Back home, it was early morning. Eleanor gathered the documents left over from working late last night and put them in her laptop bag. When she came downstairs, Evelyn was still on the living room sofa playing a guessing game with Princess.
A pang of guilt washed over Eleanor. Because of work, she spent far too little time with her daughter. She set down her bag and came over to her. "Mommy will get off work a little earlier today to be with you."
"Mommy, Daddy's birthday is coming up. Are you going to get him a present?" Evelyn asked, looking up.
Eleanor was taken aback. Ian's birthday?
That's right. August 12th was his birthday. She had remembered it every year during their marriage, but after three years of divorce, she had long since forgotten. Or rather, she no longer made a point to remember the date.
"Okay, I'll get him a present," Eleanor nodded, ruffling her daughter's hair. "Do you need Mommy to help you with your present?"
"Nope, I'm going to make him a card myself," Evelyn said with a smile.
Eleanor marveled at how much her daughter had grown, her heart swelling at how incredibly mature the little girl had become. Her little face was starting to show more defined features. She leaned down and kissed her. "Okay, Mommy's heading to work now!"
"Go on! Daddy is coming to pick me up in a bit."
Eleanor had gotten a call from lan last night. He was taking Evelyn to the golf course today to teach her how to play.
On the way to work, Eleanor took a moment to think about what to get him. A tie, a belt, a razor...
None of those gifts felt appropriate anymore. So, what would be a suitable gift for him?
Finally, Eleanor thought of a fountain pen. It was practical without being overly intimate.
Having made up her mind, Eleanor focused on driving.
Saturday was August 12th. When Eleanor got home from work, lan had already brought Evelyn back. He was sitting on the sofa with a game, on the TV. Evelyn was building with blocks, and Princess was dozing at his feet. Joslyn wasn't home, probably out shopping.
The scene made Eleanor pause for a few seconds.
lan looked up, a slight smile on his lips. "You're back."
"Yeah," Eleanor replied. She set down her bag and laptop, took off her shoes, and slipped into a pair of comfortable sandals, Princess
.n
immediately woke Prince her
up and ran
side, circling her excitedly in
welcome.
"Mommy, I hit the ball today!" Evelyn reported happily.
"Really? That's great progress," Eleanor said, walking over to her daughter and
ruffling her hair as she looked at the block structure.
"It's because Daddy is a good teacher," Evelyn said cleverly.
Eleanor couldn't help but glance at lan. He was looking at her too, a smile in his
eyes, as if he had been waiting for her gaze.
"Thank you," Eleanor said in a low
voice, grateful that he was spending
ет
so much quality time with their daughter. "Of course," lan replied "Evelyn said she wanted pie earlier So Joslyn went out to buy ingredients. Do you want to go change or take a shower first?"
no'
Eleanor caught a faint scent of antiseptic on herself. She used to make a point of changing her clothes after coming home, especially around her daughter.
She nodded and went upstairs.
lan watched her go, then leaned back against the sofa, continuing to watch the game on low volume while keeping his daughter company.
Evelyn felt very secure with her father nearby, her little mind completely absorbed in the somewhat challenging block set, thinking with deep concentration.
Princess settled back down at lan's feet, occasionally lifting her big head to enjoy her master's petting.
Twenty minutes later, Eleanor came downstairs after a shower. Her freshly dried hair was left down, cascading softly over her shoulders.