The Brick Wall

Chapter 14

Collins POV

Curtis strolled through his apartment door around eight in the evening. Strolled would be too strong of a word. Maybe waddled would be a more adequate description of the slow gait. I'm not sure what he does for work, but the painfully looking steps he takes has me very curious. But, we're apparently not stepping too far into the details of each other's lives, proven evident with the fact that the man still doesn't know my name.

"Rough day at the office, honey?" I chime from my spot on the floor with Lennox. We'd been playing the fun past time of building up a couple of blocks just so she could pull a King Kong and destroy them with her cute, chubby, swatting hand.

"Did you cook dinner, dumpling?" He's not amused. He's never amused by me. Can't really blame him I suppose, that stick up his rear is barely visible today, pushed way too high.

And yet when has that stopped me?

"I thought about it, but I couldn't find a single utensil, Pookie. Figured they were all shoved up your," I pause to fit my hands over Lennox's ears, "b-u-t-t."

Curtis unceremoniously drops to his knees by his little girl, stopping himself short of kissing her forehead. "Seriously? You covered her ears while you spelled the word butt?"

I let go, shrugging my shoulders as he lays flat on his back, Lennox already scooting her way over to climb on top of his chest. "Her dad seems to be a real hard ace," I put more emphasis on ace hopeful that he'll get my drift, "so I didn't want to run any risk of p-i-s-s-i-n-g him off."

A small grin breaks across his lips as he reaches for Lennox, the muscles in his arms rippling as he lifts the baby above him.

I mean, I'm assuming they're rippling. He's wearing a long sleeve shirt but my mind is inferring that those muscles are probably incredibly chorded and glorious, all taut with veins popping-

Yeah, it was too late to take my medicine, so my brain is working in overdrive until tomorrow morning.

My attention returns to the sweet picture in front of me, Lennox high above Curtis' body while his fingers dig into her sides in tickles. It's not just laughter that falls from the baby's mouth but a line of drool, too. I don't hide my giggles when it falls onto Curtis' cheek.

"I don't know if you want to do that too much," I tell him, watching the little girl squeal in laughter, her body squirming to get out of her father's grasp.

"I think I know my daughter," he stops only long enough to turn his head and glare at me. "Isn't that right, Lenny-Lou? Daddy knows his baby girl. Yes, he does. Yes he-"

It's all a bit in slow motion. Lennox's giggles slow and a strange look falls over her face while her father's fingers continue their assault on her little body. But this time when she opens her mouth it isn't giggles or drool that comes out.

It's her dinner.

And it lands all over her daddy's face.

Curtis POV

Lennox face goes from grinning to confused in the blink of an eye. A blink that's too short to make a move or straighten either of us up. A blink too small that leaves my face covered in something green and putrid in smell.

"Oh my-" I hear the woman's voice, yeah still don't have her name, idiot. Meanwhile I'm beginning to gag just as much as my daughter who I'm careful to not toss to the side even though my dumb instincts are begging me to in order to get this mess off my face.

Instead I feel, because my eyes are slammed shut, hands pull the baby from my own grip, allowing me to roll over onto my side. I rub one arm over my eyes, the sleeve of my shirt clearing my sight and turn my attention back to Lennox. It's futile though, the babysitter is already cleaning her up, mostly just dabbing at her mouth since every drop managed to land on me instead of her.