Anthony.
"So if you have ten apples, and you use five to make apple juice how many apples do you have left?" I asked as Kai avoided my gaze like he'd be in trouble if he didn't get the answer.
"Daddy, can I have apples too?" Racquel asked as she jumped up and down beside us, bored since she had already finished her homework.
Kai was only a few months older than my daughter, but since he turned six before the school year began, he was now a stressed out first grader.
"Um, five?" He answered in question form after holding up ten fingers and taking five away.
"That's right! Don't doubt yourself you know this stuff."
He filled in the answer to the last question on his math worksheet and sat his pencil down on top before looking around my living room quietly.
"Anything else you need help with?" I wondered seeing that he hadn't packed up his things yet.
"You gonna be my mama boyfriend?" He asked forcing me to take a sip from my water bottle as I found the right words.
"Would that be okay with you if I were?" I asked curiously.
"She gone be happy?" He wondered, twiddling his thumbs making me chuckle just a little.
"Always," I assured with sincerity, hoping that he believed me. I could tell he did, but could also tell there was something else on his mind.
I put the bottle to my lips again to drink just as the words "so that means I can't like Rocky anymore?" fell from his lips.
I watched the water fly across the table as I spit it out and let my head turn to my daughter's direction. She was jumping around and dancing to the Trolls soundtrack and I wiped a hand down my face. I wasn't prepared for these revelations so early.
"I thought Rocky was your best friend." I sighed as I prepared myself for the conversation I was about to have.
"She is. But she's pretty." He observed and I pursed my lips together.
"Well just because you think she's pretty doesn't mean you like her. Sometimes when you like people it means you won't be friends anymore and you don't want to stop being friends with Rocky right?"
"No." He answered quickly.
"And you know, the baby your mommy's having is your little brother or sister and Rocky's little brother or sister so you both can protect the baby together."
"So we'll be friends forever, even when I move?"
"Yeah." I laughed. "But you're not moving anytime soon."
"Uh huh. Daddy said that we're going to move away once he gets color-y."
"Huh? What's color-y?"
"When the mommy starts a new family so you get to live with the daddy and stay the only child." He told me a matter of factly and I blinked rapidly as I processed his words.
"You told your dad that mommy was having another baby?" I wondered. She had told Kai not to mention the baby to anyone, especially his father. He shook his head from left to right and I sighed.
"No, but his friend told him that it was going to happen and he got mad."
I ran my hand down my face and stood.
"Why don't you watch Trolls with Rocky while I go check on mommy. Racquel put on Trolls and I'll make y'all some popcorn okay?"
Their excitement filled the room, but I knew the energy wouldn't pass through to my bedroom where Xora lied.
