Her bright smile is back, making her eyes sparkle and her face light up. “Thank you, Miss Daisy.”
One subject bleeds into another as we move through the day. Keeping the class of twenty busy and entertained is both exhausting and rewarding. At last, their time for free play arrives. The leaders from two of the four classrooms alternate supervising playtime activities for the entire grade, giving us a much needed break. While the kids are outside enjoying their recess time, Glenna and I take some time to talk openly and get to know each other better.
“Is there a Mr. Daisy around?” Glenna props her feet up on her desk.
“No, definitely not. What about a Mr. Glenna?”
“Unfortunately, not yet. My charm and wit seem to be lost on the average male around here. Maybe I need to move.” She purses her lips to the side, half kidding and half serious.
“Don’t waste your time. No matter how far from home you go, men are still the same. You’d be better off sticking around here, finding someone who sucks the least.” I should know. I flew over fourteen hundred miles only for some jerk to dump me the day before our vacation ended.
He didn’t even say goodbye. That’s how much I meant to him.
“You’re probably right. Plus, searching for some fictional man isn’t worth leaving my friends and my incredible job. Not that I’ll ever become a millionaire doing this, but my peace of mind is worth much more to me.” She speaks as though she has a story to tell behind that statement. When she’s ready, she’ll tell me.
“Have you not met any single fathers here, bringing their kids to school? Surely there are a few available dudes in the Buckhead area you’d be interested in dating.”
“You’d think so, right? The only problem is the single men who come here are part of the multi-millionaire club in this area, if not the billionaire club. The rich keep getting richer, so it’s hard to keep up with the minimum allowable net worth. In case I haven’t made it crystal clear, I’m looking for the rare species of man who doesn’t care so much about the almighty dollar.”
“You know, I sensed you had a message in there, but I was having a hard time figuring it out.” I wink, letting her know I’m teasing, and we chuckle together.
“As I was walking around, talking to the kids and getting to know each one, I realized you were right about our class. It is the best, even though I have no firsthand knowledge of the other classes. We have some incredibly bright children in here.”
“I agree. They make every day a new adventure for me.” She pops a goldfish cracker in her mouth.
“Do you know anything about what’s going on in Isabelle’s home? She seemed so sad when I asked about her picture.”
“Her mother has cancer and has been in and out of the hospital. She’s fighting it but I don’t think she’s holding up too well.” Her face falls, emphasizing the severity and sadness of the situation.
“That breaks my heart. Even if kids don’t understand all the details, they feel how these events affect the family. I’ll keep an eye on her, in case it gets worse before it gets better.” I drop my eyes to my desk, already contemplating the ways I can help Isabelle through this dark time.
“Juliana, her mom, is the sweetest person too. You’d love her—she’s not the pretentious kind. Earlier in the school year, she was so involved in Isa’s school events, and she’d interact with all the other kids like they were her own. It’s a hard adjustment for that little girl, not having her mom around all the time, so I’m sure it’s equally hard on Juliana.”
“I can’t imagine all the conflicting feelings they both have right now. Is there anything we can do to help her?” I can’t imagine being in her shoes.
“Not that I know of, but from what I’ve heard, she has a strong support system in her family. When you get to know Isa better, you’ll see that little girl is so adored at home. She’s not spoiled, but she hung the moon and stars in someone’s eyes.”
We get busy setting up the room for the next activity before the end of the school day, but what I just learned about Isa’s mom is stuck in my mind. The empath in me can’t stand the thought of that sweet little girl potentially losing her mom to such a terrible disease. Even if I can’t do anything to change her health condition, maybe I can find small ways to help lift her spirits.
The children return to the classroom and we eventually get everyone settled in their seats. We’re so busy working with each child to complete their sight words, I don’t realize how fast time has passed. When I glance at the clock, I realize the dismissal bell will ring soon, so we quickly gather their book bags and help them put their work away until tomorrow.
I can’t help but smile when I watch all the littles file out of the room when the bell rings, knowing exactly where they’re going and what they need to do. I’m lost in my own musings until the voice of the only male I trust with my heart calls my name.
“Mommy! I had the best day. This school is awesome.” Landen, the seven-year-old love of my life, rushes into my classroom and straight into my arms.
“I’m so glad you had a great first day. Just remember this next time you don’t trust your mom.” I feel him smile with his cheek pressed against mine.
“Don’t get carried away now, Momma.”
This is our personal comic routine, a private joke between mother and son. He’s all boy, rough and tumble, and into everything he’s not supposed to be. But he also has the best heart and sense of humor, even if I’m biased in my beliefs. He and I tease each other regularly as a reminder not to take life too seriously. We started this schtick when he was old enough to understand humor.
I secretly hope it helps us both survive his teenage years.
“You think you’re smart, don’t you, little boy?” I playfully honk his nose before packing my bag to leave for the day. “You can tell me all about your new class on the way home. I’m almost ready to go.”
“Can I go get a drink of water in the hall?”
“Sure, but no running off anywhere else.”
He likes to visit other classrooms and meet my peers. Not that I mind, usually, but since we recently moved, we’re still decorating the house I recently bought. I’d planned to drag him along with me on a shopping spree before going home.
Before putting my planner away, I glance at the lesson plan for tomorrow and mentally check off everything I’ll need to work on it at home tonight.
“No, I can’t leave it here. I need it. My teacher said it’s a beautiful picture and I want to give it to Mommy.” A little girl’s voice echoes down the hall, the urgent pleading in her tone is unmistakable.
She sounds like Isabelle, but I’m not certain. So I turn my gaze toward the door, waiting to see if she appears.
“Is it in here?” He’s looking down at his miniature doppelgänger when he steps through the doorway into my classroom.
My heart stops. I can’t breathe, move, or speak. I’m completely and utterly dumbstruck. How did I look at her all day and not see the resemblance?
Rod is standing in my classroom beside Isabelle, silently staring back at me.
She looks so much like him. Same color hair, same color and shape of eyes, same dazzling smile. Is Isabelle his daughter?
“Mommy, can I play baseball next season? My new friend, Jason, said he’s playing. We can request to be on the same team.” Landen scurries around Rod and joins me behind my desk, chattering as usual and completely oblivious to the tense stare down I’m in.
“Sure, baby. We’ll find out when signups are, okay?” Now that I’ve found my voice, I turn my attention back to Rod and Isabelle. “What can I do for you two?”
“Miss Daisy, I left my picture here. Can I take it home to show my mommy?”
“Yes, you sure can, sweetheart. I’ll get it for you.” I robotically move to the back to the room where I put her painting away for safekeeping, feeling Rod’s eyes burning holes in the back of my head the entire way.
“Color me surprised and speechless. You’re my niece’s new teac
her?” His eyes narrow, his lips are parted, and he tilts his head to the side as I hand the drawing to Isa.
A fleeting memory of a Caribbean conversation about family comes back to me. He mentioned his affection for his sister and niece. Now he’s here with her.
“Apparently so.”
His eyes cut over to Landen, then back to me. I know what he’s thinking without him saying a single word. Today holds more than one unexpected surprise for him.
I may have neglected to mention I have a son, who was staying with my parents while I ran off to a tropical island with my best friend.
My bad.
“Come on, Uncle Rod. Let’s go see Mommy now.” Isa tugs on his hand, but his eyes never leave mine.
“To be continued.”
That felt like an ominous warning. He was the one who deserted me on a tropical island, not the other way around. If he thinks I owe him any kind of explanation, he can think again, but on his own time and far away from me.
There’s nothing between us that needs to be continued. My only connection to him now is I’m Isabelle’s teacher, nothing more, nothing less.
“Sure. We can talk during the next parent-teacher meeting.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Rod
When I left Daisy in Punta Cana two weeks ago, I accepted the notion I’d never see her again, that what we had was only a vacation fling, and my mind would return to normal once I was home. Over the last couple of weeks since returning home, I’d convinced myself those lies were true. That when I hurt her, it was for her own good, so she’d see the real Rod Stone before it was too late to save her from me. So she could turn her back on me and walk away now rather than later.
Then I walked in Isa’s classroom, and there she was, long blonde hair, big blue eyes, smoking hot body, prompting every possible meaning of hot for teacher to float through my mind. The odds of the sexy siren I met in the Caribbean being my niece’s teacher are astronomical. There’s no way this was all because of chance. But, in that first second when I laid eyes on her, it didn’t matter who, how, or what was behind our reunion.
She was there, and the living, breathing connection between us was still thriving.
“I can’t wait to show Mommy my drawing. Miss Daisy said it was beautiful. Do you think it is, Uncle Rod?” Isa looks up at me, hope blooming in her eyes.
“Miss Daisy was right. You drew a beautiful picture for your mom. She will love it.”
Speaking of mommy, it would seem there’s something rather significant Daisy failed to mention when we were getting to know each other better. Even after we bared our souls and decided to try a genuine relationship, before I fucked it up at the water park. She has a child with someone else. He’s older than Isa, but not by much.
Was she married before? Is her ex still in her life? Does she have any other children? So many questions present, one after the other, until I question everything I thought I knew about her. Having a son is a more than a minor detail from her past that she may or may not have wanted to share. A ready-made family is an enormous responsibility for a career bachelor like me to consider.
Even though I can’t deny how my blood pressure spiked when I saw her, my focus is on getting Juliana well and ensuring Isabelle feels safe and secure while her world is upside down. Now that I’ve put some distance between us and can think straight again, I remind myself of one thing, wrong time, wrong place, wrong man. There’s no chance of picking back up where we left off before she abruptly moved out of my suite, regardless of how often she’s on my mind.
Or how many times per week I’ll have to see Daisy now that I’m helping Juliana by taking Isa to school or picking her up.
Isa and I walk into the hospital to see Juliana. The treatments—chemotherapy medications and radiation therapy—have taken a toll on her body, and her immune system can’t fight off even the most basic infections. For her safety, the doctor put her in isolation. Since children are walking petri dishes of germs, Isabella can only talk to her mom on the phone and see her through the window. It’s hell on both of them to be apart, but we’ll get through it for the short term. This pain will be worth it in the end.
The nurses have been extra accommodating to Isa, including her in everything except going into Juliana’s room with them. When we arrive on the floor, Isa takes off running to the nurse on duty. We’ve gotten to know everyone who works in this area over the last week.
“Lexi, look what I brought Mommy!” Isa holds up her artwork and beams with pride.
“You did so good, sweetheart. Let me grab the tape and you can hang it up for her, okay?”
“Yes!” Isa nods enthusiastically, still wearing the innocent smile of a loved child. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that smile intact.
Juliana sees them approach the window, so she gingerly climbs out of bed and shuffles to the window. She looks paler and thinner than she did yesterday. Her hair began coming out in large chunks, so she had the hospital staff shave her head and save her from the daily reminders. Now she wears colorful bandanas Isa and I picked out to help keep her head warm.
“Look what I made you in school today, Mommy.” The nurse holds Isa on her hip and the phone against her ear so Isa can put her masterpiece on display.
I can’t hear Juliana’s reply, but I have a good guess, anyway. Her energy is zapped, but she gives her little girl every ounce she has in reserve. Juliana slides her fingers along the inside of the glass, touching the drawing with her heart and committing it to her memory. These are the times she uses to keep going in the middle of the night, when it’s pitch-black and eternal sleep would be so much easier than fighting the heavyweight in the ring with her.
The lump in my throat is the size of a watermelon, but I force it down and bottle my emotions with it. My girls need me, and I can’t be the one who breaks under the pressure. I watched my father do that to his family, decimating all of us in the process. That spineless sack of shit didn’t deserve to be in our lives.
I’ll never be that man.
“Mommy wants to talk to you now, Uncle Rod.” Isa hands the phone to me then Lexi takes her behind the nursing station desk to give Juliana and me privacy.
“Hey, little bird. How do you feel today?”
“This little bird is ready to fly the coop, Rod. I’m going stir-crazy in here. There’s only so much public television I can watch before my brain rots.” She leans her weight against the wall separating us, already tired from the few minutes she’s been out of bed.
“Do you want me to have a recliner or something brought in there so you can sit by the window?” I’m afraid she’ll fall down right in front of me.
“No, I’m okay. The bed is usually here, but I asked them to move it to the opposite side of the room so I can get my daily exercise.”
“That’s not funny, Jules. You’re here to rest, get the best medical care, and stay away from all germs. Walking back and forth across the room uses energy you don’t have to spare.”
“So does arguing with you. Now listen. You need to talk to Isa’s teacher and tell her everything that’s going on with me. Right now, she’s still having fun with Uncle Rod. But the time will come when she feels like I’ve abandoned her. She may not come out and say it, but she’ll show it in different ways at school. They need to tell you right away if she does or says anything out of the ordinary. I shared some information with Glenna when I picked Isa up last, but they need to know everything.”
“Consider it done. Don’t worry about anything except getting well.”
“Thank you for always being the best big brother anyone could ask for, Rod. All my life.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t start saying your goodbyes. I’m being straight with you. I can’t handle that.”
She nods, compassion shining in her eyes. “I know there’s nothing you won’t do for Isabelle. Just like there’s nothing you haven’t done for me. And I was thinking, maybe you should get in touch with Dad.”
“No.�
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“You can’t stay mad at him forever.”
“Yes, I can.”
She shakes her head but doesn’t push the issue any further. “There’s something you have to do for me, and you can’t say no. I need this, Rod.”
“Name it.”
“My lawyer sent papers over for you to sign. The nurse can call the hospital social worker up here to notarize them.” She inhales a ragged breath, fighting back the tears. “I’m signing over temporary power of attorney over Isabelle to you. If she needs medical care or anything from a parent at school, you wouldn’t be able to stand in for me without it. While I’m in treatment, you’ll have to be her father. Will you do that for me?”
“I would never say no to that request, little bird. You know I’ll take care of whatever she needs while I’m also taking care of you.”
“I do know, and you’re the only person in the world I’d trust with her. Thank you, Rod. I’m sorry you were never given the chance to live your own life. You’ve always had to take care of me, then Isabelle and me. You could never be selfish and only think of yourself at any point.”
“No, Juliana, don’t think like that. Mom offered me a choice of whether I’d raise you or Dad’s parents would take you. But there was never a choice in my mind, and I’ve never regretted it for one second.”
She wipes a stray tear away with a shaky hand. “I need to get back in the bed now. I love you. Tell Isa I love her too.”
“We love you, too. Call or text me if you need anything.”
I place the receiver back in the cradle and watch her move across the room toward the bed, slower than usual, even slower than when she got up a few minutes ago. After she’s safely lying down, Lexi calls the social worker to bring the legal papers for me to sign and her to notarize. Even though I expected this would be the case when I learned of Juliana’s diagnosis, actually signing the papers and taking guardianship of my sister’s daughter feels far too final.
It’s what’s best for Isabelle at this point of Juliana’s treatment, I know that.
All of Me: Rod & Daisy Duet Box Set Page 19