Nick placed down a piece of omelet on each plate; put a couple of hotdogs, toasted bread and a slice of apple in Daphne’s plate. He balanced the three plates in his arm and went towards the breakfast nook. It’s Sunday and his daughter always looks forward into a nice Sunday breakfast with him and her grandmother, even before Jessa came. Daphne always enjoyed the Sunday meals especially on what they would do after. Nick would take her out somewhere to spend time together. The habit continued when Jessa came and even though she's gone, he will continue to provide Daphne her Sunday rituals.

Jessa, Nick thought again. He’s back in the kitchen after placing the plates on the table. He stopped as he leaned on the counter with both hands. He admitted that it actually felt different not having her around. The place seemed to be not the same as it has been since she left. It seemed quieter. No one’s around to brighten things up with her unusual stories and loud exclamation that used to irritate him.

“Jessa…” he muttered the name. Why does her name always have to come in mind while he’s doing something, even in just the simple things? She always reminded him of anything. He shut his eyes tightly. How could she do that without even trying?

“Daddy?”

Nick opened his eyes and turned around. Daphne finally spoke with him after a few days of being mad at him. “Y-yes, baby?” This little girl doesn’t know the power that she had on him. He knelt down in front of her. Daphne is clutching her favorite doll in her arms. Her hair disheveled and she’s still wearing her sleeping dress.

Daphne sighed. She seemed to be in full wake-up mode now as her blue eyes stared back to her father. “I’ve been thinking,” she started, talking as if she’s already an adult. Sometimes, Nick wondered if the milk formula he fed her during her baby days had something to do with her being this witty. “I’ve been thinking that you’ll make a promise with me again and this time, you won’t mess up.”

“Uh-huh? You’re going to talk like that to your Daddy?” Nick asked, hurt that Daphne seemed not to trust him anymore.

“It’s not that, Daddy. It’s just that I want Mommy Jessa back. I know you don’t know where she is because you won’t tell me whenever I asked you so now, I want you to promise me to do everything to find her and bring her back.” Daphne replied.

Nick stared at Daphne. “Daphne, I’ve already told you that it’s not that easy to make her go back here. It was only a job and now that it’s finished, she went off to live a life of her own now. She said something about starting her own business and I don’t know where she’s gone. She can’t stay here when she’s working somewhere else. She can’t look after you just like before, just like a mommy should. Please understand that.” He shakes his head. “She’s not your mother and it’s impossible that she’ll stay here just for you. We can’t make her do that just for you. But maybe when I found her, I’ll tell her that she can visit you anytime. How’s that?” He watched as she thought for a moment. He’s like making a bargain with a person, a little person.

“Why can’t she be my Mommy? Why don’t you ask her out on a date?” Daphne tried again.

“Young lady, when did you learn such things, huh?” Nick was surprised to hear it from her. How could she know such things when she’s just a kid?

“I just know, Dad.” Daphne began to stomp out of the kitchen. Nick shakes his head and followed his daughter.

“Don’t turn your back on me when I’m still talking to you, Daphne.”

“I need to pee, Dad.”

He heard the response from the restroom found just beside the kitchen. He scratched his head. He stood by the door. “So, what do you think?”

“About what, Daddy?”

Nick rolled his eyes. “About Jessa, Daphne. We just can’t tell her that she’ll live here and that’s it. It’s not that simple, baby. And what about your Mom? Don’t you want her around?” He heard her flushed and the door opened. He looked down to his daughter. “What?”

“My mom hates me, Daddy. She shouted at me.” Daphne said; her face tilted upwards to him.

“Don’t hate your mother, Daphne.” Nick knelt down in front of her. “Of course, we know that what she did is not right but she’s still your mother and you should not hate her.”

Daphne nodded. Nick doesn’t want her to be in this position where she is in the dilemma of how she can have her parents around. He wanted her to grow up in a normal family but he knew that he doesn’t want Tania to be part of it. “I want my family to be complete, Daddy, and that means having you and a Mommy.”

“Your Mommy Tania?”

It took a long while for Daphne to reply. “She shouted at me, Daddy,” tears began to well up in her big blue eyes. She hugged her doll tighter. “D-do you think she likes me? Because I want a mommy and if Mommy Jessa can’t be around, I don’t know if my real Mommy will be nice to me.”

“Oh, baby. I only wanted you to be happy.” Nick embraced her. “Just tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you. But remember this: your Mommy Tania will always be your Mommy and she can never hate you. When things are fine and settled, she can visit you anytime. I don’t want you to be afraid of your own Mommy, okay?” His daughter nodded. “Things will be fine soon. I promise you, baby.” He closed his eyes. He doesn’t know how to do it but he will make a way. He will find a way to assure Daphne that things are going to be alright.



~~~



“You want to learn how to surf?” Nick asked his daughter when Daphne announced her new interest. They are at the airport lobby, going towards the check-in area of the flight bound to Miami. They are going to be there for only a week, to check on some houses where they would want to settle once they move to that state. Nick also arranged some schedules with his cousin to study about taking over his father’s company there. He has already quit his job at the hospital and he’s been busy about arranging the necessary documents in moving to Florida.

“Yeah, Daddy. I think it will be fun,” Daphne smiled up to him. She took the love for the ocean from him.

Nick chuckled and playfully ruffled her hair. “Let’s see what we can do, baby. Right now, you’re still too small for that.” He stopped when she paused and bent down to tie her shoelaces. She still couldn’t do it so he knelt down in front of her, setting aside their luggage and tied her shoelaces. “You also have to learn how to tie your shoelaces first before learning how to surf, baby. That’s a requirement.”

“Daddy, when I grow up, I want to be a doctor like you.”

Nick looked at his daughter. “Whatever you want, baby. I will be with you in whatever you want to do.” He kissed her on the cheeks.

“Nick… Daphne…”

Both looked up and saw Tania. She is holding her own luggage. Nick stood up and faced her. He felt the tight grip of Daphne’s hand in his.

“I thought of not telling you that I’m leaving but I happened to see you and decided otherwise.” Tania started. She turned to her daughter. “I’m sorry, Daphne, for raising my voice at you. It’s wrong and I am really sorry.” She turned to glance at Nick.

“Are you going back to London?” He asked her.

Tania nodded. “My job is there. I love my job and I can’t leave it for anything else right now. I’m sorry.” She drew a deep breath. “I admit that I think I’m not going to be a good mommy. I’m not yet ready for that. Trust me when I tell you now that I’m fully entrusting Daphne to you. You’re a great parent. I can never be that.”

“You will always be her mother, Tania. You may not have the right now but she knows that you will always be her mother.”

His words made her tears fall and she quickly wiped it away. “Thank you, Nick.” She takes one last look to Daphne. “Bye, honey.”

Nick looked down to their daughter. “Daphne, your mommy’s leaving. Aren’t you going to hug her? It’s okay, baby.”

There was a look of hesitation at first. Daphne started to slowly walk to her mother and opened her arms. “Mommy…”

“Oh my God,” Tania burst into tears as she knelt down and embraced her daughter. “I’m sorry, honey. I won’t harm you in any other way. Please forgive me.”

Daphne nodded and wiped her mother’s tears. “It’s alright, Mommy. I know you’re sorry.”

Tania kissed her on the cheeks. “Be a good girl, okay? I won’t be around with you anymore but keep in mind when I tell you this: be a good girl always. Don’t give your Daddy a hard time.” She hugged her again. “I love you, honey. Thank you for forgiving me.”

“I-I love you, too, Mommy…” Daphne kissed her on the cheeks while Nick quietly looked on.

From afar, Jessa stopped in her tracks when she saw what’s happening. She went there when she learned that Nick decided to move to Florida with Daphne. She may never see them again so this is her chance, even for the last time. But it seems like there’s no need to be there anymore. She saw how Nick finally had the family that he wanted. It also seemed like he already accepted Tania back into their lives. It looks like Daphne approved of having her real mother back, too. Jessa sighed heavily as she watched the three. That’s what she wanted and suggested with Nick, but why does it feel so heavy in the heart to think that things with them are finally going to be fine? She should stop making that wishful thinking that she can fulfill the role of Daphne’s mother and Nick’s wife because it will never happen.

Slowly, she turned around to go out of the airport lobby. Life should go on now. It did for Nick and Daphne.