Sitting with the donkey, he realized there were tears streaming down his
face. So many memories from one little toy. When their daughter had
returned to them, they were worried that she may not remember anything
about them. It had been five years; they didn't know what to do with the
donkey, whether or not she would want it. So in the end, they decided to
set in on her bed and see what happened. It was the first thing she went to
in her room. She remembered the donkey the most, and for a few days,
everywhere she went in the apartment, it went with her. When she started
school, she stopped taking it everywhere with her, but she still slept with
it every night, even now, that she was almost fifteen.
She had brought it out of her bedroom when she came to the table for breakfast. This being her first day of grade ten, she had been very nervous. The donkey had helped ease that nervousness, so she had left it on the couch, waiting for her return, like a pet. He had picked it up while going through the room to his office, and now couldn't stop the memories from coming. Like the last time she was so nervous about a first day of school, eleven years ago.
~~
"Daddy, are you sure my teacher will be nice, what if she is an ogre?"
"I met her, she's really nice, and pretty, too, don't worry, you'll have fun in Kindergarten."
"But what if I don't. Will I have to go back?"
"What is wrong, baby, I've never seen you like this before. It's time for bed, before you know it, it will be time for school, and I'm sure you'll have a blast."
"Are you sure, Daddy?" she asked again, crawling into bed.
"Yes, I'm sure. Quite sure. Good night, and don't worry about tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Daddy."
He left the room and went to the living room. His baby, starting Kindergarten tomorrow. He wished her mother could have been here to be with her, but he hadn't seen her in almost six years. In a few weeks, his daughter would be five. He was planning on having a party, then taking her to his family cabin. She loved it there, especially the lake. He looked at the clock, it said 9:45, so he decided to go to bed, after all, she would probably have him up bright and early the next morning.
~
"Daddy! It's time, where's my dress, where's my lunch? You didn't forget to pack it, did you?" He opened his eyes to find a worried little girl sitting beside him.
"Woah, baby!" he looked at his alarm clock, "It's only six thirty, we got lots of time! We don't have to leave until eight thirty. You go see if you can find something to wear, if you can't find your dress, we'll else. I'll get dressed and meet you in the kitchen for breakfast. Ok?"
"Alright, Daddy." She gave him a kiss and ran out of the room. He got up and got dressed, peeking in her room on his way by, but he didn't see her. When he got to the kitchen, she wasn't there, either.
"Where did you go, baby?" He called back down the hall.
"In here, Daddy." She peeked out of her room. "I found what I want to wear. Come see."
He went back down the hall to her room.
"Where were you, I didn't see you in your room."
"I was in the closet. Looking for something to wear." He went around the corner into the bedroom and saw her standing, dressed. She wore a pair of black jeans, and a black t-shirt, she was digging something else out of her closet. She tossed her black sneakers over her shoulder, then crawled out of the closet, dragging the fake leather jacket that her Godfather had given her. "See? How do I look?"
"Good, but what happened to the dress you picked out last night?"
"Nah, changed my mind, I'm hungry, can we eat now?"
"I guess, come on, leave your coat and stuff here, we'll have pancakes."
By the time they were done breakfast and everything was cleaned up, it was after eight, time to get ready to go. For school, he managed to get her a shoulder bag that reminded him a lot of the one that her mother had carried when she had been a bike messenger. She had been really fussy about what to carry her lunch in, so finally they decided on a brown paper bag because she didn't like any of the cartoon character bags they found. She was all ready, shoes on her feet, book bag by the door, and she almost forgot her coat, so she ran down the hall to get it. When she came back with it on and was shouldering her book bag, he was almost floored. Except for the long, dark blond hair, she looked almost exactly as her mother probably looked at the same age. And the way she was dressed, she looked like a mini version of her. He almost expected her to say "Gotta blaze" and run out the door the way her mother had done when they had first met. He shook his head hard to get rid of the memories that were flooding through it.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yup, except…" she said, running back down the hall to her room. She came back with her stuffed blue donkey.
"Are you bringing him with you?"
"No, but he is going to sit here until I come home from school." She set it on a chair and turned it to face the door of the penthouse. Then she kissed it on top of the head and told it to behave while she was away.
She had brought it out of her bedroom when she came to the table for breakfast. This being her first day of grade ten, she had been very nervous. The donkey had helped ease that nervousness, so she had left it on the couch, waiting for her return, like a pet. He had picked it up while going through the room to his office, and now couldn't stop the memories from coming. Like the last time she was so nervous about a first day of school, eleven years ago.
~~
"Daddy, are you sure my teacher will be nice, what if she is an ogre?"
"I met her, she's really nice, and pretty, too, don't worry, you'll have fun in Kindergarten."
"But what if I don't. Will I have to go back?"
"What is wrong, baby, I've never seen you like this before. It's time for bed, before you know it, it will be time for school, and I'm sure you'll have a blast."
"Are you sure, Daddy?" she asked again, crawling into bed.
"Yes, I'm sure. Quite sure. Good night, and don't worry about tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Daddy."
He left the room and went to the living room. His baby, starting Kindergarten tomorrow. He wished her mother could have been here to be with her, but he hadn't seen her in almost six years. In a few weeks, his daughter would be five. He was planning on having a party, then taking her to his family cabin. She loved it there, especially the lake. He looked at the clock, it said 9:45, so he decided to go to bed, after all, she would probably have him up bright and early the next morning.
~
"Daddy! It's time, where's my dress, where's my lunch? You didn't forget to pack it, did you?" He opened his eyes to find a worried little girl sitting beside him.
"Woah, baby!" he looked at his alarm clock, "It's only six thirty, we got lots of time! We don't have to leave until eight thirty. You go see if you can find something to wear, if you can't find your dress, we'll else. I'll get dressed and meet you in the kitchen for breakfast. Ok?"
"Alright, Daddy." She gave him a kiss and ran out of the room. He got up and got dressed, peeking in her room on his way by, but he didn't see her. When he got to the kitchen, she wasn't there, either.
"Where did you go, baby?" He called back down the hall.
"In here, Daddy." She peeked out of her room. "I found what I want to wear. Come see."
He went back down the hall to her room.
"Where were you, I didn't see you in your room."
"I was in the closet. Looking for something to wear." He went around the corner into the bedroom and saw her standing, dressed. She wore a pair of black jeans, and a black t-shirt, she was digging something else out of her closet. She tossed her black sneakers over her shoulder, then crawled out of the closet, dragging the fake leather jacket that her Godfather had given her. "See? How do I look?"
"Good, but what happened to the dress you picked out last night?"
"Nah, changed my mind, I'm hungry, can we eat now?"
"I guess, come on, leave your coat and stuff here, we'll have pancakes."
By the time they were done breakfast and everything was cleaned up, it was after eight, time to get ready to go. For school, he managed to get her a shoulder bag that reminded him a lot of the one that her mother had carried when she had been a bike messenger. She had been really fussy about what to carry her lunch in, so finally they decided on a brown paper bag because she didn't like any of the cartoon character bags they found. She was all ready, shoes on her feet, book bag by the door, and she almost forgot her coat, so she ran down the hall to get it. When she came back with it on and was shouldering her book bag, he was almost floored. Except for the long, dark blond hair, she looked almost exactly as her mother probably looked at the same age. And the way she was dressed, she looked like a mini version of her. He almost expected her to say "Gotta blaze" and run out the door the way her mother had done when they had first met. He shook his head hard to get rid of the memories that were flooding through it.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yup, except…" she said, running back down the hall to her room. She came back with her stuffed blue donkey.
"Are you bringing him with you?"
"No, but he is going to sit here until I come home from school." She set it on a chair and turned it to face the door of the penthouse. Then she kissed it on top of the head and told it to behave while she was away.