...Big Imagination

I was sitting in the living room alone, flipping through the channels on TV not really finding anything I wanted to watch. I could barely hear Josh’s whistling coming from the bathroom as he showered.

After telling me about the snow people he went quiet and withdrew a little as we sat on the couch together. I tried to get him to talk about a couple different things but each time he barely said a word until I finally gave up and just sat there in his arms, wishing I knew what to say to make things better. Then out of the blue he told me he was going to get in the shower and got up to do so before I could say anything.

Flipping off the TV, I fell back against the couch and closed my eyes while waited for him to finish in the bathroom. I wasn’t waiting long before a hand touched my arm, making me jump. Opening my eyes, I turned my head and saw Jesse kneeling on the floor next to the couch. “Hey Sweetie.”

“Where daddy?” He asked, his tiny voice shaking like his body was.

“Daddy’s in the shower.” I sat up and pulled him onto my lap. “Why don’t you wait here with me?”

Jesse snuggled close to me, “I had bad dream.”

“Monsters again?” He nodded, looking up at me, yawning. “Oh honey, let’s go lie down and you can tell me all about it, ok?” He nodded and clung to me as I slipped off the couch and made my way down the hall to his room.

There was a nightlight on giving the room a warm cozy feeling. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to the blanket and pillow on the floor next to his toddler bed.

“Daddy’s bed.” He said simply when I placed him on his bed and helped him crawl under the covers.

I glanced at the blankets again and realized that there was an air mattress there too. “You think daddy will mind if I lay there for now?” Jess giggled and shook his head. “Good.”

When I finally settled onto the air mattress Jesse held out his hand to me and I slipped my hand over his. “I saw the snow people you and daddy made. But your daddy said the little one wasn’t you? Who is it Jesse?”

“Baby.” He said.

“What baby? And where are you?”

“Daddy and Ama’s baby.” He said, matter of factly. "And Jesse at mommy's."

“But Jess,” I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at him. “Daddy and I don’t have a baby.”

Jesse thought about this and moved closer to the edge of his bed, “Daddy loves Ama. And daddy loves baby.”

“Yeah,” I took my hand from his and ruffled his hair. “Daddy loves you too.”

Jesse grinned, “I love daddy.” He sat up in bed, “I love Ama,” he yelled out.

I laughed, “I love you too.”

“And daddy?”

“Yes,” I smiled, “I love your daddy.”

“Then you marry daddy and have baby.”

“Jess, I don’t know if that will happen anytime soon. But in the mean time you know what we should do tomorrow?”

He shook his head, “What Ama?”

“We should go out and make a snow bear, like Mister Bear.”

Jesse shook his head again, “No Ama, Mis’er Bear no live with daddy.”

“So?” I leaned in and rested my forehead against his. “I don’t live with daddy either, and neither do you but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make snow people like us.”

He was quiet for a moment, then he looked up at me shyly. “Daddy make snow bear?”

“If the little snow person is you,” I touched the tip of his nose with my finger, “Daddy will gladly help.”

“What will I gladly do?” When Josh poked his head in the room, Jesse gasped and fell against the bed pretending to be asleep.

I laughed, “Oh Jess I think he already knows you are awake.”

Jess peeked at me and held his finger up to his mouth as if to say ‘shhh’.

Josh chuckled as he lowered his body down on the mattress in front of me. “I think someone is faking.” He pulled back the covers and began to tickle Jess.

“Da…ddy…I….wa…ke” Jesse barely managed to say through his giggles.

Josh ceased the tickling, “Now what are you two planning?”

Jesse jumped up in bed, “We make snow bear! Like Mis’er Bear!”

Josh glanced at me with a questioning look in his eye. “The little snowperson is Jesse, and who is Jesse without Mister Bear?”