Alexander blinked once, surprised by the answer. But he smiled slightly as his thoughts were successfully diverted from his own pain and onto the strange antics of the young woman before him. “Really?” He asked curiously, “that’s an interesting hobby. How did you get into it?” Alexander leaned forward slightly, genuinely interested, but politely waved away the piece of donut that was offered to him. Perhaps after he would get a bagel. That sounded good. But for now, he was more interested in this Jesse lady’s unique hobby.
The awkward babbling started a genuine laugh out of Alexander, and he waved away the unspoken apology. “She’s a lot of work. Just starting to get her feet under her, and making a mess in the process.” He said cheerfully. “I love her dearly, but I’d be in hot water without daycare and her grandmother!” He’d never planned to be a single father, which brought back the ache of longing and mourning for Joshua, and he took a deep breath. “She’s just starting to babble. Still waiting for the magical dada, but I’m sure she’ll get there.” He said with a snort. Of course, knowing Juliette, she’d probably suddenly start talking in full sentences just to send him through the loop again. Because being a father wasn’t enough of a hurdle to get over!
“Neither do I, honestly,” Alexander said with a wry smile. “I’m also an only child. Google is a fantastic help.” Especially when he couldn’t reach his mother in law, or his sister in law, but a stranger didn’t need to know that. Probably didn’t need to know he referenced google to make sure his daughter was hitting her milestones and whatnot, either. Did that make him a bad dad? Probably, but at least he wasn’t too proud to admit he was looking for help instead of just bulldozing his way through everything.
The awkward babbling started a genuine laugh out of Alexander, and he waved away the unspoken apology. “She’s a lot of work. Just starting to get her feet under her, and making a mess in the process.” He said cheerfully. “I love her dearly, but I’d be in hot water without daycare and her grandmother!” He’d never planned to be a single father, which brought back the ache of longing and mourning for Joshua, and he took a deep breath. “She’s just starting to babble. Still waiting for the magical dada, but I’m sure she’ll get there.” He said with a snort. Of course, knowing Juliette, she’d probably suddenly start talking in full sentences just to send him through the loop again. Because being a father wasn’t enough of a hurdle to get over!
“Neither do I, honestly,” Alexander said with a wry smile. “I’m also an only child. Google is a fantastic help.” Especially when he couldn’t reach his mother in law, or his sister in law, but a stranger didn’t need to know that. Probably didn’t need to know he referenced google to make sure his daughter was hitting her milestones and whatnot, either. Did that make him a bad dad? Probably, but at least he wasn’t too proud to admit he was looking for help instead of just bulldozing his way through everything.
