Chapter Eight “One Step At A Time”
1065 Words
By the time Daniel got home that evening…
He looked dead inside.
The house?
Even worse.
It looked like a tsunami had personally targeted the Cole family.
The kitchen sink was still leaking.
Toys covered the floor.
One shoe floated mysteriously in a puddle of water.
And somehow…
There were cereal pieces stuck to the television.
Daniel stood in the center of the chaos holding Lucy while staring blankly ahead.
“…I give up.”
Unfortunately, life didn’t care.
“Daddyyyy!” Lois came running in with homework sheets. “I need help!”
“Daddy!” Lorraine yelled right behind her. “Why is the moon following our car at night?!”
Lucy started crying again.
The sink dripped harder.
Something burned slightly on the stove.
Daniel rushed toward the kitchen while bouncing Lucy carefully.
“Okay, okay, one at a time!”
“Daddy, what’s division?” Lois asked.
“Daddy, why can’t dogs talk?” Lorraine added.
“Daddy, Lucy’s crying!”
“I KNOW SHE’S CRYING!”
He tried fixing the pipe.
Water sprayed directly into his face.
Lucy screamed louder.
The pot on the stove nearly boiled over.
Lois tugged his shirt.
“Dad, you’re not answering me!”
Lorraine joined immediately.
“Yeah! You’re not answering us!”
Daniel opened his mouth—
Then Lorraine’s tiny face crumpled.
“I want Mommy.”
The room suddenly became quiet.
Lois looked down too.
“…I want Mommy too.”
Then both girls started crying.
Lucy was still wailing.
The sink was leaking.
Dinner smelled burnt.
And Daniel?
Daniel finally broke.
He slowly sat down on the kitchen floor…
And started crying too.
Real crying.
The kind that came from pure exhaustion.
Instantly, all three girls went silent.
Lois blinked.
Lorraine froze completely.
Lucy hiccuped herself quiet for a second.
Daniel rubbed his face tiredly.
“You think I don’t miss your mom?” he whispered brokenly. “I miss her so much.”
The girls stared at him quietly.
“I don’t know how she does all this every day.” He laughed weakly through tears. “I really don’t.”
His voice cracked.
“I wish she was here. I miss your mommy so bad.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then slowly…
Lois walked over first.
“Daddy?”
Daniel looked up.
“You’re still a superhero.”
Lorraine nodded quickly. “Yeah! You took care of us for three whole days without Mommy!”
“You did good,” Lois added softly.
Daniel laughed weakly. “You’re only saying that because you don’t want me crying.”
“No,” Lorraine said honestly. “We really mean it.”
Daniel looked at his daughters for a long moment.
And something inside him softened completely.
Finally…
He smiled.
Small. Tired. Real.
“You know what?” he sighed. “Maybe I’ve been trying too hard to be your mom.”
The girls blinked at him.
“I can’t do things like Mommy.” He stood slowly. “But maybe I can do things my own way.”
Lorraine tilted her head. “What does that mean?”
Daniel rolled up his sleeves dramatically.
“It means…”
He pointed toward the sink.
“Step one: we defeat the kitchen.”
The girls gasped excitedly.
Together, they attacked the sink.
Lois handed him tools.
Lorraine wiped water dramatically like she worked for emergency services.
And eventually…
The leak stopped.
The girls cheered loudly.
“STEP TWO,” Daniel announced proudly, “DINNER.”
This time, the girls helped.
Lois stirred carefully.
Lorraine set spoons everywhere except the correct places.
Lucy watched from her crib making tiny happy sounds.
And somehow…
Dinner turned out okay.
Not perfect.
But warm.
After dinner, Daniel helped Lois with her homework while Lorraine sat beside him drawing “a dinosaur princess.”
Then all three of them cleaned the house together.
Well…
The girls mostly made things slower.
But Daniel laughed anyway.
Later, he gave Lucy a bath first.
This time, she splashed him happily while he made ridiculous jokes.
Then came Lois and Lorraine.
“No flooding the bathroom today,” Daniel warned.
“No promises,” Lois replied.
Finally…
Pajamas.
Tooth brushing.
Goodnight hugs.
And somehow, all three girls ended up in Daniel’s room.
Lois curled up against his left side.
Lorraine cuddled against his right.
And Lucy slept peacefully on his chest.
Daniel lay there staring at the ceiling quietly.
Completely exhausted.
But for the first time all week…
Peaceful.
Around 11 PM, the front door opened softly.
Vivian stepped inside quietly carrying her suitcase.
She froze.
The house was clean.
Mostly.
There was still water near the sink and one random spoon on the staircase…
But overall?
Clean.
Vivian smiled softly to herself.
“Oh, Daniel…”
She walked quietly toward the bedroom and pushed the door open gently.
Then she saw them.
All four of them asleep together.
Daniel in the middle.
His daughters wrapped around him like tiny protective bears.
Vivian’s eyes softened immediately.
Carefully, she leaned down and kissed Lois gently on the forehead.
Lois smiled in her sleep.
Then Lorraine.
Then tiny Lucy.
Finally…
She kissed Daniel softly.
Daniel’s eyes slowly opened.
For one second, he looked confused.
Then he saw her.
“…You came back.”
The relief in his voice nearly broke her heart.
Daniel sat up slightly, emotional immediately.
“Honey, I’m so sorry.”
Vivian blinked softly. “For what?”
“For never appreciating you.” His eyes filled again. “I didn’t understand how much you did. I really didn’t.”
Vivian smiled sadly but lovingly.
“Oh, Daniel.”
“No, seriously.” He shook his head. “I thought you were exaggerating when you said you were tired.”
Vivian touched his face gently.
“I know.”
“I was horrible.”
“You were learning.”
Daniel laughed weakly through tears.
“Will you forgive me?”
Vivian smiled warmly.
“Of course I will.”
Daniel looked at her like he was seeing her clearly for the very first time.
“I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too.”
Then she kissed him again softly while the girls slept around them peacefully.
And for the first time in a very long time…
Daniel Cole finally understood what love really looked like.
- Writer
