Chapter Five
1565 Words
Donovan managed to find the daycare center alright. He hated daycare centers. They were over run with little kids. He was not even sure what this Shelly looked like. He hoped to be picking up the right child there in the day care center or his help would be for nothing at all.
He walked into the day care center. Kids were running around screaming. Some were in a corner crying over something. One was reading by the little book nook. He began to feel overwhelmed by it all.
He saw two teachers there. And too many kids. This was why he did not want his child in a center. His child would not get the proper attention. His child would have to fight for attention with all the others.
"May I help you sir?" a lady finally notices him standing there. She grabs a little boy and a tissue from a Kleenex box. She wipes his nose.
"I am here to pick up my friends daughter" he explains.
"Do you have permission to?" she worries. "Sorry I am sure you are perfectly fine. But we have to be careful" she warns.
"I understand that. Yes I have permission to pick her up. Her name is Shelly Carter" he replies.
"Oh yes! Sawyer's little girl. Sawyer just called us to tell us a man was coming by to pick up Shelly. Are you Donovan?" the lady grills more questions on him. He nods.
"That I am" he tells her.
"Shelly? Shelly dear come over here" calls out the worker. "Shelly your mother's friend is here to pick you up"
"Where is mom?" a little girl pipes up suddenly. She looks out from a little tent she was hiding under. Her friends had made some kind of fort.
"Shelly your mother sent this man to pick you up" says the worker.
"I never saw him before. I don't know him" says Shelly. She looked a bit worried as she eyed Donovan.
"Hi there Shelly....I am your mother's new boss. My name is Mr. Spencer. Your mother is watching my son right now. I was on my way home from work. So I told her I would pick you up" Donovan explains to the four year old. Shelly's pretty brown eyes look over at him shyly. She still did not say a word to him.
"Shelly listen now. Go get your back pack. And the drawing you did should be dry now" warns the teacher. Shelly nods then rushes over to the cubby's to get her back pack.
"She will be fine. Shelly is a very shy girl" the teacher informs him.
"I see" he tells her.
"Most kids with one parent in the home are" says the teacher.
"Why is that so?" he wants to know. He was a single father.
"Well simple. Without the help of the other parent to give a child the courage they need all the time is hard. So the child might not have all the courage they can get. With one parent in the home, it makes it harder on the parent. The parent does not have all the time that the child needs. When there is two in the home one parent at a time can give the child so much attention. Giving the child courage and giving the child a head start" the lady explains.
"I am a single father myself. You do not think I can give my child all the attention he needs with just me alone?" Donovan demands to know. This lady was pushing his buttons. And not in a good way.
"Oh, well sometimes it can. But most of the time the child is not getting all they need being in a single parent house hold" she warns. Donovan did not care for this lady or her attitude at all.
"Ready to go Shelly?" Donovan asks the little girl who stood there shyly holding her
My Little Pony back pack as she looked up at him. She nods yes. He holds her hand out to her. She shyly takes his hand. He leads her out of that day care.
"How was your day? Did you do something fun?" Donovan attempts to make small talk with the girl. No reply as they make their way to the limo.
"Do you have a favorite color? Or snack?" he asks the little girl. Nothing again. The limo driver opens the door for them to get in. Shelly looks over the limo curiously before getting in.
"Where is the seatbelt? I have to wear one" Shelly questions at last. Donovan digs in the seat beside her to pull out a seatbelt he never wore in there.
"Here we go" Donovan tells her as he helps to strap her in. "All set"
His phone rings. It was Sawyer.
"Hey did you pick her up alright?" Sawyer asks him.
"She is here with me right now" he promises her.
"Oh Donovan thank you so much!" Sawyer gushes.
"She sure does not talk much" he mentions.
"Sorry who does not talk much?" asks Sawyer.
"Shelly here" he mentions.
"No she is rather shy" laughs Sawyer.
"I can see that. Well we are on the way now" he informs her.
"See you guys soon. I owe you one Donovan" she says happily.
"No worries" he promises before they hang up. Shelly looks at him curiously. Like she is not sure what to think of him.
"So is that a drawing? Do you like art?" he asks her. He looks over her drawing after taking it from her.
"Who is this? Mommy?" he asks her as he points to the lady in the picture. Shelly nods yes.
"Beautiful. I could tell" he says as he smiles her way. Shelly smiles back at least.
"You look just like your mother" he says.
"I do?" Shelly asks suddenly.
"You do. You have her pretty smile" he points out. Shelly grins. He was finally getting her to talk at least.
"What kind of funny car is this? Who is driving us?" wonders Shelly. "Is this a black taxi cab?"
"No this is not a taxi. This is what is called a limo. I have someone drive me places" he explains.
"It is nice" she says.
"That it is" he agrees. He opens the window at the top. Shelly curiously gazes up.
"Neat" she giggles.
He plays music for them. Classical tunes come playing for them.
"This is a neat car. I wish we could have one" Shelly remarks.
Soon they came to his home at last. He wondered how Sawyer was doing with Evan that day. Donovan yawns. Maybe tonight would be the day Evan would sleep all through the night. He could only hope. Donovan was desperate for a nap. The limo parked in front of his home.
"Welcome to my home" Donovan tells a shy Shelly.
"Wow, you live here?" Shelly remarks as she looks around the place once she was out.
"I do" he tells her.
She places her hand in his once more. He smiles feeling pleased she took a liking to him. He comes walking in the place. As he opened the door Norton comes rushing at him with excitement.
"You have a doggy? I love doggies!" squeals a happy Shelly. Norton wags his tail coming over to greet Shelly.
"Want to see him do a trick?" asks Donovan.
"Sure" Shelly laughs.
"Up Norton" Donovan demands as he commands with his right hand.
He has Norton jump up on his hind legs. He makes his hand circle around. Norton circles on his legs doing a little dance making Shelly laugh with delight.
"Wow" she giggles. Norton lets Shelly pet him.
"Let's go find your mother" Donovan tells her. He heads around the home looking for Sawyer. He finds her in the kitchen cooking dinner! She did not have to! He had a cook!
"It smells wonderful in here" Donovan remarks. Sawyer looks up and smiles.
"Thanks! I wanted to repay you for your kindness" she tells him.
"Mom! Mr. Spencer has a dancing doggy!" laughs Shelly as she hugs her mother.
"I saw. I did not know Norton could dance. Help mom set the table for Mr. Spencer" demands Sawyer.
"Okay mom" says Shelly.
"Plates are over there on the counter" Sawyer tells her daughter.
"Thank you. For everything" yawns Donovan.
"You go take a nap. Let me handle it" Sawyer demands to Donovan.
"No, I got if from here" he says.
"You go take a nap. I will look after things. Free of charge right now" she offers. She smiles. His heart warms toward that.
"Alright" he agrees. She smiles.
He heads out of the room. He checks on Evan. He was sleeping in his play pen in the living room. Donovan undoes his tie. He lays on the long couch. It felt so good to rest. He closed his eyes the moment his head hit the pillow.
He knew he did the right thing by hiring Sawyer. Norton jumps on his lap suddenly. Donovan opens his eyes slowly. Norton stared back at him with a leash in his mouth. Norton wanted to go on a walk.
"Not right now buddy. Not right now" yawns Donovan as he lays his head back down and closes his eyes for a little cat nap.
•♥•♥•♥•♥•♥•♥•♥•♥•
- Writer
