Page 139 of Daddy's Pride
“Kiki!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Yes, Kiki.” We had tried to see the sloths, but they weren’t available today and while Jamie was disappointed, he wasn’t overly sad because he knew he’d get up close and personal with them at SeaWorld.
“I love koalas so much.”
“More than sloths?”
“Nope, the same.”
A million pictures later, into the Urban Jungle store we went for stuffie number three. A koala cousin for Kiki. On the way out, we hit the main gift shop and we each picked out a beach towel for tomorrow’s beach trip.
Huge reusable shopping bag in hand, I loaded one very tired boy into the vehicle. “Did you get to see all the animals you wanted?”
“Oh, Daddy, it was so wonderful. I didn’t get to see a panda like Patty, but I did get to see a red panda and they were really cute. No Sloffers but we will see his family at SeaWorld.” Yawn. “My feet hurt but it was totally worth it. Can I soak them in the ocean at the hotel?”
“Yes, you may soak them in the bay.” Though it was likely I would have to wake him up for that. “I think dinner in the room again tonight. What do you say?”
“Yes, please, Daddy.”
Sure enough, I had to wake Jamie to get him inside, but he did keep his word to soak his feet in the water. He barely made it through dinner before I hauled him off to shower and tucked him in. He was asleep before I had finished getting ready for bed.
The next morning, I let him sleep in since nothing we were doing today came with any time restraints. I was checking the daily news and emails on my iPad when he woke.
“Morning, Daddy.” I smiled at his cute, yawny mumble.
“Good morning, my sleepy boy. How do feel today?”
“Still kinda seepy and a little sore, but good. Today we get to see the ocean, right? We can relax, lie in the sun, and dip our toes in the water.”
“That we will. I am taking you to Pacific Beach. You can swim there, too.”
“The ocean is gorgeous, but scary. I think I’ll only go in to my knees if that’s okay?”
“Of course it is. I never want you to do anything that scares you. Stoplights are effective for more than just sex. If something makes you nervous or is scary, all you have to do is say no or red and it stops.”
“Like clowns?”
“Ha-ha. Yes, my love, like clowns, though Daddy is not a fan either.” Why in the hell would anyone think a clown was fun entertainment for a child? They were scary as fuck with all the crazy makeup and evil cackles.
We took our time with breakfast and lounged around for a bit before we left. Once we’d parked, I reached behind my seat in the car and handed my boy the bag that was there.
“Another prezzie, Daddy?”
“Yes. It makes Daddy’s heart happy to give you gifts.”
“A sandcastle set and bucket!” Jamie jumped forward to hug me, but the seatbelt yanked him back. “Stupid seatbelt. I wanna hug my Daddy.” He scowled at the safety device.
“Here.” I released the belt and hugged him.
“Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweet boy. Now, let’s go look for seashells.”
“Yay! Seashells.”
Thankfully it was a weekday, and most were at work, so the crowd was light. We claimed an area of the beach and laid our towels out on it. After we snapped a couple of selfies with the ocean in the background, I slathered my boy in SPF50 and off he went, giggling as the waves drenched him. I dove in and swam a bit, but Jamie didn’t like that at all, so I stayed above water next to him after that.
“Daddy, when I can’t see you, I worry the ocean got you. It scares me.”