Daddy's Searching

“That you’re part of me.”

“That’s what mine says, too,” he shared.

Pedro loved the smile that spread over her lips. He leaned in to kiss her lightly. “Now, mi corazón, are you ready to see your Daddy’s nail skills?”

“Go ahead and eat first,” she suggested, waving at the tray.

“I could eat every bite of those tamales, but I won’t. Let me clean everything up and we’ll get started.”

“I can help,” she offered.

“Nope. Daddy’s job.”

“Daddy has a tough life. He has to do everything,” she joked.

“Daddies have a blessed life when they find their Littles. They get to care for her or him and make sure they’re safe and happy. It is not a hardship. I love every second of having you in my life,” Pedro assured her.

When she looked teary-eyed again, he added, “You can come sit at the counter and talk to me. We’ll make that our beauty shop.” He loved watching how the distraction helped her switch back to Belinda’s normal joyful demeanor.

“I found a video. I couldn’t do it myself. Especially for my right hand. My left hand doesn’t like to hold the brush, much less draw a straight line.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

A few minutes later, Pedro had everything stored in the fridge and the dirty dishes placed in the dishwasher. “That’s it. Show me what you found,” he requested, sitting down on a stool next to her.

“You can tell me no,” she assured him before hitting the play button.

A voice walked him through the stages as the technician decorated several nails in different colors. The final products were both super cute and professional. “I like this, Belinda. It’s adorable and simple enough that I should be able to make it look—okay.”

She laughed at his attempt to lower her expectations. “I think you’ll do better than that. What do you think of these two colors together?”

“I like those.” Pedro searched through the basket to find two other colors that complemented the first ones. “How about these for your pinkies?”

“I’ve seen people with different colors on their index fingers,” she suggested.

“Little girls seem to need theirs on their pinkies. It’s appropriate.”

“Let’s try it,” she agreed with a nod. Belinda liked doing something just a hair different from others.

Pedro got to work. The pattern was easy. He painted each nail in half vertically with the two colors. The line between the shades was fairly straight, pleasing him. Calling the digital assistant’s name, he requested high energy music.

A fast-paced song filled the room. “Time to dry those nails,” he instructed, standing and helping her out of her chair.

Pedro launched into his trademarked fingernail drying dance moves he’d perfected over the years of doing his sisters’ nails. The most basic move was shaking your hands through the air, but he’d become an expert at coordinating hip undulations and fancy footwork. Belinda’s mouth dropped open as she watched.

“Come on, mi corazón. Dance with me.”

Slowly, she took a few steps and wafted her nails through the air. Pedro moved behind her and pulled her back against his chest, tethering her lower body to his as he danced. Soon, Belinda relaxed against him and just let herself move. Laughter pealed from her lips as they danced together.

At the end of several songs, he called for the music to stop.

“Wait! We could keep going,” she suggested with a hopeful expression.

“It’s time for step two. Dots! Then more dancing,” he promised.

Eagerly, she returned to her stool and held her hands out for him. Pedro had fun finishing the project. The final look turned out absolutely eye-catching. Each nail was two colors. For most, the right side was blue and the other purple. Then he’d plopped purple dots on the blue side and blue on the purple. Her pinkies were pale pink and lavender.

“I love them!” Belinda cooed as she displayed the final decorations in front of her.