Page 22 of Geordie

I arrive at William’s place for lunch, where he apologizes for not meeting at a restaurant, because he couldn’t find a babysitter for his daughter. It doesn’t matter, I’m pleased that I’ll see wee Emmy again.

As William opens the door wider, there’s a patting of wee feet and an excited voice from behind him screaming, “Orie, Orie.”

Emmy appears in a pink princess frock, complete with a crown. She’s shy when she sees me, hugging her da’s leg until he picks her up. She giggles at me and buries her face in his chest.

“Hello, wee one,” I say.

“This one has been having the time of her life, wrapping her daddy around her finger.” One blue eye is peeking out at me from William’s chest while she waves her chubby hand at me. “You must’ve made an impression on her; she asked about Orie’s owie.”

“My owie is better.” I chuckle. “How is yours?”

“Want to play princess?” she asks, bright-eyed, and I admit I like the attention from the wee princess.

“Emmy, Geordie is here to see Uncle Tim. Maybe another time.”

She waits for an answer, ignoring her father’s excuse. “I’ll play, lass. What do we do?”

William moves his daughter to his hip to lean into me. “You don’t have to do this. She asks everyone to play with her.”

“I want to,” I say, holding out my hand for her chubby fingers to grip mine. “Oh, this wee person has a firm grip.” I fake a grimace. “I don’t get a chance to hang out with children. I’d be honored to spend time with your daughter.”

“Okay, just know she can be relentless when she wants something. Tell me when you’ve had enough because it can go on forever. Kids have endless energy until they tire themselves out,” William says, looking at his daughter.

“Take me to your palace, Princess Emmy. Let’s play.”

“Don’t worry,” William says, as I follow him down the hall, “I’ll join the two of you. I can’t let you experience Emmy alone without back-up. Just remember, whatever she asks, just go with it.”

This is a new experience, to be the subject to the whims of a child. I wasn’t prepared for a wee lass to invite me to play. I thought it would be reading a story or playing tea with dollies while I swashbuckled around as a prince. Instead, we’re two large men sitting in a pink bedroom with crowns on our heads playing with a four-year-old in a princess gown. If this was a TikTok video, we would be that funny.

In Emmy’s world, there’s no room for princes. Her Highness assigns titles. We are to be known as Princess Daddy for William and Princess Orie for me. In this royal court, we spend the day painting our nails and dancing to princess songs on a continuous loop. Dancing is difficult with a walking boot, but I manage something while we dance. Emmy is overjoyed when she’s allowed to paint the big toe of my injured foot marine blue. I’m happy to see that most of the paint landed on the nail.

We end our thirty minutes of play when Tim arrives with his son nestled in a carrier. There is a sense of relief; they came just before Emmy was about to give us a make-over. Emmy was a wee bit sad when she lost her playmates, so we ended the princess party with a photo of us. William sent me a copy to remind me of my time with Emmy.

The three of us convene at William’s kitchen table.

“Geordie, this is my brother, Tim, and his son, Oskar.”

Tim scoops his son from the carrier and holds him on his shoulder. The child looks like a brand-new infant, eyes half closed, lips moving as if he’s suckling. “William said you had questions about Oskar?” he asks, while patting his son’s back.

“He’s thinking of starting a family alone,” William interjects, turning to pull sandwiches out of a box.

Tim nods. “Ask anything.”

William and Tim look like brothers. Tim is an older version of William with short-cropped hair and a tattoo on his forearm. He seems more serious than laid-back William.

“What I’m contemplating is overwhelming,” I admit to men who seem to have fatherhood under control. “I don’t know where to begin.”

Tim nods. “I felt the same way. William can tell you I’ve wanted a family ever since I was a kid. We were lucky we had great parents. When I hit thirty, I realized the person I was with didn’t share my vision of having a family. I couldn’t wait any longer. I know they say that guys can have children long after women have stopped their childbearing years, but the older you get, there’s a risk of not having a healthy child, even if you do everything right. So, I figured as long as I’m young enough, I’d just go it alone.” He grins, looking at his son. “Don’t think I’ve given up on love; I’m still looking for a woman to grow old with.”

William glances over at Emmy, who’s in the corner, trying to feed Ellie the elephant with a miniature spoon. Satisfied, he turns his attention back to me. “Pastrami alright?” He says, placing a fast-food wrapped deli sandwich and a bottle of beer in front of me.

I nod, not caring what we’re eating, I’m only concerned with having my questions answered. I need confirmation that I can do this on my own.

William slides a sandwich and beer in front of his brother, then sets the same meal at his place at the table. He gazes around checking to see if anything else is needed, then looks back at me. “Geordie,” he says, jarring me from my thoughts. “Tell us why you’re thinking of raising a child alone?”

I take a breath and reach for the sandwich, concentrating on pulling the wrapper away to avoid their scrutiny. This seems like a support meeting where I admit my deepest hopes or maybe fears out loud. I glance up addressing my interested audience.

“After my accident a few days ago, I ended up in the hospital. When the medical staff asked me if there was any one, relative or friend, to help me for a few days, I realized that other than my granda, and two cousins, I’m alone in the world. Lying in that hospital bed for two days made me think it was time to take the next step in my life,”

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