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The rays of light had barely filtered through the curtains when Samuel Holloman dashed into his mother's bedroom two and a half months after his ninth birthday.
"Dad's here!" he called loudly.
Rachel Holloman was slow to awaken and replied with something akin to "Nrgh?", whilst Jerry Shaw managed a more intelligible "Sam?" as he lifted his head from his position behind the kid's mother.
Happy that someone was responding – not really caring who – Sam dashed around to the other side of the bed and jumped up. Pulling at Jerry's shoulder, he pushed his arm backward and forward in a bid for further attention.
"Do I gotta get up little man?" Jerry mumbled as he fell onto his back, a hand easily brushing Sam's ruffled hair atop his eager face.
"I can't open the door myself!" pressured the young boy, bouncing on the spot. "Dad's here!" he reiterated, as if to make it clearer just what this meant.
Jerry groaned as he pushed his half of the coverlet back, deliberately covering the grinning boy with his sheets as he heaved himself upward and reached for a shirt.
Said grinning boy pulled himself free and vaulted off the end of the bed. Jerry wasn't moving quickly enough for his liking and so Sam turned back, tugging on the man's hand as a knock sounded.
Jerry unlocked the front door with a yawn as Sam barely contained his pent up energy, bouncing the balls of his feet. The door opened, young Holloman dashed forward with a happy scream of "Dad!"
Craig Holloman laughed as he threw his boy up into the air. "Hey son!" Standing him on the porch, Rachel's ex-husband pulled free a box. "Look what I got you!"
"You remembered my birthday!" said Sam joyously, taking the box reverently.
"Birthday?" said Craig in confusion before quickly recovering. "That's right buddy. Happy Birthday. The card is on its way."
Sam dashed back into the house with the precious box as Craig stood upright. He noted Jerry for the first time and scowled. "Who are you?"
"Jerry Shaw," replied the now wide awake man.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
"I sincerely hope not."
Jerry was unsure of what to do next, but Craig marched through the still open and made for the kitchen, making himself quite at home.
In the kitchen as Sam ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the much belated birthday present from his father, Rachel finally managed to grace all with her presence.
She kissed her son on the head where he sat at the dining table before she headed for the kitchen. Pressing her lips to Jerry's as a good morning, she stiffened when she registered the presence of another man.
"Hello Craig."