Forty-Two
FORTY-TWO
MALIK
Me: Good morning, my Sunny Girl. Thank you for coming last night. You made my day. Hell, you made my entire year.
My Sunny Girl: I hope you had a good night.
Me: image Found the perfect spot.
My Sunny Girl: You know other people are going to see that and wonder why you have a drawing of you holding shit on your bookshelf?
Me: And I’ll tell them my favorite little girl drew it for me, and I’d wallpaper my house with it if I could.
My Sunny Girl: You’re crazy
Me: And you’re beautiful
My Sunny Girl:
My Sunny Girl: Saw this today and thought of you. image
Me: Haha. Very funny. Trolling me with a Rapunzel wig.
My Sunny Girl: Admit it. You miss the sing-a-longs.
Me: I miss singing with my girls.
Me: The flowers are in bloom everywhere and all I can think of is how they don’t hold a flame next to your beauty.
My Sunny Girl: Smooth talker
Me: Truth speaker
My Sunny Girl: Are you excited to have an entire week without goldfish and glue sticks and grading papers?
Me: No, because it’s an entire week without seeing Dahlia. She makes each day better.
My Sunny Girl: Oh
Me: Would you be interested in joining me for a beach day?
My Sunny Girl: We kind of already have plans to visit my parents.
Me: Oh
My Sunny Girl: We’ll send some pictures.
Me: Yes, please.
My Sunny Girl: Are you busy tonight?
Me: Nope. Like every other night of the week, I’m just sitting at home alone.
My Sunny Girl: Don’t say that.
Me: It’s the truth.
My Sunny Girl: Well since you’re not busy, can I tempt you into having dinner with me?
Me: Already grabbing my keys. Where and when?
My Sunny Girl: In an hour. At the Pier. Pappa’s Pizzeria.
Me: I’ll be there in thirty minutes, waiting with bells on.
My Sunny Girl:
I made it to the pizza shop in forty-five minutes, but only because I stopped to get something for Dahlia. I didn’t want her feeling left out when I gave Soleil the gift I’ve had waiting for her. When I enter, I ask the hostess if she can sit me by the window so that I can see them when they come walking up. My eyes still long to watch her, drink in every step, every smile.
When I told Soleil about following her and doing things like checking to make sure her house was secure, I left out that I check for security from the inside of her house. Or that I spent many nights standing over her when she didn’t know I was there. Those are things I’ll take to my grave because even though I see them as ways I was looking after her, she’d see them as the actions of someone who is mentally unstable.
And maybe I am unstable. I’m a man who’s madly in love.
The sun sinks lower in the sky and orange hues dance across the it just as my girls come walking down the sidewalk. Their smiles make my heart soar, and I just want to live every minute wrapped in her warmth.
My Sunny Girl .
The bell over the door chimes and they step in just as I rise to my feet. She looks around and spots me, my hand held high like a kid aching to be noticed.Dahlia spots me too, and shoots off like a rocket straight for me.
Yes, I see her five days of the week, but it’s more contained. I can’t scoop her up and spin her around until she giggles. We can’t make horrible popcorn concoctions for the other and watch the faces we make as we try to stomach them (Sour gummy worms and chocolate syrup are by far the worst).
So when she sprints towards me, her pink dress floating and pigtails swinging, I squat down just in time to squeeze her tight.
“Hi sweetheart. You look so pretty.” She buries her head in my neck, snuggling into me like her favorite blanket.
“Are you and Mommy gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend again?” She whispers in my ear.
“I hope so.” I kiss her forehead and set her on her feet. “This is for you.”
She takes the pink polka dot gift bag from me and gasps, her mouth falling open, when she sees the Jellycat floppy bunny inside. I heard her talking about it one day in class and tracked down one store where they sold them. I called on my way over and gave them my credit card so they wouldn’t sell it.
“Thank you thank you, Malik. I love her so much.” She wraps around my legs quickly then turns to show Soleil. “Mommy! This is the bunny I was talking about.”
“Wow. That’s a really nice gift.” Soleil meets my eyes and I can see that you shouldn’t have done that look in her eyes, but it dies on her tongue knowing she won’t win this battle.
I pick Dahlia up and place her in the booth placing the bag next to her so that Soleil has no choice but to sit next to me.
“Hi doll face.” My fingers caress her face,reacquainting with her smooth skin.
“Hi.” I can see that she wants to do more –hug me, kiss me, shake my hand– but I don’t push her.
“Sit. Please.” She does just that, scooting her way to the end, and I slide in right beside her. “I have something for you, too.”
“Malik. You shouldn’t have.”
“Well I did, so…” I shrug then reach into my front pocket, producing a dark blue velvet box.
Her hands immediately shake and her face pales. It’s obvious what she thinks it is, and while I would love to give it to her, it’s too soon. I don’t even know if she’ll take me back.
“It’s not what you think,” I calm her. “Just open it.”
She plucks the box from my hand and cautiously opens the box, the lid creaking as it lifts. Her reaction to what she sees mirrors her daughter’s, but it’s definitely more inflated.
“I had it made after that night at T and D. I, uh, kind of carved it into the table. Danté may or may not be really pissed.”
She pulls out the necklace, the light catching all the angles, making it look like the rising sun.
“You drew this?” she asks, her eyes mesmerized by the gleam.
“Well, I did a literal drawing and the jeweler did a more abstract creation.”
From the silver chain hangs a halo of white diamonds that represent the crown, the jeweler explained. Floating in the center is a large, oval yellow diamond that is obviously the sun. My sun. Soleil.
“The yellow represents the sun, that’s you. And the halo symbolizes a crown, me. King. Without you at the center, I’m empty. You radiate light and warmth and I just want to surround you with love…if you’ll let me.”
She stares at the necklace as it rests in the palm of her hand. I see a fat tear splash on the diamond and it looks like the sun shining after the rain.
I take the necklace from her hand and unclasp it and she lifts her hair, letting me clip it in place. Her hand touches it from where it hangs and I watch one more tear breach her lid and trail down her cheek. Without thinking, I lean in and kiss it away.
“Thank you,” she chokes out and takes my hand.
Placing our clasped hands on her lap under the table, we look at Dahlia who stares at us with an animated face.
“You guys love each other, huh?” The bunny is wrapped tightly in Dahlia’s arm and I feel a piece of me heals.
My girls. Smiling. Laughing. Happy.
“Yeah,” Soleil’s small voice sounds like a bullhorn in my ear. “We love each other.”
I pull my hand from hers, tuck her into my side, and whisper into her ear, “You’re my everything Soleil and if you let me, I’ll be yours.” I kiss the top of her head just as the waitress walks up to our table. “Let’s order. What do my girls want?”