Remember to Forget || Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Simon stood up from his chair, still keeping a secure hold on Paula’s hand, he slowly pulled her up from her chair as well. He heard her take a deep breath, staring up into his eyes and he gave her a small smile.

“Everything will be fine, love,” Simon told her softly.

She nodded, biting her lip. With her voice trembling, she replied in a whisper, “Just a bit nervous is all.”

“Don’t be, I’m right beside you. We’re going to do this together…” He continued, raising their clasped hands and giving her a gentle kiss on hers. “As a family.”

Smiling, she took one more shaky breath and said, “Thank you, Simon.”

He led her over towards the stairs and they took each step slowly, both not knowing what exactly they were going to say to Isabella. To their daughter. It felt as though the staircase was never-ending. And as what seemed like an eternity had passed by, the both of them reflected on a past memory with Isabella.

Simon stood in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving. From the direction of the kitchen he could hear the banging of pots and pans, and a child laughing: Paula was cooking breakfast and Isabella, just three years old, was playing like any other toddler. These noises had already become typical of most of his Saturday mornings since he spent his weekends at Paula’s to be close to his daughter.

The indistinct sound of voices in the kitchen suddenly grew clearer. “Now can I get Uncle Simey, Mama!?” Isabella was asking impatiently.

“Yes, sweetie. Go tell him that breakfast is ready.”

The sound of running feet, then Isabella was crashing through the bathroom door, bursting with excitement. “Uncle Simey!” she shrieked. “Breakfast tiiiiime!”

He chuckled. “I'll be finished in a second, Bella-Boo.”

“What’s that on your face?” she asked him, looking puzzled. Simon realized she must not have seen a man shaving before.

“It's shaving cream,” he told her.

Isabella pointed to the razor. “What's that?”

“It cuts the hair on my chin, so I don't grow a big beard like Santa Claus.” He brushed his finger under her chin, tickling her, and she giggled. “But it's very sharp, so don't touch it.”

“Can I watch?” she asked.

He smiled. “Of course, sweetheart.”

Simon picked Isabella up and off her feet, placing her on top of the counter next to the sink. She held onto his arm to steady herself as she stood facing the mirror, looking in at their reflections.

Simon’s mouth fell open a little when he saw them in the mirror together. Isabella’s hair and features were quite similar to Paula’s, but the expression on her face - watchful, calmly inquisitive - was all him. Not to mention her eyes, which were downright arresting when viewed next to his: a brilliant dark brown framed by long, dark lashes, just like his own.

“Your eyes look like mine,” Isabella said suddenly, as if reading his thoughts.

Simon was surprised to find himself a bit choked up. He wiped away the last of the shaving cream with a washcloth. “Yeah,” he said softly. “They do.”

She looked thoughtful. “Nobody else has eyes like mine, that’s what Mama says,” she said.

“So this is where you got off to,” said Paula, appearing in the bathroom doorway. She walked in, and her reflection joined theirs in the mirror. “Isabella, I thought you were going to fetch Simon for breakfast. And Simon,” she added in a lower voice, grinning, “what have I told you about not wearing a shirt?”

Still dumbstruck by the sight in the mirror, Simon said nothing.

Then it all happened. A few simple words.

“Are you my daddy?” Isabella asked, turning her tiny head towards Simon.

A panicked silence fell. Simon’s eyes darted to Paula’s in the mirror; her face had gone slack with surprise. No one said anything for a good ten seconds. Finally Paula opened her mouth - but Simon spoke first.

“C’mon Bella-Boo, best not keep your mum waiting for breakfast!” He picked the little girl up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Simon glanced at Paula, who still had a shocked expression worn on her face. “You coming, darling?” Holding Isabella with his one arm, he offered her his hand.

“Umm… yes, of course.” A small smile faded onto her face and she gently took Simon’s warm hand in hers as the three of them walked downstairs for breakfast.

This time it would be different. This time their daughter would know the truth. The whole truth. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Simon squeezed Paula’s hand gently and she looked up at him. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she nodded with a small smile.

As they walked closer to Isabella’s bedroom door, they heard no sniffles or cries. Paula took another deep breath and slowly opened the door to peek her head in. Her eyes immediately darted towards a small body figure, curled up under the blankets and sleeping soundly.

“She’s sleeping…” Paula whispered, not sure whether to feel relieved or saddened.

Simon asked, “Should we wake her?”

“We can wait,” she said.

Letting go of Simon’s hand, Paula took another step closer to Isabella’s bed and slowly sat down. She motioned for Simon to join her and he did. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as they watched their baby girl sleep. She leaned into him, smiling.

Paula gazed down at her beautiful daughter, allowing a hand to caress the side of Isabella’s face. “She’s so beautiful,” she smiled, lightly playing with her daughter’s soft and silky hair.

“Just like her mother,” Simon whispered in her ear.

Suddenly a yawn filled the room and the blankets began to move as the tiny body underneath them squirmed about.

“Isabella?” Paula called her daughter’s name.

Isabella yawned again and slowly sat up from her bed. She rubbed her eyes and once she saw her Uncle Simey and mother sitting there, tears began to form in her eyes again. “I’m sorry, Mommy. Am I in trouble?” Isabella sniffled. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”

“Aww, sweetie, please don’t cry.” Paula pulled Isabella into her arms as she still remained in Simon’s arms. Paula looked over her shoulder at Simon and saw his eyes questioning her and she nodded.

“Bella-Boo, we’re not mad,” Simon comforted her and patted her hands.

Isabella cried, “But you looked mad, Uncle Simey.”

“Shh, shh,” Paula rocked her daughter in her arms. “Isabella, there’s something we need to tell you…” Rubbing her tears from her eyes again, Isabella gave them her full attention. “You know how you want a daddy?”

“More than anything in the world, Mommy,” Isabella said with a frown on her face.

Simon looked over Paula’s shoulder and smiled at his daughter. “You know how you have asked me many times to be your daddy, Isabella?”

She nodded, sniffling. “But I know you and Mommy don’t love each other like that, Uncle Simey. You already told me.” Tears began to fall from her eyes again and Paula’s heart was breaking inside at the sight. “Mommy, Uncley Simey said that Daddy really loved you and you really loved Daddy. What happened to my daddy?”

There was a long silence. Until the tension all broke by just a few simple words.

“I’m right here,” Simon spoke softly.

Isabella’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. And Paula pulled her daughter into her lap as she turned towards Simon. “Isabella, look at me…” Isabella looked up at her mother. Paula took a deep breath and looked into her daughter’s shining brown eyes. “What if I were to tell you that Simon is your real daddy?”

She looked over at Simon who was smiling down at her. “Uncle Simey, you’re my daddy?”

He nodded, “I always have been.”

In less than a minute, Isabella jumped from her mother’s lap and into Simon’s arms. She clung onto him, her daddy, never wanting to let him go. “Sweetheart, not too hard,” Simon chuckled, wrapping his arms around her tiny body.

She pulled away a little, just so their noses were touching. “I KNEW IT, Uncle Simey!! I mean, I mean, Daddy!!” she giggled loudly.

Simon brushed his nose against hers, giving her a slow Eskimo kiss. “You sure did, Bella-Boo. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Uncle Simey,” Isabella smiled. Paula was on the verge of tears, happy tears. This was it. It was all out in the open. They were going to be a family now, a real family. “Mommy, why you crying?! This is a happy time!!”

Paula laughed softly, brushing away a few tears. “Aw, sweetheart, I know that, I’m very happy and-” Suddenly she began to feel dizzy and a sick feeling spread throughout her stomach. She threw a hand over her mouth and ran from the bed to the nearest bathroom.

“Mommy! What’s wrong with Mommy, Daddy!!”

“I don’t know, sweetie, but let’s go find out.” Simon held Isabella in his arms and quickly ran out of the room to find Paula. The bathroom door was closed shut and there were gagging sounds coming from inside. He placed Isabella on her feet. “Bella-Boo, why don’t you get Mummy some water, okay?”

Isabella nodded and ran downstairs.

“Paula?” he asked hesitantly, pushing the bathroom door open a bit so he could see inside. He saw Paula kneeling in front of the toilet vomiting her brains out. Simon sighed and pushed the door open so he could walk in fully. He kneeled next to Paula and helped pull her hair away from her face.

“Paula, what’s wrong with you? Are you sick? Do you have the flu?” Simon asked softly as he began to rub her back.

Paula choked back a sob and looked up to stare into Simon’s eyes. “I-I…”

“You what?” Simon urged, kissing her forehead.

Paula looked at him desperately for a few more seconds before shaking her head vigorously. “I think I’m sick.”

“Well we already got that established, darling,” he chuckled. “Why don’t I make an appointment for you, okay?” he said soothingly, hugging her to his chest.

Paula shook her head. “No, no… that’s okay, Simon. I just need to lay down.”

“Let me bring you to your bedroom.” Simon helped her up off the bathroom floor as he wrapped a secure arm around her waist. He could feel that she was very unstable and said, “Here, wrap your arms around my neck, love.” She did as he said and with very much ease, he picked her up and carried her down the hallway. She laid her head on his chest, feeling very safe in his arms.

Finally reaching Paula’s bedroom, he carried her over to the side of the bed and placed her down gently. He pulled the blankets on top of her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Are you feeling any better, sweetheart?”

“Much, thanks,” Paula whispered. “I’m sorry for ruining our family moment-”

He kneeled down on the ground, beside the bed, so he was eye level with her. “You didn’t ruin anything, it was perfect. Thank you so much,” he smiled. “I just want you to feel better now.” He lifted a hand and caressed the side of her face, making her blush lightly.

Just then Isabella ran up the stairs, “Mommy! Daddy! Is Mommy gonna be okay? I have water like you told me!”

He chuckled, “Shh, shh, Bella-Boo, she’s going to be fine. She need some rest right now.”

Paula spoke up, “Thanks sweetie. I’ll be fine, just feeling a bit under the weather at the moment.”

Isabella nodded and kissed her mother’s nose. “Feel better, Mommy.”

“Isabella, why don’t we let your mother sleep now, she needs her rest.” He took his daughter’s hand and began to walk out of the room.

“Simon, wait!” Paula so desperately wanted to shout out to Simon the real reason for her sickness. Why couldn’t she? It was a few simple words, a few simple words that would change his life greatly. “Thanks again… for everything.”

He smiled back at her and nodded, before leaving the room.