Chapter Thirty-One
James
I woke up in the morning, and Rachel’s arms were still around me. I gently moved her so I wouldn’t wake her up, then got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. I decided I was going to make breakfast for both my girls today, before either of them woke up. It was only seven and I figured I might have time. Nell didn’t normally wake up until about eight on the weekends. That would give me an hour to cook breakfast.
I pulled out eggs, bacon, hash browns and even pancake mix. I was good to go all out and wanted the girls to have a really good breakfast. I wanted the three of us to enjoy our breakfast together because whenever we ate a meal together, it felt like we were a real family. I’ve been missing out on so much, and I’d loved having Rachel around more than anything.
I heard Nell come out of her room about fifteen minutes later. I was a little sad that I couldn’t surprise her with breakfast, but I was glad she was awake. She came into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Daddy,” she said in a more cheerful voice. I could tell she was feeling a lot better about whatever had been bothering her, and I was thankful that Rachel had spoken to her because it seemed to make her feel better.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” I said to her.
Turning back, I continued making breakfast for the three of us. I made scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes with chocolate chips that I had discovered in the cupboard.
“Do you want to go get Rachel for breakfast?” I asked Nell.
She nodded her head enthusiastically and practically ran down the hallway toward my bedroom. I heard the door open, and I heard, “Go Rachel!” and sporadic clapping, followed by laughter from the both of them.
A few minutes later, knowing that I was setting everything out on the table, Rachel and Nell came into the kitchen.
“She was already awake,” Nell said.
“I had just woken up a couple minutes before she arrived,” Rachel said.
I walked over to Rachel and gave her a kiss, and gave Nell another hug. Then the three of us sat down, grabbed our plates and loaded them up with various breakfast items.
“You made all this yourself?” Rachel asked me.
I nodded my head, “Yes, I did. You don’t believe me?” I asked her, just teasing.
She laughed, letting me know that she took my joking in good fun.
“What are we going to do today, Daddy?” Nell asked.
I could tell that she was feeling much better today. I guessed I had Rachel to thank for that. I still wasn’t sure what happened, but whatever Rachel said to her definitely made her feel better, and that was what mattered.
“Well, I was thinking maybe we could go to the contemporary art museum?” I suggested.
Nell’s eyes lit up. I loved how much she loved art. It made me feel a lot better about the business because I knew I would have someone in the future that could take over the art gallery. I knew she would do a great job with it, too.
“That sounds like so much fun,” Rachel said.
Nell nodded her head enthusiastically and took a bite of her pancake. “Yeath, ith doth,” she said, still chewing a huge bite of pancake.
All three of us started laughing, but I figured some parental direction was in order, nonetheless.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, please,” I said.
Nell continued chewing and swallowed her food. “Yes, it does sound like fun,” Nell repeated, now that she had no food in her mouth and we could understand her.
So, it was decided, the museum trip was on! I was excited about it. I liked going on adventures with the two of them. It made us feel more and more like a family, and I’m sure we looked like a real family to everybody else, too. It’s all I ever wanted for my little girl, and for myself.
After breakfast, Rachel helped me do the dishes, and then the three of us got ready. Rachel took the longest and Nell, and I teased her about it. She took it in stride because it was all in good fun. Then the three of us loaded up in my car we headed towards the contemporary art museum. I hadn’t been there for a few months, and I was excited to see the new exhibits. I always liked to see the way the art exhibitions would change.
“Have you ever been here, Rachel?” I asked her.
“Once, but it’s been about five years,” she said.
“You couldn’t pay me to stay away that long,” I said with a laugh.
She laughed too and the three of us entered the building. I held onto Nell’s hand as I paid for our tickets, promising to let go as soon as we were inside the actual museum. I loved how much she enjoyed the art museum. She would get really excited about all the paintings and sculptures. She was really good about keeping her hands to herself, too.
I’d always liked how well she listened when we’re in public. I’d seen so many parents whose children were having meltdowns in public, and I was glad that my child was never one of them. Maybe it was because she sensed that since I was a single parent I needed a little more help from her and she took pity on me. Whatever it was, it worked for us.
We paused at a painting of a little girl.
“Wow, this is breathtaking,” Rachel said.
“What do you see?” I asked her.
“I see that the artist really captured emotion. I see a little girl whose mom tried to capture her image, with her being in a picture. Maybe the little girl died, and her mom was trying to hold on to her in some way. She wanted to keep her forever in a certain way, so she could see her every single day no matter what.” There was a hint of a tear in Rachel’s eye, but I didn’t ask about it, not wanting to put her on the spot in a public setting.
“Wow, that was really deep,” I said to her. It was intense, and I was surprised by her answer. I hadn’t expected anything like that. I loved how she could sense emotions and paintings. I think that’s what made her so good at her job.
There was a café in the museum where we stopped for lunch. The three of us went inside and ordered from the menu. We picked a small table in the back so the three of us could just have some time to ourselves. Sometimes we were overcrowded by people. I hadn’t expected it to be as busy as it was today. It was always popular, but not usually this busy. I figured it had to do with one of the new exhibits that had opened up just recently.
“I didn’t realize this place could get so packed,” Rachel said.
“I was just thinking the same thing,” I said to her.
I was in awe. We were always on the same page, always thinking about the same thing. It’s what made us a good team and helped us work so well together. I knew it was what was going to help our relationship only strengthen over time. I found myself thinking that we really did feel like a family sitting there in the art museum, eating lunch. I didn’t want any of it to ever change. I loved how things felt and looked right then and there.
“Can we go look at some more stuff now?” Nell said.
The two of us laughed. Nell loved art just as much as I did, and if I spent too much time in the gift shop near where the café was, she would get upset with me. Because she wanted to spend all of her time out there looking at all the different pieces of art. It just filled my heart with joy.
We quickly finished up our lunch, and the three of us headed back out to the art museum. There were still a couple more exhibits that we needed to get through. One exhibit used lights and holographic images. It was a most interesting thing, but something about it felt more Hollywood than as if an artist had actually made it. I hated pieces like that because I knew they were mass-produced or produced specifically for views and popularity. They weren’t created for being art. It seemed more and more these days that tihis was where art was headed, though. That’s why liked Derek’s work so much. His pieces were made by a fantastic artist, and you could tell that he put hard work and emotion into every one.
After we’d seen the last exhibit, the three of us headed into the gift shop. It was mostly Rachel and I walking around with Nell as she looked at the various toys. But then she came across a poster of one of the paintings in the museum. She said she needed it in her room. I was proud that she wanted something like that. She didn’t need any more toys, but she could use a few posters in her room.
“This is what you want?” I asked her.
She nodded her head enthusiastically, “Yes. Please, Daddy? I mean, it is so bad. I just love it,” she said.
“Okay. I’ll get that for you,” I said.
Rachel found a poster of the image of the little girl, and she picked that out. I offered to buy it, but she wouldn’t let me. Soon, she wasn’t paying attention, so I told them to bring hers up as well. The cashier lady did with a smile. When Rachel stepped up to the register to pay, she found out. Rachel looked at me, shaking her head.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said.
“I know, but I wanted to.”
“Well, thank you, James.”
I pulled her in, and we kissed.
“How long have y’all been married?” asked the lady at the register.
Rachel and I looked at each other, and we laughed a little bit.
“We aren’t,” Rachel said, matter-of-factly.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. Maybe y’all should get married; you sure to look just like a married couple. Happily married, of course,” she added with a chuckle.
We thanked her for that and made our way out of the museum. I couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said though. Something about it had really stuck out to me. She’d kinda been right. I always felt like Rachel belonged with me and Nell. Like the three of us belong together as one family unit. Every time I spent more time with her, I was more and more certain of my feelings.
We got back to the house finally after we had stopped for sandwiches, and Nell got a bath. After her bath, I went and tucked her into bed. Rachel read her a story, and then said she needed to head home to handle some the things at her place. I was a little sad and would have liked for her to stay again, but I knew she had her own apartment and her own things she needed to take care of.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, sweetheart?” I responded.
“There’s a parents’ dinner at my school next weekend. But, I don’t want to go unless Rachel can.” It seemed like it took a lot for her to say that.
“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll ask Rachel for you.” I said to her. I knew Rachel would say yes.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Nell said.
I gave her a kiss, told her goodnight, and quietly left her room. When I went to bed that night, I thought about the day’s events. I thought about how great it felt, the three of us being out together like that. I thought about what the lady at the cash register said. Everything felt so good; I didn’t want any of it to change. I reminded myself to talk to Rachel about the parents’ dinner on Monday morning. I fell asleep peacefully, remembering our day.