Learning to Be Little Again(41)

Robert would make dinner for me and it always included a large helping of some vegetable and a glass of milk. I wasn’t allowed to leave the table until I finished all the food on my plate and drank my entire glass of milk. Plus my bed time with him was at eight thirty. That was so early for me.

On the weekends, he put me down for a nap in the afternoon, even if I told him I wasn’t tired. I learned my lesson, however, to not complain too much or else I’d get another one of the spankings he seemed to love to give.

Staying with Mark was awesome because he didn’t have a bedtime for me and he didn’t care what I ate. As long as I didn’t burn his house down, he was happy to let me do whatever I wanted.

I smiled as I came back to reality and thought about what was going to happen this weekend. It was Friday night, and Robert had just picked me up from work. I had a small suitcase in the back of his car, while I held teddy in my arms. I was finally going to visit his house and was more than a little nervous.

I’d decided to act like an adult tonight, but since I was so nervous, I felt myself slipping into my little personality.

He must have realized I was scared because he took my hand and said, “Everything is going to be just fine, baby girl. I live in this beautiful house in a cul-de-sac. I have a huge back yard and wait until you see the surprise I have for you.”

I just nodded and kept looking out the window, noticing that the houses around here looked big and rather expensive. He turned the corner and pulled into the driveway of a house with tan siding. He pulled the car into the open garage and closed it.

After turning off the car, he asked me, “So, are you ready to see my house?”

I nodded.

“You’re going to love my house, sweetie. Come on and let’s go in,” he said, getting out of the car, grabbing my bag from the back seat, and then coming around to get me. He helped me out of the car and took my hand, and then together we entered his home.

We walked through the garage door that entered right into the kitchen. He placed my suitcase on a small island that had appliances and countertops surrounding it. Next to the island was a small kitchen table that could seat four people. I placed my coat on the back of one of the chairs, then turned to the left to see a big open archway that connected to the living room. Robert had painted that room tan, which matched his cream colored couches and large black flat screen TV.

“Juliana, let me show you the rest of the house,” he said, holding out his hand. So with Teddy in one hand, I took his hand with the other.

“You already saw the kitchen and living room. Through that door there is the dining room.” He pointed at an open doorway in the far right corner of the kitchen.

We walked through a short hallway connected to the kitchen. There was a bathroom on one side of the wall, and at the end of the hallway, we were at the entryway. To our left was an archway that lead to a front room. To our right, there was a carpeted staircase.

“Let’s go upstairs, sweetie,” he said, giving my hand a little tug to start me walking upstairs. At the top of the stairs to our left was another open doorway that looked like his workout room. There was a rowing machine, an elliptical, and a treadmill. To our right was another small hallway with two doors on the right, one door on the left, and one at the end of the hall.

The first door on the right was Robert’s office. It was a pretty small room, but there was enough space for a desk, chair, and his computer. The second door on the right was a bathroom. It was an ocean blue with stickers of fish on the walls. I really liked that room.

The door on the left across from the bathroom was Robert’s bedroom. It looked like a manly bedroom, with blue walls and dark furniture. He had the usual king size bed, dresser, TV, and nightstand. He also had a huge window on the far end of the room that overlooked the whole backyard.

I stood looking out the window for several minutes when he said, “Come on, Juliana. There’s one more room you have to see.”

I took his hand and together we walked into the last room on the second floor.

I was speechless as we walked through the final room. It was more than I could have ever dreamed of. It was my very own little room. The walls were painted a vibrant yellow, giving the room a very happy feeling. There were windows that let so much natural light in, and across from the front window was a cream colored canopy bed with a smiling sun comforter on it. There was a dresser and nightstand to go along with the bed, and in one corner, there was a huge toy test. In another corner, there was an easel where someone could draw pictures.

The best part about this room was there was a huge built in aquarium against one of the walls. I couldn’t help myself as I ran over, pressed my nose to the glass, and looked at all the exotic fish swimming around in the tank.