Page 23 of A Heart of Little Faith
She beamed. “I do.”
“I’ll talk to your teacher tomorrow and arrange it.” They hugged again. Lily wanted to make the moment last, but Claire fidgeted, crisis over. With a sigh, she pulled away and followed her into the kitchen for pizza.
The next day, Lily sent a note to Claire’s teacher to explain the situation and suggest Gideon as an alternative. As her pen scratched the paper, she questioned her predicament—a man she barely knew was to fill one of the most intimate roles in her daughter’s life, if only for a day. She held the thin paper, listened to it crinkle as she tipped it back and forth and debated whether or not to crumple it up. Images of Claire’s tear-stained face rushed into focus. With a nod, she stuffed the note into Claire’s backpack and zipped it before she could change her mind.
That afternoon, Claire came home from school giddy with excitement, and rushed to call Gideon. Her feet pounded on the floor, and reminded Lily of a herd of elephants. She shook her head in exasperation. She’d never understand how one small girl could make so much noise. Claire punched in the numbers and Lily’s stomach clenched a little tighter. After they talked on the phone for a few minutes—or rather Claire spoke—she handed it to Lily. It smacked her palm and she gulped. The phone had never weighed as much.
“He wants to talk to you.” Lily cleared her throat and gripped her stomach as she stared at it. Time intensified her embarrassment over her actions the previous evening. Not only had she cried on Gideon’s shoulder, she’d climbed into his lap! How needy was that? As she brushed her hair out of her face, she said a silent prayer he didn’t think she was nuts, and said hello.
“Hi, Lil. I wanted to see how you were.”
“Um, fine. Listen, about yesterday…”
“I’m glad I could be there for you,” he interrupted, his earnest voice gravelly. “If you ever want to talk, you can always call me.”
Appreciation ran through her. “Thank you. And thanks for agreeing to go with Claire. As much as I try, there are just some needs I can’t fill for her, and this is apparently one of them. She’s very excited.” Lily paused and bit her bottom lip. “You really don’t mind? I feel like I should repay you somehow—I know how busy you are.” She grabbed a strand of her hair and twirled it between her fingers. It pulled on her scalp and she winced in pain; whether from the conversation or the actual hair-pull, she didn’t know.
“I don’t mind at all. We’ll have fun. I’m honored to go with her and wouldn’t have suggested otherwise. And hey, the next time I need a date for a work event, I’ll call you.” He chuckled and the sound created warmth low in her stomach.
“Absolutely,” she said. “I’d be happy to go anytime.” She meant it.
“I was kind of joking, Lil. I wouldn’t subject anyone to those events,” he said in an amused tone.
“Come on, they can’t be that bad.”
“Ha!” he said. “Obviously said by the innocent. If you’d been to them, you wouldn’t be so quick to volunteer.”
Lily smiled. When they bantered like this, she enjoyed talking to him. “Don’t forget, I work in PR. I frequently have work events.”
“Then you must be a glutton for punishment,” he said, his voice warm.
“Well, my offer stands.”
“Goodnight Lily.”
****
The day of Claire’s lunch arrived, and with it came the most incredible weather. June brought warmth and sun. Winter had lasted forever, dipping into spring’s territory and taking over. But now, the sky was Crayola crayon-blue; the air enveloped Gideon and made him think of lazy afternoons at the beach.
He left work early and made his way to Claire’s school. As he arrived, lots of other men entered the building.What am I getting into?
He followed the crowd down the hall, around a corner and into the Kindergarten wing. The hallways smelled of chalk, paste and that unknown odor that all schools possessed. He smiled as he passed open classroom doors and heard the sweet voices inside. He and some of the other men stopped in front of Room 10, where the kids met each man at the door. When Gideon peeked in, Claire squealed. Then with a dignity she’d obviously practiced, she clamped her lips together, straightened her shoulders, walked up to him and hugged him. Her arms tightened around him in a bear hug, and he wanted to pick her up and spin her around. But he didn’t want to embarrass her, so he let her go and followed her to her table.
“You came!” Her face glowed. Her rainbow striped dress and white sandals were adorable. Gideon’s heart swelled with the knowledge she dressed up for him.
“Of course I did, Claire. I promised you I would.” She jumped into his lap and hugged him again. Her weight filled his heart. Nothing could be better than this. The children nearby studied the chair, while some of the fathers made efforts to distract them. Gideon ignored their reactions. The kids would adjust, probably faster than the adults. Besides, today was all about Claire. He hugged her hard before she sat in the chair next to his. He introduced himself to the other men at the table, and quieted when the teacher approached the front of the class to speak.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Mrs. Nelson. I’d like to welcome all of our guests to our Father/Daughter, Father/Son lunch. We are very happy you could all take time out of your busy schedules to attend.”
She motioned to the class, and all of the children walked to the front of the room. As they moved into two rows, Claire met Gideon’s gaze and waved. He waggled his fingers and made a goofy grin. She hid her giggle behind her hand. At the teacher’s lead, the children began to sing “You Are My Sunshine.” Their off-key song made him smile. To his ears, their sweet, earnest voices sounded better than the most talented opera singer. After everyone finished and the clapping ended, each child stepped forward and recited a line of Edgar Guest’s poem, “Only A Dad.” When they finished, the children returned to their seats and Mrs. Nelson rose.
“We hope you enjoyed our presentation. The children will now serve you lunch.”
Murmurs of congratulations were cut short as chairs squeaked against the floor and the children rushed to the opposite side of the room, followed at a more leisurely pace by the dads. Platters of breads, meats and cheeses filled two tables against the wall. There were bowls of potato and macaroni salads and plates of brownies and cookies. There were also drinks the children poured, with only a little spillage. After Claire determined what Gideon would like from the selection, she brought him his plate and cup—carefully balanced so as not to spill—along with a napkin. This time, he didn’t mind being served. She returned with her own food and they sat and ate together. Gideon savored every salty bite as Claire gulped her food then rushed to point out her friends, including Max.
“He’s your boyfriend, right?”
Claire giggled and said yes as her cheeks pinkened. She was adorable. When they finished, she led Gideon around, as she showed off her artwork and pointed out the class’ caterpillars, waiting to turn into butterflies.