Ottis

Daddy time

^Isaac above! 😍^
~Bailey

Clayton, Ottis and I arrived back to campus around twelve on Sunday. The short little get-away we had back home was nice. When I walked back upstairs to the front door of my dorm there sat Sam.

"Daddy!" Ottis cheered as he wiggled out of my arms and he ran to his father.

"Hey bud! Have funny at Grammy and Grandpas?" Sam asked as he kissed Ottis head.

"Yeah, Clay lost a lizard in mommies room!" Ottis laughed at the memory and I groaned.

"Nuh uh mister, you lost a lizard in mommies room. I got yelled at for it." Sam laughed at Clayton.

"Sup man?" Sam asked Clay as they did a bro hug thingy. I rolled my eyes and unlocked the door.

"Why are you here so early Sam?"

"You never told me what time. You said twelve to twelve-thirty, I just showed up actually I missed my little guy." He said grabbing Ottis's weekend bag I had packed for him.

"Daddy can we go play at the park?" Ottis looked up at Sam with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, Mommy?" He looked up at me, silently asking for permission. I nodded.

"Daddy time!" Sam waved his hands in the air as he lifted Ottis and threw him over his shoulder.

"Be careful! Don't use our son to pick up chicks! Be back before five!" Sam just waved behind him as her carried Ottis out of my home.

Clayton laughed and kissed me. I brought my bags to the bedroom and unpacked them, I was hanging stuff in my closet when I noticed the box that said Pictures still taped up. I dragged the box out and took out my pocket knife slicing through the tape. I lifted the box by the tabs and the first picture that was on top was the one that my mom took the day Ottis was born. I was in the hospital holding him, he was just wearing his diaper and he was wrapped in a blanket. I was smiling, but I could even see the sadness my eyes held.

The next one was pictures from Ottis's one month photoshoot. He was still so small from being born under weight. I took a lot of pictures of him on my phone that I had printed out and framed. Then I had four pictures of me and Ottis from each of his birthdays. Each picture you could see the happiness re-appearing. Then at Ottis fourth birthday you could tell I was sad, but in a different way than all the years before.

I was sad that year because that is the year that Brody left to head back home... I truly did love him, and him leaving ruined me in a different way than when Sam left.

Clayton came up behind me and kissed the back of my shoulder. "Where did all these come from?" He asked.

"Just the last five years of my life." I mumble and set the pictures out on my bed.

"How come they aren't hanging up?"

"I guess I forgot about them until now. I'm going to hang them up right now though, want to help?" I ask him and he nods.

"Sure, just tell me where you want certian ones ad ill help." He pecked my lips and took some of them off my bed.

"Wow, he was little when he was born." I nod and take out the last of the frames.

"Five pounds, seven ounces, Thats pretty small, but I guess babies have been born smaller. I got lucky with the things I did when I was pregnant, I'm thankful he came out perfectly healthy."

"Oh wow, do you want me to hang any pictures in here?" He asked, I nodded and pointed to some of the boring ones that I had printed off my phone. He hung them up where I wanted and I went into the living space and hung up the one from when we were in the hospital.

Before I knew it, I had pictures hanging all around my dorm. I looked at the clock and it read 4:56. I then heard the door knob turning and then I heard Ottis's giggles.

"Mommy!" Ottis laughed and ran towards me.

"Hey babe, Have fun with Daddy?" I asked him giving him a big hug.

"Yeah, he brought me to ice cream and then we went to the park!" He beamed happily.

"Thanks for that Samule." I narrow my eyes at him, he didn't hear me or notice that I was talking to him. His eyes were transfixed on the picture of Ottis and I from the hospital, then he was too busy looking around at all the pictures that I had posted from over the years.

"Sam?" I ask, he reached out and touched the edge of the frame, He was in his own little world.

Suddenly an idea popped into my head. I have each of these pictures on my phone, I smiled and handed Ottis to Sam. He snapped out of his trance and kissed Clayton's cheek.

"I gotta run out for a bit. Wait for me you two? and watch Ottis?" I ask them, 'Sure' was their reply. I grabbed my wallet and phone and dashed out of the door.

I drove to the nearest store with a phone-photo-printer, I wanted to print out the most important photos of Ottis for Sam. Including that one from when he was born because he seemed to like that one best. I buy some frames for the pictures and add the pictures in them when I get back to my car. I write him a little note for it.

Dear Samule, I don't know where to start when I write this to you. Ottis has needed you his whole life and you are just now making an appearence. I know you feel bad for the time lost, When I know you only did what you did because you were young and you didn't want to give that up yet...I couldn't ask you to give it up when you didn't want too. As much as I wished you did, we can't go back and change anything. I am happy that you want to be in our sons life now. My mom told me one night, that you would want to be in his life, that you'd feel bad for leaving and I should forgive you when that time came. Well... that time came, I didn't expect it to. I know you missed out on a lot because of your choice. But I couldn't help but be saddened by the look in your eyes when you looked at those pictures of Ottis and I or just Ottis. I should hate you, I should hate you for leaving me to raise our son when I was just 15, But I don't. I want you to know that I wont hold that against you anymore, Because I understand. I want you to know, that I forgive you Sam. I forgive you.