Four Years Later
Carlton's eyes welled up with tears as he watched his daughter up at the podium from his seat in the crowd. He was so damn proud of his little girl. Her first project for the year was to do an assignment on one of her parents' jobs. She was to research it, write an essay, and then prepare either a speech or a powerpoint. Instead of choosing Carlton to research...she chose her mom. She also chose to make a speech since that's what Cassie was best at.
"So, in conclusion, my mom did not only work for the President of the United States from the age of nineteen, to twenty-eight, but she worked with the Prime Minister of England for a while. According to her best friend Michelle, she would call the Prime Minister a "miserable, no-good, son of a..." well, gun."
The audience laughed, including Carlton. "She said how she hated him, loathed him, wanted to smother him with a pillow in his sleep because she just couldn't stand him. But he must have done something right because they got married and now, that son of a gun is my dad. Hi, dad."
She waved to him and he waved back with a wide smile. She continued, "And that concludes my speech. Thank you." Everyone clapped, but Carlton and Johnny stood up and whistled, clapped "whooped", anything they could to show their support.
Since Dani was the last speaker, they both got up to go meet her backstage. "I'll wait here," Johnny said, as Carlton made his way back. With a smile wide on his face, he looked for his nine year old. "Dan?" He called, as he made his way through kids and parents.
When he finally spotted her, he noticed she looked sad. He got closer to her when he heard someone say, "Just because daddy is the Prime Minister, you think you're getting an A? Your speech sucked! Your mom isn't even alive!"
Three girls then ran out, leaving Dani completely stunned. Carlton was in shock, as well. "Baby," he softly called, as he knelt down next to her. She turned to him with tears in her eyes, but quickly blinked them away. "Hey, dad," she said with a wobbly voice.
He tsk'd at her attempt to hide her hurt from him. "Come here, Pumpkin," he softly cooed, as she practically fell into his arms and started crying. He lovingly shushed her and stroked her hair. "I can't believe how much you reminded me of your mother up there," he told her.
She pulled back from the hug with her hands on his shoulders, as she asked, "Really?" He smiled and told her, "Really. For a moment, I thought I was watching her give one of her brilliant speeches." Dani laughed with tears in her eyes.
Carlton wiped away her tears with his thumbs, then leaned up and kissed her cheek. "Who were those girls?" He asked as he glared at them and their parents across the room. Dani shook her head and told him, "Doesn't matter." He looked back to her and said, "It matters if they're bullying my daughter."
She shook her head and said, "Really, dad, it's fine. All I know is their parents voted for Trump." Carlton laughed and told her, "God, I wish your mother was here to rip them a new one just for that. I'd probably have to hold her back."
Dani laughed, but then saw the sadness in his eyes. That always happened when he talked about her. "Can we go see her today?" She asked. "Since we didn't have time this morning, I mean." He smiled up at her and said, "Of course. For now, I say we go get you some ice cream before dinner. How's that?"
She nodded and walked with him as they made there way out the door. She greeted her uncle Johnny, then they all went to the ice cream parlor down the street. Unfortunately, those girls decided to be there, too.
"Ignore them," Carlton said in her ear, as they giggled at her. "If you don't, I'm going to go over there." That got her to smile a bit. Johnny piped up and told her, "Those girls ain't got nothin' on you. You've got your mom's blood, they're nothing."
Carlton chuckled, "Thanks for that, John." Johnny shrugged, then continued to eat his ice cream. "Shit," he said when he looked at his watch, "I need to go. Vanessa has this mommy and me class that she signed up for and apparently the father has to be present." He kissed Dani's cheek goodbye, then gave Ben a hug.
"So," Carlton said, once they were alone, "who's coming to your birthday party?" Dani picked at her ice cream, as she told him, "Nobody." He furrowed his eyebrows, then asked, "Didn't you hand out the invitations?" She nodded.
He sighed and put a hand on her back. "I'm sorry, baby," he said. "I know it's hard making friends and it's hard being the one who's actually making the effort. People will come around once they realize how much of an amazing girl you are. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend."
She cracked a small smile, then said, "Thanks, dad." He took a bite of his ice cream, then looked over to where those girls were making rude faces towards Dani. "I swear, I will go over there." Dani put her hand on his and said, "Please don't. You'll just make it worse."
He hated seeing his girl like this, but if she truly believed talking to them would make things worse, then who is he to do that? He kissed her head and said, "Fine. But if I see anything that they've been physically hurting you, I will not hesitate to use my connections with the British government. Understand?"
She giggled as she said, "I understand."
After their ice cream, they walked to the cemetery and sat by Cassie's grave for about an hour. Dani asked some questions about her, which led to Carlton giving a speech as each answer. After that, they walked home and Dani got started on her homework. "Need help?" Carlton asked, as she went upstairs. "Nope!" She called, before shutting her door.
He sighed and decided to get working on dinner. While the water boiled on the stove, he thought of something else he could do for Dani's birthday, besides a party. Her birthday was on a school day, so he thought of something that could, quite possibly, get them both in trouble.
**
"Now, can someone tell me how to multiply this fraction?" The teacher asked. Dani was sitting bored in class, staring out the window. Even though it was her birthday, she didn't want to be here for it. Especially when she was still getting bullied.
After feeling another spitball go into her hair, she sighed and looked down at the street. She noticed a very familiar car parked in front of the school when her teacher said, "Ms. Carlton." She looked up and saw Carlton standing at the door.
"Dad," she said with a smile. He said, "Come on, we can't be late for your appointment." She was momentarily confused. Appointment? Nevertheless, she gathered her things and walked up to him. "Thank you again," Carlton said to her teacher, "and sorry about the disruption."
He put his hand on Dani's shoulder and walked out into the hall. Once they were far enough, Dani said, "Dad, I don't remember having an appointment." He took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. "You wouldn't cause I just made it."
She opened the envelope and saw two train tickets to New York City. She looked up at him with wide eyes and he couldn't help but laugh. "Happy birthday, Pumpkin," he said, before having her unexpectedly jump into his arms. He laughed and carried her the rest of the way to the car.
"So, here's the deal," he said, as they drove to the station, "we're staying for the weekend, but anything you miss today at school is your responsibility to make up, alright? I don't want this as an excuse. Yes?" She didn't hesitate before saying, "Yes! I promise!"
He chuckled, "Alright. I packed a bag for you, it's in the back. I also made reservations for dinner tonight. It's fancy, so we have to dress up. Is that okay with you?" Her answer was leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
He returned the kiss on her cheek, then said, "I will take that as a yes."
They parked at the station and grabbed their bags before making their way inside. "Dani, slow down," Carlton laughed. She was practically sprinting to their gate. "Come on, dad!" She anxiously called. Carlton ran up to her and scooped her up in his arms while she laughed.
They made it just in time for their train and got seated in a matter of minutes. "Excited?" Carlton asked. Dani scoffed, "Duh! I've always wanted to go to New York!" He chuckled, "I know! And what better time to go than your tenth birthday with your old man?"
She hugged him around the waist and sighed contently. "I love you, dad," she said. He kissed her head and said, "I love you, too. I promise, I'm going to make this the best birthday."
For the next three hours, Dani played on his iPad, while he read a little. Every so often, Dani would ask if they could go see the World Trade Center or Statue of Liberty, Central Park, etc.. "We'll do whatever you want," Carlton told her. "It's your birthday, your rules."
He knew he'd regret saying that later.
When they arrived in New York, he thought Dani's eyes were going to blow right out of her head. They exited through Grand Central Station and walked right out into the city. Carlton called them an Uber and had them driven to the hotel.
"Can we go out now?! Can we, can we can weeeeee?!" Dani was bouncing up and down in front of the hotel window, getting overly excited about the view. "Just calm down," Carlton gently told her. "Our reservations are in an hour, so let's get ready and we'll go."
He let her use the shower first, as he sat down on the bed and looked around the room that he and Cassie had conceived Dani in.
"Cass," he gasped, "darling, I...I don't want this to be a fun night. I don't want you to be a game. Cassie..." He froze for a moment, while her gorgeous blue eyes bored into his. This was happening. He was going to tell her. He had to.
"...I want you to be...mine," he finished. He watched as her eyes widened and mouth dropped. He could see the gears turning in her head as she mulled everything over. His heart was pumping out of his chest as he kept waiting and waiting and waiting...
But then he felt those soft, tasty lips against his and he just about floated away. He cupped her jaw with one hand and rested his hand on her hip with the other. This kiss was soft, tender and un-rushed. He gently stroked his thumb over her cheek as he pulled away.
Carlton gently nudged his nose against hers and let out a shaky breath. Just as he was about to say something, there was a knock on the door. He let out a light sigh and said, "That would be our food." Cassie nodded and told him, "I'm going to hop in the shower first, if you don't mind?"
Carlton was brought out of his head when he heard the bathroom door open. Dani came out in her red dress that was reserved for only very special occasions, since it was especially expensive. "You're gorgeous, Pumpkin," Carlton told her. "Give me a minute and I'll help with your hair."
He hopped into the shower, then got dressed in his suit and tie. When he came out, he saw Dani had already finished with her hair. "Oh," he breathed out. I suppose that's something she doesn't need my help with anymore, he sadly thought.
Nevertheless, he sported a smile and said, "Look at you. My grown-up girl." He placed a kiss on her head, then pulled out a box from his bag. "This is for my little grown-up." She took it and opened it to a diamond necklace that said, If Daughters Were Flowers, I'd Pick You.
"Thanks, dad," she said, as she immediately put it on. He told her, "You're welcome. That doesn't mean I don't have other presents tucked away somewhere." Her smile got a lot wider at that.
After a few minutes, they both left the room and took a cab to the restaurant. Dani held Carlton's hand as they walked in. "Two for Carlton," he told the hostess. "Of course," she said, "and what a lovely date you have."
Dani blushed and put her face into Carlton's arm. The hostess chuckled, "This way." She led them to their table and gave them menus. "I don't think they have a kids menu," Carlton said. Dani looked at him and said, "You know, dad, I think it's time I stop with that menu and move on to this one."
Carlton laughed harder than he has in a long time. "Alright then, big ten year old, what would you like?" She pointed to the menu and said, "This." He looked at it and raised an eyebrow to her. "You want snails?" He asked.
She gasped and said, "Ew! No! Um...I want this!" He looked at her again. "So, you want uncooked snails." He thought she was going to throw up at the thought, so he quickly said, "How about this?" She read the item and said, "That sounds...fine."
He chuckled, "It's spaghetti and meatballs." She was sold on that and ordered it. Carlton ordered the Trout with a glass of wine. Dani didn't eat more than half of her food until she got full. Carlton got her a to-go box just in case she got hungry later.
"Alright, girly, where we have dessert it up to you," he told her. "Here or shall we go look around?" She opted to look around, which Ben suspected was because she wanted to walk around the city. He didn't mind.
When they got to Times Square and she saw M&Ms World and the Resses Shop and the Hersheys Store, he thought she was going to swoon. They went into each store and he got her whatever her little heart desired, which included several flavors of chocolate.
On their way back to the hotel, Carlton got her a cake that she picked out and took it back to the room. He set it up while she got in her pajamas. He forgot to get candles, so he took ten toothpicks from the lobby and stuck them in the cake.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear, Dani. Happy birthday to you." Dani took a deep breath and blew out the fire from the toothpicks. Carlton clapped, then plucked out the picks. He cut them each a slice and they ate it on the bed.
It was silent with only Seinfeld playing in the background. Carlton chuckled at some scenes as he ate, then heard Dani say, "Dad?" He looked to her and asked, "Yeah?" She smiled at him and said, "This is the best birthday ever."
His heart swelled with pride upon hearing that. "I'm glad you think that, Pumpkin," he told her. "Just know, I'm going to try and make every single one of your birthdays that way." She smiled as she told him, "Nothing will beat this one."
A little while later, they were both passed out on the bed. Dani had her head resting on Carlton's chest, while his arm was wrapped securely around her. They only had half a day in the city so far and he planned to make the next couple even better than the last.