"Daddy?" a small voice said, interrupting Max's reverie. He pulled his gaze from the ceiling tiles above the bed and instead focused on the small form of his son standing in the bedroom doorway.
"Ryan, it's early still…why are you awake already?"
The little boy smiled as he walked over to the bed. "Cause I'm four now," he said, holding up four fingers to demonstrate his point. "And we're gonna go to a real soccer game today…you promised."
"Really? Are you sure? I don't remember saying anything like that…" Max said, scratching his head and pretending to think about it.
"Daddy!" Ryan whined, clearly upset that he might not get to go to the game.
"Just kidding!" Max yelled. Suddenly, he grabbed the little boy around the waist and dragged him onto the bed where he began to tickle him mercilessly.
"Stop! Daddy! Please!" Ryan gasped between giggles.
"Okay…but only if you promise to go watch some cartoons for awhile so that I can shower and get dressed in peace."
"Promise," the little boy said as he rolled off the bed and scampered off to the living room of the small apartment.
Max stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Ahh…peace at last," he said as he pushed back the sheets and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood up, made his way to the connecting bathroom, and turned the water on. Looking in the mirror over the sink, he tried to believe that the face he saw was really a twenty-two year old single parent who still worked part-time at a construction company with his best friend since grade school. Some days it all seemed a little surreal… The sound of his son's laughter from the living room promptly brought him back to reality. He quickly removed the boxers he had slept in and stepped into the now steaming hot shower. He used the time to go through the day's plans in his head. He wanted everything to be perfect for Ryan.
It seemed he was always trying to make up for his son not having his mother around. Michael and Maria helped out as best they could… Ryan had always referred to the pair as Aunt Maria and Uncle Michael. To him that's who they were…it didn't matter that they weren't really related. Together, the three of them coordinated their schedules so that Ryan was always with one of them, when he wasn't at pre-school.
Max turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, he dried off and wrapped it around his waist as he returned to his bedroom. He dressed quickly, not paying much attention to what he chose…after all, mid-May in New Mexico was pretty much guaranteed to be hot no matter what you wore.
Finally ready, he walked down the hall to what he liked to refer to as "the living room." In actuality, it was only a small room with a second-hand couch, the TV from his first apartment, an old floor lamp, and Ryan's over-sized beanbag. For two guys living alone though, it was a lot.
In the middle of the room, directly in front of the TV, and sitting in his beanbag chair, was Ryan. He was watching some cartoon that Max didn't recognize and eating Cheerios directly from the box.
"Couldn't wait for me I see…" Max said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Sorry Dad," Ryan said, through a mouthful of cereal, not even bothering to turn around.
"Uh-huh, sure you are…" he muttered, continuing down the hall to the kitchen. He started up the coffeemaker and pulled out a bowl from the cabinet. Opening another cabinet looking for the cereal, he remembered that Ryan still had the Cheerios in the other room. He would have to settle for Frosted Flakes today, not what he wanted—but it would do. Just as he reached into the refrigerator for the milk, the phone rang. Only one person would call this early—Maria.
"Hello Maria. How are you this morning?"
"Hey Max. I'm fine. How'd you know it was me? Did you guys get caller-id or something?"
"No, you're just the only person I know who would be calling me at ten in the morning on a Saturday."
"Whatever. Anyway Max, the reason I was calling in the first place, was that I was wondering what time we were all going to meet for dinner tonight?"
"Huh?"
"Max! It's Ryan's birthday dinner! We do this every year…you didn't forget did you?"
"Oh, no not at all. I just woke up is all…I'm not thinking straight yet. Is six-thirty okay for you guys?"
"That should be great. Why don't you two just come over here? That way, we can all take one car."
"Sure thing Maria. By the way…where or should I say what, are we eating tonight?"
"Now Max, it's a surprise…and if I tell you, you'll just tell Ryan…and we can't have that can we?"
"Alright. You win. Have it your way. We'll be there by six-thirty. Say hi to Michael for me when he wakes up."
"Will do Max. Later!"
"Bye Maria," he said, placing the phone back on the receiver and again reaching into the fridge for the milk. Pulling a spoon from a drawer as he passed, he finally settled down at the small table and poured the milk on his cereal. Just as he was about to put the first bite in his mouth, he heard his son's voice from the other room.
"Dad?"
"Yeah Ryan?" he yelled in return.
"Is it time to go yet?"
"No. I'm eating my cereal. Go find something to wear okay?"
"Okay."
Max went back to eating his cereal, knowing that he would most likely have to re-dress the four-year old if he wanted to take him out in public. He was starting to wonder if his son might be colorblind based on some of the things he picked out to wear. But as long as it kept the boy busy long enough for Max to eat his cereal, he really didn't care what Ryan came out wearing.
TBC…