Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“Thanks,” Layla muttered quietly and shoved a spoonful of potatoes in her mouth.
I ate a second helping of everything, and when I was done, I sat back and patted my belly. “Thank you, ladies. I really needed that.” Eating for me was mostly about giving me enough fuel to keep working, but the meal was simple and delicious.
“No problem,” Toni said and stood with a sigh.
My phone rang and I jumped to answer it, noticing the way Layla glowered angrily at the interruption.
“Hey Cal, what’s up?” My creative director rarely called, which meant something was wrong. I stood and left the kitchen, well aware that I was letting my niece down.
Again.
Chapter 6
Toni
“Where are we going?” Layla’s question put a smile on my face because she was an incredibly curious child. The best part was she didn’t have any hangups about asking questions. It was a good trait for a youngster to have, as long as you weren’t the person tasked with answering them all. I didn’t have all the answers, hell I probably didn’t’ have most of them, but her curiosity made me want to find discover new things as well.
“We’re almost there,” I answered her question without really answering it.
“Okay,” she smiled. “Are we going somewhere indoors or outdoors?”
I shrugged. “Yes.”
“Toni,” she whined. “Will there be food?”
“They have food, yes.” I smiled again at her grunt.
“Are we going to watch something? To learn something?”
“Yes.” I laughed at her impatient sigh. “We’re almost there, little miss impatient.”
“I don’t really like surprises,” she finally admitted. “The last time I was surprised, my mom and dad didn’t come home.”
“Shit,” I blurted out. “Sorry. I mean shoot. That’s totally my bad, Lay. This is a good surprise I promise, and if you don’t like it when we get there we can do something else. No hard feelings. All right?” The little girl said nothing for a long time.
“Fine,” she grumbled, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face.
When we arrived at the modern art museum, Layla was a little more cooperative. Her smile was hesitant, but she couldn’t contain her excitement as we went from one exhibit to the next. We went through paintings and sketches, watercolors, charcoal and oil paints, and through it all Layla was exuberant and excited, practically vibrating with it. “This is really cool, Toni.”
I couldn’t conceal my smile at her happiness. “I think so too,” I offered. “I’ve been to museums all over the world with my parents, and it was the best time I ever had with my folks.” That was a sad indictment on my relationship with my parents, but it was the absolute truth. Dad didn’t care as long as I was happy, but Mom treated every excursion like a final exam that took some—but not all—of the fun from every visit.
“My favorite time spent with Mom and Dad was traveling with them for work. They made homes that were good for the Earth,” she said proudly. “I always went with them, but I was sick just before the last trip and they said I needed to stay home and get better.” Layla looked away, her icy blue eyes filled with pain and regret. “I never got to see Norway,” she replied with a choked smile.
My heart broke for this little girl, but I was an expert. “What was your favorite place to visit with your parents?”
“Mexico,” she smiled widely. “There was this little cabin they built that was like living in a magic land. I wanted to stay there forever.” The wistful smile on her face was contagious. I wrapped an arm around her as we walked from exhibit to exhibit, making sure she felt loved and protected.
“It sounds amazing, and I’m totally jealous.” Sure I’ve been all over the world at my parents’ side, but I never got to explore and enjoy the tourist spots unless they were on the schedule, which meant I got to see very little.
It took a few hours, but eventually we absorbed every exhibit inside the museum before taking a break for food and water, and a bathroom break. So far it was a good day, a great day even, and I felt like I was making progress with Layla. Progress that would help her heal going forward.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Layla’s question yanked a laugh out of me over lunch because it was so unexpected. Usually, in my experience, seven year olds weren’t concerned with matters of love and romance.
I coughed to cover the laugh and shook my head. “No, I don’t. Boys and men are trouble, and I’m staying away from trouble for a little while.” More like a good long while, but Layla was too young to be disillusioned with the reality of the male species. She didn’t’ need to know about my most recent ex-boyfriend who sent me to a spa for my birthday. Which upon first glance seemed like a thoughtful gift. But when I arrived, it was to discover that it was a weight loss spa, and instead of getting beauty treatments, he wanted me to fast and run and starve. I declined the diet portion of the weekend and overindulged in massages, masks and body wraps, taking full advantage of all the pampering packages throughout the weekend. When it was all over, I dumped him the minute I got back to town and I never looked back.