1. Daddy’s Weekend
Janice blinked her eyes until they opened to sight of Naomi's beautiful tan face across the bed. Her curly hair in her daily nighttime bun and her slim four year old body covered by her favorite purple footie pajamas. The beautiful June, Saturday morning sun beaming through the window, Janice inched out of the bed, trying not to awaken Naomi.
She slowly opened the bedroom door and made her way down stairs to the kitchen. It wasn't going to be long for Naomi to wake up, it was as if she could sense when Janice was still sleeping in front of her or not; she could never go to sleep without her right there. Janice grabbed the fresh strawberries from the refrigerator, an apple from the counter, a cutting board and a knife from the drawer. She grabbed two plup strawberries, cutting them into medium thick slices and slicing the apple into four pieces.
"Mommy?"
Janice spun around and saw Naomi's standing in the kitchen doorway, rubbing her eyes.
"Mommy, what's for breakfast?" Her tiny voice was the warming melody to Janice's ears in the mornings.
"Strawberries and apples. You want me to put them on your favorite plate and what do you want to drink baby?" Janice asked
" No, thank you." Her manners were wonderful to only be four.
"OK. Go sit to the table and I'll bring it out."
Janice took the Dora plate from the overhead cabinet, plating the fruit then walking out to the open dinning room, placing Naomi's plate in front of her. She kissed Naomi's forehead and sat down across from her.
"So, are you happy that you're going to be staying with daddy this weekend?" She asked.
Naomi stuffed her mouth with strawberries and nodded yes. "Is daddy going to make me fruit salad for breakfast like you?"
"If you ask him, he might. I dont know what he has at his house.'
"is daddy nice like you, mommy?" Naomi ate her last strawberry
She struggled to conjure up some sort of answer without possibly diminishing Naomi's father, "I don't know. How about you tell me if he's nice when you get back on Sunday night?"
She nodded yes and went onto eating her apples and humming twinkle twinkle little star with every chew. Janice smiled at Naomi as she hummed. She knew this innocient little girl sitting across from her wouldn't last forever and evenually she'd grow into a girl with her own opinions, independence and have to face this horrible real world where people get shot down "accidentally" and choked to dealth on the sidewalk by police. She feared for Naomi, that her sweet personality would be slammed into pieces and turn her into someone that she's not. She'd have to go through heartbreaks and Janice couldn't shield her from it. She couldn't hold on to her little girl forever.
When Naomi finished her last apple, she went on to put her plate in the kitchen sink.
"Bath time mommy!" Naomi ran up the upstairs, laughing and Janice fiercely speeding behind her through her mothers office and into the master bathroom where Janice scooped up Naomi, kissing her blushing cheeks as she laughed.
"How you do want your hair done today baby? I'm thinking cutting it all off and just be bald." She kneeled down to Naomi.
Naomi shook her head "no" and ran her fingers through Janice's wavy brown hair, "No, I like my hair. I want ponytails today please."
"You know how to start your bath. Don't make your water too hot or too cold and call me if you need your hair shampooed." Janice smiled to Naomi and walked in the office as Naomi ran her bath water and undressed.
Janice checked the clock in the office. It was ten thirty. She heard the water turn off and Naomi play in the water with her bath time Barbie. Janice started thinking of this weekend for Naomi, her head started pounding and her stomach turned inside out at the thought of Damien having his first weekend with their daughter in almost five years. She scanned the office desk for some Advil.
"Mommy!" Naomi shouted.
"Coming baby." She shouted back, still looking for her Advil's but unable to find them. Janice went on into the bathroom to shampoo, condition and style Naomi's hair.
Naomi handed Janice the no tangle shampoo and turned around in the tub. Janice grabbed a comb and the shampoo, working the shampoo through Naomi's hair while combing out any tangles.
"Are you excited for your birthday this weekend?" Janice asked as she rinsed out the shampoo.
"Am I getting a birthday party?" She asked
"Depends on what daddy has planned for you." Janice opened the conditioner and pour it in her hand.
"Mommy, when you say de-pents, that means no." Naomi crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip.
Janice laughed, "It doesn't mean no. It just means that it's not yes but it's not no."
"You mean maybe?" Naomi questioned.
"Yup. Maybe." Janice agreed.
"Then just say maybe next time silly." She giggled.
"Okay baby, I will." She worked the conditioner through Naomi's hair.
Janice rinsed out the conditioner and helped Naomi out the tub. She towel dried her hair until it only lightly damped and started styling it into two high braid ponytails with regular white hair ties.
"Go get dressed Chubbs." She wrapped Naomi's towel around her body, kissed her forehead and sent her back into the bedroom.
Janice put away all her hair products, drained out Naomi's bath water and went to go see what her baby decided to wear.
Naomi laid out blue jeans and a pink t-shirt, with "CUTIE" across the front in black letters.
"Did you grab panties and socks too?" Janice asked.
Naomi nodded yes and pointed to the panties and socks on top of her dresser.
"Then get dressed while I get out something for myself to wear." Janice took off Naomi's towel and handed her the underwear and socks.
She opened the up drawer, grabbing a red tshirt, jean shorts, underwear and towel off her bed post.
"Do you want me to turn on the TV before I get in the shower, Chubbs?" Janice asked.
"Yes, please. May I watch SpongeBob?" Naomi climbed on the bed and sat with her crossed as Janice turned on the TV and flipped the channel to Nick Jr, throwing the remote on the bed.
Janice walked into the bathroom and started the shower, undressing. Her rose tattoo covered her right thigh and another on her back reading "Naomi. My little sunshine," followed by her tiny newborn footprints and a sun underneath. She stepped into the shower, allowing the water to hit her chocolate face and run its warmth, down her body as she dazed in the shower.
The shower curtain flew open. Janice moved to cover her body and stare down the tall figure, holding open the curtain.
Damien. Damien stood there. Eyeing Janice like a complete piece of meat.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU DAMIEN?!" She shouted.
"We need to talk." His deep voice gave Janice chills but the chills turned to rage.
"So you interrupt my shower like an asshole?" She grabbed the shower curtain out his hand and pulls it to.
"Then finish your shower. Where's Nayla at?" He asked.
"You know that's not her damn name so stop calling her that, it is Naomi. And you walked by her on your way in here dumb ass." Janice hissed.
Damien rolled his eyes and walked back to Janice's room, standing in the door frame, watching Naomi sitting on the bed.
"Who are you?" Naomi asked.
"Your daddy." He chuckles.
"I don't know you. Mommy's friend would not like you being here." She eyed Damien's five foot eleven firm up and down.
He eyed her back up and down, "What friend does ole mommy have?"
"I'm not telling you. I don't know you" Naomi stuck her tongue out.
Janice came across the hallway and smacked Damien on the back of his neck.
"Naomi, go downstairs to the play room please and watch SpongeBob down there." Janice helped Naomi down off the bed and watched her walk past Damien then down the stairs.
"Are we going to talk now?" Damien asked.
"I don't know, are we?" Janice replied, sarcastically.
He walked in the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Janice walked to the other side of the bed and dropped her towel.
"Can you put some clothes on?" Damien jokingly blabbed.
"That's what I'm doing. Don't act like you've never seen me naked Damien. We've had sex too many times for you to be acting like that." She hissed.
He bit his bottom lip, "Yeah I know. You ever miss us having sex all the time?"
Janice smiled as she fastened her bra on, "Not at all. There's nothing to miss. Now what are we suppose to be talking about?"
"I'm trynna get back together Janice. I miss you." Damien laid across the bed and slowly pulled Janice's lower half closer to himself.
"Whoa! Whoa! I'm not doing this with you today or tomorrow or never again." Janice pulled away and tried to continue getting dressed.
Damien grabbed his hard shaft and flicked his tongue at Janice.
"I'm not having sex with you while my four-year-old daughter is down stairs, well I'm not having sex with you at all." Her firm voice could have just slapped Damien across the face.
"Janice, come here." Damien smiled. His blue braces still grazed his teeth.
"Damien, I'm going to pick Naomi's bag, you're going to take her for the weekend, prove to me that you can finally be a father after missing five years of her life and I may think about is getting back together." Janice looped her belt in her pants and grabbed Naomi's frozen backpack from the corner, stuffed clothes inside and picking up two pairs of shoes.
"Jay, she doesn't know me and I don't know her. What am I suppose to do with this little?" He asked, taking the bag from Janice's hands.
"Get to know her. Let her get to know you. She's wearing her roshes today. They go best with her outfit and the sandals go good with the outfit I put in there for tomorrow."
She handed over the small shoes and touched Damien's face, lightly tapping it,
"Good luck with her. She has your terrible attitude when she doesn't get her way. She needs to be to bed by 9:40 on weekends or she'll be up all night, bugging you. I'll text you about her breakfast, lunch and dinner expectations."
He nodded in agreement and they headed downstairs to Naomi's playroom.
"Chubbs, come put your shoes on." Janice put her roshes at the foot of the stairs. "There's her seat, go put that in your car now please."
Damien dropped her bag and picked up the car seat, carrying it out to his Chrysler 300.
"Mommy, I don't want to leave with him. I don't know him." Naomi stuck out her lip.
"That's daddy and you have to. We already made. plans for this." Janice kneeled down to Naomi and snapped for Emergency bracelet around her wrist, "It's only for the weekend so calm down and go with daddy."
"Is she ready to go?" Damien asked.
Janice nodded yes and Naomi nodded no.
"She's ready. Don't mind her attitude right now." She smiled, "go get in the car Naomi."
"Why is she acting like she doesn't want to go anywhere with me?" Damien closed the screen for behind Naomi.
"I'm all she knows as a caregiver. Maybe she'd know you if you bothered to be around." She smirked, "Anyway, I have plans soon so I'll text you later and check in on you."
Damien walked on to his car, started the engine and pulled off, heading back over the Bay Bridge.