Page 34 of Saving Little Jenna
"Whoa, cool!" Michael said in a singsong voice before clearing his throat. "You know how my boy is. He's always been a good boy and always will be. He's too good of a boy if you ask me, and no number of gifts are enough to reward his good behavior. But feel free to drown him in gifts anyway. There's never one too many gifts a boy can have, or five. Also, one of them ought to be wolf-themed. Better yet, make them all wolf-themed."
"Wow, are you sure about that?" I asked, almost falling off my chair trying to contain my laughter. "You always say I spoil him too much by giving him gifts while all he does is be naughty all day every day."
"He said that?" Michael said loudly in disbelief before realizing he had blown his cover, bursting into a fit of giggles. "It was me, Michael, all along, uncle Clark! I've gotten so good at imitating him. I was just pretending to be Daddy and I knew you wouldn't be able to recognize me."
"Whoa!" I pretended to be shocked as I gasped and then let out a laugh. "That was a good impression, Michael. I couldn't tell the difference. How are you? Are you being good for your Daddy?"
"Yes, uncle Clark." He stifled a laugh. "You know me. I'm always on my best behavior. Daddy's taking a shower. Do you want to call back?"
"It's alright," I said. "I wanted to talk to you too. I want to thank you for being so nice to Jenna. I haven't told you this, but other people in her life haven't been nice to her. I think she's going to open up to you soon because you've become such good friends. I just wanted to give you a heads-up in case you find her life history a little too shocking."
There was silence on the other end before Michael continued. Serious topics tended to pull him out of his Little space as it did now.
"The world is a cruel place, uncle Clark. I've had Little friends who've gone through unspeakable horrors. I tell them the same thing I've told others. Surround yourself with good people and you won't have to suffer another day. Good people always tend to guide you in the right direction, towards the path of healing. Don't you worry about it, uncle Clark. I'm a big boy now and I'm only becoming a better friend as time passes."
He slipped back deep into his Little space when I asked him to guess what his big gift was going to be. We talked for a while about having future playdates with Jenna, and if they'd like to have a sleepover sometime soon. When John came out of the shower and got dressed, Michael handed the phone to his Daddy.
"What's up, Clark?" John asked. "How's Jenna? My boy hasn't been asking for more gifts, has he? You spoil him more than I do."
I chuckled and shook my head. "That's a lie and you know it. Jenna's taking a nap. I was worried about her so I thought I'd call you."
He instructed Michael to pick out his favorite book for storytime and then he could have a nap, saying he'll read it to him when he'll be back in a few minutes. I heard Michael singing a song in the background, his voice slowly fading as John left the room.
Once John was alone, I continued. "I think Jenna's in bigger trouble than I initially thought. She told me something about her past. It's beginning to look like her past is darker than I expected. How can I protect her when I don't even know what she needs protection from? I need to be fully prepared but it won't happen until she tells me more about the threat. She doesn't trust me enough to tell me such a big thing yet, but it's only going to hinder my ability to keep her safe. At the same time, I don't want to force her into telling me something she isn't ready or comfortable talking about."
John thought for a moment before replying. "She's scared to tell you about her past because once it's out there in the world, it's real. So far, she's suffered alone and in silence because speaking out used to get her punished. You need to show her that it's in the past. Whenever she trusts you with something small but personal, reward her. That way she'll know that you don't judge her as her previous oppressors did. She'll feel safer and more comfortable each time she trusts you with something and learns that she isn't being judged, but instead rewarded. You need to teach her to trust you with the biggest and smallest of problems. Eventually, it'll become a habit and she won't overthink before telling you things. It's a lifelong process so you need to be patient. Even after years together, there are still some worries Michael hides from me, the ones which he thinks are too big to be shared."
It was surprising how much I still had to learn about being a good Daddy, and I was glad John was there to teach me. I still had a long way to go, and hopefully, with years, I would be as good as John.
Chapter 11: Jenna
I had barely slept the previous night, worried sick about visiting a dentist for the first time. I considered crawling out of my nursery and slipping into daddy's bed since his presence would surely help me slip into a deep sleep, but I didn't want to wake Daddy up. Instead, I cuddled up with Doggo and confided in him until I fell asleep.
Now I had a bowl full of soft porridge before me for breakfast, which I played around with my spoon. Soft foods were gross and this was no exception, but it meant it wouldn’t hurt my teeth.
"You haven't even touched your breakfast yet!" Daddy said after he finished his. "I know you don't like it, but it's for your own good. Go ahead and eat up, sweetheart."
"I don't wanna!" I pushed my lips out in a pout, put my spoon down, and crossed my arms before looking away.
"You don't want to be late to the dentist, do you?" He asked and waited for my reply, his expression slowly turning stern. "That's it, Little girl. This is your last warning and if you continue to defy Daddy, I'll have to take you over my knee and show you who's in charge. You won't be pouting with a busted bottom. I can tell you that much. "
I shivered at the mere possibility. It wasn't fair that Daddy could turn me on even when I was worried sick.
When I continued to pout, Daddy sighed and pulled his chair closer. "Do you want Daddy to feed you?"
I wiggled in my chair and nodded eagerly, finding it hard to stay still. Just as I hoped, he made little airplanes with food on the spoon. It was way too distracting to think about what I was chewing. Before I knew it, the bowl was empty and I was being scooped out of my highchair.
"So," Daddy said with a smile, taking a seat and sitting me down in his lap. "We have enough time for some Daddy girl time. How do you feel about visiting the dentist today?"
"I've got great news," I said as I put on a forced smile but shivered, nervous if it would be enough to convince him. "I noticed something when I woke up this morning. My teeth don't ache anymore, so we can cancel the appointment and I spend the day playing instead."
Daddy's smile turned into a frown as I squirmed in his lap. "Didn't we talk about this? No more lying about things that concern your well-being. You know how disappointed I feel in myself for having failed to create trust as your Daddy?"
"Is true!" I cried. "Promise! So pretty please, can we not go? I'll never eat ice cream again so I'll be fine."
The fear of having my teeth pulled out was far greater than the temptation of having ice cream for breakfast every day. It made no sense how grown-ups went to the dentist with their own free will. It was obvious dentists only wanted one thing, to see their patients in pain.
Daddy nodded knowingly. "Trust goes both ways, and I trust you. But don't you see, sweetheart? You're supposed to visit the dentist every year, but you haven't even been once in your lifetime."
