex-nex, meaning next-next was what she said when she wanted me to read more.
   "The little piggy took his backpack and skipped down the road, singing as he when. This piggy wanted to build a home very fast, so when he saw a squirrel selling a wheelbarrow of sticks he bought them."
   "Why he buy dem? Sticky breaks. Me see Marco breaky stick!"
   "The little wanted to build his home fast so he could go watch TV." I quickly said.
   "Teh-veet. Why he want teh-veet?" She was a creative, happy toddler who questioned absolutely everything. I, much to Booker's displeasure had refused to put a TV in the house. I wasn't against them, I was just worried that parents would think that the TV was the babysitter, not me.
   "Let's read to find out. Yeah, you wanna read more?"
   "Nex-nex."
   "After the first little piggy bought sticks, he went to the meadow to build his home."
   "Meadow? What at?"
   "A meadow is a grassy space! And it's pretty and has flowers."
   "Marco and me draw flowers one day! It fa mommas day and he give it to his mama and me give et to you! It pwetty."
   "Yes, it's pretty!" I smiled and nodded. "Now once the little piggy finished building his home-"
  "Kayleigh." I glanced up from the book. Booker was standing their in his suit and tie.
  "Booker, hey. Hazel can you say hello to daddy?"
  "Hwelloy!" She smiled, waving her hand at him. "Me and momma reading bookie!"
  "You are? Wow." He said in a boring monotone. He wasn't that good at the pretend to be enthusiastic 24/7 part of parenting. "Kayleigh, we need to talk." He began impatiently tapping his foot. He did that often, as if to let me know that I wasn't responding quick enough.
  "Can we finish this story first?"
  "Please?"
  "Fine." I rolled my eyes. Booker always thought his needs were more important than anything involving his daughter. I closed the book, setting it on the couch. Hazel and I would finish it later, probably at her bedtime or tomorrow when we had story time at the daycare.
  "Nex-nex." Hazel cried out, reaching for the story. I picked her up, patting her back.
  "Did you teach out daughter to say sex-sex?" His nostrils flared out. I rolled my eyes for the second time in a row. What type of parent did he believe I was?
  "Noooo." I drew out the word. "But you just did. See, she says nex-nex, it means next-next, when she wants me to read more."
   "Oh. Well, we should get her a speech pathologist to fix that issue." What the hell? Was he being serious?
   "Yeah, a four year old needs a speech problem." I sarcastically said. "You realize most children, no most toddlers, don't speak like they will when they're an adult. She'll learn how to say next soon."
   "I just want my child to be perfect."
   "Your child? YOUR child? Excuse me, you're here a couple hours, you don't talk to her and you call her your child? One, she's ours, two if she was one of ours, it'd be mine. The one who bother teaching her how to walk and talk and potty trains her."
   "This is what I need to talk to you about. Can Hazel go someplace else?"
   "I need to keep an eye on her."
   "She'll be fine in the daycare room."
   "Okay." I sighed. "Mommy will read to you later, okay?" I smiled as I set her down on the ground. She began toddling off.
   "Buhdozer! Buhdozer."
   "Yeah." Booker nodded. :Go to the playroom."
   "Booker, she wants her bulldozer."
   "Bulldozer? Kayleigh, she's a girl."
   "Excuse me, I didn't realize that females couldn't play with toys shaped like trucks."
   "Not to be sexist, but shouldn't she have a princess doll?"
   "You're lucky that Hazel here or I would slap you. Now go give her her bulldozer."
   "Bulldozer for my fudging daughter." He muttered under his breath. He walked over to the desk, though and handed Hazel her toy. She waddled off to the playroom and began playing and saying things only she understood.
   "What did you want to talk about?" I asked, as we walked over to the bench.
   "I'm sorry." He said, as he sat next to me. "I've been horrible. I know I'm focused on my work, but ever since I lost the campaign for mayor, I've felt lost."
   "You have a daughter, Booker. I wouldn't mind as much if it wasn't for the fact that Hazel barely knows you. I want you two to have a good relationship."
   "Things will get better. I know I haven't been as involved with Hazel as I either of us wanted, but I want to start over."
   "Start over? What does that even mean? Are you leaving me? Because I swear if you are, I'm still keeping the house. And you're paying Hazel's therapy bills when she turns into a father hating revenge wanting teenager."
    "I'm not leaving you."
    "Good... because trust me, it would hurt you more."
    "I love you."
    "I..." I took a deep breath. I loved Booker, but damn was he such a sugar head sometimes. "I love you, too. But dammit Booker, act like a daddy."
   "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Kayleigh. I want another baby. I messed up with Hazel, but I swear I'll do better if we have another baby. Hazel will be turning five soon and she'll be going to elementary school. Kindergarten. You won't have a baby at home, other than the ones you watch." He had a good point. I loved children and I loved be able to watch other peoples kids and mine at the same time. I think being able to watch my own children let be better, because I wanted the best care for my kids and I knew all the other parents did too.
    "Booker, I don't know. I love children..."
    "Think about it. Please? I want to be a better father."
    "Okay."
    "Really?"
    "One condition. We start couples therapy after the baby is born. You can't work weekends or past six pm. It doens't matter what gender we have, if it's a boy he can play with princesses and take ballet and if it's a girl, she can play football and with trucks. No gender stereotypes. No 'that's for boys' or 'that's too girly'. Think you can do that?"
    "I know I can."
    "Hazel's going to be a big sister soon." I whispered, as Booker began kissing me. He started on my lips and worked his way down my neck. "Booker. Hazel is in the other room. Later."
    "Now." He whispered back, his hand moving slowly down my back, pulling at the edges of my mommy-stylish dress.
    "Oh!" I exclaimed, as I felt his hand moving around. "Booker." I moaned. "Baby in the other room."
    "I know. She can't see under your dress, can she?"
    "Let's go upstairs... shower."
    "Yep."  We stood up, hurrying to the upstairs bathroom. I grabbed a baby monitor, glad that one was in the daycare playroom. Booker and I were about to promote Hazel to big sister.