Part Twenty-one
"Last chance to back out," Michael says, his voice low, as they stand on Sydney's father's front stoop that night.
"No," Sydney sighs, smoothing the front of her dress. They'd spent about an hour at the coffee shop, eating pie and talking, then they'd gone back to the hotel so she could shower-- wash off all traces of the afternoon, start fresh. She wears a red and white flowered halter dress that she adores; it is cut in such a way that she will be able to wear it at least a few months into her pregnancy, yet it still looks flattering. Besides, it looks cheerful, something she most definitely us not. "Let's do this."
Michael reaches out and rings the bell.
"I changed my mind, let's go pick up a pizza and eat it at the hotel," Sydney quips, only half joking.
"Too late," Michael says with a smile. "I already rang the bell."
The door opens, and Sydney's father appears in the doorway. "Hello, Michael, Sydney. Grace," he adds, managing an actual smile for the little girl Sydney carries on her hip. "Please, come in."
"Daddy!" Emily cries, hurling herself past her grandfather and into her father's arms.
"Hey, princess." Michael's face lights up as he scoops up the little girl.
"Hi, Mommy," Emily adds, twisting in her father's arms to plant a kiss on her mother's cheek. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too, sweetheart," Sydney says fondly, smoothing back her daughter's dark blonde hair.
"Did you have fun with your Grampy today?" Michael asks Emily.
"Yep," Emily says with a smile. "We went to the park, and there was a carnival there--"
"I didn't know there was going to be a carnival," Sydney's father says wryly.
"And we ate cotton candy and rode rides, and Jack throwed up--"
"Is he all right?" Sydney asks with a concerned frown.
"He's fine," Sydney's father assures her. "He's in the back yard right now, making use of your old basketball hoop."
"--and then Grampy took Jack to the bathroom, and I was as-posed to wait outside, and I--" Emily's little face suddenly grows a bit stormy, a bit sheepish.
"Tell them what you did, Emily," her grandfather prompts with a stern frown.
Emily bites her lower lip. "I wanted to ride just one more ride, Daddy and Mommy, so I--"
"Emily," Sydney scolds. "Did you go off by yourself after your Grampy told you to wait?"
"Yes," Emily says, eyes filling with tears.
"I told you to be good for your Grampy, didn't I?"
"Yes," Emily says, the tears dangerously close to spilling over. "But the ride wasn't very far, Mommy, and he found me right away." She turns her teary eyes to her grandfather. "You're not still mad at me, Grampy, are you?"
"I wasn't really mad, sweetheart," her grandfather says gently. "But you scared me, and when I'm taking care of you, you have to listen to me, okay?"
"Okay," Emily says tearily. "I'm sorry, Grampy. I love you." She motions for him to come close, and she plants a kiss on his cheek.
"I love you, too, sweetheart." Sydney's father looks absolutely enchanted by the little girl.
"Can I go play with Jack now?" Emily asks in a small voice.
"Yes, darling," Sydney says. "We'll be out in a second, okay?"
"Okay!" Just like that, any traces of tears are gone, and Emily squirms in her father's arms until he puts her down so she can run away.
Jack stares after her, amazed. "I think I just let a three-year-old wrap me around her little finger."
"Don't worry," Michael says with a smile. "It's easy to do."
"And I think that little actress knew exactly what she was doing the entire time."
"She knows how to get what she wants," Sydney says flatly, not finding this nearly as amusing as the men clearly do. "And Dad, you should have taken her into the men's room with you, she's too little to be left alone in a public place like that, even for a minute."
"Oh, hey, no harm done," Michael says quickly. "Let's join them out back, shall we?"
"That's a good idea," Jack agrees. "It's so nice I thought we'd eat out at the picnic table, anyway. I just ordered a couple of pizzas," he says, a bit apologetically. "That's what the kids said they wanted."
"Lovely," Sydney says coolly. "They've already had Popsicles and cotton candy today, I suppose they can use a little grease to go with their sugar."
"Sydney--" Michael begins, then clearly thinks better of it. "Will you excuse us for a minute, Jack?"
"Of course," Jack says, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"Here, take Grace," Michael encourages, taking the child from Sydney and handing her to Jack.
"Oh, I don't know if I--" Jack says, eyes growing big.
"No, it's okay. She just had a diaper change," Michael says with a smile. "Take her outside, and we'll be there in a sec."
Jack walks away, carrying Grace as if she is made of glass, and Sydney glares at Michael. "What?" she demands, folding her arms in front of her crossly.
"If you're going to give him another chance, give him another chance," Michael says softly. "Don't act like you're doing him a favor just by being here, and don't attack every little thing he says or does."
"He lost Emily, Michael!" Sydney cries.
"He didn't lose Emily."
"He left her alone at a fucking carnival," Sydney hisses. "And he let Jack ride rides, Michael, Jack always gets sick on rides."
"He couldn't have known that," Michael points out.
"Then he shouldn't have taken them to a carnival."
"You're behaving like a spoiled child."
Sydney's eyes grow huge. "I cannot believe you just said that to me."
"Look, I'm sorry," Michael says with a sigh, leaning against the wall. "But please, could you give him a chance? He's trying."
"Trying, and failing," Sydney responds. "Failing miserably."
With that, she spins on her heel and moves toward the backyard.
