"I need a favor." Carter was standing at my door, Annie in his arms.
"Weaver said I can have my job back but I have to go in right now. Can you
watch Annie until about 10:00 tonight?"
I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Of course."
Carter handed Annie to me. She was a little difficult to hold onto because of her cast but I managed not to drop her. Carter placed a bag full of toys and pajamas at my feet. "Thank you," he said, kissing my cheek and then Annie's. "Be good, Annie."
After Carter shut the door Annie said, "do you have any movies?" I did have movies. None, however, were suitable for a three-year-old.
"Why don't I take you to the video store?"
At the video store Annie got 'Monsters Inc,' 'Lilo & Stitch,' and 'Toy Story 2.' She watched them all, sitting silently in front of a TV, cuddling a ragged blue dog. I had never met a child with a longer attention span. When the last movie ended Annie announced that she was hungry.
"You want pizza?" I asked.
"OK," Annie sighed.
While the frozen pizza was cooking I sat down on the couch with Annie. "I like your dog," I said. "What's her name?"
Annie frowned. "It's a boy, not a girl," she said. "And he's not mine."
"He's not?"
"He's Bobby's dog," Annie said. "His name is Binker."
"Bobby? Who's Bob. . .?" But then I remembered. Carter's brother. "Oh, you're uncle Bobby," I said.
Annie nodded. "Bobby's dead," she said. "Like my mommy." She looked up at me, her eyes challenging me, but I wasn't quite sure what the challenge was.
"Pizza's ready," I said as the buzzer went off. I placed cut up squares of pizza in front of her.
She stared at it and then picked up the plate and threw it against a wall. It shattered. "NO!" she screamed. "NO! I WANT MY DADDY!" She flung herself onto the floor, fists flying, legs flailing.
I tried to calm her down. "Annie? What's wrong? Tell me how to fix it."
She just continued to scream. I picked her up and carried her into my room. I put her on the bed and shut the door. "You can come out when you've calmed down," I said from the other side of the door.
I sat on the couch and turned on the TV while the screams continued. I wasn't sure I'd done the right thing. I didn't know what Carter's discipline methods were and I didn't want to do something wrong. But I couldn't just stand there and watch her scream.
Two hours later the screams had finally died down and Carter was back. "How'd it go?"
I groaned. "You didn't warn me about her temper tantrums."
"What?" Carter said, completely surprised. "Annie doesn't have temper tantrums. She's always been really even tempered and well behaved."
"Well, she wasn't today," I said, leading him into the kitchen. I held up a piece of the plate she broke.
"I don't understand," Carter said, shaking his head.
"Maybe she was just tired," I offered.
Carter shrugged. "Well, whatever it was, I hope it doesn't happen again." He pulled me up against him and wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry
"'S OK," I murmured. His lips brushed lightly against my neck. "She probably just doesn't like that she's no longer the only woman in her daddy's light."
Carter laughed softly. "That's probably it," he said, moving his hands up the back of my shirt. We moved out of the kitchen and accidentally sent a chair crashing to the floor. I bit my lip. "I think we woke her up," I said.
Sure enough screams of, "I HATE YOU!" can from the bedroom. "I HATE YOU! I WANT MY DADDY! I WANT MY DADDY NOW!" Carter opened the door and Annie looked up. An embarrassed smile crossed her face. "Hi Daddy," she said softly.
"Annabelle, I want you to apologize to Abby right now," he said firmly. When she said nothing, Carter tried again. "I mean it, Annabelle. I'm gonna count to three. One, two . . ."
"I'm SORRY!" Annie shouted.
Carter sat down next to her. "Why are you being so horrible to Abby?" he asked.
"Because I hate her."
"Why do you hate her?" Carter grabbed a tissue and wiped Annie's nose. "What did she do?"
"She's gonna take you away from me," Annie wailed, tears pouring from her eyes.
Carter lifted her onto his lap. "Sweetheart," he said, slightly amused at the thought that anyone could ever take him away from his daughter. "No one will ever, ever, ever take me away from you. I love you so much, butter bean." He kissed her cheek. "You're part of me. My heart and soul."
Annie sniffed. "So you won't be friends with Abby anymore?" she asked hopefully.
Carter sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm still gonna be friends with Abby. So you're gonna have to be nice to her, understand?"
"But why? You love me, not Abby."
"I can love more than one person," Carter explained. "And just because I love Abby doesn't mean I love you less than I did before, OK?"
Annie nodded and looked up at me. "Do you love her very much?" she asked her father.
Carter smiled and followed Annie's gaze until his eyes met mine. "Yes," he said, looking right at me. "Very, very much."
Annie digested this and then asked, "Abby, do love my daddy very much?"
I hesitated. I still hadn't actually told Carter that I loved him. But I could see that this was not the time to waffle. "Yes," I said to the little girl who was so scared of losing her daddy. "Yes," I said again. "I love him very much."
I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Of course."
Carter handed Annie to me. She was a little difficult to hold onto because of her cast but I managed not to drop her. Carter placed a bag full of toys and pajamas at my feet. "Thank you," he said, kissing my cheek and then Annie's. "Be good, Annie."
After Carter shut the door Annie said, "do you have any movies?" I did have movies. None, however, were suitable for a three-year-old.
"Why don't I take you to the video store?"
At the video store Annie got 'Monsters Inc,' 'Lilo & Stitch,' and 'Toy Story 2.' She watched them all, sitting silently in front of a TV, cuddling a ragged blue dog. I had never met a child with a longer attention span. When the last movie ended Annie announced that she was hungry.
"You want pizza?" I asked.
"OK," Annie sighed.
While the frozen pizza was cooking I sat down on the couch with Annie. "I like your dog," I said. "What's her name?"
Annie frowned. "It's a boy, not a girl," she said. "And he's not mine."
"He's not?"
"He's Bobby's dog," Annie said. "His name is Binker."
"Bobby? Who's Bob. . .?" But then I remembered. Carter's brother. "Oh, you're uncle Bobby," I said.
Annie nodded. "Bobby's dead," she said. "Like my mommy." She looked up at me, her eyes challenging me, but I wasn't quite sure what the challenge was.
"Pizza's ready," I said as the buzzer went off. I placed cut up squares of pizza in front of her.
She stared at it and then picked up the plate and threw it against a wall. It shattered. "NO!" she screamed. "NO! I WANT MY DADDY!" She flung herself onto the floor, fists flying, legs flailing.
I tried to calm her down. "Annie? What's wrong? Tell me how to fix it."
She just continued to scream. I picked her up and carried her into my room. I put her on the bed and shut the door. "You can come out when you've calmed down," I said from the other side of the door.
I sat on the couch and turned on the TV while the screams continued. I wasn't sure I'd done the right thing. I didn't know what Carter's discipline methods were and I didn't want to do something wrong. But I couldn't just stand there and watch her scream.
Two hours later the screams had finally died down and Carter was back. "How'd it go?"
I groaned. "You didn't warn me about her temper tantrums."
"What?" Carter said, completely surprised. "Annie doesn't have temper tantrums. She's always been really even tempered and well behaved."
"Well, she wasn't today," I said, leading him into the kitchen. I held up a piece of the plate she broke.
"I don't understand," Carter said, shaking his head.
"Maybe she was just tired," I offered.
Carter shrugged. "Well, whatever it was, I hope it doesn't happen again." He pulled me up against him and wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry
"'S OK," I murmured. His lips brushed lightly against my neck. "She probably just doesn't like that she's no longer the only woman in her daddy's light."
Carter laughed softly. "That's probably it," he said, moving his hands up the back of my shirt. We moved out of the kitchen and accidentally sent a chair crashing to the floor. I bit my lip. "I think we woke her up," I said.
Sure enough screams of, "I HATE YOU!" can from the bedroom. "I HATE YOU! I WANT MY DADDY! I WANT MY DADDY NOW!" Carter opened the door and Annie looked up. An embarrassed smile crossed her face. "Hi Daddy," she said softly.
"Annabelle, I want you to apologize to Abby right now," he said firmly. When she said nothing, Carter tried again. "I mean it, Annabelle. I'm gonna count to three. One, two . . ."
"I'm SORRY!" Annie shouted.
Carter sat down next to her. "Why are you being so horrible to Abby?" he asked.
"Because I hate her."
"Why do you hate her?" Carter grabbed a tissue and wiped Annie's nose. "What did she do?"
"She's gonna take you away from me," Annie wailed, tears pouring from her eyes.
Carter lifted her onto his lap. "Sweetheart," he said, slightly amused at the thought that anyone could ever take him away from his daughter. "No one will ever, ever, ever take me away from you. I love you so much, butter bean." He kissed her cheek. "You're part of me. My heart and soul."
Annie sniffed. "So you won't be friends with Abby anymore?" she asked hopefully.
Carter sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm still gonna be friends with Abby. So you're gonna have to be nice to her, understand?"
"But why? You love me, not Abby."
"I can love more than one person," Carter explained. "And just because I love Abby doesn't mean I love you less than I did before, OK?"
Annie nodded and looked up at me. "Do you love her very much?" she asked her father.
Carter smiled and followed Annie's gaze until his eyes met mine. "Yes," he said, looking right at me. "Very, very much."
Annie digested this and then asked, "Abby, do love my daddy very much?"
I hesitated. I still hadn't actually told Carter that I loved him. But I could see that this was not the time to waffle. "Yes," I said to the little girl who was so scared of losing her daddy. "Yes," I said again. "I love him very much."
