Here, Here, and Here

“I’m Caoimhe’s father” Tom said bluntly.

I roll my eyes at him and his bluntness.

“Oh, well okay” Georg says as he leans back and puts his hands behind his head.

“And Tom calls me bipolar” Georg gives me a confused look, “Two seconds ago you were all angry and now you’re content. I was expecting you to be surprised.”

“It doesn’t surprise me that Tom is Keevie’s father” Georg answers

“It kinda makes sense” Gustav adds.

“What ever, time for presents!” Bill shouts.

“Presents!!” Caoimhe yells from the couch next to Reaghan and Tom. I sit on the arm of the couch next to Tom.

Bill picks his gift and hands it to Keevie first, of course. She opens it and tears the lid off the small box to reveal a small silver charm bracelet with a silver bear, a silver Pegasus, a silver butterfly, a silver C, and a jeweled star attached to it.

Her eyes get all big and her mouth opens nice and wide. She doesn’t say a word, but there is no need.

“What do you say?” I prompt her.

“Thank you Bill, thank you Gustav” she says. Reaghan hands her another box, this one looks like a clothes box.

“This one from me and Georg” she says. In this month she and Georg have become some what of an item.

Keevie rips the paper off of this one too and then has a bit of trouble with the lid. “Come here Sweetie” I say holding my hand out to her. She gives me the box and I try opening it and I get just as far as she does. I look at the box closer and see that the lid is taped onto the bottom, “Who would tape the box of a four year olds present?” Georg looked a little meek and Reaghan hit him gently across the chest.

I used my nails to rip the tape and then handed the box back to Keev. She lifted the lid off and moved the tissue paper away from the shirt that I knew was in there. Her eyes got wide again as she pulled out the black t-shirt with the words ‘I’m with the band’ in white print. She then proceeded to pull out a long-sleeve shirt, a spaghetti strap shirt and a summer dress all black with ‘I’m with the band’ written in white.

“I thought you only bought her one” Bill was now the confused one.

“Yeah, that was my original plan but today when I got back from the interview Reaghan told me that she had bought three more so Keev would have one to wear in every weather or something” Georg explained.

“It’s a good idea” I say agreeing with Rea’s way of thinking.

“What you get me Mommy?” Keev asked holding up the dress.

“Well, I got you this” I say producing a box out of my pocket. She opens it to reveal the silver heart necklace I got her that had another heart made out of shell, “And I am letting you go to the concert tonight.”

“Thank you Mommy” she says in a sweet voice.

“Why don’t you go ask Daddy what he got you” I say trying to get Tom’s attention. He continues to ignore me, “Tom!”

“What?” he asks oblivious.

“Caoimhe wants to know what her dad got her” I say emphasizing the word dad.

“Oh, right that’s me” he says grabbing another box similar to the one I had just handed her only this one was slightly wider. Caoimhe unties the ribbon that is wrapped around the box and takes the lid off the last little gift. She slowly lifts up another necklace but this one is larger than the one I got her. The necklace says ‘Rock’ in black letters on a black chain. I can tell by the look on Keevie’s face that it has the right amount of sparkle to it.

“Thank you Daddy” she says hugging him. He hugs her back and he has a look of pure joy on his face. It makes me want to cry a bit.

“Okay now that the presents are all done Avy and Keevie need to get changed” Reaghan said grabbing a giant tote from behind the couch. She grabs the dress that she and Georg had bought Keevie and started pushing me into the large bathroom off the lounge type area.

She sits me down on the closed toilet seat lid and pulls out a pair of Caoimhe sized leggings. I give a sigh of relief but instead she turns to me, “Don’t worry, your turn is next. Here Caoimhe can you put these on for me while I do Mommy’s hair?” she says handing Keevie the leggings after she had helped Keev get into the dress.

She walks over to me and makes me face the wall so she can reach all of my hair. She runs her fingers through it real fast and then all of a sudden I feel her do some weird flippy-thingy and then I feel a clip being pressed into place. And with a sudden burst of pain I feel two or three bobby-pins being jabbed into my scalp, “OW!!”

“Suck it up princess” Rea says as I feel her let go of my head, “Now put these on.” She hands me a shirt and a pair of pants. I know there is no use in fighting so I put them on as obediently as Caoimhe had put on the leggings. When I’m done she forces me back onto the toilet lid. This time I feel her gently place a head band on my head and then just as suddenly as the last time I feel a bobby-pin jab into my scalp only this one feels heavier, “There now all you need are these.”

She hands me a pair of shiny zebra heels and looking down at my white one shoulder shirt with shiny zebra stripes already across it I begin to think that the heels are a bit much.

“Really Reaghan, don’t you think the heels are a bit much?” I ask timidly.

“No, trust me your pants are long enough that you’ll only see the toe even if you’re sitting” she says thrusting them into my hands.

“Okay” I say apprehensively. I put them on as Reaghan does Keev’s hair far more gently. By the time she’s done Keevie has four jeweled strawberry clips in her hair holding it out of her face.

“Ready?” Reaghan asks straitening up.

“I suppose so” I sigh.

“I’m ready!” Caoimhe says excitedly.

I purposefully make myself last to go out so I could have a look and my hair. The heavier bobby-pin has a flower with a zebra pattern on it and a hot pink head band sit on my head. I absolutely love what she had done with my hair. I turn away from the mirror and head out of the bathroom.