Teach Me - Brollins

11.

Rebecca looked at the time on the clock on the nightstand next to the bed, 7AM. Her body still wasn't adjusted to being out of working mode so she couldn't sleep in past 7 in the morning. She quietly slipped out of the bed and threw Colby's t-shirt that was on the floor over her head.

Making her way down the stairs, careful not to wake either Cali or Colby. This was her time in the morning, just her, her coffee that she made and the silence of the house.

This morning was different though, as she walked down the stairs she was greeted by a tiny seven year old with bedhead sitting on the couch wide awake.

"Cali.." She said as she placed her hand against her chest to calm her racing heart "What are you doing down here?" She asked

"I wanna have coffee with you" the little girl answered innocently

"You don't drink coffee, you're seven" Rebecca shook her head as the little girl stood from the couch and began to walk towards the kitchen

"Fine.. tea then" Cali shrugged and she looked Rebecca up and down quickly "Where are your pants?" She asked and Rebecca looked down at her bare legs, silently thanking god that Colby's shirt was too big for her and covered almost everything

"Upstairs"

"Why?"

you weren't supposed to be awake yet" Rebecca shook her head

"Why are you in my dad's shirt?"

"It was the closest thing to me at the moment when I got out of the bed" she said as she moved towards the coffee pot

"You weren't wearing any clothes?" The little girl looked at her with wide eyes "Is that how babies are made?"

"Ya know what.. watch the coffee" she said "I'm gonna go get dressed and then you can ask your dad whatever questions you have when he wakes up"

It wasn't that Rebecca wouldn't speak to Cali about this subject, because she would. She wanted her to be educated about it but going from being Cali's teacher to now basically living full time in the house with her dad.. things were still a little awkward at times. She also didn't want to say anything and overstep, she faced reality and knew she wasn't Cali's parent, that was Colby and she didn't want to step on his toes as far as whatever talks he was going to have with her in the future.

As she walked into the room and pulled a pair of yoga pants from the dresser, she felt arms wrap around her waist and tug her towards the bed.

"No" she whispered as he began to kiss her neck

"What do you mean no? You have never turned me down before"

"Well go take a cold shower because I'm turning you down"

"Why?" He asked as she turned around in his arms to face him

"Because your daughter is awake and downstairs waiting to have morning coffee and tea with me and she's already asking questions"

"What kind of questions?"

"Why I didn't have on pants when I first came down, why I'm in your shirt and why I wasn't wearing any clothes to bed"

"Well I mean.." He shrugged "I know the answers to all of those questions" he moved her hair away from her neck and his lips found their home on her skin once again

"Colby.." She sighed "Seriously"

"She's downstairs.. lock the door" he stood up as he gently picked her up in his arms and began walking towards the door to lock it

"She asked me how babies were made" she said and he stopped, all movements froze and he looked her in the eyes before placing her down on her feet "Where are you going?" She asked as she watched him walk into the master bathroom

"To take that cold shower" he said "Because I'm not having that conversation"

"Colby" she laughed as she watched him stand there with his hands on his head as he looked down

"Nope" he shook his head "Not happening.. I'm not talking with her about sex, she's seven"

"Almost eight" Rebecca noted "and I've seen where girls have had kids at thirteen and younger.. that's in five years, not that long away"

"I'm not going to have that talk with her because she's not ever going to have sex"

"Oh!" Rebecca laughed "Okay!" She nodded "My dad thought the same thing and look how that turned out"

"She's not" he shook his head "I will lock her in her room If I have to"

"Like she won't go out the window?"

"Who is she Juliet?" He questioned

"If she finds her Romeo, maybe" Rebecca nodded "You've got to talk to her eventually.. she needs to know and some girls are getting their periods at nine so she could be early.."

"LaLaLaLaLa!" He sang as he covered his ears

"Colby!" Rebecca said as she walked up to him and grabbed his hands, pulling them away from his ears "I'm going to go downstairs and have my morning coffee with her.. you are going to take a shower and figure out how to handle this" she said and kissed him quickly before disappearing

Colby showered, got dressed and walked out of the room. He looked at the framed photo on the wall of Heather and Cali when the little girl was a newborn. He shook his head as he stared at Heather's face.

"This was supposed to be your job" he pointed at the picture