The Pink Dinosaur’s Father
Copyright© 2025 by OmegaPet-58
Chapter 1: The Halloween Party
GRACE
“Lisa and Jon, come on! We’re going to be late, and all the candy will be gone.” As a single parent, I knew exactly how to motivate my kids. I’m Grace, and my children—Lisa, 7, and Jon, 9, a second and fourth grader, respectively—are what keep me going. At six o’clock on Halloween night, a Friday, I was taking them back to school for the Halloween party.
A combination of dangerous streets and feverish news coverage caused the PTA to offer the auditorium for an alternative celebration. To be honest, an organized party was a relief. Our community lacked sidewalks, streetlights, and effective policing; traffic roared down our gloomy streets at frightening speeds.
Inside, parents congregated at the back of the auditorium while the kids enjoyed various organized activities. I noticed how my son, Jon, kept close to his sister. When a group of older and larger boys rushed toward her, he moved to protect her from being jostled. Being thoughtful and protective seemed natural to him, and I was immensely proud.
My ex, by contrast, never missed an opportunity to let us down. After I stopped nursing Jon, Willie impregnated me again with Lisa, then didn’t even show up for the labor and delivery. He’d reached my limit; I filed for divorce while nursing my daughter.
Watching the kids play and run, I was enjoying the silliness and costumed fun. Lisa was wearing a princess gown, and “Sir” Jon had (vinyl) armor and a plastic broadsword. He seemed to naturally adopt a noble and chivalrous attitude in line with his costume. I felt so proud of him; I could imagine him growing to be a fine and honorable man.
My ex, by contrast, never missed an opportunity to let us down. After I stopped nursing Jon, Willie impregnated me again—with Lisa. Willie didn’t even show up for the labor and delivery. He’d reached my limit; I filed for divorce while nursing my daughter.
For some activities, the kids were grouped by grade level. Lisa was with the second graders, and I noticed she was friendly with another girl, whose dinosaur costume was a lovely shade of pink. My mind kept returning to Willie: even after our divorce and garnishing his wages for child support, he remained obsessed. I struggled to be free of his obsessive control over me and our lives.
My mind kept recapping my past. Speaking of fossils, even after our divorce and after Willie’s wages were garnished for child support, he remained obsessed. I struggled to be free of his obsessive control over me and our lives.
In the auditorium, when the kids moved on to their next activity, that’s when I met HIM. Mike was impossibly handsome and tall, standing out from the other parents. He wore a black t-shirt stretched tight across his broad chest and khaki cargo pants. I felt compelled to approach him.
“Hi, my name is Grace. I have two wild kids out there: Lisa is the princess, and Jon is the knight.”
“Hello, Grace. The pink dinosaur is my daughter, Tricia.”
His voice was so deep and powerful! I had spotted her earlier.
“Oh, she’s precious. How old?”
“Tricia is six, almost seven. She’s bright; she’s in the second grade.”
I swear, that man had one of those “James Earl Jones” voices. I could happily listen to him talk for hours. What is going on? Other than my kids, this man has absorbed my complete attention, even though I’ve just met him.
“I’m sure she’s in the same class with my Lisa. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“I’m Mike, Mike Morris. And you are Grace...?”
“Oh, sorry. I’m Grace Bainbridge. My princess is Lisa Carson, and my noble knight is Jon Carson. I kept my maiden name, and their father is Willie Carson.”
“Is Mr. Carson here to help you manage them?” Mike rumbled.
“Oh, no, Mr. Carson and I are no longer speaking. He’s not at all interested in fatherhood.” That was the most positive way I could think of to describe his negligence.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry; I couldn’t imagine my life without Tricia.” Mike’s tone showed his absolute devotion to his daughter. By contrast, my ex-husband was a hateful asshole. Hearing this man speak with such devotion felt like a tremendous, exciting relief.
And then, I put my foot in my mouth.
“Did Tricia’s mother put together the dinosaur costume; is she here tonight?”
“I’m afraid Tricia’s mother has passed, Grace; I’m a single parent too.”
I studied my shoes, ashamed of myself.
“I’m so, so sorry, Mike,” I cried, softly, shaking my head. Then I felt his hand on my elbow.
“Grace?” He leaned down to speak near my ear.
“Grace? It’s alright. You couldn’t know, it’s a natural question. C’mon, look up, it’s fine. Lindsey died six years ago. We were both in the army and deployed in the Middle East. Baby Tricia was with my mom while my wife was on temporary assignment, and she—she was killed.”
His sadness caused him to stutter.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I guess you were discharged to care for your daughter?”
“That’s right. Actually, I wasn’t ... I wasn’t ‘fit for duty.’ I...”
“Mike, please stop. God! I had no right to, to probe like that. I’m awfully sorry. I feel so bad for you, for your loss.” My voice was affected as well.
He did stop and looked away, coughing a little, and then he resumed.
“No, Grace, it’s fine. Even now, sometimes, remembering catches me by surprise, and I need to regroup. In those first months I needed to get some counseling to screw my head back on, but I’m recovered now and taking care of Tricia.”
“I’ve been watching Tricia playing with my daughter, Mike. She’s got a sweet smile under that pink makeup. You must be doing a good job being her dad.”
“I’m so proud of my daughter. Anyway, I have a clean bill of health now. Technically, I’m in the reserves. When my girl is older, I might resume my military career, that is, go back on active duty. For now, though, I work for the Veterans Administration doing management work at the medical center.”
“Really!” I was more and more impressed. He was so different, impressing with warmth, strength, and power—the opposite of Willie’s bluster and anger. But I kept blundering on.
“Again, I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Have you found a possible stepmother for Tricia?”
He stared into my eyes, as if evaluating the reasons for my questions. I worried that I’d gone too far and put him off, but his smile reassured me.
“Grace, there’s no stepmother, just my mom to help me take care of Tricia. But let’s be fair. You should tell me all about Grace Bainbridge. ‘Every mother is a working mother,’ they say, but do you have an outside job as well?”
God, this exceptional man is cranking me up something awful; he made out like I was actually interesting.
“Mike, I work in a law office for Matthew Reynolds, of Reynolds, Larsen, Daley, and Gilmore.”
“So, Reynolds is your boss? Is he OK to work for?”
“Yeah, he’s a good boss, but there’s a ton of paperwork that keeps me very busy. Uh, Mike, can I be straight with you? I have a confession to make.” I was really nervous, and my voice was unsteady.
“Wait. Do I need to read you your rights first?” Mike looked serious, but his eyes ... I swear to God, his eyes were twinkling!
“No, I haven’t broken any laws. Not tonight, anyway. Mike, I’m confessing that I want to see you again—possibly when our kids are asleep.”
“Wow! That’s a serious confession. Grace, you just met me, but you want to...”
“Yes, Mike, I do. I know I’m being crazy and forward, but I really want to see you again. More than anything. This urgent feeling has never happened to me before.”
“Me neither, Grace. I confess, to me you are very attractive as well.” He just looked into my eyes and smiled. Honestly, my heart went faster and faster. I worried; did he understand how nervous I was?
Then Mike looked around the auditorium. “I think this spooky shindig is winding down. Let’s collect our kids and go exchange information in the parking lot.”
“‘Exchange our information,’ you said? That makes sense, I guess, since we just collided.” I was grinning at him, he was grinning back at me—we were acting like giddy teenagers. I loved it!
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