Chapter 12: Home Sweet Home
Tucked into bed tightly, Junior suddenly stirred and snapped his eyes open, slipped out of bed, and wandered outside.
Squinting his eyes tightly he rubbed them, and headed for the bathroom. Pushing the bathroom door open, he looked up surprisingly to find Cole standing in front of the mirror with shaving cream all over his face.
"Where's my Mommy?" He asked quietly, with his chubby little hands over his eyes.
"Hey there little buddy." Cole cheerfully greeted looking down.
"What are you doing?" He tilted his head to one side with his eyes squinted.
"I'm shaving." Cole answered as he washed his hands and picked Junior up.
Curiously Junior took his fingers and whipped up a finger full of shaven cream and smiled.
"You want to shave too buddy?" Cole asked, upon seeing the look on Junior's face at the feeling of the foam.
"Feels weird." He said, putting on a disgusted face.
"Cole!" Phoebe called from the hallway. "The food is done." She walked up to the open bathroom door and found Junior in Cole's arm.
"Well don't you two cute together." Phoebe said. "C'mon Junior, back to bed."
"But Mommy I'm going to shave like Daddy." Junior whined.
"You hear that?" Cole happily bragged. "He called me Daddy."
Phoebe couldn't help but smile. Leaning against the entrance she said, "Like father, like son. Hopefully not too much."
Suddenly the smile on Cole face just turned into a stiff look. Silence just filled between them and Junior turned and looked at Phoebe with a confused look.
"Oh, Cole. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." Phoebe apologized.
"No, it's the truth. Hopefully he won't turn out like me." Cole said and put Junior down. "Go to bed buddy."
"But I need to use the restroom." Junior said.
"Oh I'm sorry." Cole said getting out and letting him have some privacy.
"He needs help." Phoebe said. "Do you mind?"
"No, no if it's ok with him." Cole looked out at Junior.
"I'm a big boy now." He declared. "I can help myself."
Phoebe looked at him surprised and a smile formed on both hers and Cole's face, amused by his declaration.
"All right, but don't make a mess." Phoebe ordered and exited the bathroom and went back to the kitchen, while Cole waited outside.
Sitting in the kitchen alone, she leaned her head against her arm and started thinking about Cole and Junior. It was obvious that Junior needed a father figure in his life, but she didn't think Cole was going to be it. She knew Cole was his father, but in her mind he was dead, and gone. She had never thought of marrying anyone else but still she thought somewhere along the line someone would come and father Junior.
In the bathroom, Cole was let back in and began shaving as Junior sat on the toilet top and watched intensively.
"You're missing a spot." Junior pointed to a spot under Cole's chin.
He lifted his chin up shaved the spot.
"Thanks buddy." Cole said, washing the razor.
"Mommy always misses a spot when she shaves." Junior suddenly said, dangling his legs from the side of the toilet.
Cole looked at him and laughed.
"How do you know?"
"When Mommy has to give me a bath, and she's late for work, she's always in a hurry and misses."
Just before Cole could say anything, Phoebe came knocking on the door and hollered, "Cole, your food is getting cold."
"I'm coming." He replied, and a rush of a deja vu feeling came over him. He felt a warm sensation of familiarity between him and Phoebe. For a second there he thought he was he was home-home to his wife and kid. He looked at Junior who was dangling his legs over the toilet aimlessly and looking down on his shirt. Cole couldn't help but feel guilty for all the years and time he had missed out on his son's life. He wasn't there was watching him crawl, taking his first step, saying his first word, his first tooth, eating solid food, and his first day of school.
"C'mon buddy." Cole helped Junior down and let him on his shoulders.
"Mommy, are you going to stay up with us?" Junior asked immediately once they entered the kitchen.
"Yeah. But, you're not." Phoebe said.
"No, Mommy, can I please stay up?" Junior entreated, clasping his hands together.
"You have school tomorrow." Phoebe said sternly, removing Junior from Cole's shoulders.
"What harm can a day do?" Cole butted it, taking a seat behind the counter. "It's kindergarten, how much can he miss?"
Glancing over to Cole in irritation, she turned to Junior and responded in a soft tone of voice, "Alright, but don't make a habit of it."
"I won't." He quickly stated, then hugged Phoebe. "Thank you Mommy." He then let go and came over to Cole's side. "Are you going to stay here with us?"
Caught off by his question, he looked at Phoebe and pursed his lips.
"We'll see." Phoebe said, looking at Cole.
"Can he sleep in my room?"
"We'll see." Phoebe repeated, still eyeing Cole.
For a second, he could see a spark in her eyes that he hadn't seen since their separation. He couldn't help but smile.
Tucked into bed tightly, Junior suddenly stirred and snapped his eyes open, slipped out of bed, and wandered outside.
Squinting his eyes tightly he rubbed them, and headed for the bathroom. Pushing the bathroom door open, he looked up surprisingly to find Cole standing in front of the mirror with shaving cream all over his face.
"Where's my Mommy?" He asked quietly, with his chubby little hands over his eyes.
"Hey there little buddy." Cole cheerfully greeted looking down.
"What are you doing?" He tilted his head to one side with his eyes squinted.
"I'm shaving." Cole answered as he washed his hands and picked Junior up.
Curiously Junior took his fingers and whipped up a finger full of shaven cream and smiled.
"You want to shave too buddy?" Cole asked, upon seeing the look on Junior's face at the feeling of the foam.
"Feels weird." He said, putting on a disgusted face.
"Cole!" Phoebe called from the hallway. "The food is done." She walked up to the open bathroom door and found Junior in Cole's arm.
"Well don't you two cute together." Phoebe said. "C'mon Junior, back to bed."
"But Mommy I'm going to shave like Daddy." Junior whined.
"You hear that?" Cole happily bragged. "He called me Daddy."
Phoebe couldn't help but smile. Leaning against the entrance she said, "Like father, like son. Hopefully not too much."
Suddenly the smile on Cole face just turned into a stiff look. Silence just filled between them and Junior turned and looked at Phoebe with a confused look.
"Oh, Cole. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." Phoebe apologized.
"No, it's the truth. Hopefully he won't turn out like me." Cole said and put Junior down. "Go to bed buddy."
"But I need to use the restroom." Junior said.
"Oh I'm sorry." Cole said getting out and letting him have some privacy.
"He needs help." Phoebe said. "Do you mind?"
"No, no if it's ok with him." Cole looked out at Junior.
"I'm a big boy now." He declared. "I can help myself."
Phoebe looked at him surprised and a smile formed on both hers and Cole's face, amused by his declaration.
"All right, but don't make a mess." Phoebe ordered and exited the bathroom and went back to the kitchen, while Cole waited outside.
Sitting in the kitchen alone, she leaned her head against her arm and started thinking about Cole and Junior. It was obvious that Junior needed a father figure in his life, but she didn't think Cole was going to be it. She knew Cole was his father, but in her mind he was dead, and gone. She had never thought of marrying anyone else but still she thought somewhere along the line someone would come and father Junior.
In the bathroom, Cole was let back in and began shaving as Junior sat on the toilet top and watched intensively.
"You're missing a spot." Junior pointed to a spot under Cole's chin.
He lifted his chin up shaved the spot.
"Thanks buddy." Cole said, washing the razor.
"Mommy always misses a spot when she shaves." Junior suddenly said, dangling his legs from the side of the toilet.
Cole looked at him and laughed.
"How do you know?"
"When Mommy has to give me a bath, and she's late for work, she's always in a hurry and misses."
Just before Cole could say anything, Phoebe came knocking on the door and hollered, "Cole, your food is getting cold."
"I'm coming." He replied, and a rush of a deja vu feeling came over him. He felt a warm sensation of familiarity between him and Phoebe. For a second there he thought he was he was home-home to his wife and kid. He looked at Junior who was dangling his legs over the toilet aimlessly and looking down on his shirt. Cole couldn't help but feel guilty for all the years and time he had missed out on his son's life. He wasn't there was watching him crawl, taking his first step, saying his first word, his first tooth, eating solid food, and his first day of school.
"C'mon buddy." Cole helped Junior down and let him on his shoulders.
"Mommy, are you going to stay up with us?" Junior asked immediately once they entered the kitchen.
"Yeah. But, you're not." Phoebe said.
"No, Mommy, can I please stay up?" Junior entreated, clasping his hands together.
"You have school tomorrow." Phoebe said sternly, removing Junior from Cole's shoulders.
"What harm can a day do?" Cole butted it, taking a seat behind the counter. "It's kindergarten, how much can he miss?"
Glancing over to Cole in irritation, she turned to Junior and responded in a soft tone of voice, "Alright, but don't make a habit of it."
"I won't." He quickly stated, then hugged Phoebe. "Thank you Mommy." He then let go and came over to Cole's side. "Are you going to stay here with us?"
Caught off by his question, he looked at Phoebe and pursed his lips.
"We'll see." Phoebe said, looking at Cole.
"Can he sleep in my room?"
"We'll see." Phoebe repeated, still eyeing Cole.
For a second, he could see a spark in her eyes that he hadn't seen since their separation. He couldn't help but smile.