Page 17 of Russian Daddy

Tess wakes up and finds me sitting alone on the back porch of her cottage. She joins me outside, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, baby. I just forgot how nice it was to breathe in the fresh, clean air. You know how the city is.”

“I do and the pollution is one thing I don’t miss.”

“What do you miss about the city?”

“Hmm, I guess the lights and maybe the convenience of things. It was nice having a gym right around the corner.”

“What do you need a gym for? You’re too little to use the equipment,” I tease her.

“I liked the bikes and the elliptical machines, but now, I can just take a walk outside.”

“As long as it’s daylight, yes, you can.”

“So there’s still a problem, then?”

“You have nothing to worry about. I promise. Now, go get ready for school. I like to check in on my mother so I’ll ride with you.”

“Okay. That sounds nice. I’ll get to spend a few extra minutes with you.” She smiles.

I guess this is how it’s going to have to be for a while. I make up excuses to watch over her so she doesn’t get scared. I don’t care. I’ll do just about anything to be with her.

We enter the school and I reminisce about the days when I was a student here. I hated coming to this place every day. I was more interested in practicing martial arts and working out than learning about history and literature.

My mother was a teacher then, and she didn’t much like my attitude. The place hasn’t changed much in twenty years, but if my teachers looked like Tess, I may have been happier to be here.

I stop into the office to see my mother who greets me with a look of concern.

“Is something wrong, Mama?” I ask as she hugs me.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. Did you find anything out about the man in my backyard? I feel like I haven’t seen you at all since that night.”

“Oh, yeah. Everything is fine. He’s an associate of mine.”

“So I don’t have to worry about you?”

“Never. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time now.”

“Well, it’s good to see you. You and Tess are spending a lot of time together, and I miss you. Maybe the two of you can have dinner with me tonight?”

“Absolutely. What time should we come over?”

“I was thinking we could go out.”

“Out?”

“Yes, out. We still have a restaurant in town, you know, and a pretty good one at that.”

Shit, I don’t want to tell her no but having both of them out in the open together like that is a risk.

“I’m not really in the mood for that. Maybe I can pick something up for us?”

“No. We’re going out. I haven’t dined out in a long time because I hate eating alone. Now that I have company, I want someone else to cook for a change.”

“Okay, then. We’ll go out. Now, if you don’t mind, can I borrow your car? I have some errands to run today. I’ll be back in time to pick you up.”

I drive to Main Street and park across the street from the only restaurant in town. This is something I used to do whenever my boss wanted a night on the town. I’d go first and scope the place out, memorizing the layout and looking for potential security risks.

---