My Two Girls

COLIN

“You and Sydney are no burden to me at all, baby,” I confirm. “I love my two girls. I’m always happy to pitch in.” I stroke her hair and kiss her forehead.

Well, I guess we’ve thrown the ~no PDA around the office~ rule out the window today. But it’s God’s honest truth. I don’t think my heart could be any more full with these two ladies in my life.

“Just tell me what I have to do,” I add, getting back to the situation at hand.

I hear her huff a laugh against my chest, and she pulls her head back to look at me. “You have to watch out for Mrs. Baker! That woman has it out for me!”

I laugh. “And why is that?” I ask curiously.

“UGH! Well, I’m always late dropping off Sydney, for starters. But she also remembers me from when she was my principal in high school. Sooo, let’s say she just doesn’t like me!” Brooke says with a Cheshire cat grin.

“Oh, was someone a naughty girl way back when?”

“More or less, yes!” She blushes, laughing at herself. This conversation will have to come back later, when I have more time to pry.

“I will brave Mrs. Baker for you, baby. Fear not,” I say, and steal one more kiss for the road.

I pull up to the school twenty minutes later at the end of a long line of SUVs and soccer mom vans. An older woman stands at the edge of the parking lot, directing the lanes of cars to stop or go.

When I pull up, I think she must notice my too-fancy-to-be-a-mom-car, because she comes up next to my window and gestures for me to roll it down.

“Hi. I’m here to pick up Sydney Waters. Her mother, Brooke, called the front office letting them know.”

“Yes,” says the woman who must be Mrs. Baker, “are you Sydney’s father? I’ve been eager to finally put a face to the name.”

“No, I’m Colin. Colin Scholtz.”

She lets out a huff as she looks me over, somewhat disgusted. “Now she’s bringing her boyfriend into this disheveled family dynamic,” she tuts, shaking her head with clear disappointment.

“I hope you can at least stick around long enough to get this woman’s life in order. She needs all the help she can get.” The way she speaks her cruel judgments so freely, I’m immediately pissed off.

How dare this bitch judge anyone, standing here with her dull gray hair in a generic old-lady haircut and her short-sleeve tracksuit showing off her flabby arms? I rip off my sunglasses so she can see me shooting daggers at her with my eyes.

“Listen, Principal Baker. What gives you the right to insult Brooke like that? You think she wanted to be left at the altar by the man she has to call Sydney’s father? No! Being a single mother with no family is not easy.

“I’m sure she’s not the only one in this school who brings a boyfriend into the mix, either. And I know for a fact that I’m the first man in Brooke’s life showing up at this school for her daughter!”

“I—I—” she tries to speak, but I don’t give a shit what she has to say, and I don’t give her the opportunity to figure it out.

“Besides, what makes you think she doesn’t have her life in order? Have you not done your job well enough to know that Brooke is a doctor? She runs her own practice while also juggling everything for Sydney’s education!”

“Well…” She stands taller. I think she’s trying to hold onto her dignity, but mostly she just looks frazzled, like she just got her basic ass handed to her. “I’ll go bring Sydney out,” she says as she walks back to the school.

Sydney comes out barely a minute later. “Colin?” Opening up the back door to my car, she excitedly jumps in.

“Surprise!” I hope she won’t be upset that her mom’s not here. Before saying another word, Syd turns back toward the school where a group of kids are all standing together waiting for their own rides.

“HEY AIDAN!” she screams. “Guess who picked me up today?” A kid in the distance shouts something back, but I can’t fully hear what he says.

“COLIN SCHOLTZ! Take that!” she replies, sticking her tongue out before closing the door.

“What was that about?” I laugh.

“He didn’t believe me when I told him I knew you. He keeps teasing me about it. Probably just jealous.” She shrugs.

I throw her a wink. “Maybe he likes you? Boys do that, you know…” She stays silent and shrugs again, but I can see her cheeks redden.

After a while she looks up to meet my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Sooo…you like my mom?” she asks, turning the situation around on me.

I definitely didn’t expect that! “Is it that obvious?” I ask, scrunching my face. I know Brooke talked to her a little about me spending time at the house, but I don’t know how much Syd really understands about our relationship.

“Yeah, it’s very obvious!” Syd chuckles. “But she likes you too,” she adds.

Yes! Win for me! I love this kid who tells it all like it is. “Really? How can you tell?” I play along.

“I just can. She seems a lot happier when you’re around,” she answers with a smile. But then after a moment she looks away, face dimming.

“Are…are you going to leave us?” she asks hesitantly.

The way John has wrecked this little kid’s trust just kills me inside. I’ve already thought it’s impossible for anyone to leave a woman as amazing as Brooke…but who could also leave their own daughter, someone as special as Sydney?

Luckily we reach a stoplight in time for me to turn around and face Sydney in the back seat. I reach out to squeeze her hand. “No, Syd. I won’t. I promise.”

We smile at each other, bright and sincere. I actually have a plan to lighten the mood, since we still have a couple hours before Brooke is done with work. “I have an idea, and I think I need your help on this one.”

Syd’s eyes grow big with anticipation. “What is it?”

“I need your help in finding the BEST Christmas present for your mom!” Sydney beams a big smile. “So, how about we go to the mall, eat some junk food, and have a look around? Then afterward, we’ll get some ice cream.”

“YEAH!” she exclaims, jumping up and down in her seat.