Ch86 Growing up

“I really think May will like this,” Wendy said walking around the empty apartment.

“The kitchen and bath have been remodeled not very long ago,” Donny said, looking at the information he had on this property. “And freshly painted. It’s small, but…”

“But not for May and Tristan. It’s nice and cozy. Besides, they don't have to stay here forever. It's just for right now. I’ll take it!”

Donny laughed and shook his head. “I told you, that’s not how it works. Call your sister and see what she says first. It only just came on the market and I can hold it for a bit.”

Wendy poked around a little more, opening cabinets and closets. “I like it. I’ll call her and…” She stopped at the ringing of her cell phone and she retrieved it from her small pocketbook. “Huh…it’s Stevie. Oh, that can’t be good,” she anxiously said. ”Stevie, you okay?”

“I’m fine, but Cindy’s sick. Her stomach hurts real bad. She’s at the nurse.”

Wendy glanced at Donny then turned away and quietly said, “And why are you calling me about it?”

“She doesn’t want to call her dad. She said he’d be too busy at work and she didn’t want to bother him,” Stevie replied. “Can’t you come get her? She said she’d like to see you anyway, better than her dad. She said he wouldn’t understand why her belly hurts. I don’t get it. It’s just a stomachache,” he said. "But she's not puking or anything."

“Oh, I see,” Wendy said, as a light bulb lit in her head and she understood what Stevie obviously didn’t. “I’ll come right away. See you in a bit.”

“Nurse won’t let me stay with her. She’s making me go back to class. You sure you can come?”

“Of course, Honey. I’m leaving right now. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, tops. I promise.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Stevie said and the line clicked off.

Wendy frowned slightly as she put the phone back into her purse.

“Trouble in paradise?” Donny asked, watching her worried expression.

“Well…kind of. Stevie called for me to…to come to the school and get Cindy,” she said.

“My Cindy?” he said, his eyes wild with horrific visions of his child in dire straits. “Is she hurt? Why didn’t she call me? We gotta go!”

Wendy grabbed his arm. “Wait, Donny. Don’t you want to know why she wanted me to go and get her instead of you?”

“Who says she doesn’t want me? I’m her father!” he shouted, tugging his arm out of her grip.

“Yes, you’re her father, not her mother. This calls for a woman’s touch, a mother, even if it’s not her own mother,” she said, hoping he understood without being explicitly told, but he was male so she didn’t expect much of him.

“Why would she want you instead of…oh…oh…” he said, understanding coming to him like a bolt of lightning.

Wendy smiled. The uncomfortable look on his face told her he was not as comfortable with this as Jeffery was.

“But….she’s just a baby,” he whined.

“Your baby’s growing up. It’s a horrible thing, I know, but kids tend to do that, despite our best efforts to keep them little.”

“What should I do?” Donny said. He was so stunned he allowed himself to be steered out of the apartment, down the single flight of stairs, out into the sunlight and toward his car parked at the curb without even noticing.

“We should go to get Cindy and I’ll take her home with me while you go to work. Cindy and I will have a long mother-daughter type of talk over some special herbal tea which I use for just such an occasion,” Wendy explained. 

“Herbal tea? But you don’t have to do that. You don't have to do anything. It’s my job. She’s my kid,” he said, looking terrified at the very idea of breaching this sensitive subject with his baby, the baby who wasn’t a baby anymore. He groaned aloud.

Wendy patted him on the arm. “No worries. She doesn’t want to talk to you about this any more than you want to talk to her. I’ve already done this with my own girls, Donny. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m good. Okay?”

He nodded and said not another word before they arrived at the middle school parking lot. “What should I do? Stay here?”

“No, Donny. I can’t just go in there and get your daughter out of school. You know how strict they are now. I’ll go with you, though, just to make sure she knows she can talk to me if she wants. Ready?” she asked, opening her door, waiting for him to do the same.

“Um…not really,” he admitted.

Wendy laughed. “She’s not an alien creature, Donny. She’s still the same sweet girl you’ve always known. She’s just growing up,” she said.

Again he nodded and they walked into the school. They were sent to the nurse’s office where they found Cindy clutching her tummy and looking thoroughly miserable. Miserable, that is, until she spotted her dad and Wendy walking toward her.

“Daddy, what are you doing here?” Cindy said.

“Stevie called us. You should’ve called me yourself, Cindy,” Donny said, hugging her tightly while mildly chastising her. "I'll fight the world for you."

“You were with Ms. Meadows again? You weren’t at work?” Cindy said, staring at Wendy over her father’s shoulder.

“I was showing her an apartment for her sister. How are you feeling?” Donny said, anxiously looking into her face.

“Just…just a stomachache,” Cindy said, biting her bottom lip and giving Wendy a pleading look.

“Would it be okay with you Donny, if I take Cindy home with me? That way you can go back to work and not have to worry about her. You can come over for dinner tonight and get her then. How’s that?” Wendy said, smiling at Cindy.

“Uh…”

“Please, Daddy?” Cindy said.

“Okay,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. 

He looked at Wendy and attempted a smile. It looked rather painful and she had a hard time suppressing a giggle. “Let’s go, then,” Wendy said.

“Yes, we’ll have fun, won’t we, Cindy?” Wendy said, as they waved Donny away in front of Wendy’s house. “We can bake cookies. Your dad’s favorites. He’s had a rough day today already.”

“Really?” Cindy said, following her into the house.

“Yes, he’s had a bit of a shock, but life is like that. It hits you with something incredible when you least expect it. We just gotta learn to roll with it,” Wendy replied. “Come, let’s talk. Pretty sure you’ve got loads to say and I’m ready to listen.”

Cindy felt so grateful she could cry, instead she fiercely hugged Wendy around the middle and despite what she told Stevie, she wished her father would marry Wendy so she could be her mother.

 She just didn't like growing up without a mom.