Someone Like You | Toni Kroos

Chapter 30 - DJ, Cowboy, Daddy's Pet

Toni's POV

"Will I ever hear you call me mama, huh?" Gabi asked Johann as she jiggled a rattle toy in front of him.

"Muhhhhh," was all he said in response.

"Mama," Mia grinned at her, as if she understood and she was reassuring her, although I was sure she was just repeating it after Gabi.

Gabi reached over and smoothened Mia's hair. "Hey, Mia," she said, and Mia made a kissy face at her. In response, Gabi made one too, but she couldn't kiss her because Johann was sat in between them.

We were in the car on a road trip to San Sebastián, and I'd been driving for almost two hours. Gabi and the twins were in the backseat, and fortunately they'd been really obedient during the ride so far. In fact, they were obedient most of the time anyway, and that in itself was a blessing.

"Will you at least say your name?" Gabi continued coaxing Johann. "Say 'Johann.'"

"Yo," was all he said.

"Yo!" I greeted, laughing, and Gabi rolled her eyes at me.

"Yo-hahn," she said, stroking Johann's blonde hair gently. "Yo...hahn."

"YO!" he screeched, wriggling about in his little booster seat.

"Well, there goes my football dreams for you, my son," I teased. "You'll be a DJ."

"Toni!" she exclaimed. "Concentrate on the road."

"Okay, fine," I said, still watching them from the rearview mirror. The road ahead was rather quiet and straight, anyway.

She turned back to Johann. "Say 'yo' again," she instructed.

"Yo," he repeated obediently.

"Good, baby, you're halfway there. Now say 'hahn.'"

"YOOOOOOOOOO," Johann screeched.

"No, baby, don't say 'yo' anymore. Say 'hahn.'"

"YOOOOOOOOOO," he said again.

I burst out laughing. "See? He's totally gonna be a DJ."

Gabi ignored me. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhnnnn," she dragged it out so Johann would listen.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaa," Johann said – and then he just stopped there. "Ha!"

"That's his DJ name," I narrated. "DJ Yooha."

Much to my surprise, Gabi burst out laughing instead of getting mad at me. "Oh, that sounds so adorable," she giggled.

"It's not supposed to sound adorable, it's a DJ name!" I exclaimed. "Yooha. Okay, it does sound a little adorable."

"He sounds like a little cowboy," she sighed, messing up his blonde locks.

"YOOHA," Johann repeated, as if to confirm her point.

"That's not your name, baby," she poked him on the cheek.

"Baby," he mumbled, distracted by his little cloth football.

"Say 'yo-hahn.'"

There was a short period of silence when suddenly, Johann dropped his little football on the floor. He wriggled about in his seat for a few moments before he realised he was never going to reach it, and he slumped over lazily over the front. Then, just as it looked like he was going to give up and start playing with another toy, he called for help with a single word, "Mama...?"

Gabi, who had been staring at the road ahead, spun around and stared at him. She didn't bend over to pick up the toy; she just stared at him. And he stared back at her anxiously. "Mama," he called again, jabbing his finger urgently towards the fallen football.