When Love visits Again

A Friendly Stranger

As the father and his twins moved to the see-saws, we quickly made our way to the swings before anyone else could claim them. As I pushed Annie back and forth, she kept on complaining, asking me to push her higher like the father had with his twins.

But I was too scared to go too high, and we started arguing about it.

A deep voice suddenly interrupted our argument. "Need a hand with the princess? You're not doing her justice," the voice said.

As I turned to look at the source of this calm, voice I wasn't prepared for the perfection behind me. I was sure I was drooling badly at this rate, but I couldn't control myself. This man was just out of this world, even Vogue magazine cover wouldn't do him justice. He was a fine black man with a strong muscular body. For a moment I got lost just staring deep into his golden brown eyes.

“Hey, I'm Mike. He said with a smirk, cutting me off from my trance and extending his hand to shake mine. He held my hand while staring into my eyes waiting to hear my name.

Oh, hi Kiara, I'm Mike. I stumbled on my words before realizing my mistake. As he chuckled, I apologized almost inaudible, cursing myself for this awkwardness.

And this adorable Princess is?

He asked shaking Annie's hand.

“I'm Annie, nice to meet you, Sir. And my mom's Kiara. Aunt Elle says she has social anxiety so don't stress her up.” she added innocently looking at Mike.

“Ain't you a genius Princess Annie. Well, I'll be sure to be easy on your mom then, Princess Annie," he said, flashing a charming smile. "We wouldn't want to stress her out, right?"

I stood there, feeling all sorts of butterflies in my tummy and my cheeks warm as I watched the interaction between Annie and this handsome stranger. I felt like I was in a scene from one of my novels, my imagination running wild.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, "I'm not usually this...flustered. Just that I don't usually take part in chit-chats with strangers. "

Mike just smiled

"Don't apologize, Kiara," Mike said, his voice smooth and calming. "There's nothing to be flustered about. You're doing great."

I couldn't help but smile back, feeling a little more at ease in his presence. Annie seemed to like him, too, which was a good sign in my book.

"So, what brings you to the playground on such a beautiful day?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"Just taking a break from a work meeting, and this seemed like the perfect place to clear my head," he replied.

“Yeah, I see," I replied, nodding. "The playground is always a great place to unwind.” We got into an easy conversation as if we were old friends.

Soon Annie started bombarding him with a lot of questions. I even lost track of their conversation as I stood there admiring their interaction.

I was feeling all sorts of butterflies in my tummy, things I only knew from my fiction world. His constant glances and smiles at me were not doing me any justice at all.

"Mom, are you listening?" Annie asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, dear," I apologized. "What were you saying?”

"I was just telling Mike about our school Christmas party, Mommy," Annie said with a smile. "He's promised to come watch me as soon as he clears his schedules for next week.”

"Annie, aren't you too forward now," I said quickly, turning to Mike with an apologetic smile.

But Mom, we are supposed to bring a Dad, or grandpa, or even uncles to dance that other set with us. I don't have any of those people in my life, that's why I asked Mike. Besides he doesn't mind dancing with me, right Mike?" she asked smiling at him. I smiled embarrassed at her honesty.

"It's no big deal, Kiara, I also need to offload for a while and there's no better place to be other than with adorable little kids." He added ruffling Annie's hair.

My ever-energetic daughter, beaming with excitement, started dancing on the spot to show Mike her dance moves.

"This is how we'll dance at the party!" she said as she twirled around.

I laughed at Annie's enthusiasm, and Mike shook his head in amusement.

"That's quite an interesting dance, Annie," he said, grinning. "I'll make sure to practice it so that I'm perfect by Friday."

"Oh, and I'll be singing a Christmas carol solo!" Annie exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. "Ms Rivers says it's a special surprise for the parents since I'm a good singer."

"But Annie, you're not supposed to tell people about the surprise," I said, laughing. "It's supposed to be a secret until the big day."

"But Mom, I'm so excited!" Annie replied, bouncing on the spot. "I want to tell the whole world!"

"Well, you can tell us, but that's just it," I said, placing a finger to my lips. "We'll be the only ones who know."

"Not even Aunt Elle?" she asked.

"Not even Elle this time around, you have to show her your secret by surprising her at the party."

"Okay, I promise," Annie said, looking up at Mike with a mischievous grin. "But I think you'll really like my song. It's a famous Christmas song."

Mike smiled. "I'm sure it will be wonderful, Annie," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "We're looking forward to it."

"And Mom, we're all supposed to wear our best Christmas outfits. Do you think you can afford to buy me a pretty dress to wear just for the party?"

I smiled and nodded. "Of course, sweetheart," I replied. "We can go shopping for a dress this weekend. But only one dress will do. Do you have any idea what kind of dress you'd like?"

Annie's face lit up with excitement. "I want a red dress with sparkles and little white dots, I want to look like a famous singer!" she exclaimed.

"A red dress with sparkles? That sounds perfect for a Christmas artist like you," I said, smiling. "Maybe we can find one with a little crown to match."

Annie's eyes widened with delight. "Oh, Mommy, that would be amazing!" she exclaimed. "I'll be the prettiest princess at the party!"

I laughed and shook my head, smiling at my daughter's delightfulness. "Well, I'm sure you'll be the prettiest princess no matter what," I replied.

Mike took a glance at his watch, frowning. "I'm afraid I have to get back to the office," he said, standing up.

He reached out and took my phone, quickly exchanging numbers before handing it back to me. "I'm very glad I met you today. I'll come pick you up for the party," he promised, leaning in to give me a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to Annie and high-fiving her.

As we walked back home, Annie, couldn't stop talking about him. "Mike is the best, Mommy," she said, giggling.

"I'm sure he's going to be the best dance partner at the party."

"I hope he won't cancel on you, sweetheart."

Regardless of that, I smiled, suddenly feeling a warmth spread through my body, something I hadn't felt in a long time. Look at me being driven crazy by a stranger. I rolled my eyes.