Little Wonder (Phan)

Eighty-Nine.

"Phil you're almost 35!" Cackling at Phil's misfortune of turning old made me grin brighter than a child on Christmas, which I'd been pretty happy about since that was the time Phil decided he would give me my ring again. It was a very Merry Christmas after all, especially later at night. I probably shouldn't go into detail right now but let me tell you there are some very new and some very exciting poses that I didn't even know existed. Thank you Mae for bringing me to your yoga classes. "How does it feel to become an old man?" Scrunching up my nose I snickered as the expressions on his face, he obviously didn't feel to cheery about my teasing. Poking at his cheek I beamed before looking at the doors to the school. While I'd been away Phil had Winnie placed in public school. She was in Primary, Key Stage 2. (I am American and am following what the Wiki says about how to say that, if you're from the European countries please tell me if that's good.) I didn't quite believe him at first mostly because public school had messed both of us up just a bit inside, but I knew that it was probably for the best. She didn't met many kids her own age, not since Tabitha had moved away. Which was a real shame, I was certain that something was going to happen between the two of them. Strumming my fingers along the inside of the car I let out a bored sigh. "How long does school go on for again? I'm tired of waiting, can we go and nap?"

But I knew that wasn't even an option, mostly because the school bell rang and the kids began to flee out of the building with glee. Though I noticed that Winnie was among the last few. She was slowly walking with a boy, and seeming very interested in their conversation. "That's Miles." I heard that knowing tone in Phil's voice and I looked back to make sure I wasn't mistaken. "Oh my -- she's only 8, Dan!" He seemed plenty amused now. "No, they're just good friends, trust me on that one. Though I don't doubt that he'll find himself interested in her in the future. She's growing up to become a beautiful girl." That was one of the things I was worried about for the future. Some man or woman coming along and taking my little girl with them, or worse, them breaking her heart. I pouted as they came to the car and I felt like a cat, ready to hiss at him to go away and never come back. But I felt Phil tap my arm and I knew I'd better behave. He got into the car like it was no big deal, not even seeming to realise that I was there, or Phil for that matter, until he was buckled in and finally looked anywhere else but Winnie. He was shocked.

"Win, you didn't tell your other dad was back!" He had disbelief in his eyes and I had disbelief in my mind. Had she actually told this stranger what had happened with our family? But then it slowly made sense to me that he wasn't a stranger to her, she'd been in public school for almost 3 months and they were probably close friends. They probably told each other everything. With another pout and didn't even look at Phil as we drove him home. Good, now I knew where he lived if he ever thought to hurt Winnie in any way. "It was nice meeting you, Mr Lester." But I knew that I couldn't be impolite so I just nodded and kept my gaze forward. "I don't think that your dad likes me very much, see you at school, Win." I watched him go into his rather small house and then looked back at Winnie. But if I was to guess, she was anything but happy now.

Before I could even ask her what was wrong she snapped at me with, "Papa! You probably just embarrassed me the most I've ever been in my entire life! I know you don't exactly know what happened the entire time you were gone and you've never liked new people, but that does not give you the right to be rude to my friends!" She stayed silent the rest of the trip and was had locked herself in her room as soon as we got home. Phil didn't say a word either and I began to suspect that he was also upset me, or thinking, or both. It was probably both. He wasn't one to verbally get upset, that had always been me when we had fought in the past. But I had a feeling he wasn't going to let me off easy with a glare this time. I hadn't even tried to address the boy. I rubbed my hands together and tried to get close but every time I even tried he would evade me and continue on doing what he was doing. Which was pretty much evading me so he had that down to a tee. But eventually I got my arms around him and I was sadly hugging his back.

"You know you could've been a little less rude to Miles, he's been a good friend to Winnie since her Papa went missing." That hit me right in the heart and I stumbled back, but he didn't stop there. "And she hasn't been able to make friends easily at school, What with one of her parents missing, she also gets made fun of by the 'popular' girls for having two dads. They claims that her real parents didn't love her enough so we were forced to take her in. Do you know how hard that is on an 8 year old?" He was knowing walking towards me as I backed up, until my back was against the wall. I knew all this anger wasn't from me just basically ignoring Miles, there was an expression of stress and sleep deprivation in his features. When was the last time he'd gotten a decent night's sleep? "Dan, this hasn't been any easier on her than it has been on me." Was he regretting coming back to get me? "I love you, I do, and I am never letting you get away from me like that again, but it was a little sudden, you being thrown back into our lives. Okay, that came out wrong. It was hard for Winnie. She'd just gotten used to it, in fact, and I am not saying this proudly, she became so used to it that she started making up lies and saying her mummy was away for awhile and wasn't going to be back. That was why I was the only one to pick her up, and why she didn't look a thing like me. She got it all from her mummy." You could've swore that he was foaming at the mouth, like a rabid dog. I was pinned against the wall with a hand flat on it either side of my head. "So maybe next time you could think to be a little bit more polite, hm?"

And then he did something I didn't think he would do, he raised his hand at me. But he didn't strike, he had enough common sense to stop before he did something he would regret. He gave me a look of pain, grief, and sorrow and stumbled back. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. I've been having a bit of -- I've had some anger issues." That wasn't like Phil, and it occurred to me that maybe something major had happened in the few months I'd been gone. I sat him down on the couch and joined him. "I know it's hard to accept new people into your life, especially when they are out to be friends with Winnie, but we've just got to accept that she's growing up and some things we cannot dictate." Letting out a sigh he rested his head on my shoulder. "Dan, there's something that happened, something bad, and it happened when you were gone." There it was, something to trigger the panic alarm. He gave me a small smile, "It was my mum." And then that triggered the anger alarm. "While you were gone I was. .. unfit to be a parent. I didn't do rash things, I just wasn't alway there for Winnie. Dodie was there though, it wasthe only reason she left us alone. I think she was secretly hoping I'd fall in love with her and leave you. To bad for her but I already love Dodie, like a sister." He still hadn't gotten to the really bad part and it was beginning to panic me even more. "So, while I was being an unfit parent, mum decided to visit and 'check up on us.' Something tells me she somehow figured out what was going on and called CPS on us." That spiked my anger even more. "She tried to get Winnie out of my custody and into hers. She thought that she could win. She even fought with the argument that 'two dads cannot raise a little girl, a little girl needs a mummy.' Can you believe that?" He scoffed, he'd closed his eyes and his head was now resting on my lap as my fingers traveled through his hair. "I managed to win by saying she has plenty of motherly figures. Louise, Dodie, Marzia, and even Carrie and Signe, though we haven't seen them as much." He calmed down a bit and I swore I saw tears in his closed eyes but he just wiped them away. "And then you came back and things have been settled down since but I still am -- she still comes around. I don't think she knows that you've come back yet and -- I think she's convinced that me and Dodie are, you know, together."

"Lucky for me I have such a loyal husband in the presence of such a pretty girl." I peppered his lips with kisses before smiling and pushing back to sit upright. "Now stop moping, you are all right and so am I." Peppering his face with kisses now I smiled. "Now how about we go talk to our daughter and see if she'll accept my apology?"

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WHO IS MILES HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM????? NOT THE MILES MCKENNA YOU ALL KNOW I JUST LIKE THE NAME MILES. And I think it was Vee I told, but there are no one showing characters in this story. Mama Lester will rise again. SHE WILL RISE WOMAN.