Signore Lyon

Chapter 12

Cont'd: 

Lyon knelt beside Amaya in the pile of sand he'd had delivered that morning. Using a plastic scoop, he piled some sand onto her toes, which were curled in excitement. Amaya, always vigilant and quick to mimic, also scooped some sand with her own tools. However, instead of keeping the sand in the general vicinity of her legs, she hurled it wherever she could. 

So far, Amaya had displaced most of the sand by throwing it out of the square, stuffing handfuls down Lyon's shirt and possibly eating some. 

Had the sand not been treated, Yamina would've been worried that the kid was ingesting animal faeces. 

"She's going to throw that—" 

The warning was futile. Amaya, with an exclamation of utter joy, dumped a bucket of sand over her head. The smile on her face quickly disappeared once she realised how unpleasant it was to blink, breathe and have her mouth open. 

"Shit," Lyon murmured, quickly wiping a hand over her face. He blew the sand from the crevices around her nose and eyes before swiping his knuckles over the mixture of saliva and sand that accumulated around the child's mouth.

Yamina sat further back in her chair, pursed her lips and shook her head faintly. Lyon still underestimated Amaya's impulsiveness. 

In the midst of his apologies and vigorous cleanup, he shot her incredulously outraged glances. 

Was the man who had barely said but two words to her since invited himself into her home hoping for her help? 

Ha. 

He'd have to open his mouth and kindly ask her, something Yamina knew he wouldn't do. Not after her vivid outline of their lack of a relationship outside of their daughter. 

Lyon, always one to get his way, was hesitant to agree with her rules but, realising he'd make it harder for himself if he pushed the subject, peacefully relented. Ever since then, they never spoke of their previous encounter and only interacted if it was absolutely necessary. 

In this case, it wasn't. Yamina could tell that Maya had gotten over the initial shock and was ready to resume throwing sand again. Lyon, however, wasn't able to pick up on those queues. He was so focussed on dusting the child off that he missed when she reached for the bucket this time and lightly scraped sand into it. What he couldn't miss though, was when, in her tiny hand, she gripped a handful and sprinkled it over his shoulder and the side of his head. 

Shock, quickly followed by amusement, fluttered across Lyon's face. He lightly touched his forehead to Amaya's before he swept her into his arms. 

"And what did I do to deserve that? Hmm?" He chuckled, rising to his feet while he held her in the crook of his arm. 

"Woo!" Amaya was awed as she suddenly went from the ground level to as close as she had been to the clouds while in anyone's hands. Her father gently shimmied her, dislodging clumps of particles from behind her ears and the back of her head. 

Yamina lightly massaged the edge of her brow. "Haven't I told you how uncomfortable you having her so high up there makes me?" 

Lyon, arms extended above his head as he held the child sighed, "Many, many times." 

The chair creaked as she stood. "Right. You don't care. You never care about anything I say." She mumbled as she grabbed the laptop and cell she'd been working on.