Daddy's still here.

Life beginning

"Bye-bye daddy!! Bye-bye!" Maddie calls to me from the bus steps as she climbs on. I wave to her with a proud smile on my face.

It's her first day of first grade.

As the bus pulls away from the corner and other parents start to leave, I find it hard to walk away, to walk back to my house that is only one house down. Instead I take a seat on the bench and watch the bus disappear down the road. The first time I met Abbie was on the bus in middle school, I never thought anything of her back then; but it's crazy to think of all the things that have happened sense that day she sat in front of me on that old school bus.

"Good morning Jason." Mrs. Tulip says to me walking her small poodle.

"Good morning."

"Maddie off already?"

"Yeah." I say shaking my head, time is passing too quickly.

"Well if you'd like, my house is empty too." She says seductively. I look at her for a moment, did she really just say that?

"Excuse me?" I ask dumbfounded.

"Well I know how lonely you are after your wife has pasted and I don't know....maybe you need to blow off some energy." She says sliding into the bench next to me.

"You delusional Mrs. Tulip. Just because my wife has pasted on, does not mean I am going to sleep around with the woman who is the neighborhood whore." My disgust and anger clear as I stand up from the bench glaring at her.

She looks at me with a open mouth, Abbie called it be cod fish face.

"Your a grown woman with a family and a faithful husband, get your act together." I spit before I walk to my house, leaving Mrs. Tulip shocked and stunned at my outburst.

Honestly I was enraged that she would have the nerve to ask me that. I haven't thought about doing anything with anyone else other than Abbie sense we got married. I only wanted her and she was more than I could have wished for. I get into the house and slam the door behind me, my anger still boiling a little. I decide it would be best if I go cool off in the shower, but on my way up the stairs my phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Ah. Jason my boy. How are you?" Abbie's father says happily through the phone

"Haha, I'm good dad. Maddie just leave for her first day of school." I look at the clock on the bedside table as I enter my room and realize I must have been on that bench thinking longer than I thought, because an hour has passed.

"Oh my goodness!! Willa! Willa!" I hear him call for Abbie's mom, "what do you want you crazy old coot?!" She yells back from the kitchen I'm guessing. "It's Maddie's first day of school today!!" They both hoot and hauler and I laugh a little at their excitement.

"We should take you two to dinner tonight!" Abbie's mom calls from the other end, taking the phone from her husband.

"Oh that's very kind of you, but-"

"But nothing! Be ready by 5 and we will meet you two wherever Maddie decides she wants to go." She cuts me off and tells me.

"Alright."

The line is quite for a moment.

"Jason?" Her voice is soft now and filled with memories.

"Yeah?"

"Abbie would be so proud of you. Of the wonder job your doing raising Maddie by yourself. She loved you more than life. She loved that little girl just as much." She sobs and I'll admit that my throat swelled and I couldn't find the words to say anything.