Page 15 of Santa’s Little Faker
Orlando
“Yeah, but I wanted to go see the hotels and the shows. They’ve got big shows and little shows and funny shows and circus kind of shows.” It was a sparkly city too. “They got lights and fancy women in big hats—I saw them on TV—and the machines that make the berries go round and round.”
I’d seen that on TV too.
“I think your Daddy would really like that kind of vacation.” Bastian mumbled something about not realizing there was so much safe stuff, but I didn’t understand it, so I ignored it.
I was going to play and have fun and not do anything I didn’t want to.
Because I wasn’t big and Bastian wouldn’t care.
We were both pretending he wasn’t a Daddy, but he was doing Daddy stuff which was nice.
“There’s a big M and M’s store…or at least there was the last time I was there…and they probably have lots of fun places to shop for toys.” Daddy Bastian tilted his head and looked confused. “There should be. If not, they’ve designed that city wrong.”
“Lots of people do wrong stuff.” Like being mean or telling littles they have to be big all the time. “Sometimes they don’t know it’s wrong.”
Daddy Bastian made a thinky sound. “You’re right.”
“My father keeps saying I have to be a good adult and grow a beard to look like a big boy. He’s kind of cranky about it but I just nod and pretend he’s not wrong.” It didn’t help to tell him he was wrong. Being scruffy wasn’t bad but it didn’t make me be big. “He’s wrong a lot. I don’t have to be a big boy all the time. Terrence and Enzo said so. Well, they said so to Terrence, but it counts for me too.”
“You’re right.” Daddy Bastian leaned against the door and smiled as my trucks zoomed faster. He didn’t think I had to be a big boy even if he was pretending to be not a Daddy. “Did you talk to Enzo about not wanting to be a big boy all the time?”
“Nope.” Vroom. Vroom. “I don’t have to.”
“You’re very smart, cutie. Why don’t you want to, though?” Daddy Bastian made a thinking sound again. “If Terrence is little then they’d understand. He’d probably want to play.”
I shrugged but Daddy Bastian made another thinking sound.
He was stubborn.
He was stubborn about me being safe and about pretending he wasn’t a Daddy and about pretending he didn’t stare at my butt.
He liked my butt.
He told his work friend that I had a…he’d said naughty things that made me giggle.
“Family is nosy and happy and bossy. I don’t want anyone telling me how to be a good little or what to do.” Terrence was kind of bossy too which was why he fit in so good with everyone. “I’m just gonna be me and not tell.”
Hmm…
“You can’t tell either.” I gave him my big frown that I used when I was a work grown-up. “That’s my limit. You can’t tell. I learned about limits after Terrence kept talking to himself about them.”
He was really helpful.
Daddy Bastian held up his hands and nodded faster-faster. “I promise I won’t tell.”
Because he was a good Daddy even if he was still playing pretend about it.
“Thank you.” I was a good boy, though, and used my manners. Terrence said good boys with manners got better rewards, but I wasn’t sure Daddy Bastian knew that yet.
“You’re welcome.” Daddy Bastian made thinking sounds again. He liked doing that. “We need to make sure you don’t have anything online that might talk about you being little, though. Do you have anything like that? It’s okay if you do but that might tell them even if you didn’t want them to see it?”
Daddy Bastian thought he was being sneaky.
I pretended to make thinking sounds. “I got a name on an app. I’ll take that down. My Secret Santa probably already saw it, so I don’t need it anymore.”
And I’d just made it so Daddy Bastian could see it.
