Second Chance Addison

Chance was woken up in the late morning by a soft knock on the door. He sat up and looked at the antique analog clock hanging on the wall and found it was already half past ten.

Before he could answer, a small voice came from the other side of the door.

"Hey Mister, are you awake?" The door opened and a little girl poked her head inside. She had the same straight dark hair and eyes as her mother but the smile was definitely Roy's. This must be little Genevieve.

"I am now." Having just woken up, his voice was deeper and rougher than usual. In spite of that, he tried to reply as gently as he could. As a workaholic he hadn't interacted with a child since he was one and was worried he would frighten her.

"Mister, do you like unicorns?" She saw he was wearing the pajamas she had personally chosen for him and was feeling particularly pleased with herself.

"You know, I've never really been interested in them but I think I'd like to learn more about them."

"That's great, Mister! Papa said you probably wouldn't like them but now I can tell you all about them at breakfast!" She spun around excitedly as she spoke but stopped suddenly when she remembered something.

"Oh yeah! Mama and Papa wanted me to ask you if you were ready for breakfast. Are you hungry Mister?"

"I am. But first I need to wash up a bit."

"Does that mean you won't wear the unicorns anymore?" She seemed a bit disappointed.

"I'm afraid so. I can't wear pajamas all day, can I?"

"I guess not." She looked so sad he almost said he would keep them on!

Luckily, Roy had come to check on them.

"Genny, is Mr. Addison awake?" Soon his large frame filled the doorway.

"Yes Papa, Mister is awake." She said dejected.

"What's wrong?" Roy tensed up and looked like he was ready to fight someone.

"He can't wear the unicorns anymore because they are on his pajamas." She stared down at the floor and poked at the carpet with her slippers.

Chance gave Roy an apologetic look. He had no idea how to handle this sort of situation.

Roy thought for a moment and came up with an idea.

"Genny, how about you let Mr. Addison borrow one of you unicorn pins? He can wear it on his shirt later."

The little girl's face lit up in an instant, almost blinding the two men.

"Papa, you're so smart! I'll go get one now!"

After she ran out of the room, both men let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset her." Chance was amazed at how quickly she recovered.

"Don't worry about it. No tears were shed after all. Go ahead and get yourself together. When you're ready, come meet me in the living room." Roy turned and pulled the door closed behind him.

Chance rolled out of bed and stretched. He felt his muscles and joints pop and crack in protest.

'New day, new life.' He took a quick shower, shaved, and got dressed.

This outfit was, at least for now, unicorn free. It was a simple fitted black polo paired with khaki colored slacks and black socks.

He was dressed and ready in less than fifteen minutes.

When he went back into the bedroom, he noticed Genevieve had already come and gone as there was a little gold pin left on the nightstand. The animal was proudly reared up on it's hind legs. Its mane and tail were styled to look as if they were flowing in the wind.

He was impressed with the girl's choice. Admittedly, he was expecting something more pink or glittery or something as colorful as the pajamas she had picked out.

Chance picked up the pin and attached it to his shirt as promised. Then, he quickly made up the bed and went to find Roy.

He caught up with him in the living room and then they went to join the girls in the kitchen.

"Good morning Chance, I hope you rested well." Eve greeted him with a smile. It seemed that Roy had managed to smooth everything out last night.

"Good morning and thank you. It was the best sleep I've had in a while." He sincerely answered Eve's greeting as Roy placed a plate in front of him with eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh fruit.

They chatted about this and that as they ate breakfast. Most of the conversation was controlled by Genevieve and she told Chance everything she knew about unicorns.

He listened seriously and would ask questions occasionally to show he was paying attention. By the end of breakfast she was calling him Uncle Addy and she was convinced that he was as cool as Aunt Fay.