by Claire Adams
“Anna?” Margie asked from beside me.
“Yes, sweetie?” I looked down at her. Every time I looked at her, I was taken aback by how cute she was. Getting to know her was such a blessing.
“Are you going to be my new mommy?” she asked.
It took me a second to process her question, and when I did, my heart melted. It was the sweetest thing I had ever heard.
“I don’t know, Margie.” I watched her hopeful smile turn into a sad face, and it broke my heart, so I added, “I will always be your friend, at the very least.”
“Really?” her hopeful smile returned.
“Yes, really!” I said. “I’ll always be here for you if you need someone to talk to or play with that isn’t your dad.”
“That’ll work,” Margie said, and I laughed at how nonchalant she was.
I was glad my promise made her smile. I was happy to know that she wanted me in her life that way; it made me feel optimistic about my place in Justin’s life. I loved them both so much more than I ever thought I could love any one, but I didn’t really know how Justin felt about me. I was sure I had an idea, but I didn’t want to be wrong.
We watched Justin for a bit longer before he stepped out of the ring and walked over to us. I offered to take them to lunch, and as he headed to go change, my phone rang. It was my mom.
“Hey, mom,” I said into the phone.
“Hi, honey. We want to see you again. Would you be able to come to lunch?” she asked.
I looked at Margie. “It’s my mom. Would you like to go to lunch with her and my dad?”
Margie nodded her head, excitedly. “Yes! I want to see them!”
I loved how excited she was. Margie’s joyful energy was infectious. “Okay. Where were you guys thinking?”
“We are at Sunshine Bistro Sandwich and Soup. Do you know it?”
“Yes, I do. In fact, we are at Justin’s gym right now. It’s just right around the corner. We’re waiting for him to get changed, and then we should be there.”
“Okay, sounds good,” she said. “See you soon.”
I pressed “end call” on my phone just as Justin came out of the locker room, still in the same clothes he wore while he had been training.
“I’m sorry to ruin our plans,” he started saying. “Artie wants me to stay and work on some new moves.”
“No,” Margie said in protest. “We were going to go to lunch with Nana and Papa.”
I smiled at her use of the names they’d given themselves before I looked back at Justin to explain.
“My mom just called. They’re over at Sunshine’s. Maybe I can take Margie, and we can bring you a sandwich when we’re done?”
“That’ll work,” he said. He gave Margie a kiss and a hug and then turned to me and did the same thing. I felt my heart skip a beat. I was falling so madly in love with this man. Every single day, every passing moment, made me fall harder for him. I only wished I could tell him.
“Thanks, Daddy,” Margie said.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. You listen to Anna, okay? Be good.”
“I will!” she said, excitedly.
“I’m serious. You better behave,” he said.
“I will, Daddy. I promise.”
“Thanks, Justin,” I said.
“Anytime. She adores you and your parents. I think it’s great.”
He gave Margie and I both another kiss before we headed out the door.
When we stepped outside, Margie grabbed my hand, and we walked down the sidewalk toward the sandwich shop.
“How far is the walk?” Margie asked.
“Not very far. It’s actually just around this corner.”
Margie smiled. “I like spending the day with you, Anna.”
“I like it too, Margie,” I said.
We got to Sunshine’s, and when we walked inside, my mom was standing at a table. She waved at us, and we headed over to them.
“Where’s Justin?” she asked as she gave me a hug.
“He had to stay and learn some new moves,” I said.
“Well, you’ll have to take something to him afterward.” She bent down and gave an anxious Margie a big hug.
“That’s my plan,” I said as Margie scooted into the booth. I scooted in after her.
“Hello, Margie. How are you today?” my dad asked.
“I’m good,” she said, and after a pause, she added, “How are you?”
Both of my parents laughed. “I’m wonderful,” my dad said smiled.
A waiter approached our table. “What drinks can I bring out for you?” he asked me. My parents both already had glasses in front of them. My father I assumed had tea and my mother a diet soda of sorts.
“I’ll have a Pepsi,” I said, turning to Margie. “What do you want to drink?”
“Do they have chocolate milk?” she asked me instead of the waiter.
The waiter nodded his head.
“She’ll have a chocolate milk then.”
He wrote it down and then said, “Okay, I’ll have that right out.”
We looked over the menu, and when the waiter brought us our drinks, we ordered our food.
“What’s new with you guys?” my mom asked.
“Anna’s my new mommy!” Margie said suddenly.
We all laughed. It felt good that she was saying it, and I wished it was true. I loved both Justin and Margie, and I couldn’t picture my life without them now. Still, I wondered how Justin would feel about Margie’s proclamation.
My mom looked at me as if expecting me to announce that we were engaged. I shook my head. “No, it’s not like that. She’s just playing pretend,” I said.
“No, I’m not. You said you’d always be here for me to talk to and play with. That’s what I see the other mommies at the park do,” she said.
It made me feel a little sad. She was noticing all the other kids with their moms, and she didn’t have one. I didn’t want to make her upset, but I also didn’t want to get her hopes up and tell her that I was going to be her mom.
My mom gave her a sympathetic smile and then changed the subject. I think it distracted Margie enough.
Our food arrived within twenty minutes. By then, Margie was practically drooling. I loved this time we were spending together, alone, with my parents. It made me feel like we could possibly be a real family one day.
“How’s your sandwich?” my mom asked Margie after she took her first bite.
“It’s really yummy,” she said. Then she took another bite and made an exaggerated “mmm” noise.
The three of us laughed.
I hadn’t been to Sunshine’s in quite a while and had forgotten just how amazing their food really was.
“Have you ever been here?” I asked Margie.
She shook her head no. “I like it though.”
I smiled at her. “We’ll have to come back again.” She nodded her head.
After we finished eating our sandwiches, Margie helped me pick out a sandwich for Justin.
“What do you think your daddy will like?” I asked her.
“He likes club sandwiches. I think,” she said and the look on her face told me she wasn’t really sure what to get him.
“What makes you think that?” I asked.
“He ordered it once and said he liked it.”
“Let’s order him one, then,” I said.
Margie nodded her head, and I put the order in. It took fifteen minutes for them to prepare the sandwich. My dad complained about how the service wasn’t that good, but I figured they were just busy. Besides, I was enjoying the time I got to spend with Margie.
“It was a lovely lunch, dear,” my mom said and gave me a hug before she bent down to give Margie a hug. “It was wonderful seeing this little cutie again.”
Margie blushed.
“Thanks for coming to lunch. Tell Justin we’re sorry we missed him,” my dad said and gave me a hug. He then gave Margie a hug before the two of them headed toward their car.
“Do you think Daddy’s done yet?” Margie asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure, but we can go find out,” I said and grabbed her hand.
We made our way back toward the gym. We walked slowly, enjoying looking in the windows of the various shops and businesses that were around the area.
We got to a dress shop, and Margie paused to stare at the dresses. “They’re all so pretty,” she said in awe. Her voice was day-dreamy, and I knew she wanted one.
“Do you want to go look?” I asked her.
“Can we?”
“Yeah, let’s go inside,” I said.
I put Justin’s sandwich in my bag, and we walked into the shop. It was a small dress boutique. The dresses were for little girls, so I had never actually been inside before.
“Hello. How are you?” asked an older lady. I figured she was the store owner or manager. She put down a magazine of sorts and came out from behind the counter.
“Hey. We’re good,” I said.
“Are you shopping for anything in particular today?” she asked.
“I think we’re just looking, but thank you.”
“Let me know if you need any help,” she said and went back behind the counter and started flipping through her magazine.
“These are all so pretty, Anna,” Margie said.
“Do you have any dresses?”
“A couple that are for special occasions only. My grandma got them from the thrift store.” She sounded proud of them.
Margie’s eyes went wide, and she practically ran to a display in the center of the store. She stared at the little girl mannequin. It was wearing a white and yellow summer dress with daisies printed on it. Margie didn’t ask me for it, but instead just carefully touched it with her hand.
“Do you want that dress, Margie?” I asked her.
She nodded her head.
I thumbed through the few laying on the table next to her.
“Do you know your size?” I asked.
When she shook her head, I had her turn around so I could peek at the tag on her shirt. It was a size five. I grabbed two dresses off the table. One in size five and one in size six. I hadn’t even glanced at the price tag. I didn’t really care what the price was. The look on Margie’s face meant everything to me. I asked the old woman to let us into a fitting room.
When we got inside, I had Margie remove her shirt, shoes, and shorts. I turned around and handed her the size five dress. “Here, try this one on first.”
She put it on, and it fit, but I felt it might not last all summer.
“Let’s try on the other one.”
I helped her remove the dress, and then we put the other one on her.
She looked at herself in the mirror. “I’m so pretty,” she said and stared at her reflection.
“Yes, you are,” I said.
I had her change back into her clothes. When she was done, we left the fitting room, and I handed the smaller dress to the lady, and then we went over to the shoes. I had her pick out a pair of sandals. She chose a white pair, and I told her it was the perfect pair.
We went to the counter and the lady rang the items up. “$75.32,” She said.
I wasn’t shocked at all. The dress and shoes were very nice. I handed her my credit card, and she swiped it.
“Have a great day,” she said when she handed me the bag and my receipt.
“You as well,” I said.
Margie waved at her. “Thank you,” she said when we left the store. I loved how polite she was.
“You are welcome, Margie,” I said as we made our way back to the gym.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Justin
As soon as Anna and Margie walked out the door, I saw Margie grab Anna’s hand. I smiled to myself and watched them until they were out of sight. I wasn’t at all worried about Margie. I knew Margie was in great hands. She loved Anna so much. It was amazing to me how quickly they bonded, but then again, I had fallen in love with Anna quickly also. She was so easy to love.
“Thanks for hanging back, Justin. I didn’t mean to ruin your plans, but you’ve got to practice hard. A lot harder than you have been. Your opponents have been getting tougher, and you need to make sure to be one step ahead of them at all times,” Artie said to me.
I nodded my head. “I know, Artie.”
“Your next fight is Friday. You can’t slack like you did at the last one. If you want to win, you need to go all out from the very beginning.”
“I know.” No matter how many times it happened, I still hated being lectured.
“I don’t think you do,” he said, with the most serious expression on his face that I had ever seen.
I gave him a quizzical look. “Why not?”
“Because you had some pretty bad weak points during your last fight. Your biggest one being your focus. You just couldn’t focus on the fight. Your head was not in the game,” he said.
“I know, Artie. I’m aware of this. I’m going to be focused this time, I promise.” I wanted him to get off my back over what happened last time. It was over. I couldn’t change it.
Artie looked at me for a minute before he started speaking. “Your priorities, Justin. What are they?” he made his way over to the two chairs Anna and Margie had just been sitting in. I followed him and sat in the chair next to him.
“My next two fights,” I said.
“No, forget about the fighting. Forget about Markie. What are your priorities in life?”
“Margie, and, well, now Anna.”
Artie smiled. “Anna, she’s good for you. I can tell how much you both love each other already.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. Had I missed a sign that she loved me? I’d been too scared to tell her my real feelings.
“I can tell by the way you guys look at each other. And I can tell by the way Anna acts with Margie. If the girl you’re seeing isn’t into your child, she isn’t worth it. But Anna just adores Margie. She’s a great influence on you.”
“That’s nice to hear from someone who’s an outside party.” I had to admit that I loved hearing these kinds of things. I had noticed how much Anna adored Margie because I’m Margie’s dad, but coming from Artie, it made me realize just how lucky I was to have Anna in my life. I wasn’t the only one seeing how much she loved Margie. Other people were noticing it too, and that meant Anna really was a great person.
“You know, Justin, I let my own life pass me by because I was too busy chasing things that didn’t matter to me in the end.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, I wanted the championships, the fame, the money, the glory. Those were my priorities, and before I knew it, my life had flown by. I realized I’d never had enough time with my wife. I spent so many years chasing the things that, in the end, didn’t matter. When my wife passed away, I realized how much time I had truly lost,” he said.
He sounded sad. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. I lost my own wife; we had that in common. I didn’t get enough time with her, but it was in a different way. I couldn’t compare my life to his.
“You need to get out, Justin,” Artie said bluntly.
“What? Why? How will I pay my bills?”
“Well, from what I see, you aren’t really paying your bills with fighting. If you had to reach out to Markie, things aren’t going well.”
He had a point.
“You need to get out of this game as soon as you clear this stuff with Markie. You need to stay away from him and any sort of game he might be a part of. You need to live your life and enjoy your daughter and your relationship with Anna. Don’t let it pass you by, Justin.”
What he was saying was really hitting home for me. “Thank you, Artie. I really appreciate you talking to me and making me see things more clearly. I’m sorry that I got myself into this mess.”
Artie gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You’re welcome, Justin. You’re a good kid with a lot of potential. You’re gonna go far with whatever you put your mind to. You
just need to figure out what it is you really want out of life.”
Artie got up and walked over to the ring to talk with another gym member. I stayed seated for a few more minutes and thought about everything he said to me. He was so right, about everything. I knew where my heart was and who it belonged to.
It belonged with my family. It belonged to Anna. I needed to find a better way to live my life, a better way to raise Margie, because fighting just wasn’t worth it anymore.
I got up from the bench and went over to the punching bags to get in some punches before Artie came to work me harder. I appreciated him so much more after our talk. He was only being tough on me because he saw what I was worth. And now, I saw it too.
When Artie was done with the guy in the ring, he called me up. I got back into the ring, and he helped me practice my submission holds, the holds that were going to get me further in my next two fights.
He put me in a rear naked choke, and to my surprise, when I focused, I got myself out of it and in turn put him into the same hold. He complimented me on my form and quick moves and told me that was exactly what I needed to do during my next two fights.
As we were finishing up, Anna and Margie got back from lunch.
“Daddy!” Margie yelled as I climbed out of the ring. “We brought you some food. And Anna bought me a dress and shoes!” She was so excited. I grinned down at her. Seeing her so happy made everything else seem so inconsequential.
“She did? How was lunch with Anna and her parents?”
“It was great. I had a lot of fun, and my sandwich was so yummy!” she turned to Anna. “Show him my dress and shoes!”
“What kind of sandwich did you have?” I asked her as Anna moved the bag she was holding onto the chair and pulled out a white and yellow daisy dress and white shoes.
“Ham and cheese kid’s meal. It came with a cookie and chips. And a chocolate milk,” she said.
Anna said, “I hope that’s okay. The cookie and the chips, I mean. Well, and that I bought her this dress.”
I gave Anna a hug and a kiss. “Of course, it’s okay. She seems like she had a lot of fun.”
“She had a blast,” Anna said with a laugh.