Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.
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HOME – 12:24 p.m.
Cami was seated at the desk when we entered. She’d lifted her head off her propped palm. The Bachendorf’s bag, hung by the straps from her dangling fingertips. “Did I do something wrong, daddy?”
“Oh, no, Cami… Not at all.”
“You’re mad or disappointed in me.”
I took a seat at the foot of the bed. I leaned, placing my hand on her knee. “May I try to explain?”
Cami nodded.
“Let me first say that it has nothing at all to do with you personally. It’s all on me… I have this suspicion… Call me crazy. Sway thinks I’m going overboard or something, I don’t know…”
“About the virus?”
“She told you?”
“I asked about all the food and stuff.”
“It makes sense, doesn’t it?”
Cami looked to Sway. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know about that kind of…”
“Okay, don’t worry about it. The point I was trying to get across to Sway is that…”
“I spent too much, didn’t I? I should have asked. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Whoa… Cami, don’t get upset. Please. I get it… Look, that was my initial thought. I won’t lie. I felt it was foolish. But when Sway talked to me and told me how much it meant to you, I got it.
“But you have to realize, my brain right now is stuck in survival mode. I have to be sure we have enough food and money to make it if we have to stay in and wait it out.
“And yes. I may totally be overreacting. But what harm is it? Why not be prepared? If they say it’s all over and that the virus is contained or gone or whatever, we can keep living like we’re living, right?”
Sway cut in. “Okay… How about you try on the watch?”
I turned to her. “You’re almost as excited about it as I am.”
“I want my daddy with some bling.”
“Okay, let’s see what we got.”
Cami handed me the bag. I looked into it, removing the box. “You know, this bag is as nice as… We can save that for something later.”
“He didn’t even see it, Cami.”
I searched. “What? See what?”
Sway laughed. “Look in the bag, man, there’s a card.”
“Oh, shit! Well, which one do I do first? The card or the watch?”
“The card, baby.”
“I’m not used to gifts…” I set the box onto my lap and removed it from the envelope. I opened it. I paused, looking at Cami and then to Sway.
“Read it out loud. I want to hear.”
“She didn’t show it to you? It’s blank, Sway. There’s nothing on it.”
I looked to Cami. “Andre… Daddy…there is no card that can express how much these couple of days have meant to me.
“Please accept this gift as a token of my appreciation. You…and Sway will forever be in my heart.” She looked to Sway. “I still can’t believe what you guys have done for me.”
“Now you see, Cami, and you too, Sway, those words mean more than anything that money can buy.”
Sway countered. “Andre! Will you please try on the motherfucking watch?!”
“Okay, woman! Shit!” I held it in my hand, looking to Cami. “And as long as you’re here with us, I will do everything in my power to protect you…even if I have to put my life or my freedom on the line.
“And I know I speak for Sway when I say this, but you’re welcome here with us for as long as you want.”
“I’ve never been wanted anywhere.”
“Well, you are now. Consider this, and wherever we go from here, your home.”
“Thank you.”
“Speaking of home… Don’t forget, we’re going apartment hunting today. I’ve been online and I’ve already marked some places that I think you both will like.”
Sway cut in. “Okay, now you’re just fucking with me. Baby, can you please open the box and try on the watch?”
I raised the lid. “This looks better than it did in the store.”
Cami was filled with anxiousness. “It’s the one you wanted, right, daddy? The saleslady said it was the one you tried on. The same one…”
“It’s exactly what I wanted, Cami. It’s perfect.” I released the clasp, sliding my wrist into the opening. I snapped it closed.
“She set the time, the date, and everything.”
“It looks beautiful on you. Just that one accessory changes the whole look, doesn’t it, Cami?”
“Bet.”
“Stand up, baby.”
I rose to my feet. I looked in the mirror, posing my arm in different positions. “It does look good. It’s a big come-up.” I rested my hands in the tops of my pockets. “Yeah… Look at that… Look at that man with that Rolex. A real Rolex.”
Creole Gaudet
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