Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I turned to look at her.
“Heck,” she amended quickly. “I meant to say heck.”
I grunted before watching where he was going.
“Come on,” Kola ordered, gesturing for us to follow.
It was so random that he was there, that we found him, walking with the other men—who I assumed were at the same meeting he was—and smoking. It was crazy that in a city filled with what, probably a billion people, that we would see him. Not that the man was hard to find in any crowd. At six-four, covered in heavy muscle, with those massive shoulders of his, he was always easy to spot. And wherever he went, people always stepped aside for Sam. They either got out of his way so they wouldn’t get hurt or they moved so then they could follow him. I myself would trail him anywhere. Apparently my kids were of the same mind, because Kola grabbed my arm and yanked, and Hannah brought up the rear.
Once we were out of the crush of bodies in Times Square, we followed along as they took one turn, then another, and walked, this time actually farther than we’d been, down to Hell’s Kitchen, near Eighth Avenue and Fiftieth Street, and surprise, they went into a cigar lounge. I suspected that they were having drinks before dinner, and as we stood across the street, I started to feel really stupid.
“Hey, guys,” I said softly as they moved in close around me. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.”
“What do you mean?” Hannah asked, her arm sliding around my waist, leaning into my side. “I think this trip is gonna be super fun. It’s already starting out great.”
“I don’t mean the trip, I mean surprising your dad.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, you know, your dad, he doesn’t get a lot of time away from us.”
“Explain,” Kola said, doing the same thing his sister was, leaning into me, except his arm went around my shoulders. We probably looked like the smallest huddle ever.
“It’s like when you guys are out with your friends and you get to be different than how you are at home.”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean, like, just you. The you you can only be when you’re alone. The you without any expectations.”
“That makes no sense. I’m the same at home or not,” Kola assured me.
“He means, like, freer,” Hannah explained to her brother. “You’re not the same with your family as you are with your friends.”
“Yes, I am,” Kola insisted.
“I don’t mean in a bad way,” I assured him, smiling. “I just mean, you’re able to be yourself and maybe say things or use words that you might not want me or your father to hear.”
Kola squinted at me. “I’m still me. I don’t become another person.”
“Me too,” Hannah conceded with a shrug. “I mean, it’s like Dad says, I should always act like he’s standing right there beside me. And if I wouldn’t want him to hear––”
“You swear when you’re with your friends,” Kola accused her with a smirk.
“I do––”
“Yeah, exactly. You do.”
“I do not!” she yelled at him, swatting his chest. “Much.”
His laugh always sounded so good. If it was full of either joy or evil glee, as it was at the moment. “Hah! Exactly.”
“You swear too,” she revealed, pointing at him and looking at me. “He does, Pa, I swear.”
“She swears!” he crowed, pleased with himself.
“You two,” I sighed, slipping my hands around the sides of their necks, looking at them both, my heart, as always, full just looking at them. “Just—nobody’s perfect, but as long as you do your best, then I’m happy.”
They both nodded and then waited.
“What?” I said after a moment of them staring at me.
Hannah widened her eyes, and Kola made a face.
“What?” I repeated, pulling my hands back and crossing my arms. “You guys are looking at me weird.”
“Just wondering what this has to do with anything,” Kola said, scowling now. “Do you even remember what you were talking about?”
He had a point.
Hannah snorted.
“Oh yeah, your father,” I said, remembering. “He’s having a guys’ night out, and that’s probably what happens the whole time he’s at one of these things. I didn’t even think of that, and I really should have.”
“Meaning what?” Kola pressed me.
“Meaning that I think we should just enjoy our time here but not see him.”
“Not see him at all?” Hannah asked, biting her bottom lip. “Like, at all-at all?”
“Yeah. I think we should let him be in friend mode, let him be in one-of-the-boys mode, and not force him to be a husband or a father. I think that would be a treat.”
“It’s a treat for him to be away from us?”
“Come with me,” I directed, leading them away, back down Eighth Street. “Think of it like this. You know how in the disaster movies the hero always gets his family to safety, and then once they’re all sort of tucked in, then he can finally go save the world while dodging bullets?”