These Lines Were Never Established

Hayley sat in her booster seat looked around the small restaurant. She’d had most her meals in the hotel restaurant so she knew what it looked like, she even had a waitress she liked! But she didn’t see her. Her gaze shifted to Lyn-Z watching her.

“Hi.” She giggled. Lyn-z giggled as well.

“Hi. What do you want to eat?” Lyn-Z asked gently. “They have…” She slowed down as Hayley picked up the little menu before her and began looking it over. She found it cute that Hayley was pretending to read, until she began sounding out the words. “Hayley can you read?” she asked amazed.

“A w’ittle.” Hayley muttered. “Wha’s dis word…” She asked pointing at it. Lyn-z moved around the table and looked at it.

“That’s Mac,” She pointed at it. “N,” She pointed at the little N. “cheese.” It’s one big word. “Mac-N-Cheese. The dashes don’t have a sound.” Hayley nodded understanding. “Is that what you want?”

“Eyes have dis?” She pointed to the fish sticks on the menu. Lyn-z nodded with a smile and moved back to her seat. “Eyes has it?” She asked happily.

“Does your dad not let you have it?” Lyn-Z asked concerned. Realizing she didn’t know if Hayley had allergies or was only allowed certain foods and certain times.

“’Ee does.” Hayley mused slowly. “Mommy doesn’t…” She added slowly.

“Why doesn’t mommy let you?” Lyn-Z asked confused. She also wanted to know where her mother was. She hadn’t seen Hayley with a mother figure. Just Travis, and her little badge didn’t state a mother, just her father.

With an impish smile Hayley messed with the crayons before her as she watched the little colors placemat before her and giggled.

“Eyes w’ike kats’up.” She giggled.

“Ah, Mommy doesn’t like you having them because you like them in ketchup?” Hayley nodded.

“’W’ots of kats-up.” Hayley added with a giggle.

“Well I won’t tell.” Lyn-z winked and smiled at the toddler. Hayley clapped with a giggle. “You weren’t kidding.” Lyn-z laughed as Hayley smothered her fish sticks in her ketchup. “I see why now.” She mumbled to herself with a giggle.

Hayley smiled up at her with ketchup around her mouth as she pushed more food into her little mouth. Lyn-Z only laughed and continued to eat her own meal. Hayley stopped mid bite as she watched him sit next to Lyn-Z looking between the two of them.

“Does mommy know you’re eating fish sticks?” Travis asked with a small laugh. Hayley shook her head finishing putting as much of the fish stick as she could. Her cheeks bulging from her food content making her look like chipmunk of squirrel. He laughed at the sight of his daughter half covered in ketchup.

“Hi.” Lyn-Z squeaked at him sitting just next to her. She was afraid of getting in trouble.

Travis looked down at her and smiled nervously. She was really pretty. Waving he cleared his throat.

“Hey.” Both of them flinched as Hayley squealed ducking a new fish stick into the pool of ketchup her mouth still nearly full as she tried to chew and swallow the massive amount of food down. “Does mommy know you’re eating fish sticks…well…ketchup mostly.” Travis laughed watching his daughter shake her head. Slowly his eyes shifted to Lyn-Z’s nervous figure.

Lyn-z swallowed slowly. She had no idea who Hayley’s mother was and had listened to the probably lying toddler and allowed her what she wanted which had been funny till he had arrived. Shifting she looked up at him slowly catching his stare.

“Don’t tell. She’ll kill you.” Travis mused. Leaning on the table he reached over taking a fish stick and getting a grunted muffle and glare from the toddler. “Share.” Hayley grunted again and passed him one more, to prove a point she was sharing, then huddled her plate closer to him. “Wow.” Travis laughed leaning back with his two fish sticks snacking slowly. “Greedy.” Hayley simply glared before swallowing her massive mouth full and smothering another fish stick.

“Don’t tell who?” Lyn-z breathed nervously. “I don’t know who her mom is…” She trailed off. Travis stopped, has a fish stick in his mouth. He looked just like Hayley did, big hazel eyes and a mouth full of food, shock she was trying to talk to him while he was eating.

Giggling she watched as he covered his mouth and quickly swallowed, a pink hue tinting his cheeks and neck.

“It’s…uh…Jo.” Lyn-Z froze. “But,” Travis leaned down watching Hayley from the corner of his eye as he lowered his voice. Lyn-z frowned. “Jo’s only her adoptive mom. Her real mom passed away several months ago.” He leaned back in his seat with a sat smile.

Lyn-z grimaced and floundered for a response; he simply smiled at her and put his arms up on the back of the booth.

“So what’s mommy doing?” Travis asked to change the subject. Hayley looked up like a deer in headlights. “What? Don’t act like I just got here!” He laughed at her. Hayley scrunched her nose up as she went back to eating.

Travis simply picked up a napkin and began to try and clean her face. Struggling with the toddler as she fought to get more food in her mouth and his napkin away from her face. Lyn-Z laughed and leaned across the table. Whistling Hayley looked up startled for long enough that Lyn-Z cleaned her face off. Travis stared at Lyn-z amazed. Grunting Hayley went back to eating her food in her usual messy fashion.

With a laugh he hugged her tightly.

“You’re amazing.” Travis breathed. Pulling away quickly he cleared his throat and coughed. Lyn-Z laughed patting his arm gently.

Hayley looked up at the two confused on their stiff shoulders and red faces. Tipping her head to the side she swallowed her food and licked her lips watching as both struggled and stuttered to make conversation with each other.