Rafe slept late the next morning not rising until some time before noon. He'd been up nearly all the night thinking, even after he returned home from Rosie's father's he still found not sleep. A daughter, a beautiful little girl that was his own flesh and blood. He'd missed some much valuable time with Rosalyn, precious years. Rafe knew he needed to set things straight, but first he wanted to set eyes on his baby girl in the daylight.
"You were out awful late last night dear." Evelyn observed as her husbands lowered himself into a chair at the kitchen table. "You missed breakfast, but I could fix you some thing if you'd like."
"No, thank you darlin', just some coffee's fine. I'm fixin' to go into to town anyway, I'll grab a bite at the diner." Rafe filled his favorite coffee mug with the steaming black liquid letting the aroma flood his nostrils and awaken his sense.
"Well there's a few things I need to pick up at the market and little Danny needs a new book for bed time, we could come with you."
The pilot choked on his coffee, of all the things he didn't want his wife and stuff son to do meeting Rosie and their daughter was one of highest on the list. Not so much because Rafe thought Evelyn would be jealous of his old flame, she was far to secure of a women for that, simply because Evelyn never knew Rosie even ever existed. As far as she was concern red none of the girls that came before her in the Rafe's live ever mattered enough to discuss. It would break her heart to know there was in fact a girl prior to her that he'd given himself to completely and that that girl in turn gave him the most special thing of all. Rosie had given him the one thing that Evelyn couldn't, a baby, after Danny was born she told she could never have children again.
Evelyn wasn't Rafe's first anything other then wife, his first kiss was Rosie the summer before second grade, even though everyone says that didn't count (so technically it was Sue Miller in the fifth grade). His first lover, mother of his first and only child, the first girl to see him naked (skinny dipping in the creek when they were ten) the first girl to ever clutch a piece of his heart and not let go, it was all the same person, Rosanna Marie Gadry.
"Well sweetie I might be down there for a while, there's allot I gotta do. Plus Danny's still got that runny nose, I don't think it's such a good idea for ya'll to come. Just gimme a list I'll pick up what you need."
A half hour afterward Mr. McCawley was backing out of his driveway with the list written in his unsuspecting wife's print. He didn't like lying to her, but until things were worked out he had to protect her. His biggest fear at that moment was what would happen if she found out.
Rafe pulled his car into the front of Gadry's Garage and got out. There was a mechanic bent over under the hood of a rusted old Chevy wearing the trademark gray coveralls of the business so he approached.
"Hey Noland," He called out to Alex Gadry's right hand man, the mechanic was only three years older then Rafe and had worked at the garage since they were in middle school. "is Rosie around?"
"Yeah, she's around." A female voice replied as the person under the hood turned on their heels to look at him. It was Rosie herself, her wavy dark hair tucked up beneath a hat. "What do you want Rafe? My pop's still weak and Noland's at the hardware store picking up a new screwdriver, so I'm the only one here and I ain't got time to talk."
"Where is she?"
"Who?" Rafe gave her a dirty look and she nodded. "My daughter?"
"Our daughter." The pilot declared.
"She's over in the diner, havin' sumthin' to eat."
"By herself?"
"Yes Rafe, I often let my little girl roam around on her own. She's with Beth's old nanny, remember Daisy? I ran into her yesterday at Beth's grave, 'fore I came to see you. I guess she misses havin' a little one to take care of cuz she offered to look after Rosalyn for me."
"I'd watch out for her, if you let me."
Rosie sighed and wiped her greasy hands on her overalls.
"We've been through this, it would just confuse her Rafe."
As the women started toward the inside of the garage Rafe followed her. She opened the lid of a toolbox that was sitting on top of the work bench, turning her back to him. Unfortunately for her, her ex hoped up on the bench in front of her and gently took her hands, tossing the wrench that she'd been holding back in the box. He set his hazel eyed stare on her like he had so many times when they were younger and practically pleaded.
"Ro, please, I already lost you, don't keep me from my little girl."
"Alright, for just a few minutes and if she doesn't recognize you, you don't tell her, got it?"
"Got it."
With a mischievous grin that Rosie had seen since childhood Rafe jumped off the workbench and sprinted out of the garage. He didn't even stop for traffic before racing across the street to the diner. The bell on the door jingled as he pushed it opened. She was the first thing he saw, with her mother's soft hair and petite frame and his sharp greenish eyes. The little girl was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.
Daisy caught sight of the man as he walked closer to the table and smiled. She'd always liked Rafe, even though there were a few times over the years that Beth hadn't. The older women slid out of the both and approached him.
"Hello Rafe, what can I do for you?"
"Rosie, said I could come see my daughter. I just wanted to talk to her." Rafe explained.
"I'll be over there then." Daisy gestured to a table on the other side of the room and walked away.
Rafe inhaled hard before taking the last three steps toward Rosalyn. When he sat down across from her the girl's eyes widened. She fingered the locket that hung from her neck and Rafe recognized the necklace instantly. He'd bought it for Rosie years ago, it was silver heart and had their initials engraved on the back. Eagle opened the locket comparing the picture inside to the face that was staring back at her from the opposite side of the booth.
"You're, you're him," She stuttered. "you're, you're my dad."
Her father nodded with a huge smile, she had known it was him. That made him feel great, but nothing compared to hearing himself be called dad by his own child.
"I am."
What she asked next he wasn't prepared to answer though, he hadn't anticipated her asking on the first meeting. Still the girl looked at him with his own eyes and asked.
"Where have you been daddy? Why did you leave us?"
"You were out awful late last night dear." Evelyn observed as her husbands lowered himself into a chair at the kitchen table. "You missed breakfast, but I could fix you some thing if you'd like."
"No, thank you darlin', just some coffee's fine. I'm fixin' to go into to town anyway, I'll grab a bite at the diner." Rafe filled his favorite coffee mug with the steaming black liquid letting the aroma flood his nostrils and awaken his sense.
"Well there's a few things I need to pick up at the market and little Danny needs a new book for bed time, we could come with you."
The pilot choked on his coffee, of all the things he didn't want his wife and stuff son to do meeting Rosie and their daughter was one of highest on the list. Not so much because Rafe thought Evelyn would be jealous of his old flame, she was far to secure of a women for that, simply because Evelyn never knew Rosie even ever existed. As far as she was concern red none of the girls that came before her in the Rafe's live ever mattered enough to discuss. It would break her heart to know there was in fact a girl prior to her that he'd given himself to completely and that that girl in turn gave him the most special thing of all. Rosie had given him the one thing that Evelyn couldn't, a baby, after Danny was born she told she could never have children again.
Evelyn wasn't Rafe's first anything other then wife, his first kiss was Rosie the summer before second grade, even though everyone says that didn't count (so technically it was Sue Miller in the fifth grade). His first lover, mother of his first and only child, the first girl to see him naked (skinny dipping in the creek when they were ten) the first girl to ever clutch a piece of his heart and not let go, it was all the same person, Rosanna Marie Gadry.
"Well sweetie I might be down there for a while, there's allot I gotta do. Plus Danny's still got that runny nose, I don't think it's such a good idea for ya'll to come. Just gimme a list I'll pick up what you need."
A half hour afterward Mr. McCawley was backing out of his driveway with the list written in his unsuspecting wife's print. He didn't like lying to her, but until things were worked out he had to protect her. His biggest fear at that moment was what would happen if she found out.
Rafe pulled his car into the front of Gadry's Garage and got out. There was a mechanic bent over under the hood of a rusted old Chevy wearing the trademark gray coveralls of the business so he approached.
"Hey Noland," He called out to Alex Gadry's right hand man, the mechanic was only three years older then Rafe and had worked at the garage since they were in middle school. "is Rosie around?"
"Yeah, she's around." A female voice replied as the person under the hood turned on their heels to look at him. It was Rosie herself, her wavy dark hair tucked up beneath a hat. "What do you want Rafe? My pop's still weak and Noland's at the hardware store picking up a new screwdriver, so I'm the only one here and I ain't got time to talk."
"Where is she?"
"Who?" Rafe gave her a dirty look and she nodded. "My daughter?"
"Our daughter." The pilot declared.
"She's over in the diner, havin' sumthin' to eat."
"By herself?"
"Yes Rafe, I often let my little girl roam around on her own. She's with Beth's old nanny, remember Daisy? I ran into her yesterday at Beth's grave, 'fore I came to see you. I guess she misses havin' a little one to take care of cuz she offered to look after Rosalyn for me."
"I'd watch out for her, if you let me."
Rosie sighed and wiped her greasy hands on her overalls.
"We've been through this, it would just confuse her Rafe."
As the women started toward the inside of the garage Rafe followed her. She opened the lid of a toolbox that was sitting on top of the work bench, turning her back to him. Unfortunately for her, her ex hoped up on the bench in front of her and gently took her hands, tossing the wrench that she'd been holding back in the box. He set his hazel eyed stare on her like he had so many times when they were younger and practically pleaded.
"Ro, please, I already lost you, don't keep me from my little girl."
"Alright, for just a few minutes and if she doesn't recognize you, you don't tell her, got it?"
"Got it."
With a mischievous grin that Rosie had seen since childhood Rafe jumped off the workbench and sprinted out of the garage. He didn't even stop for traffic before racing across the street to the diner. The bell on the door jingled as he pushed it opened. She was the first thing he saw, with her mother's soft hair and petite frame and his sharp greenish eyes. The little girl was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.
Daisy caught sight of the man as he walked closer to the table and smiled. She'd always liked Rafe, even though there were a few times over the years that Beth hadn't. The older women slid out of the both and approached him.
"Hello Rafe, what can I do for you?"
"Rosie, said I could come see my daughter. I just wanted to talk to her." Rafe explained.
"I'll be over there then." Daisy gestured to a table on the other side of the room and walked away.
Rafe inhaled hard before taking the last three steps toward Rosalyn. When he sat down across from her the girl's eyes widened. She fingered the locket that hung from her neck and Rafe recognized the necklace instantly. He'd bought it for Rosie years ago, it was silver heart and had their initials engraved on the back. Eagle opened the locket comparing the picture inside to the face that was staring back at her from the opposite side of the booth.
"You're, you're him," She stuttered. "you're, you're my dad."
Her father nodded with a huge smile, she had known it was him. That made him feel great, but nothing compared to hearing himself be called dad by his own child.
"I am."
What she asked next he wasn't prepared to answer though, he hadn't anticipated her asking on the first meeting. Still the girl looked at him with his own eyes and asked.
"Where have you been daddy? Why did you leave us?"