"Daddy, let me fix your jacket." He bent down and let his daughter pull at his jacket. Her small hands straightened the wrinkles and creases of his jacket and he smiled as her forehead furrowed. "Daddy, shouldn't you have at least ironed your shirt?"
"I did." He looked down panicked. "Why? You can't tell?" Jayne smiled evilly.
"Just teasing." He hugged her quickly and stood back. She saw the worry in his face, as he wrung his hands.
"Last chance. Do I look okay?" He held out his arms.
"You look great. And me?" She did a little twirl.
"Beautiful as usual, Jaynie." He smiled proudly. "Shall we knock?" He gestured towards the door and his daughter nodded. Together, they raised their fists and knocked.
"Coming." Came Joan's muffled voice, followed by the sound of something crashing on the floor. "Oops! Ahh...darn" Adam and Jaynie looked at each other and laughed. Joan opened the door looking flustered. "Hey you guys. Come in! I just have to-uh- do something." She gestured sheepishly at a broken lamp on the floor and Adam nodded sympathetically. She went into another room to get a broom and dustpan and Adam looked around himself.
Her house was just like her office, bright and colorful. Everywhere pictures he recognized from high school called to him. He saw Luke, Mrs. Girardi, Mr. Girardi and Kevin smiling up at him from silver and pastel colored frames. The bookshelves were filled with books and knick-knacks, each one unique and wonderful. The apartment was a manifestation of life, of who she was. That's strange. He thought. Shouldn't there be some evidence of a man in her life. Of Jacques...
"I am so sorry. I am such a bad host. I should say something like: Please, make yourself at home or won't you sit down." Adam turned around.
"Don't be silly, Jane. You're doing fine."
"Yeah really, Miss G. You're doing really great and your house is really nice." Joan beamed. "When do I get to meet Jacques?"
"Oh gosh!" She waved her hands frantically. "I completely forgot about him, I'll go get him."
He needs to be gotten? That's kind of weird. What kind of man needs to be gotten? What is he? A baby? His faced went pale. A baby? His Jane with a baby...He looked out the window where the sky had darkened and lightning seemed to dance over the wet rooftops. A baby? Whose baby?
"Adam, Jayne. I'd like you to meet Jacques."
"Mama, mama." Adam turned around, his eyes wide.
"Oh, my God, it's a-uh-a ..."
"Parrot. A talking parrot with a full vocabulary of 7 phrases." Joan finished for him, smiling proudly at her colorful friend. She looked back at Adam. "Why what did you think he was?" She saw the look on his face. "Wait." she said, her eyes slightly panicked."You thought..." She burst out laughing.
"What?" Adam demanded sheepishly as his face turned red. "It could've been."
"Daddy, that's just silly. Miss G. isn't married." Joan and Adam looked at Jayne and blushed.
"You're absolutely right honey." He looked at Joan and saw that she had turned away from them and her shoulders were shaking with laughter. "Absolutely right."
"I did." He looked down panicked. "Why? You can't tell?" Jayne smiled evilly.
"Just teasing." He hugged her quickly and stood back. She saw the worry in his face, as he wrung his hands.
"Last chance. Do I look okay?" He held out his arms.
"You look great. And me?" She did a little twirl.
"Beautiful as usual, Jaynie." He smiled proudly. "Shall we knock?" He gestured towards the door and his daughter nodded. Together, they raised their fists and knocked.
"Coming." Came Joan's muffled voice, followed by the sound of something crashing on the floor. "Oops! Ahh...darn" Adam and Jaynie looked at each other and laughed. Joan opened the door looking flustered. "Hey you guys. Come in! I just have to-uh- do something." She gestured sheepishly at a broken lamp on the floor and Adam nodded sympathetically. She went into another room to get a broom and dustpan and Adam looked around himself.
Her house was just like her office, bright and colorful. Everywhere pictures he recognized from high school called to him. He saw Luke, Mrs. Girardi, Mr. Girardi and Kevin smiling up at him from silver and pastel colored frames. The bookshelves were filled with books and knick-knacks, each one unique and wonderful. The apartment was a manifestation of life, of who she was. That's strange. He thought. Shouldn't there be some evidence of a man in her life. Of Jacques...
"I am so sorry. I am such a bad host. I should say something like: Please, make yourself at home or won't you sit down." Adam turned around.
"Don't be silly, Jane. You're doing fine."
"Yeah really, Miss G. You're doing really great and your house is really nice." Joan beamed. "When do I get to meet Jacques?"
"Oh gosh!" She waved her hands frantically. "I completely forgot about him, I'll go get him."
He needs to be gotten? That's kind of weird. What kind of man needs to be gotten? What is he? A baby? His faced went pale. A baby? His Jane with a baby...He looked out the window where the sky had darkened and lightning seemed to dance over the wet rooftops. A baby? Whose baby?
"Adam, Jayne. I'd like you to meet Jacques."
"Mama, mama." Adam turned around, his eyes wide.
"Oh, my God, it's a-uh-a ..."
"Parrot. A talking parrot with a full vocabulary of 7 phrases." Joan finished for him, smiling proudly at her colorful friend. She looked back at Adam. "Why what did you think he was?" She saw the look on his face. "Wait." she said, her eyes slightly panicked."You thought..." She burst out laughing.
"What?" Adam demanded sheepishly as his face turned red. "It could've been."
"Daddy, that's just silly. Miss G. isn't married." Joan and Adam looked at Jayne and blushed.
"You're absolutely right honey." He looked at Joan and saw that she had turned away from them and her shoulders were shaking with laughter. "Absolutely right."