Page 9 of Burden to Bear

Realizing there wasn’t a chance I was going to back down from my position, Mia hesitated a beat before she said, “Well, I’ll get out of your hair. Have a good night, Brock.”

“You too, Mia.”

A moment later, she turned and walked away. Though there was a part of me that wanted to, I didn’t step outside and watch her walk back home. Mia wasn’t mine, and there was no chance of that ever being the case as long as she was with someone else.

That’s why I closed my door and walked away from it.

But I barely took a few steps when I couldn’t ignore how wrong it felt. So, I turned and moved to the window, where I looked out to make sure Mia made it safely back to her house.

Then I spent the rest of my evening trying to figure out how I was going to prevent the jealousy and bruised ego from consuming me, so I wouldn’t treat Mia badly as a result. By the time I climbed into bed a couple hours later, I hadn’t come up with anything.

“Uncle Brock!”

I could have experienced the worst week of my life, and if I heard those two words, everything would be right again.

No sooner did I hear her little voice, I heard her running footsteps through the house. I had been in the kitchen, but shifted into view and crouched down to catch my niece as she came barreling toward me.

“Izzy!” I called out when the five-year-old little girl was just a few feet away from me. Her legs carried her the remaining distance, her body ultimately colliding with mine.

The moment I lifted her in my arms and stood up, she declared, “Christmas is coming, Uncle Brock! Santa’s on his way!”

The excitement was pouring out of her, and it was my fun uncle duty to join in and build it up bigger for her. “I know, buttercup. I heard he’s already been checking his list.”

“Daddy said I’ve been good this year.”

“I think your daddy is right. In fact, I’d say you’re probably at the top of Santa’s list, since you’ve been so good.”

Izzy’s eyes widened. “Do you think so?” She snapped her head to look back at her dad. “Am I at the top of the list, Daddy?”

My brother’s features softened as he looked at his daughter. This little girl was his whole world. She was genuinely such a good kid, but I was convinced that she could have been a monster, and my brother still wouldn’t have had the heart to tell her she was on the naughty list.

“I think so, princess.”

My niece’s face lit up, and she smiled proudly at me. “Did you miss me?”

“I always miss you. How was school this week?”

“I had so much fun.”

Laughing, I said, “Let’s hope it stays that way. Are you ready for more fun today? I’ve got a Christmas tree that needs decorating.”

She nodded furiously.

That’s when her dad stepped forward, held up her lunch box, and said, “Before you and your uncle dive into the fun, you’re having lunch.”

At that precise moment, Izzy’s stomach growled. “My belly’s talking.”

“I think you better feed it, then,” I said as I lowered her to her feet. “Go wash your hands, so you can eat.”

Izzy took off running to wash her hands in the half bathroom I had on the first floor of my house. I watched her briefly before turning my attention to my brother, Chris.

“Thanks for watching her for me today, Brock,” he said, setting Izzy’s lunch box down on the table while I grabbed my niece a plate. Sometimes, he packed her a lunch, and other times, he remained confident I’d never let her starve.

“No thanks needed. I love spending time with her. Plus, you’ve got to get this done today, because there’s not much time left,” I noted.

Chris laughed. “Yeah, tell me about it. Between work for me, school for her, the normal day-to-day activities, and all the fun Christmas events I want to take her to, shopping for the big day hasn’t exactly been as productive as I would like.”

My brother was a single dad, and he made it clear to me on several occasions that he was worried about how he was managing. Every time he expressed those doubts, it blew my mind. He was raising his daughter on his own, and Izzy was the most well-adjusted, polite, good-natured, and behaved kid I knew. She was also a ton of fun. Chris was doing a fantastic job with her, and I didn’t hesitate to tell him that.

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