The Last Visit

“Daddy?” Kayla yelled into the receiver.

“Yes, baby?”

“Can you hear me?” She took the receiver off her ear and droned into it like a microphone.

“I can hear you just fine, baby,” Jake said, laughing.

“Kayla, sweetheart, don’t put that on your mouth,” Mandy said as she pulled the receiver away from her daughter’s mouth.

“When are you coming back home?” Kayla asked.

“Soon, baby. Real soon,” Jake answered with a lump in his throat tugging at the receiver’s cord hoping it would distract him from shedding a single tear.

“Junior made you something, daddy,” Kayla said. “But he’s not here. He’s sick so he’s with Grammy and Papa.”

“That’s ok, sweetheart. How are you? Are you doing good at school?” Jake asked, twisting the cord between his fingers.

“Um,” Kayla hesitated. She was distracted by the sound of footsteps behind her. “Yeah I like school.”

“You do? You didn’t get that me from me, I can tell you that. But your mama’s real smart. You make a lot of friends there?”

“Yeah. I have a lot of friends. Mommy says that it’s ok if I can go to Johnny’s birthday party. Is that true? I can go, daddy?”

“Of course you can, baby. If your mom says it’s ok then it’s ok with me.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?” Jake was smiling now. He knew by the tone of his daughter’s voice what she was going to say next. It was always the same and it killed him every time she said it.

“I don’t know what else to talk about.”

“That’s ok, baby,” Jake reassured Kayla. “How about you give the phone to your mama?”

Kayla lifted the receiver over her head to her mother who took it and told the young girl to stay still.

“What is it, Jake?”

“I miss you.”

“You say that every time.”

“I know but,” Jake was never good with words especially when they mattered. “I told Kayla I might be coming home soon.”

“Do you know that for sure? Because you know what happened when you promised her you’d be coming home and you never did. If you saw her face when we told her that you weren’t coming home—Just don’t make promises like that; not to her.”

“That’ wasn’t my fault and you know it,” Jake said, “I told you--”

“It’s never your fault.”

“Look,” Jake said, “I don’t want to fight. I hate it when we fight. But I’m trying my best to be home soon. But you don’t know what it’s like here.”

“Junior is starting to look more like you every day,” Mandy mentioned.

“So he’s a handsome boy, is he?”

“I hope you do come home soon.”

“That means a lot coming from you,” Jake played with the cord again, “It really does.”

“It’d be good for the kids to see their daddy in person before they get too old.”

“Do you think they’ll forget about me?”

“I don’t hate you enough to let your own children forget you. It’s just better with you physically with them is all I’m saying.”

“I’m trying to get home as soon as I can. I’m doing my best, I swear.”

“I know you are. I could always tell when you’re serious about something.”

“I’m serious,” Jake answered. “I’m coming home. And once I get there I’m staying there. I can take care of Kayla. I can take care of Junior. I can take care of—”

“I’m with someone else.”

Jake wasn’t sure he had heard Mandy correctly.

“We only started going out about a month ago,” Mandy continued, “I don’t even know if it’s going to go anywhere to be honest. It’s just… It’s just—”

“No,” Jake said letting go of the cord. “Don’t worry about it. I get it. I get lonely too. I totally understand. I mean I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect—Look, I still intend on coming home and taking care of my children. You understand that, right? You can go on with your life and I’ll start a new one on my own but I want to be part of Kayla and Junior’s life.”

“Yeah,” Mandy answered.

“Mommy,” Kayla said tugging on her mother’s skirt.

“Oh, I guess it’s time to go, Jake,” Mandy said. She picked up Kayla and put the receiver to her ear and said, “Say goodbye to daddy.”

“Bye daddy!” Kayla said smiling to both her parents. She leaned over and kissed her hand pressing her hand against the glass. Jake kissed his hand and pressed it against the glass. Kayla loved seeing how small her hand was compared to her daddy’s. “I can’t wait to see you again!”

“I love you, baby,” Jake said tugging the cord hard but trying not to show anyone. Mandy took the receiver and wanted to tug the cord too but her hands were full as she was carrying Kayla now. “I love you. And I swear this will be the last visit you make here.”

“I know,” Mandy said. On the way back to the parking lot, Kayla fell asleep in Mandy’s arms and Mandy smiled to herself knowing that that would be the last visit that her or her children would have to make.