Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

Skye

"L et's go already," barks Kayla as Finn lifts Maddie into his arms.

"I love you, sunshine."

"Come home soon, Daddy!" She affectionately cups her tiny hands around his handsome face.

Finn kisses the top of her head. "I will."

Kayla scoffs. "Seriously, Phineas, what part of not being late don't you understand?"

"Okay, okay." Kissing Maddie one more time, he sets her down and looks at me. A mixture of frustration and worry flickers in his eyes.

I give him a reassuring smile. "Finn, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her. We're just going to low-key it and stay inside."

"Thanks," he murmurs as Kayla hooks her arm in his and smirks at me.

"Have fun." The noxious woman leads him to the front door after he and Maddie exchange a final affectionate goodbye.

My heart sinks to my stomach as they disappear and I hear Finn's Land Rover drive off.

"Scarlet, are you okay?" asks Maddie, taking my hand. "You look sad."

I must be wearing my gloom on my face. My precocious child is so perceptive.

I nod and squeeze her hand. "I'm okay, sweetie." The warmth of her little hand in mine radiates through me. My spirits lift. My daughter is indeed a ray of sunshine.

Her face brightens with a hint of mischief. "Scarlet, let's play hide-and-seek!"

I mull over her suggestion. The thought of her having another asthma attack while hiding, unable to be found, makes me pass on that idea.

I have a better one. Arts and crafts. "How 'bout we do some coloring? We can make pictures to give to your daddy when he comes back."

"Okie dokie! I'll go upstairs and get my crayons."

She scampers off. I'm grateful she's amenable to the sedentary idea. A few minutes later, we're seated side by side at the kitchen island. Set out on the granite counter is her big box of Crayolas, and two sheets of paper, which I tore out from her sketchpad.

"What are you making?" I ask as she starts to outline an oval shape with a black crayon.

"A face."

"Oh. Who are you drawing?"

"My daddy!"

As she adds in sapphire blue eyes, a pensive smile, some unruly black hair, and dotted specks of stubble, my eyes stay on her picture.

"Wow! That's so good!" I really mean that; she's inherited her father's artistic talent. "It looks just like him."

She smiles proudly as she starts outlining a body, complete with brawny, tattooed arms that look a little like Popeye's. Adding a T-shirt and jeans, she starts to color the latter in with the denim blue crayon.

"My daddy is very handsome."

My heart flutters at her words. "He is." Oh, is he!

"Do you like him?"

I love him! "I do."

A Cheshire cat grin lifts her sweet lips. Her dark eyes twinkle. "My daddy likes you a lot."

My breath catches. "How do you know that?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I can tell. He's always happy when he's around you."

Taking advantage of Maddie's chattiness, the investigative journalist in me asks, "Isn't he happy around Kayla?"

At the mention of Kayla's name, Maddie makes a face. "Never! She's always so mean and bossy!" Before I can probe further, she changes the subject.

"What are you going to make, Scarlet?"

Looking down at my blank sheet of paper, I contemplate her question. While I can paint a picture with words, my artistic talent is limited. Forcing myself to shove Kayla and Finn to the back of my mind, it suddenly comes to me. The one thing I can draw well. I search the box for a silver-gray crayon. Slipping it out, I begin to, like Maddie, outline a head. Except it's not human.

Watching me, Maddie's eyes flash with recognition.

"Are you making a horsey?"

"Sort of."

I continue to work on my picture... adding its mane and tail before lightly shading the body, leaving most of it white. Picking out more crayons, I make the flowy mane and tail a pretty shade of pink. Maddie continues to watch as I add a cone jutting out of the creature's head. I color the spiral in, making bold stripes with assorted bright colors. I'm getting creative!

Maddie giggles. "Horses don't have rainbow cones!"

"Sweetie, this is a special horse. A unicorn."

"A unicorn?"

"Yes, it's mythical."

"What does mythical mean?"

A tough question. My inquisitive daughter is worse than me. Twisting my lips, I ponder a definition that'll make sense in her almost five going on twenty-five-year-old brain. My mind works overtime. And then badda bing! "It means that it's a little bit make-believe though some people think it may have existed."

She accepts my definition, but the questions aren't over.

"Why does it have a horn?"

"The horn is magical."

Maddie cocks her head. "How is it magic?"

"The horn gives the unicorn powers."

"You mean like super powers?"

"Yes. They are said to have healing powers. Like the unicorn's tears which can be an antidote for poison."

"An-tee-dote?"

"It's a big word for ‘cure.'"

She repeats the word back to me, more smoothly. Now comfortable with it, she asks, "So, can unicorns make my asthma go away?"

I'm a little taken aback by her question, but reply quickly. "Yes, but unfortunately, they're very hard to find. They live in hidden lands."

Maddie frowns. "Do they have other powers?"

"Yes. Some people believe they can make wishes come true."

Maddie's eyes light up like bulbs. "Later, can we look for one?"

"Maybe tomorrow." I smile, remembering with fondness how my mother used to search for them with me all over the world.

We silently go back to coloring, me focusing on creating the perfect unicorn. Several minutes in, I glance at Maddie's picture. It's no longer just a portrait of Finn. She's added a little girl with long braids who without a doubt is a self-depiction. She's holding her father's hand. My eyes travel across the paper and widen. Standing next to her on the right, holding her other hand, is a woman who looks just like me! She's wearing jeans and a mint green T-shirt identical to the one I'm wearing.

"Do you like my picture?" asks Maddie, unaware of my startled reaction.

"It's awesome," I stammer.

She grins proudly. "I made a family. Daddy, me and . . . "

I hear a vehicle pull up on the intercom and my breath catches in my throat. I cut her off. "I think your daddy may be home."

I glance at the security monitor. My heart sinks. It's only the mailman. He stuffs a bunch of envelopes into the drop-off box and drives off.

Our pictures all done, Maddie trots off to the adjacent media room to watch some television while I clean up, collecting the crayons scattered on the counter. My mind wanders as I put them back in the big yellow box in a systematic order. Lining up the colors, I think about Finn... about Kayla... about them. Gripping the green crayon, I feel the color of envy seep into my veins.

Then, they turn blue with sadness.