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Chapter 16

Blanket sits on his bed with the phone pressed to his ear as he stares at the floor. I can hear the buzzing but don't want to call him out on it. 

When Blanket finally snaps the phone shut, he looks up and between Paris and I. "Well?" Paris says and Blanket's face remains expressionless. "He said he'll try." He whispers, looking at me. I look around nervously.

"That's good," Paris adds worriedly. "What'd he tell you?" he asks me. I can feel everyone's eyes as I answer, "He was happy to hear from me. . .and he wants to know how I found out about all of this." I wave my hands in the air for emphasis.

"Well, he told me he'll try. Try to come home." Blanket repeats. "When will we know when he comes? You know, home?" I ask and Blanket shakes his head. "We won't," he sighs. "The only way we'll know is if he actually shows up."

"Let's go watch that movie." Paris suggests and puts her arm around me. We walk out of Blanket's room and down the stairs. She removes her arm before we're down stairs and she leads me into their built in movie theater. "Why would my mom ever want to keep me from this?" I ask softly and look around astounded.

"What do you want to watch?" Paris asks. I'm glad she gave me a few moments of admiration. "I— uh, um. . .I don't know, what do you want to watch?" she slouches and smiles.

"Nat, I've seen just about every movie we have. I think you can pick." I smile and shrug. Just as I open my mouth to make a suggestion, she smiles and gapes and begins jumping. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" she says and I want to laugh at how excited she's getting, but I don't want to be rude. "Home videos!" she says loudly and I smile very wide.

"Home videos?" I ask and she nods repeatedly. "We have  to watch them. You were so cute!" she says and I tilt my head. "My mom told me I didn't have any videos from when I was younger."

"Yeah, that's because dad has them all. Come on we have to watch them!" she continues jumping until I agree, then she runs up to the projector booth and puts a tape in the slot. She presses play and runs back down to the many rows of seats and sits next to me. The first part of the video is the camera being zoomed up to my face and I smile and look up to the person who is holding the camera: Michael—dad, I mentally correct myself—as he begins talking to Blanket and I.

"Natalie," I can tell he was smiling from behind the camera. "Can you say Dada? Dada! Come on!" he tries to encourage my one-or-two-year-old self to speak, but all I do is smile.

Then, Blanket crawls in front of the camera and repeatedly says "Dada, Dada, Dada!" and dad chuckles. Paris and I laugh and I can't help but tear up. It hurts to know that if Blanket never went to my school, I would have never known about any of this, and I'm glad I do.

"Blanket always stole your thunder like that," Paris says and I turn to her. "After you guys got separated, he was never as talkative." I slowly nod and look down. 

That's because he lost his other half. I say in my head and continue watching the screen.

The camera shifts to Paris and Prince playing with Blanket and I. Paris was holding Blanket with one arm around his neck and the other under his left arm; like the way a small child would hold a cat.

Blanket was screaming. "No, Paris, do not hold him like that!" dad says and Paris's facial expression turns from happy and playful to angry. Dad puts the camera down and takes baby Blanket from Paris's dangerous hold and she cries and stomps. Prince is seen laughing while holding me on his lap. I keep touching his face and he keeps kissing me.

"You and Prince were best friends." Paris says and I smile. "Yeah, he told me." When the first video is over, Paris changes tapes and sits back in her seat next to me. In this video, Blanket and I are celebrating our third birthday. We are seen sitting in front of our cake with the candles still lit. Blanket and I's mother and father are standing behind us, making sure that we don't burn ourselves.

"Say your names and how old you're turning!" dad says and I can't help but let the tears fall when I hear my three year old self say: "I am daddy's princess and I'm gonna be three years old!"