"Look, Mommy," Bry said, thrusting her cast in Abby's face. "Daddy
signed my cast!"
Abby smiled. "I see that," she said.
"What does it say?" Bry asked.
"It says, 'even angels fall, love Daddy.'" Abby looked up at me and gave me a quizzical smiled. We were in Abby's apartment, decorating our Christmas tree.
"What are you gonna ask Santa for, Bry?" I asked.
"A pony," she said.
I laughed. "I don't think a pony would fit in the apartment, kiddo."
"And I am NOT cleaning up pony poop," Abby said.
Bry giggled. "I'm gonna ask Santa for the baby on TV that cries, and a Tigger doll, and Barbie's Beach House, and a little sister."
This last request made Abby drop the ornament she was holding. "A little sister?" she asked.
"Or brother," Bry said. "It doesn't really matter."
I looked at Abby and raised my eyebrows. "You know, I don't think Santa can just hand out baby's," I said.
"Why not?"
"Because babies are very special. And they are a lot of work. They cry a lot and they have to be fed all the time and they need their diapers changed," Abby said. "Santa can't just give people babies. People have to decide for themselves that they want one."
Bry seemed to accept this. "I don't wear diapers," she said proudly. "I wear big girl underwear!" She grinned at me. I grinned back. "What are you gonna ask Santa for, Mommy?"
Abby laughed. "Grown-ups don't usually ask Santa for anything," she said.
"But if you ask him, he can get it for you," Bry said earnestly.
"I know, baby, but I have everything I want . . . almost." Abby said this last word under her breath and I hadn't been meant to hear it. But I had.
"What about you, Daddy? What are you gonna ask Santa for?"
I smiled at my daughter. "I'm gonna ask Santa to bring my little girl everything she asks for. As long as she doesn't ask for anything that poops."
********************************
What did I want for Christmas? I wanted Carter to ask me to marry him. I hated not being able to spend the night with him. I refused to leave Bry for the whole night and I still wouldn't let him stay with us.
I knew it bothered him but he was handling it rather well. I had been planning our wedding since the very first time he kissed me during the lockdown. And we'd gotten so damn close. I smiled as I remembered him shouting at me on the roof as the helicopters roared overhead.
But I was pretty sure that marriage was the last thing on Carter's mind. Not that he didn't want to but, let's face it, he is, after all, a man. And it is a universal truth that guys are clueless about this kind of stuff.
I rolled over in my bed and reached for my phone. I knew I'd be waking him up but I just needed to hear his voice. "Hello?" he asked, groggily.
"John?"
"Abby? Is everything OK?" He was suddenly alert.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to talk."
He laughed in his throat. "It's 1:00am, Abby," he said.
"I know. I just wish you were here," I said.
"I wish I were there too," he said.
"This is getting ridiculous."
"What is?"
"Us not sleeping together."
He laughed again. "Well, Abby, that's all you. If it were up to me. . ."
"I know, I know," I said. "I was just thinking. . .what if I got a baby-sitter on Saturday. We could spend the whole day just . . . doing whatever."
"Sounds good to me," he said.
"OK," I said, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Abby?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
I smiled again. "I love you too."
Abby smiled. "I see that," she said.
"What does it say?" Bry asked.
"It says, 'even angels fall, love Daddy.'" Abby looked up at me and gave me a quizzical smiled. We were in Abby's apartment, decorating our Christmas tree.
"What are you gonna ask Santa for, Bry?" I asked.
"A pony," she said.
I laughed. "I don't think a pony would fit in the apartment, kiddo."
"And I am NOT cleaning up pony poop," Abby said.
Bry giggled. "I'm gonna ask Santa for the baby on TV that cries, and a Tigger doll, and Barbie's Beach House, and a little sister."
This last request made Abby drop the ornament she was holding. "A little sister?" she asked.
"Or brother," Bry said. "It doesn't really matter."
I looked at Abby and raised my eyebrows. "You know, I don't think Santa can just hand out baby's," I said.
"Why not?"
"Because babies are very special. And they are a lot of work. They cry a lot and they have to be fed all the time and they need their diapers changed," Abby said. "Santa can't just give people babies. People have to decide for themselves that they want one."
Bry seemed to accept this. "I don't wear diapers," she said proudly. "I wear big girl underwear!" She grinned at me. I grinned back. "What are you gonna ask Santa for, Mommy?"
Abby laughed. "Grown-ups don't usually ask Santa for anything," she said.
"But if you ask him, he can get it for you," Bry said earnestly.
"I know, baby, but I have everything I want . . . almost." Abby said this last word under her breath and I hadn't been meant to hear it. But I had.
"What about you, Daddy? What are you gonna ask Santa for?"
I smiled at my daughter. "I'm gonna ask Santa to bring my little girl everything she asks for. As long as she doesn't ask for anything that poops."
********************************
What did I want for Christmas? I wanted Carter to ask me to marry him. I hated not being able to spend the night with him. I refused to leave Bry for the whole night and I still wouldn't let him stay with us.
I knew it bothered him but he was handling it rather well. I had been planning our wedding since the very first time he kissed me during the lockdown. And we'd gotten so damn close. I smiled as I remembered him shouting at me on the roof as the helicopters roared overhead.
But I was pretty sure that marriage was the last thing on Carter's mind. Not that he didn't want to but, let's face it, he is, after all, a man. And it is a universal truth that guys are clueless about this kind of stuff.
I rolled over in my bed and reached for my phone. I knew I'd be waking him up but I just needed to hear his voice. "Hello?" he asked, groggily.
"John?"
"Abby? Is everything OK?" He was suddenly alert.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to talk."
He laughed in his throat. "It's 1:00am, Abby," he said.
"I know. I just wish you were here," I said.
"I wish I were there too," he said.
"This is getting ridiculous."
"What is?"
"Us not sleeping together."
He laughed again. "Well, Abby, that's all you. If it were up to me. . ."
"I know, I know," I said. "I was just thinking. . .what if I got a baby-sitter on Saturday. We could spend the whole day just . . . doing whatever."
"Sounds good to me," he said.
"OK," I said, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Abby?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
I smiled again. "I love you too."