Milton tried to calm himself down as he stood in front of the big wooden door,
There's nothing to be afraid of, it's only for three days. Pull yourself together, Milton. She's just 7 years old. Just a kid. You can handle this. What trouble could she even be?
Philip paused inside and smiled when he heard three reluctant, soft knocks at the door.
Milton sighed and the door opened to reveal Philip standing in the doorway, smiling, with Penny running rampant in the background. Philip looked tired, and stressed out, too. He had a blue shirt hanging over his shoulder, and an unzipped bag in his left hand.
"Just in time, Milt." he chuckled, "Hope you came prepared." he glanced down at Milton's own bags and realized that his friend had more baggage than he did, but that was just like Milton.. always a little too prepared. Paranoid that something horrible could happen and he wouldn't have enough shirts.
"W..Well, I didn't really know what I'd need.." he frowned, suddenly wishing he hadn't packed so much.
"It's alrigh' little buddy. You'll be staying in my room, I've got most of the things you'll need."
"Are you really sure about this trip? I mean..Penny's had it hard and I don't know if you should lea-"
"I'm exactly sure. Ever since 'er mom died, Penny an' I just don't get along as well as we used to. I don't know if it's my impatience or 'er bein' angry at the world. Sarah could always handle 'er so much better than I can.."
Milton nodded as Philip helped him set his bags on the couch. Philip's house wasn't small by any means, in fact, it was impressive. He hadn't changed anything since Sarah's death, and it was still brilliantly decorated in fine taste. Though, if he was honest, Milton would say that it was more than a little... messy. Caring for a 7 year old couldn't be easy, though. Perhaps Philip just didn't have the time to be as tidy as Sarah had been.
"Thanks again, Milton. I know it ain't exactly fair for me to ask you to use your vacation time to come over 'ere an' take care of Penny, but.. I just gotta get out of 'ere for a while, y'know?"
Milton waved a hand, "Don't worry about it. You'll go crazy if you don't get some fresh air. Besides.. um.. Penny and I don't hang out enough."
"You hate kids."
"I.. don't hate them... not necessarily.." Milton shook his head and his eyes roamed the room curiously as he fumbled with his own hands nervously, "They just kind of make me nervous.. that's all. I'm okay. I've got this under control. It's just three days..."
"Well, Penny hasn't eaten yet, but she usually ain't picky. I've got to get upstairs an' finish packing. Are ya good down 'ere?"
Milton nodded, "Yes.. we should be. I'll just go see what I can do about dinner, hmm? Go on.. do whatever you need to do."
Philip practically ran upstairs, and Milton wandered about the house, inspecting everything, but keeping his distance as if every surface would shatter at the slightest touch.
He walked into the kitchen to see Penny sitting on a bar stool, eating an ice cream cone, and for some odd reason, he felt a bit aggravated. Ice cream was not suitable for dinner, and he didn't understand how Philip could just let her eat whatever she wanted.
"H.. Hey Penny. What are you doing?" He smiled brightly, but couldn't deny that his nervousness was actually making him nauseous.
She stopped licking the ice cream cone to smile, and he noticed she had lost a tooth recently; he couldn't help but be filled with awe at how adorable she was. She was wearing a little blue dress that put him in mind of a sailor's outfit. She had chocolate ice cream around her mouth in spots, and it looked as if she had dropped a bit on her dress, too. Her blonde hair was messy, and a blue bow hung in her hair, caught in a knot she had made by trying to rip it out. "Uncle Milton!" she yelled, then jumped out of her seat and ran over to hug him tightly. He was startled and felt a bit awkward, but he leaned down and hugged her back.
She let him go and stepped back a little, but she still had to look up to see him face-to-face. "Daddy said you are staying here with me for three whole days! Are you, are you, are you?!" She bounced with excitement, and Milton couldn't help but smile. Childhood innocence; there was nothing like it. Penny was indeed the most innocent thing he could think of.
"It sure looks like it," he said, she screamed with excitement and clapped her hands before her expression turned suddenly sorrowful.
"Daddy has to go away for work.."
Huh. So Philip had told a little lie to make his going away easier to handle. Milton wasn't exactly sure why it irked him so bad that Philip would lie to her, but he supposed that the alternative wasn't all that good either. My dearest Penny, I know that your mother just died, but I must leave to gather my head because you are simply too much of a responsibility for me right now. Milton could almost hear him saying it in his head, and he felt bad that he thought so negatively about the situation, but he just didn't feel it was right to leave a mourning child to go tend to your own needs. Nevertheless.. Milton would not let the child think otherwise. He could not, and should not be the one to break her heart.
"I know.. but we'll have fun, won't we?" he grinned, and she nodded, flashing a quick smile in return.
"Okay! I'm done packin'! Where's my little girl?"
Milton went into the living room, and Philip chuckled, "Okay, where's Penny now?"
Milton blinked, clearly confused, before catching on to what Philip found so terribly funny, he glared, but Philip saw a hint of a smirk on his friend's face.
Penny ran out and into her father's waiting arms, where she gave him a loving embrace, and buried her face into his shoulder. "Don't go, daddy.."
Philip's eyes were watery, and Milton knew that he was on the brink of canceling the whole thing and staying with her, and he wasn't quite sure why, but he felt the need to interrupt it.. to give Philip a means of escape.. a way of pulling himself together.
"Penny, do you want to watch a movie after dinner?"
That did the trick. Almost immediately, Penny pulled away and nodded at Milton, "Yesss!"
He saw Philip mouth "Thank you." behind the girl's back, and he winked so fast that Penny couldn't have possibly noticed.
They said their goodbyes, and Penny watched out the window as Philip drove off. Milton hugged her tightly when she looked back at him with tear filled eyes, and a small part of him hated Philip for what he was doing.. but he also couldn't help but understand. Perhaps it was necessary. He had never dealt with the pain of losing a wife, but he had dealt with the pain of losing a parent. Both of his parents were dead, and he knew the pain that Penny felt now. The ache that, at times, felt like a dagger piercing your heart. He saw in this child so very much of himself, and he felt a desire to be for her what he had always needed but never gotten as a child himself.
"Okay, so.. what shall we have for dinner?" he asked, clapping his hands together twice and smiling so hard that it made his jaw hurt. He was trying very hard to put the girl in a good mood, but it seemed since Philip left, the light just.. went out.
Penny stared at the floor and shrugged her shoulders slightly, not bothering to speak, even to suggest a horrible junk food that Milton obviously wouldn't approve of in the first place.
"...Okay.. how about pizza?" he was far from enthusiastic about feeding her pizza, but he was also desperate to get a smile or chuckle out of her now, as the uncomfortable silence began to poke it's ugly head out. Once more, she merely shrugged, not looking up or speaking a word.
"Pizza it is." he said to himself, "Hell, maybe even candy..."
Penny heard the beeps as he dialed the number to the pizza place, and she walked over to the table to sit down. Milton sighed as he glanced over and saw her with her head propped up on her folded arms.
After a few moments, he hung up and placed the phone on the kitchen counter. "Alrighty then! We're going to have pizza, and whatever else your little heart desires.."
She sighed heavily, "I want my daddy back."
"I know.." he leaned back on the counter and placed his hands on the edge. "And I know I'm a poor substitute but.. I'm really trying here, Penny. So for what it's worth.. can you smile just a little bit and cut your uncle Milton some slack here before he has an aneurysm?"
Milton found it far more easy to talk to her than he ever did adults. In a lot of ways, Milton never entirely grew up. He still longed for someone to protect him and look after him, just as he was doing for Penny now. Yes, it was incredibly easy to talk to this child in comparison with others.
Penny got up from the table and walked over to Milton, giving him a curious glance before wrapping her arms around his leg and hugging it tightly.
After dinner, Milton ran her a bath and made sure to check on her while he laid out her jammies. This was the easiest part, in his mind. Soon she would be asleep, and he wouldn't have to worry about a thing. Day one was turning out to be an absolute success.
When at last he tucked her in and turned out the lights, he made his way to Philip's room to turn in for the night. He changed into his own jammies and crawled into bed, fluffing the pillows repeatedly, but finding it impossible to get it to his liking. The last thing he remembered was thinking, 'there is no way I will be able to sleep here..'
At least.. that was the last thing he remembered before 4AM.
At 4AM he felt something tug on the sleeve of his night shirt. He opened his eyes and reached out to turn the lamp on that was sitting on the bedside table.
The room lit up and he saw Penny standing beside the bed, clutching a small doll in one of her hands, and biting her nails nervously with her other. When she moved her hand to talk, she stuck her bottom lip out and it seemed as though she was trying not to cry.
In the smallest voice he had ever heard, she said softly, "I had a nightmare.. can I sleep in here?"
While he felt uncomfortable about the whole idea, he couldn't deny her anything, especially when she looked so frightened. So Milton scooted over in the bed and pulled back the covers to allow her to slide in. When she was in, he noticed how unbearably cold her feet were, and he pulled the covers in around her tightly, placing one hand on her shoulder as comfort.
"What did you dream of?" he asked, expecting no more than a simple monster under the bed, or perhaps an embarrassment in front of her classmates.
"Mommy." she replied simply, and he felt his throat go dry.
"Mommy's wreck..." she finished. She turned to face him and he saw the tiny tears that fell down her cheek now, she reached up to wipe them away and to rub at her eyes. Without allowing him to see her face once more, she buried her head in his chest. Reluctantly, he wrapped his arms around her protectively and began to sing softly.. something he had never really cared to do for anyone.
"Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky
you'll get by..."
She sighed and snuggled in, and he felt her tiny hands loosen their grip on her doll. He watched as her eyelids and lips twitched, and he knew she was safely on her way to dream land now.. he closed his own eyes as she breathed heavier now and kicked lightly.
Yet he did not dare stop singing. Even if only to comfort himself now.
"Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile-
If you just..."
He paused and looked down at the slumbering child once more, and he ran his hand across her cheek. She was perfect. Innocent and beautiful, the way every child should be. He could never understand how anyone could bring themselves to harm a child.. and seeing her now made it all the more confusing to him. She had been so complicated earlier, but now.. she was simply.. wonderful.
He closed his eyes again at last and, very faintly, the final lyric escaped his mouth before he himself drifted off into dream land..
"smile..."