Wine After Whiskey

James stood outside of Tessa’s apartment, his hands sweating nervously as he knocked on the door. Tessa answered- her hair pulled back into a braid and sweatpants and an old t-shirt framed her thin body.

“Hi, James.” she smiled, taking the bouquet of pink carnations- her favorite flower- out of his hand, and giving him a wary eye. He nodded sly, and gave her a peck on the cheek. Tessa was a bit surprised, and couldn’t pull herself back away from him in enough time.

“Hi, beautiful.” he breathed back. Tessa’s face turned bright red as she turned back around and headed back towards the living room. James laughed a little, and followed behind her.

“Bree bee, can you come here, baby girl?” Tessa called from next to the couch. Suddenly a small child with mirror hair and eyes to her mother came bouncing down the hallway from one of the bedrooms. As soon as James saw his toddler daughter his eyes welled up with giant tears. Tessa had a small smile on her face and was watching James very close with a wary eye.

“Hi!” the little girl bounced, jumping onto the couch and bouncing between the cushions. Tessa warned her to calm down, and sit. She did as her mother said, and sat down on the couch. “Who is this, mama?” she waved at James and he waved back. He was still in awe as to how amazing, perfect, and beautiful his little girl was.

“This is my friend James. James this is Aubree. Bree bee this is James. I’ve know him since I was a little girl.” Aubree’s eyes grew wide as she looked over at James with a bright grin.

“Hi, James!” James was at a loss of words. This is what he had missed the past four years? If he could’ve taken back each one of those 1,461 days, he would’ve in a heartbeat.

“Okay, Bree. Take it down a notch. Let’s not scare away our guest.” Tessa winked over at him as he wiped a way stray tear.

Way to keep it together, James he thought to himself.

“Want to come and play dollies with me?” Aubree asked with a hopeful smile. James couldn’t do anything but nod his face. His emotional reaction to meeting Aubree made Tessa grin with amusement as she started into the kitchen.

“Remember my rules, Jimmy.” she reminded him as she walked into the kitchen. From where she was standing at the stove she heard James speaking in a high-pitched, and girlie tone in order to act like one of Aubree’s dollies.

_____

Once dinner was finished being prepared, Tessa called them both into the living room and helped Aubree into her booster seat. James sat next to her as Tessa began to cut up her food.

“Here, let me do that. You sit down and eat.” he instructed her, taking the butter knife out of Tessa’s hand, and began cutting up the Chicken Parm. As he cut up the food, he smiled, it was one of his favorite meals that Tessa had ever made him. After cutting up the food, he handed Aubree her plate, and patted her on the head.

“Good food, mama!” she praised after a couple of minutes. James still couldn’t believe his eyes. This was his daughter.

“Well thank you, baby. So did you and James have fun playing dollies together?” Tess asked her daughter. Aubree looked up from her food, which she was scarfing down her throat like she was never going to have another meal in her entire life.

“Yeah! Guess what?”

“What?” Tessa asked, trying to mirror her daughter’s enthusiasm.

“James said he’d take me ice skating. You know he’s a hockey player?” Tessa gave James an eye, and he raised his hands up in innocence.

“I did know that, darling. I just don’t know if that is such a good idea. Now finish your food. We gotta get you into bed soon.” Aubree pouted as her mother began to clear off the table. James followed Tessa into the kitchen with his plate, and cup.

“I told you not to tell her anything like that,” Tessa warned, her voice low enough to where Aubree wasn’t able to hear.

“I didn’t. She asked me what I did as my job. What was I supposed to do? Lie to her?” Tessa nodded. “Well I wasn’t going too. You have all these whacked-out rules that I have to follow, lying to my daughter wasn’t one of them.” Tessa took a deep, and long breath before responding to him.

“Honestly, James, you’re lucky I’m even allowing you to meet her. I don’t know if you’ve realized, but we’ve gotten along just fine without you these past four years. I’m sure I could make it another fourteen by myself.”

James didn’t look as shocked as he felt. Metaphorically she had just slapped him across the face. But he knew if he got mad, or upset it would possibly jeopardize him being able to see Aubree, so instead of opening his word trap, he kept it shut tight as he helped Tessa wash the dishes.

After about fifteen minutes, Aubree returned into the kitchen with her pyjamas on and her teeth brushed; James found it quite amazing that her mother hadn’t even had to say anything to her, the little girl had done that all by herself. At her age, James would’ve jumped, screamed, ran, and hid all to get away from dreaded bedtime.

“Ready?” Tessa asked her. Aubree was standing against the counter, a sippy cup full of juice in one hand and her Bitty-Baby doll in the other hand. She nodded, and tiptoed around the kitchen, retreating back outside of the kitchen and down the hallway. “I need to get her ready for bed. You had better go. This usually is the most difficult part of my evening. Give me a few days, and I’ll call you and see if we want to maybe plan something, okay?”

Tessa was giving him a glimmer of hope. It may not have been a very bright one, but it had sure been a light. James nodded, upset he wasn’t able to stay for bedtime ritual, but understanding that it was what needed to happen, and kissed Tessa on the cheek again- like he had when he got to her apartment- and then said goodbye to both of them; telling Aubree that he’d make a date of them to spend the entire day at the rink together, before leaving Tessa and Aubree’s small apartment and going back to his place after what he could only think of was a very successful evening.