“I can’t do anything this weekend. I have Kiki because my parents are going to a wedding in upstate New York.”
“I could bring by a pizza or something?” He quickly shut his eyes. “Shit…you can’t have pizza.” He snapped his fingers. “I’ll pick up some of that sushi you like. Does Kiki like pizza?”
“Yeah, she loves it, actually.”
“Then I’ll get pizza for her and me. And sushi for you. Text me exactly what you ordered, though, so I don’t get the wrong thing. Do you prefer Friday or Saturday?” he asked, rushing out the words as if to prevent me from having a chance to say no.
“I haven’t agreed to this yet,” I said, though I knew this time I was going to.
“Sorry. Am I jumping the gun on Operation Trust?”
I sighed. “Saturday.”
“Cool.”
Choosing Saturday would be far less stressful than having to make my house presentable on a work night. I guess this is happening.
“What does Kiki like to drink?”
“Beer.”
His eyes widened.
“Obviously kidding. You don’t need to bring anything for her to drink. We have plenty of stuff at home that she likes. I buy in bulk.”
He tossed his keys in the air and began walking backwards toward his car. “Just text me her favorite toppings when you send me the sushi order.” He called out, “Make sure you tell her not to attack me, though. I’m determined to make her like me, too.”
I laughed. “If you think I’m hard to please, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
? ? ?
Saturday evening, Kiki followed me around the house as I went from room to room to make sure everything looked presentable.
“So why is he coming over again?”
Fluffing throw pillows for no reason, I answered, “He’s a friend.”
Troy would be here any minute, and my nerves were getting the best of me. Whenever I got tense like this, I’d rush around the house and tidy up, even if things didn’t need fixing.
“A boyfriend?”
“No, definitely not.”
“Boy toy?”
I whipped my head in her direction. “Where did you hear that term?”
“I don’t remember.” She giggled. “Wait! Not boy toy. Boy Troy.”
“Very funny.” Chuckling, I shook my head. “He’s just a friend, Kiki.”
The doorbell rang, saving me from further inquisition.
I took a deep breath in. “That’s him. Be nice, okay?”
She nodded.
I swiped my hand through my hair and headed to the door, opening it to find Troy juggling a bunch of items.
“Hey!” he said, a huge grin on his face.
I could barely see him behind all the stuff he was carrying.
“Wow, you really went all out.” I moved aside to let him in.
He carried two pizza boxes with a large paper bag on top. Under his right arm, he clutched a Tupperware of some kind.
Did he bake something?
“It’s not much.” He looked around. “Should I just put all this on the kitchen counter?”
“Actually, you can take it to the dining room. We’ll eat in there.”
Troy followed me and laid everything out on the table.
When we returned to the living room, he looked over at Kiki. “No gun today?”
“Auntie Aspyn told me I had to behave.”
“Well, that’s no fun. But I appreciate the mercy. Maybe I’ll let you get me on purpose sometime. I just need to come prepared—wear some waterproof pants.” Troy rubbed his palms together. “Your aunt told me you like black olives on your pizza but nothing else. I made sure they got it right.”
“Thanks.” Kiki offered a hesitant smile.
She definitely wasn’t an easy sell. She didn’t trust very easily, but when she did, she gave her whole heart. I guess she was a lot like me that way.
The three of us moved back into the dining room and sat down at the table.
I’d made some fresh lemonade and brought the pitcher out. I’d bought some beer in case Troy wanted one, but when I offered it, he opted for lemonade instead.
Kiki served herself a slice of pizza and blew on it while she waited for it to cool. She watched Troy intently as he poured hot red pepper flakes onto his own slice. I opened my sushi, which looked so fresh and vibrant, an array of bright pink and coral colors.
“That stuff makes my tongue want to fall out,” my niece announced as she stared over at Troy’s pizza. “I accidentally ate some once.”
“They’re not for everyone.” He winked. “But I can take the heat.”
Pouring Tamari sauce into a small, glass dish, I said, “Thank you for making an extra trip to get the sushi. That was really thoughtful.”
Troy smiled. “It was no problem at all.”
We dug into our food.
“So, what do you like to do for fun, Kiki…besides water gun attacks?”
She momentarily stopped chewing. “Play video games, I guess.”
He wiped his mouth. “What do you play?”
“Super Mario.”
“I used to play that when I was a kid, too.”
“Mario was around back then?” she said.
Troy looked over at me and laughed. “Yeah, in the Stone Ages when I was a kid, they had that game. It’s a classic.”
“You went to school with my aunt in the Stone Ages?”
“Yup. Hopefully, she didn’t tell you too much about those days, though.”
“I didn’t say a word,” I assured him.
“Phew.” He pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead.
“Did you know my mom?” Kiki asked.
Troy paused. “No.” He looked over at me for guidance.
“Your mom was a few years older than us,” I told her. “And she went to a different high school.”
“Oh,” she said.
“I didn’t know her, but I wish I did,” Troy added.
“I never knew her, either.” Kiki frowned. “At least I don’t remember her. I was only six months old when she died.”
The mood suddenly turned somber.
“I’m sorry,” he said, setting his slice of pizza down. He was silent for a while. “I know how it feels not to have a mom around growing up.”
“You do?” Kiki asked with a mouth full of pizza.
“Yeah…” he whispered. “I do.”
My heart clenched.
“Your mom died when you were little?” she asked.
He was quiet for the longest time before he finally answered, “No...”
My eyes widened. Jasmine had told me Troy’s mother passed away when he was a baby.
“What happened?” my niece asked.
Troy wiped the corner of his mouth. “There are different ways to lose parents. The worst way, of course, is if your parent dies. Nothing is worse than that. But my mom…she left when I was a baby because she didn’t want to be a mother.”
What?
Kiki tilted her head. “You never saw her when you were a kid?”
“She left when I was too young to remember. But…she’s since passed away.”
“Wow,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He nodded. “Thank you.” He looked back over at Kiki. “Anyway, I’m telling you this because I know how it is to feel like you’re different from all the other kids because they have a mom and you don’t. I totally get it, Kiki. But you know, your mom never wanted to leave you. She’d be here with you if she could. And I’m sure she’s with you in spirit every day.”
My niece nodded. “Yeah. My dad, too. They died together. They watch over me and Auntie Aspyn. And Grandma and Grandpa.”