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Mickey made his way up the stairs, just as Daryl emerged from the screen door.
My heart skipped a beat. For all my talk about Daryl not doing anything mean or physical in front of Donna, I still felt the apprehension for the meeting. My uncle was sort of like Mickey in certain situations. You could never be one-hundred percent certain how he would react.
“And there he is. Young man, I couldn’t be happier to see you on this fine afternoon,” Daryl said, holding out his hand for Mickey.
Mickey took it, then they gave each other one of those quick man hugs, bumping chests, and I knew Daryl had forgiven him.
“Good to see you, Daryl.” Mickey sounded a bit hesitant, but genuine enough.
“Hey sweetheart,” I whispered to my darling baby girl. “This is your daddy. He’s so happy to finally get to meet you.”
She didn’t pick up her head or move from my shoulder. We all waited to see how she would react to him. Usually, she liked anyone who came her way, but for some reason she seemed a bit shy with Mickey.
“Hey beautiful,” he began, then he pulled a small stuffed horse out of a fancy pink paper bag I hadn’t even noticed before. The horse was a soft pink with a baby blue main and tail. The perfect little gift for her to wrap her hand around.
She instantly pushed back on me and reached out for the toy.
“This is a good sign,” I told him. “Normally, she’s reluctant to take anything from someone she doesn’t know… no matter how much she might like what that person was offering.”
She grabbed hold of the sweet pink horse around its neck, pulled it into her face and loved it for a moment. Then she gave Mickey the biggest smile I’d seen in days, and I caught the water filling his eyes.
And just like that, Darci had claimed his heart.
I just hoped he would be able to allow her in… us in.
“She’s even more beautiful than her pictures,” Mickey said. “Looks like her mama.”
“And her daddy,” I told him. “Look at her eyes. That color and those long. thick lashes are all you.”
“Why don’t you two come in for a spell,” Aunt Donna suggested. “Or do you have somewhere you have to be? I can fix up a lunch real quick-like if you’re hungry.”
My aunt loved to fuss over her guests. Even if she had nothing planned, she could whip up a four-course meal, with all the trimmings in less time than it took for someone to refuse the generous offer.
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take Darci home. That way, I can put her down for her nap in her own bed. Plus, she and Mickey can get to know each other without any distractions.”
“That’s fine,” my aunt said, but I knew she was a bit disappointed.
“Maybe you two can stay for lunch another time,” Daryl offered. “Might be nice for all of us to come together as a family.”
I could tell from the look on Mickey’s face that the word family was so foreign to him, he didn’t know what to make of Daryl’s generous offer. Poor Mickey never really had a family, just a dad who drank too much and was barely even home.
“Sure would be,” Mickey told him. “Maybe next time.”
And with that, Mickey and I took our baby daughter home.
FOR THE REST of the day, and into the evening, Mickey never left Darci’s side. They played with her dolls, her bunnies, and her stuffed pink dragons, even her new horse. We took her to the park for a late picnic lunch and put her down on a blanket to play with her toys. Darci loved playing outside, especially on a big blanket. She wasn’t fond of the feel of grass, so she never wondered off.
“We’re like a real family, or something,” Mickey said, as we sat eating avocado and tomato sandwiches. The sky was the color of a deep blue sea, with a smattering of billowy white clouds. We were shaded by a large oak, while we listened to the sounds of kids in the small, well-equipped playground nearby. Every now and then, Darci would stop what she was doing, hold out her hand towards the kids, and giggle.
“We are a real family, Mickey.” He was still getting used to all of this. “It’s nice, though, right?”
“Not something I know anything about. I never had any of this. Even when I was a baby.”
He kept snapping pictures with his phone of Darci and me. Every now and then he’d take a selfie with Darci as well. I wondered why he needed so many, but it was none of my business, so I didn’t ask.
“No one would know that. You’ve slipped right into the daddy role, and she’s already comfortable with you.”
And just when I said that, Darci crawled over to him, pulling herself up on his arm and chest. “Well, look at you, baby girl. You like to stand, don’t you?”
