I Picked up My 5-Year-Old from Kindergarten When She Suddenly Said, ‘Daddy, Why Didn’t the New Daddy Pick Me up like He Usually Does?’

Then she tilted her head and said, “Daddy, why didn’t the new daddy pick me up like he usually does?”

My hands froze mid-zipper.

“What do you mean, sweetheart?

What new daddy?”

She looked at me as if I’d just asked the silliest question in the world.

“Well, the new daddy. He always takes me to Mommy’s office, and then we go home. Sometimes we go for walks too!

We went to the zoo last week and saw the elephants. And he comes over to our house when you’re not home. He’s really nice.

He brings me cookies sometimes.”

The floor felt like it dropped out from under me. I kept my face neutral, kept my voice calm even though my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

“Oh. I see.

Well, he couldn’t make it today, so I came instead. Aren’t you happy I came?”

“Of course, I am!” She giggled, completely oblivious. “I don’t like calling him Daddy anyway, even though he keeps asking me to.

It feels weird. So I just call him the new daddy instead.”

I swallowed hard. “Alright, alright.

That makes sense.”

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