Secrets

Part Four: THP -- Promises

[August 7, 2014]

Mike dug his spoon into the dark chocolate ice cream he was holding, scooping up a bit that had the brownie smashed inside it. There was strawberry ice cream dripping from Otis' chin, and sprinkles around Abi's mouth. Anna was laughing at something one of the children had said, and Josie was eating graham crackers next to him between bites of the ice cream he was helping her with. The ice cream shop wasn't crowded in the middle of the week on an afternoon, and Mike had his hat pulled low over his eyes. He wasn't worried he'd be recognized.

It was their last family moment before he left out on tour again, and even though it was only for a month, Mike felt compelled to make sure that he spent every second he could with his kids. He looked around at their sweet faces and felt a pang of regret knowing how much they missed him when he was away. He loved them all, but he was especially close to his youngest. The sweet baby girl whose announcement had shocked him, the baby that pulled him back to his family when he'd been drifting away. The baby that was now a toddler.

He reached over and curled a lock of Josie's hair around his finger. "I love you, baby girl," he cooed, smiling as she cried, "love oo!"

"Papa, when will you be back?" Otis asked as he wiped his chin with the back of his hand.

"Use your napkin, son," Mike instructed. "I'll be back in four weeks. The middle of September." He watched as his son's face dropped into a pout. "Hey, it's not too long. I'll Facetime you every night," he promised.

"An' me!" Abi screeched from across the table. "Me, too!"

Mike nodded. "And you. And baby girl. All of you."

"And mama?" Otis asked, his little face worried.

Anna caught Mike's eyes as he nodded his head. "Of course, buddy. Mama too."

The kids continued their chatter as Anna regarded Mike. She hoped she wouldn't have to explain to Otis why Papa forgot to call every night like he'd promised. Mike always started tours with good intentions, then his calls would slip to every other night, then twice a week. She had to admit that since the children had been old enough to really talk back he'd been better about calling, but she knew that the promise of Facetime every night just wouldn't last. She wished he hadn't said anything at all.

They were upstairs an hour later, and Mike was zipping his suitcase when she finally said something about it.

"Are you really going to Facetime Otis every night?" she asked, her forehead wrinkled in worry. "You know how he is, Mike. He'll know if you forget."

Mike sighed as he stood up, lifting the handle on his suitcase. "I know. As soon as I said it I regretted it. It's hard, we get so busy out on the road..."

Anna bit her tongue. She wanted to cut in, to tell him that if he'd just come to his room after the show and go to bed instead of spending time with Chester, he'd have time to call his kids. But she held back, continuing her promise to herself to be supportive. "I just hate it when he's disappointed. Maybe you can set a reminder or something." She pointed to Mike's phone that was laying on the bed.

"That's actually a good idea," Mike said appreciatively. "You know I don't forget on purpose, Anna." He eyed her speculatively, wondering if she was about to start an argument about Chester right as he was leaving.

To his relief, she didn't say anything, she just nodded and watched as he set himself a reminder for each night. Once he was finished, and his phone stowed in his pocket, she closed the distance between them, sliding her arms around his waist. "I'll miss you," she murmured into his chest, breathing in his scent deeply.