You Outshine the Morning Sun

Lin

I'm glad Cam had a day out with Pippa. I was hoping they could bond more; that Cam would accept her into her life. She'd really never had a mother figure in her life. My sister tried to step in when she could, but she didn't live that close by. Pippa was the first woman that Cam lived with.

In the morning, Cam came out to the kitchen and proudly showed me her wavy hair. Pippa had braided it while it was wet last night and they'd just taken it out. She beamed with excitement. Cam stood at the counter as Pippa used a comb to pull it back into a half-ponytail. I knew nothing about styling girls' hair, obviously. The best I could do was a ponytail.

It was Sunday, so we didn't have anywhere to be in a hurry. We lazed around the house all morning. Pippa decided that she would be telling the powers that be that she wouldn't be renewing her contract with Hamilton on Monday. She was a little nervous about it, but I assured her it was part of the business. Many of the original cast were starting to leave after a year and a half.

As the weeks passed, Cam seemed to be getting more comfortable with Pippa. She still wasn't a big fan of Molly, but she was nice for the most part. Every once in a while, she reached her limit.

One Saturday afternoon, I was collecting laundry from everyone's rooms when I overheard Cam and Pippa having some girl talk.

"How do you know if a boy wants to kiss you?" Cam asked my wife. I couldn't help it. I stopped outside the door and eavesdropped. My Cam? Thinking about kissing a boy?

"Well, does he seem to like talking to you?" Pippa asked.

"Yeah, we talk all the time," she said. "But we talk about stuff like soccer and video games."

"Do you think he flirts with you?"

"What's flirting?"

"Well, does he joke around and tease you?"

"A little bit," she said.

"Does he smile at you a lot?"

"Uh-huh," she replied.

"I think he likes you," Pippa said. "And I think you should kiss him."

"Really?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yep," Pippa said.

"But what if he doesn't want to?"

"I doubt that's true," she said.

"So...how do I kiss him?"

"You lean in a little bit and close your eyes when you get close. Then just gently purse your lips a little bit."

I remembered how exciting it was when I first started thinking about girls. The first kiss was a big deal. I'm glad that Cam had Pippa to talk to. She'd never come to me about something like this.

"You could try holding hands first," Pippa suggested. "Then you'd know for sure that he likes you."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Cam decided. "I'll see if he wants to hold my hand at recess."

"But don't kiss at school," Pippa advised her. "That's not very special. See if he wants to hang out."

"Okay," she said. I cleared my throat outside the door and walked in with the laundry basket. "Hi Daddy."

"Hey, peanut," I said as I went to her laundry basket. I emptied her darks into mine. Cam would probably be embarrassed if I brought up the topic to her, so I just left it be. Later on, when Pippa and I were alone, I asked her about it.

"Who's this boy you two were talking about?" I asked her as we made our bed with fresh sheets.

She smiled. "His name is Justin. And you're not allowed to ask her about him."

"Is that right?"

"She came to me in confidence," she said. "Were you eavesdropping, Lin-Manuel?"

"Maybe," I smirked as we pulled up the sheet together. "As she gets older I know she's not gonna come to me with things. Do you mind having the sex talk with her?"

"Now?" she asked.

"Maybe it's a bit early. But in the next couple years. If she's already kissing boys, though...."

"Yes, I'd be happy to have the talk with her," she said. "I think she's starting to trust me enough now."

"I agree," I said. As a family, we'd slipped into a routine. It was all second nature now. Our little family of four. It was a bit mind-boggling to realize that a little over a year ago, it was just Cam and me. I had a hard time imagining life without them now.