𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟯

Play Pretend Police

The sun was brightly shining through the windows, casting a fresh and vibrant spring feel to the living room. I sit on the floor with my husband, Leon, and our five year old son, S/N. It was a rare moment of tranquility in our busy lives, and especially with Leon being home for the eighth consecutive day. He barely ever gets a full week at home before having to go do paperwork from his office or go out on some top secret mission. I'm cherishing every second of it, and I know our son is too. 

S/N bounces up onto his feet, childish excitement coursing through his veins. He looks just like his dad, but has my eyes, and Leon always has a habit of ruffling his hair like he does now. "What's up kiddo?" Leon drawls, the older age getting to him now as he sits up from his lazing position, avoiding sitting on a train set. 

"Let's play police man daddy!" S/N insists, eyes sparkling with hope. It's only recently he's been obsessing over police officers and the idea of being a cop, for his birthday Leon bought him a play pretend kit of police gear and a matching outfit, his eyes shone with emotion when we went out and bought it, and I knew that he was feeling a lot that day. Our son doesn't know Leon's history, he's too young to understand, so the coincidence of him loving cops is so strange yet heart warming. 

Leon nods, helping S/N put on the police cap and outfit, then he grins at S/N once it's all on, something like pride shining in his eyes. "Looking good buddy! Guess I'm the bad guy?" Leon asks, amused. I sit back and watch the playing unfold, waiting until I'm invited in. S/N nods enthusiastically, giggling when Leon crosses his arms and puts on a 'bad guy' face, which basically is a deep frown. I watch as both my boys begin playing, then Leon begins running around the living room as our son makes some siren noises, chasing after him. I laugh as Leon pretends to trip over and roll onto the floor, giving our son a chance to leap onto him. Leon's breath whooses from him at the impact, but he rolls around anyway, pretending to be caught as our son cheers. "You caught me! You're the best officer in town!" Leon exclaims. 

After, our son grabs my hand, pulling me into the fray. "You can be the bad guy now mommy!" He cheers, so I nod, wiggling my eyebrows, then I race to the kitchen, stealing three cookies and running off with them. S/N's eyes light up at the sight of the cookies, so he chases after me, plastic handcuffs dangling from his little fingers as he chases me. Leon laughs, grinning from ear to ear until I slow down and let our son catch me. I'm a little worn out from the playing, so we all once again end up sitting down, now each munching on a cookie. 

Leon nudges our son with his elbow gently, leaning down to talk to him. "You know" he begins in an introspective voice, "I used to be a police officer just like you."

S/N's eyes widen and a bit of cookie falls to the carpet. "Wow, that's so cool!" A look of admiration is all over his face, making my heart melt at the sight. Leon nods, a wistful smile plays on his lips, but the look in his eyes is a sad one. I scoot over, taking Leon's hand in my own as he reveals the information to our baby. 

"Yeah, it was a long time ago though, but then something happened and I had to stop." 

Our son frowns, licking his lips against the crumbs. "Why?" 

Leon smiles in place of looking saddened. "It's complicated buddy, but sometimes life doesn't go the way you think and you've gotta adapt and change." He says, opening his arm as our son crawls onto Leon's lap, wrapping his arms around Leon then reaching out for me. I hug him, feeling a sense of pride and tenderness from the interaction, I'm glad they've got such a good bond so Leon can open up and our son can listen. Leon's past is and will always be a part of him, and I'm happy he's not fully hiding it away, it makes me love him even more. 

Our son soon grows bored of being still again, and climbs off to go grab some more toys as Leon leans his head on my shoulder, his hand tightening around my own. "I know you were a great police officer," I softly say, "and you're an even greater father." 

Leon nods, letting out a contended sigh as his arm wraps around me, rubbing my side a little as he turns and kisses my neck. "Thank you honey," he whispers as our son looks over at us, "I'm just glad that I've got you and S/N, that's all I need." 

Together Leon and I sit there, soaking in the moment of being alive together and blessed with a sweet and kind son, who will no doubt grow up to be as compassionate and courageous as his daddy. My heart swells, as I reply. "I know, and we're glad to have you too, we love you so much."