The Pole Dancer

Chapter 35

After a few days...

"Hey honey! What are you doing?" Jenice knocks on her daughter's bedroom door which is open.

Sarah is on the floor, playing with her doll collection.

"Playing," she says simply, looking at the dolls.

"You need something?"

"No," she says slowly and pauses for a while. "I miss daddy," she puts the dolls down, her puppy eyes fixed on her mother. "When will he come back?"

"Soon honey," Jenice sighs and sits on the floor next to her. "He misses you a lot too."

"Do you miss him too?"

"Yes, I do miss him," sighs his mother, barely able to control her tears and forces a smile.

"I was hoping he would be home when my first milk tooth comes out," Sarah opens her mouth, shaking a bottom tooth that is barely embedded in the gum. "He told me how Tooth Fairy would come to put money under my pillow."

"The tooth looks ready to fall out," Jenice cautiously looks into the little girl's mouth. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you pull it out?"

"No! I want daddy to come home first. I will take care to keep the tooth like this until he comes."

Tom the cat gets his way in the room, looking bored at Jenice and Sarah, smelling something in the air and falling to the floor, taking a nap.

"It will fall in the end," Jenice giggles. "I'm actually surprised that it hasn't happened yet. My first baby tooth got stuck in an apple while I was eating. I was about to eat it," laughs Jenice.

"You would have grown more teeth in your belly, mommy," the little girl laugh too.

They both look at each other laughing. Their laughter is diminished by the wheels of a car on the gravel in front of the house.

Sarah's eyes all of a sudden light up. Staring at her mother in puzzlement, she gets up and perches on the window.

Jenice has a smile on her face.

"Daddy!" The little girl bangs her hands on the window, seeing Nikki getting out of the car.

Jenice also goes to the window, seeing a smiling Nikki, waving at them.

"Daddy has come back home!" Sarah shrieks as blithely as she could. "Mommy! Did you know?" The little girl points her finger at Jenice.

"Maybe?" Jenice waves her hands in the air, smiling.

Sarah storms off the room, Jenice yelling at her to pay attention as she comes down the stairs. Sarah is at the top of the stairs when the door opens and Nikki appears.

"Daddy!" She shouts from the top of her lungs.

Jenice follows her, going down the stairs. Nikki lowers himself with open arms and the little girl lands in her father's arms.

"Hey princess," he says. "How are you? I missed you."

"I missed you too, daddy," Sarah is looking at him now. "I didn't know you would come."

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he smiles, ruffling her wavy hair.

"Daddy, look!" The little girl opens her mouth and moves her tooth.

"It seems that someone will be visited by Tooth Fairy soon," he says gently.

"That's if her tooth falls out," Jenice is heard walking towards them, Nikki instantly raises his eyes to her, which shine. "She doesn't want me to help her remove the tooth at all."