Enough Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY – TWO

I picked up Tai from Ms. Tran at close to four and we drove straight home. On the ride home, I explained to Tai my idea about maybe asking Lexie to join us at the movie. Tai gave a resounding yes and said that would be great. I voice commanded the phone in the vehicle to call Lexie Thomas and within several rings Lexie answered the phone.

“Lex, I am driving home from school and Tai wants to talk to you”, I stated.

“Miss Lexie, do you want to go see the princess movie with us?”, Tai asked, very excited.

“I would love to see the movie with you Tai.”, Lexie replied.

“Good, then Chwis and I will pick you up later.”, Tai answered.

“Ok Lexie, see you about six forty-five or so.”, I informed her, hanging up.

We went home and got cleaned up then dressed for the movie. Tai put on some jeans and a pullover shirt with white sneakers. I did much the same since it was going to be a very casual evening. We drove across town to Lexie’s parents’ home and parked in front. I followed Tai up the sidewalk until we got to the front door. I rang the bell and Jennifer Thomas opened the door almost immediately.

“Hey guys, it’s good to see you again.”, she said, smiling.

“We are here to take Lexie to the movie with us. It’s a princess movie.”, Tai stated.

“Oh my, well I’m sure Lexie is almost ready. Please come in.”, Jennifer answered.

We went in and followed Jennifer to the family room and sat down on the sofa. Jim was out at the grocery store and had just left minutes before. Jennifer talked with Tai as we waited for Lexie to come down the stairs. When Lexie finally showed the wait was worth it. She had on a pair of tight jeans with a white silk sheer top. She had on black heeled boots and had put some curl in her hair. Lexie’s makeup was flawless.

“Miss Lexie, you look very pretty.”, Tai commented.

“Well, so you do Miss Tai.”, Lexie commented.

We left right away and drove straight over to the movie theatre complex. We were about an hour early so we went to make sure we got good seats. Once seated, I went and got a large popcorn and three Coke’s for us. I returned just before the trailers started playing. Tai’s eyes were glued to the screen for the entire movie. I did notice about halfway through the movie Tai was holding Lexie’s hand which made me feel good. It gave me a sense that perhaps Tai was beginning to trust people again. The movie finished and we got up and walked toward the car. Once I strapped her into her car seat and walked around the car, Lexie and Tai were talking about where to go for dinner. Tai suggested we go to Saigon Block which she loved. Her parents had made sure she still understood her Vietnamese heritage. So, we headed there since it was not that far away.

We were seated immediately, and I guess having a Vietnamese child with us caused a lot of attention. Tai ordered her favorite which was bun bo hue. It was a noodle and beef dish in a spicy broth. We also ordered beef satay, meatballs and bo la tot which was spicy ground beef wrapped in betal leaves. The waitress was impressed at Tai’s knowledge of the menu. I could tell Lexie was a little apprehensive admitting she had never eaten Vietnamese cuisine.

The meal was fabulous, and I could tell Lexie was very impressed. Lexie and Tai were getting along very well which was a good sign. It was a little after ten o’clock on the ride back when Tai suggested that Lexie come home with us. I explained that I had to bring Lexie home but Tai wanted Lexie to spend the night with her. I was in a pickle here and did not know how to address this situation.

“Ok, how about this. Lexie can come over for a while then when you go to bed then she can take an Uber ride home. Would that be ok, Tai?”, I asked.

“Yessssss, that’s good.”, she screamed.

We arrived back at my house and Tai immediately took Lexie to the theatre room to put on one of her DVD’s. I went in the back and put on shorts and a T-shirt then went to join them. Tai had put on the movie “Frozen” which I know I had watched a half a dozen times. About halfway through the movie Tai started to fade fast and I could see she was ready to go to bed.

“San sang di ngu?”, I asked.

“Co’.”, she replied.

I got up and picked her up in my arms and turned to go to her bedroom. She lifted her head off my shoulder and looked at Lexie.

“Anh yeu em”, Tai said softly to Lexie.

I took Tai to bed and tucked her in and kissed her cheek like I did every night. I turned on her night light and the monitor next to the bed. I walked out leaving her door ajar slightly like I always did. I walked back into the theatre room and sat down next to Lexie.

“You know how to speak Vietnamese?’, Lexie asked.

“Tai is teaching me. Ms. Tran insists she continue speaking in both languages. I asked her if she was ready for bed and she replied yes.”, I answered.

“What did she say to me?”, Lexie inquired.

“She said anh yeu em which means I love you.”, I answered.

“Oh, how sweet. She is such a precious child. It’s hard to believe everything that she has been through hasn’t affected her.”, Lexie commented.

“One of the psychologists at the hospital told me that young people bounce back a lot better than adults. He also told me to constantly remind her about her family and let her know that they love her. So, I try my best and we go to the cemetery every other week and put out flowers.”, I stated.

“I can’t believe that I misjudged you as badly as I did Chris. I think that being with Cody all those years just made me believe that all men were the same. Then add to the fact that women are always throwing themselves at you, well I just really believe that you would never be just a one-woman man. God was I stupid.”, she sighed.

“Lexie, if I have learned one thing about relationships are that people seem to always run back to what’s familiar to them. Everyone I ever dated always seem to run back to previous people they were involved with the exception of Cassie. Sometimes I believe life is predetermined and me being alone is what is meant to be.”, I said.

“Chris, please don’t say that. You have everything to offer someone don’t give up on love.”, Lexie pleaded.

“It’s not love Lexie, it’s me. Obviously, there is something about me that stops a woman from going all in with me. It can’t always be the woman’s fault. I must be doing something wrong.”, I laughed.

“No Chris, I can tell you what it is. You come off as being too good to be true. I think that makes a woman suspicious that you’re hiding something.”, Lexie commented.

“Lexie, I’m not hiding anything…… you of all people should know that.”, I remarked.

“I did not know that until I saw the way you interacted with Tai. I know now you’re genuine and a rare find in today’s world.”, she answered.

“The only good thing in my life now is that little girl sleeping in the other room. I know she is not going to leave me no matter what.”, I replied.

“Maybe Tessa will come back. You never know.”, Lexie replied.

“That will never happen because I won’t allow it to happen. She was the one who started me on this journey with Tai. It was her idea to foster Tai and I bought this house to be close to her parents. That way if we needed them, they would be close. And after all of that happening I find out she is sleeping with another guy. There is no coming back after that.”, I responded.

Just about that time, my cell phone rang, and I noticed it was Tessa. Lexie saw it as well. I picked up the phone and answered it.

“Hey Chris, how are you?”, Tessa asked.

“I’m fine Tessa, how are you?”, I replied.

“I’m ok, look I’m over by my parents’ house and was wondering if we could stop in for a few seconds to say hi to Tai.”, she asked.

“She’s already in bed for the night. We went to see the new princess movie and went to eat at one of her favorite places. She is sound asleep.”, I answered.

“That’s fine, I will call you again sometime. Tell her hello for me.”, Tessa asked.

“Will do.”, I replied.

I hung up the phone and placed it down on the sofa. It dawned on me that it was getting late and that Lexie needed to get home.

“Lex, if you want you can take my car home and then come back in the morning, it’s not a problem. Or I can call an Uber for you.”, I offered.

“I don’t want to inconvenience you.