Page 12 of Jasha
“Is that what you really want from me?” After unraveling the paper, he stuffed it into his mouth.
“What are you thinking about now?” Kaleb asked, grinning at him mischievously.
“Something other than this lollipop.” Jasha’s face flushed a bright shade of red.
“Maybe someday you’ll get to suck something other than what’s in your mouth right now.”
With a laugh, Jasha made a satisfying sucking sound, playfully taunting Kaleb.
“I want you here with me and not just because of your father. I’d like to get to know you. See if we can connect on other levels than the one we’re on now.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means I hope you’ll someday call me Daddy Kaleb.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever consent to that with you.”
“Your words disappoint me. But I don’t give up easily.”
Daisy spotted them and wasted no time in making herself comfortable, curling up on Kaleb’s lap. “At least she likes me.”
“Thank you for granting Daisy her freedom in your home.”
“I love cats. Your Daisy is very sweet. I’m glad she’s here.” Kaleb gently stroked the cat’s fur, feeling its softness beneath his fingertips, until she purred contentedly. “We’ll have some visitors soon. Arlo and Frankie. Arlo is my cousin. Not only are we best friends, but we’re also business partners. I trusthim with my life. He lives in Jamaica Estates near St. John’s University, but he has other homes like me. He’s a daddy to his boy, Frankie, who’s a little. Do you know what that means?”
“Yes. I think I’m a little too. That’s what Daddy Sergei told me. He explained it to me.”
“What did your last daddy do to make you both think you’re a little?”
“All I know is I wanna be treated like the sweet little angel that I am. He even called me his angel.”
“He gave you a pet name. That’s adorable. Tell me some things he did with you.”
“He read fairy tales to me at night before we went to bed. He bought me toy cars and trucks, and lots of stuffies. I had a playroom at his home. At night, he’d give me a bubble bath and, well, you know. Then on the weekends we played dress-up. I’d wear cute little boy outfits.”
“Did you live with him?”
“No. I only went to his house on the weekends. Sometimes, he’d take me to the zoo.”
“What was in your playroom?”
“There was a little reading area with cuddly bear chairs. It looked like a big stuffed bear chair. In that area, there was a bookshelf filled with fairy tale books.”
“What else was in there?”
“I had a super cool bed to nap in. It was a big, friendly bear! The bed was a bright yellow and shaped like a bear, with a smiling face, big ears, and paws at each corner. It looked really cozy and fun, almost like a giant toy you could sleep in. The bedding had tiny bears on it.”
“What else was in there?”
“There were lots of toys, colorful tables and chairs to work on art projects and sometimes, we put together a jigsaw puzzleon the table. I made ceramic things too. There was a kiln in there.”
“Do you miss him?”
“I do, but he had to return to Russia, and he’s not coming back. He was called to join the military. He’s not a citizen here.”
“I see. I forgot to mention Frankie goes to NYU like you. He’s studying Engineering. Arlo is thirty-five and Frankie is twenty-two. We always spend the holidays together.”
“That’s great. We don’t have any relatives here. They’re all in Russia.”
