The Secret of Xavier

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

       The morning of Xavier's birthday, I woke up before he did, feeling very grateful it was on a Saturday this year. On his first and second birthday, it was on a weekday, meaning I had to go to school. And now, I was able to spend the whole day with him.

       I had to make his favorite breakfast; waffles. Almost every single Saturday, he asked me to make waffles for him and we rarely had any, so I had to make them from scratch. I wasn't the best cook and usually made a mess, but the smile on Xavier's face in the end made it worth it.

       By the time the waffles were made, Xavier was in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and his hair sticking up all over the place. I picked him up and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday, Xavier," I said.

       Xavier smiled brightly. "Thanks, Daddy. I smell waffles."

       "Because I made waffles," I said before setting him down on one of the chairs. I placed a waffle on his plate and cut it up into small pieces before setting it down in front of him, then pouring a moderate amount of syrup on it.

       I sat down beside Xavier with my own plate right as Mom walked into the kitchen. She gave Xavier a hug. "Happy birthday, Xavier," she said.

       "Thanks, Gramma!" Xavier said. "Look! I have waffles! I love waffles!"

       "You love waffles?" Mom asked.

       "Yeah!" Xavier said before taking a bite out of one.

       When Xavier and I finished breakfast, Mom said she would clean up so the two of us can get changed and get ready to go out. Mom knew where I was taking Xavier, mainly because I said it was one of his favorite places to go to. I didn't dare say it out loud because I wanted to surprise him.

       I've been saving up for weeks to be able to take him there and make sure there was a lot of stuff he could do.

       I got changed first and went to the washroom to brush my hair and my teeth before helping Xavier get changed. I then texted Nova to tell her I would be at her house in a few minutes. Xavier and I left the house and I helped him into his carseat.

       I got into the driver's seat and drove to Nova's house, and even though I probably wouldn't be out of the car longer than a minute, I still got Xavier out of the car with me to knock on the door. I never let him stay in the car alone, even if it was for a minute.

       I knocked on the door and shortly after, Nova's mom opened it. "Hi," I said. "Is Nova here?"

       She nodded and turned her head before calling for Nova, saying someone was at the door for her. She then looked at me again. "You must be Hudson," she said. "Nova talks about you a lot. She keeps saying how you're the only human she can stand, even though I tell her not to hate people."

       "I don't hate them," Nova said as she walked over, carrying a pair of shoes. She dropped them on the ground to put them on. "I just....have an extreme dislike towards humans."

       "Hi, Nova!" Xavier said, waving at her.

       Nova smiled at him. "Hi, Xavier. Happy birthday."

       "Thanks!"

       "He's so cute," Nova's mom said.

       "See? I told you he is," Nova said. "He is Hudson's son, after all."

       "Oh, I'm so flattered," I said, placing a hand over my heart. "Ready to go?"

       "Yeah," Nova said. "Bye, Mom. I'll be back at midnight."