when I stay with Aunt
Megan.”
“ Right,” Mike
said.
“ If I tell you something,
will you promise not to tell Mommy?” Katy took the wash cloth from
Mike to scrub her face while Mike washed her hair.
“ Nope,” Mike said.
“There’s nothing that you should ever keep from your
Mom.”
“ But if I tell her, she
will cry and cry and cry,” Katy said. “I hate it when Mommy
cries.”
“ Rinse.”
Katy closed her eyes so Mike could rinse her
with the hand held tub sprayer.
“ All done?” Mike
asked.
Katy nodded.
After letting the water out of the tub, Mike
wrapped Katy in a bath sheet. He carried her out into the sitting
area of his and Valerie’s apartment. Valerie waited for them with
mugs of hot chocolate.
“ You can tell us anything.
And we will always love you no matter what. But we won’t promise
not to tell your Mommy,” Mike said.
Valerie took Mike’s warm bundle of Katy and
rubbed her dry. While Katy weighed her options on her fingers,
Valerie helped her into her pajamas. Valerie had just finished
combing Katy’s wet hair when Katy sighed.
“ Ok, I’ll tell you,” Katy
said. “You know how I had another Daddy?”
“ Uh huh,” Mike
said.
He lifted Katy onto the couch then gave her
a mug of hot chocolate. Valerie smiled when he gave her a mug of
cocoa. He winked at Valerie.
“ Well, he’s going to take
me away from Mommy and make me live with him. I won’t ever SEE
Mommy again.”
“ Why do you say that,
honey?” Mike asked.
“ He told me.”
Chapter Thirty-one No reason to freak out
Tuesday night — 7:30 P.M.
Mike’s face registered shock then hardened.
His look would terrify an adult let alone a small child. Valerie
pushed him away from Katy.
“ When did he tell you,
honey?” Ever the actress, Valerie kept her voice friendly and
almost happy.
“ Well, I have a Jill
doll,” Katy said. She looked over at her beautiful Auntie and
smiled. Valerie smiled in return. “You haven’t met her. Mommy got
me the doll when I was about one year old. She works some nights
and I stay with Aunt Megan. Have you met Aunt Megan?”
“ I have,” Valerie said.
She touched Katy’s wet hair. “I like your Aunt Megan.”
“ I like Aunt Megan too. A
lot. But she’s not Mommy,” Katy said. “I was really sad when Mommy
wasn’t with me. Mommy found a Jill doll. It looks sort of like
Mommy and it has her recorded voice. My Jill doll usually says,
‘Love you Katy-baby’ or ‘Sweet Katherine’ or this little poem Mommy
says before bed or ‘Mommy misses you’ or... I think that’s all. I
like the ‘Love you Katy-baby’ the best. I press past the other ones
so I can hear that the most when I’m sad.”
Valerie looked to Mike. He nodded. Katy and
her Jill doll were almost never apart.
“ But I haven’t been sad in
a long time.” Katy stared off into space. “Since before we went to
the zoo. My Jill doll was in my old room. When Mommy was in the
shower, I found my Jill doll.”
“ What did the Jill doll
have to say?” Valerie asked in her light happy voice.
“ It was my old Daddy. He
said he was coming to get me and I would live with him forever,”
Katy said. “Scooter growled and barked when the Jill doll talked
like that. Scooter was so mad that I hid the doll. I don’t want
Scooter to be mad.”
“ Did the Jill doll say
anything else?” Mike growled. Valerie scowled at him over Katy’s
head. He shrugged.
“ I didn’t hear, Uncle
Mike.”
“ Because of
Scooter?”
“ Uh huh.” Katy finished
her hot chocolate. “He’s coming to get me.”
Valerie reached around Katy to hold Mike’s
hand. Mike looked caught somewhere between rage and despair.
“ More cocoa?” Valerie
asked.
“ Yes please,” Katy
said.
Valerie took Katy and Mike’s mug and went
into the small apartment kitchen. Katy sighed.
“ Are you mad?” Katy asked
Mike.
“ Worried,” Mike
said.
“ Scares me. More than a
little bit,” Katy said. “I have a new
Megan.”
“ Right,” Mike
said.
“ If I tell you something,
will you promise not to tell Mommy?” Katy took the wash cloth from
Mike to scrub her face while Mike washed her hair.
“ Nope,” Mike said.
“There’s nothing that you should ever keep from your
Mom.”
“ But if I tell her, she
will cry and cry and cry,” Katy said. “I hate it when Mommy
cries.”
“ Rinse.”
Katy closed her eyes so Mike could rinse her
with the hand held tub sprayer.
“ All done?” Mike
asked.
Katy nodded.
After letting the water out of the tub, Mike
wrapped Katy in a bath sheet. He carried her out into the sitting
area of his and Valerie’s apartment. Valerie waited for them with
mugs of hot chocolate.
“ You can tell us anything.
And we will always love you no matter what. But we won’t promise
not to tell your Mommy,” Mike said.
Valerie took Mike’s warm bundle of Katy and
rubbed her dry. While Katy weighed her options on her fingers,
Valerie helped her into her pajamas. Valerie had just finished
combing Katy’s wet hair when Katy sighed.
“ Ok, I’ll tell you,” Katy
said. “You know how I had another Daddy?”
“ Uh huh,” Mike
said.
He lifted Katy onto the couch then gave her
a mug of hot chocolate. Valerie smiled when he gave her a mug of
cocoa. He winked at Valerie.
“ Well, he’s going to take
me away from Mommy and make me live with him. I won’t ever SEE
Mommy again.”
“ Why do you say that,
honey?” Mike asked.
“ He told me.”
Chapter Thirty-one No reason to freak out
Tuesday night — 7:30 P.M.
Mike’s face registered shock then hardened.
His look would terrify an adult let alone a small child. Valerie
pushed him away from Katy.
“ When did he tell you,
honey?” Ever the actress, Valerie kept her voice friendly and
almost happy.
“ Well, I have a Jill
doll,” Katy said. She looked over at her beautiful Auntie and
smiled. Valerie smiled in return. “You haven’t met her. Mommy got
me the doll when I was about one year old. She works some nights
and I stay with Aunt Megan. Have you met Aunt Megan?”
“ I have,” Valerie said.
She touched Katy’s wet hair. “I like your Aunt Megan.”
“ I like Aunt Megan too. A
lot. But she’s not Mommy,” Katy said. “I was really sad when Mommy
wasn’t with me. Mommy found a Jill doll. It looks sort of like
Mommy and it has her recorded voice. My Jill doll usually says,
‘Love you Katy-baby’ or ‘Sweet Katherine’ or this little poem Mommy
says before bed or ‘Mommy misses you’ or... I think that’s all. I
like the ‘Love you Katy-baby’ the best. I press past the other ones
so I can hear that the most when I’m sad.”
Valerie looked to Mike. He nodded. Katy and
her Jill doll were almost never apart.
“ But I haven’t been sad in
a long time.” Katy stared off into space. “Since before we went to
the zoo. My Jill doll was in my old room. When Mommy was in the
shower, I found my Jill doll.”
“ What did the Jill doll
have to say?” Valerie asked in her light happy voice.
“ It was my old Daddy. He
said he was coming to get me and I would live with him forever,”
Katy said. “Scooter growled and barked when the Jill doll talked
like that. Scooter was so mad that I hid the doll. I don’t want
Scooter to be mad.”
“ Did the Jill doll say
anything else?” Mike growled. Valerie scowled at him over Katy’s
head. He shrugged.
“ I didn’t hear, Uncle
Mike.”
“ Because of
Scooter?”
“ Uh huh.” Katy finished
her hot chocolate. “He’s coming to get me.”
Valerie reached around Katy to hold Mike’s
hand. Mike looked caught somewhere between rage and despair.
“ More cocoa?” Valerie
asked.
“ Yes please,” Katy
said.
Valerie took Katy and Mike’s mug and went
into the small apartment kitchen. Katy sighed.
“ Are you mad?” Katy asked
Mike.
“ Worried,” Mike
said.
“ Scares me. More than a
little bit,” Katy said. “I have a new
Similar Books
