Page 72 of For The Weekend
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she mumbles because first grade has given her a lot of confidence, and not allof it is good.
“I might hang you up by your pigtails before the night’s out,” I tell her, and she screws her face up at the threat she knows I’ll never follow through on before dashing away, yelling about how she’s going to hang me up by my ears.
For her part, Eloise slaps a hand over her mouth, probably to cover her laugh. I glower at her. “Don’t you start too. Having one sassy female in the house is more than enough.”
She raises her hands in innocence. “I didn’t say anything.”
I stuff my wallet, keys, and cell phone in my pocket, calling out, “Shoes on, Maze. Let’s go.”
“I’m already ready!” Eloise and I make our way back down the hall to where Mazie’s by the front door, swinging her plastic pumpkin bucket around. “Took you long enough.”
“I swear to fucking god,” I mumble, motioning her out the door. “One of us isn’t gonna make it to her sixteenth birthday.”
Eloise snorts a laugh, following my kid out so I can lock up before the three of us head down the block. I pinch Eloise’s ass in warning to be good, and she squeals in surprise, earning a funny look from Mazie, who holds out her hand. “Come on, Elle!”
Eloise doesn’t hesitate. She takes Mazie’s hand, and they walk in step to the first house.
I love my daughter. I love my daughter more than life itself and will do anything for her, but that doesn’t mean I don’t hate 87% of the shit she wants me to do, like trick-or-treating.
But.
With Eloise dressed up as a Care Bear and Mazie bouncing around as a fairy princess, it’s hard not to be swept up in their energy. We hit nearly every house in the neighborhood, Mazie darting from door to door as Eloise’s laughter mixes with the sounds of the night.
“You’re really a good dad,” she comments, watching Mazie run back toward us, her plastic pumpkin swingingwildly as she complains about getting yet another Tootsie Roll.
“Did you say thank you?” I ask, and she nods before sprinting to the next house. “I didn’t hear it last time,” I call. “You have manners, Maze. Use them.”
She throws me a thumbs-up over her shoulder as she waits in line behind Buzz and Woody. I turn back to the Care Bear at my side, feeling a bit awkward about the praise. “She’s my kid. I don’t really have a choice.”
Eloise shrugs. “You could be a shitty dad, but you’re not. You’re here, making memories with her. That’s a choice. You’re choosing to be a really great dad.”
Her words hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I’ve always done what I had to for Mazie, but hearing Eloise say it like that—it makes me feel like maybe I’m doing something right. Without thinking, I place my hand between her shoulder blades, intent on pressing my gratitude into her lips, but before I can, my sweet baby angel runs up between us. “Look at this! Look how big it is!”
Eloise whistles. “King-size? We’ll have to remember this house for next year.”
I know she said it absently,we’ll have to remember for next year…
And yet there’s a tug, a desire. I want this.
This feeling of rightness.
I don’t want it to go away.
I’d like it to be around next year too.
And the year after that.
I want it for a long damn time. Forever.
“Ooh! Do you see that house? I don’t want to go there.” Mazie shivers as she pulls on Eloise’s hand, so we keep walking past the house with the giant fake spider on the front.
Mazie’s freaked out about bugs. Apparently, so is Eloise.
Great. Both of ’em sassy and afraid of insects. I wouldn’t be able to catch a break with these two.
But who the fuck am I kidding? Like I’m not taking care of them both. Bugs or not.
When we return home, Mazie bulldozes over Eloise again, begging her to stay to watch a movie, and Eloise puts up the fight of a feather, agreeing almost immediately.
