Page 34 of Challenged by the Single Dad

Now, it was the morning of October 31st and Dom had closed last night since it was Monday. Even though today was supposed to be Renée’s day off, she was going to fill in for Chloe on the bar, and Jagger was going to float in the dining room and help run food or barback if needed.

Dom was busy in the kitchen making breakfast for him and Silas, while also making Silas’s lunch, when his little Spiderman came shooting webs into the kitchen, all decked out in his costume.

He aimed his wrist at Dom and went,“Pshoo! I got you!”

Dom clasped his forearms together like they’d been trussed up with webbing. “Ah! Spiderman!”

“Pshoo!” Silas aimed his wrist at Dom’s ankles. “I got you again.”

Dom did the same with his ankles so they were bound too. Then he wobbled and gently fell to the tile floor, landing on his side like a damsel in distress on the train tracks. “You’re not going to get away with this, Spiderman!”

“It is you who won’t get away with it. You stole the diamonds and tried to steal all the puppies of the world. You’re going to jail, Admiral Awful.”

“You’ll never take me alive!”

“Pshoo. Now you can’t speak. I webbed your mouth.”

Dom struggled against his invisible restraints and mumbled like he was gagged.

“Dad?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Do I have to dance at the Halloween dance tonight?”

Dom mumbled, pretending to still be gagged.

Silas rolled his blue-hazel eyes, reached forward, and pretended to remove the webbing. “Now you can talk.”

“You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to. I think it’s called a Halloweenpartyanyway. With games and activities. You remember the one last year? It’ll be just like that. Different activities in each classroom, then the DJ and dancefloor in the gym. Why?”

“Carnation, who is in Aya’s class, says she’s going to dance with me. And I don’t know if I want to.”

“Then don’t.” He brought his wrists up. “Can you untie me so I can finish making your toast?”

Silas untied the webbing from his ankles and wrists, then “helped” Dom stand up.

“She keeps chasing me around the playground trying to kiss me too.”

“And what do you say?”

“I tell her I don’t like it, and I don’t want to be kissed. But she doesn’t listen. Then Aya got involved and said that Carnation needs to respect boundaries and consent, and that I’m not consenting to being kissed. Then Carnation said Aya needed to mind her own business. Then Aya said Carnation needs to go jump in the ocean with rocks in her pockets.”

Dom rolled his lips inward to keep from laughing. “Well, that escalated quickly.” It was well known that Carnation and Aya were mortal enemies. But in this case, even though Aya’s retaliatory comeback was frightening, she was right to stand up for her younger cousin and defend his boundaries and consent.

“I just don’t want to kiss her. She’s mean. And I’m six.”

“Yeah, kissing girls this early isn’t advisable. Too many colds and germs.” The toast popped up in the toaster and he slathered their slices with peanut butter, then drizzled on just a little bit of the Barrington’s Bees lavender honey. “Here.” He handed Silas his plate.

“Don’t forget my coffee.”

“I would never.”

They clinked their mugs at the table again and dove into their peanut butter toast.

“Maybe I’ll just wear my mask all night. Then Carnation definitely can’t kiss me. And she might not even know it’s me. I know of a few other kids going as Spiderman.” A big glob of peanut butter clung to his cheek, and he tried to get it off with his tongue but it wasn’t long enough.

Dom’s lips twitched as he watched his son struggle. Finally, he took pity on him and handed him a napkin.

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