My Precious Phoenix (Discontinued)

A Joyful Beginning

(Joe's POV)

*beep* *beep* *tick*

I slowly and drowsily get out of my bed and gather some clothes so I can take a shower. As I make my way to the bathroom downstairs, I notice a lavender duffle bag in the living room. Curious, I go to take a closer look. Upon closer inspection, I find an envelope that reads: to Joseph Torres (please read).

'Joseph Torres? That's my name!' I'm not sure who left this here, but it must be important. I open the envelope and read it.

'Joseph,

The girl on your sofa is very special. She does not know anything except basic communication and movement. She also lacks name and any memories that take place prior to you finding this letter. It is up to you to help her learn what she needs to know and make valuable memories with her. Please, give her a name and treat today as her birthday.

Take good care of her.

P.S. She will be very curious. Leave no question unanswered.'

I glance over at the couch to see a young girl who appears to be about 4 years of age sleeping on it. 'I don't have time for this. I need to be at work in half an hour. I suppose I'll deal with it when she wakes up, but first...a shower.'

After a quick shower, I call my boss and tell him I had a family emergency just come up. When he asked how much time I needed off, I say, "It's very serious, so I might have to take a short league of absence for the time being."

After an 'OK' from my boss, I end the call and return to the living room to find the little girl sitting up with a facial expression filled with curiosity. "Where am I?" she asks in the cutest voice I've ever heard.

"Well..." I think about how I'm going to phrase my response. "You're in my house." I begin in a gentle tone. "My name's Joseph Torres, but you can call me 'Joey' if you want." I pause to give her time to process what I just said.

"Doh...wee?"

I lightly chuckle as a response. "Actually. What do you feel comfortable calling me?" Almost instantly, she answers.

"Daddy!" she says with a smile. Did I hear that right? Daddy? Now it's my turn to process what I just heard. I suppose I will be taking care of her from now on, so I will be like a father to her.

"Ok, then!" I say, happily. "What do I call you?" The girl starts to cry as if something bad just happened. I take a seat on the couch next to her and bring her into an embrace to try and comfort her. "It's ok. If you don't have a name, I'll give you a name. How about... Phoenix Elise?"

She returns the hug and says, "It's pretty!" We keep the embrace for another minute or two. We break the embrace, and I give her a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't worry about a thing, ok? I'll always make time for you if you need me to." I say in a gentle tone.

***

It's been two weeks since Phoenix came into my life, and I have never been so happy to be caring for a kid. I gave her the spare bedroom to be her bedroom and some of my old toys and stuffed animals to play with. She'll get brand new toys for Christmas in two days. We found some TV shows she really enjoys. They're all little kid's shows such as 'Dora the Explorer,' 'My Little Pony,' and 'Paw Patrol.'

I also introduced her to my girlfriend, Anabel, and vice versa. Anabel didn't believe my explanation on what Phoenix was doing in my care until I showed her the note from my first day with Phoenix. Phoenix was a bit nervous. I'm not surprised. After all, Anabel was the first person she had met other than me.

Aside from meeting Anabel, Phoenix is smiling constantly. She always wakes up in a good mood. Today, she woke up with more enthusiasm than ever. That could be because we're going to meet my family today, hoping to pass her off as my adopted daughter.

When we arrived at my mom's house, she was instantly filled with fear after seeing my sister, Kathy, on the front porch. I managed to calm her down enough to go inside. As soon as we stepped inside, the fear came right back. She started to open up a little when mom offered her a cookie.

Mom pulls me into the other room. I'm assuming she wants me to explain Phoenix.

"So where'd the girl come from?" Called it!!

"Well, I adopted her a couple weeks ago." I begin. "I had been considering adoption for about a month prior. When I adopted her, I gave her the name 'Phoenix Elise.' And the reason I didn't tell anyone until now is because I wanted her to be surprise, and well...Surprise! You have a granddaughter now!"

Mom glances over at Phoenix, who's quietly and shyly sitting on the couch. "She does seem like a sweetie. How old is she?"

"She turned 4-years-old on the ninth. That's also the day I adopted her."

"Really? That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?" she questions in surprise.