Papa and Daddy (and Milly too!)

A Mommy?!

It stays with him, the comment about him needing companionship, and he can't quite shake it off, when, a week later, it's his turn to pick up Milly from school.

"At last!" Prae exclaims when she sees him in the playground, "I've been wanting to see you. There's only so many sarcastic comments I can handle from your worse-half!"

"Hey!" Kongpob warns, "Not my other-half at all! But yeah, he's an idiot, it's true."

Prae grins widely at him and calls out Milly's name to be picked up. While they wait for her to finish up her excited conversation with May and Em, Kongpob subtly shifts their chat to the thing he's been thinking about the whole week, "Kru Prae?" She nods gently at him and he takes a deep breath, "I was wondering if you might be free again this weekend?"

Prae smiles sweetly and cocks her head, "For another crazy sweet dinner?"

Kongpob smiles ruefully at the memory, "Perhaps.. or.. well.." He face-palms internally, normally he is so slick at talking to women and asking them out. Prae gives him an encouraging look and he musters his courage, "I thought, maybe the two of us could go somewhere, perhaps?"

"Oh?" She sounds interested and Kongpob opens his mouth to make a suggestion, when
Milly bounces up to them and greets them.

"Papa! It's you, at last! Kru Prae was so mad at Daddy for teasing her, weren't you?"

Prae grins at Milly, "You weren't supposed to say anything!"

Milly laughs, her delighted six year old laugh and looks between them, "You look like you've just bought my birthday presents and are trying to hide them from me, like you and Daddy do! What's going on?"

Kongpob shrugs at Prae, bemoaning his intelligent little girl's imagination; she's far too clever sometimes. "Nothing, Milly! Just catching up."

Unfortunately, at the same time Prae says, "Your dad and I are going to hang out, want to come?" And Milly leaps excitedly between them, clapping her hands.

"Daddy was right!" She exclaims and then grabs one of each of their hands and wiggles happily between them, "He said you would go out together and when I told May and Em they both said that you two would get married and I'd get a Mommy!"

Prae and Kongpob exchange a look and then Kongpob drops Milly's hand and bends at the waist to speak to her, lowering his voice, "Milly, don't listen to everything Daddy says, okay? Kru Prae and I are not going out with each other, we're just going to hang out together, like when Daddy and I do things together too. Just as friends. Also, remember Milly, you have a mommy already. Mommy Nam."

Milly sighs and gives him a look he knows well, "Mommy Nam is my birth mommy, yes, I know that Papa. But she's not a Mommy, mommy! Not like May's mommy or Em's mommy. She's just a.. what did Em say?" Her expression turns puzzled for a moment and then she looks at him the way Arthit sometimes does when he's trying to figure something out, like Kongpob has all the answers to the universe and beyond.

Then her smile comes back full force, the little dimple in her cheek hollowing out, "He says she's a stand-in mommy, til you or Daddy find me a real one!"

Kongpob's heart is beating so hard in his chest he can hear it thudding and his knees feel weak where he is crouching down. He has to gulp several times before he can speak, his expression wavering between total devastation and a watery smile. "Right," he says at last and then stands up, offering Milly his hand again, "Kru Prae, I'm sorry, can we arrange an outing for another day? I need to take Milly home now."

Prae nods in understanding and squeezes Milly's hand before dropping it and saying a gentle goodbye and then Kongpob turns and leads Milly out of school and towards his shop, fingers itching to grab his mobile and call Arthit.. now!