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Chapter Two: First Steps and School Buses
Scared me to death
When you took your first steps
And I'd fall every time you fell down
Your first day of school I cried like a fool
And I followed your school bus to town
Well I didn't cry when Old Yeller died
At least not in front of my friends
But when tough little boys grow up to be Dads
They turn into big babies again
Mac's POV
Eight months later . . .
"Come on Pieces," I coaxed her using her nickname from my sitting position near the couch. My wife Lindsay had our daughter about five feet away from me. She had her standing up and was holding her sides.
"Walk to Daddy." Lindsay encouraged.
Reese flashed me a toothless grin as she began to take a step forward with Lindsay still encouraging her, "Come on baby girl you can do it! Walk to Daddy!"
After taking a few steps more forward she was out of Lindsay's reach and she allowed Reese to walk on her own. Her chubby legs made it about two more steps forward before they gave way and she fell back down onto her diapered bottom.
"Oh!" Lindsay and I both winced as Reese giggled.
She then crawled the remaining way to me and climbed up my legs so she could sit in my lap.
"She'll get it eventually." Lindsay said smiling as she walked over to sit with us.
"Yeah, I know." I agreed as Reese's tiny little hand reached up and grabbed my chin making me chuckle.
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Five years later . . .
I looked over at Lindsay after watching Reese happily eat her bagel asking for the millionth time, "Are you sure she's old enough to ride the bus?"
"Mac, the school is only about a half hour away from here." Lindsay says smiling as she bounces our family's newest addition Cameron Spencer in her arms.
"But it's her first day of school!"
"Don't worry, Daddy! I can ride the bus. I'm a big girl now!" Reese shouts proudly as she brings her dirty dish to the sink and drinks all of her milk and orange juice.
As I frowned and was about to say something, Lindsay cut me off replying softly, "You knew this day would come, Mac."
After seeing that Reese brought her dish to the sink and finished both of her drinks Lindsay stands up and glances at the clock announcing, "Okay Pieces the bus will be here in a few minutes go get your backpack."
Reese happily hops out of her chair and runs into the foyer with Lindsay and I following close behind.
"Give Mommy and brother a kiss." Lindsay requests.
Reese smiles and happily obliges her mother giving her a quick kiss on the lips and her brother a soft kiss on his forehead giggling at the way his soft hair tickles her nose as she pulls away.
"Okay now Daddy's gonna walk you down the street to the bus stop."
"Come on Daddy, hurry up!" Reese yells as she opens up the front door.
"I'm coming Sweetheart."
I had to smile at her excitement but it was still hard for me to believe that she was five years old and now going to be a kindergartner. Where had all the years flown to anyhow?
After giving Lindsay and Cameron each a kiss I followed Reese outside where we walked hand in hand down from our house to the end of the street where the bus would pick the kids up every morning. I smiled at my little girl as she went on and on about anything and everything leaving me completely entertained.
I see the bus is slowly approaching our stop and crouched down to her level saying, "Okay Pieces you be a good girl at school today. Mommy and Cameron will be waiting for you when you come home, okay? You have lots of fun at school all right?"
"Okay." She said as she wrapped her small arms around my neck as I wrapped mine around her small body.
And that's when the water works started happening as I could feel the tears welling from behind my eyes. I swallowed and took a deep breath as I pulled away to kiss her cheek and say, "Have a good day at school sweetie."
"Daddy don't cry. This is a happy time not a sad one."
"I know but Daddy's crying because he's happy not because he's sad."
As the bus comes in front of us I watch as she happily skips up to the bus and then climbs in. I watch her caramel haired pigtailed head bounce from seat to seat until she finally finds one to her liking and as she sits down she waves at me and I wave back.
I wiped my tears as I turned back around to go to the house and as I'm walking up the steps a thought enters my head but when I see my wife still standing in the doorway holding my truck keys I see she's already read my mind.
"You know me to well." I say to kiss her before taking the keys. "I do don't I. Oh and Mac don't, be too obvious when you're following her bus okay?"
I shook my head as I climbed into my truck and I managed to catch up with the bus when it was about three and a half blocks away from where the school was located. The bus finally had arrived at Greenwich Grove Elementary and I stopped at the sidewalk just behind the bus. I watched as child after child exited the vehicle and sat up when I saw Reese's polka dotted sundress form skip off hand in hand with another little girl.
I smiled proudly due to the fact she had already made a friend and then suddenly she turns and looks directly at me.
"Bye Daddy!" She yells waiving widely along with her new little friend.
I was caught red handed and apparently my little girl knows me as well as my wife. Smiling sheepishly I timidly wave back and watched as she and the other little girl entered the building. After doing a U-turn I headed back to the house with tears forming behind my eyes like a fool.
Man, this kind of stuff could kill a guy. The entire way to work I dabbed my eyes with the collar of my dress shirt.
