"Now, whose turn is it?" She asked looking around the small room. Jayden looked at his family portrait and for the first time he noticed that his family was not like most of his new classmates at the Catholic school. This was the second time today that the issue of a "daddy" had come up. Did all families have dads? Why didn't he have one too? He had grown up his entire life with only his mom; he had never really paid attention that it had always only been just the two of them. He wondered if he had a daddy and if so if his daddy knew about him. He definitely intended on asking mom about this later today.
"Ah, Jayden it's your turn…" He heard Mrs. Goodrich calling out his name.
* * * * * * *
- 6:09 p.m.
"Mom do I have a daddy?" Jayden asked flat out taking his mom by surprise. Finally he got to ask the question that had been bugging him all day long after seeing many of his classmates being brought to and picked up from school by men whom he had been educated to learn were their 'dads'.
"Ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh…" Marla coughed at the unexpected question. She couldn't help but turning a curious eye on her son.
"Of-of…" Marla stumbled as her mind turned trying to figure out a tactful way to answer her son. She had expected him to ask questions about his father one day; however she hadn't anticipated that today would be the day. She had never really come up with anything plausible to tell him except the truth.
"Of… sure you do honey… Everyone has a dad." She answered after recovering from the shock of his question.
"Where is he? Does he know about me? Can I meet him?" His questions caught her off guard and she found herself smashing on her brakes hard bringing the car to a sudden halt just before hitting the car in front of her. Now how was she supposed to answer these questions? She pulled the car over out of traffic and turned to her son.
"Of- why the sudden interest Jayden?" She asked stalling for time and wracking her brain for the right answers.
"Of-of…" He stumbled unsure as to how to explain himself. "Today a lot of kids came to school with their dads… And it got me to wondering if I had one too?" He told her the truth and Marla swallowed hard against the lump in her throat at her young son's observation. Of course there would be fathers dropping off and picking up their children too. Jayden was no longer in the sheltered environment of being in a home daycare center that was primarily used by single mothers. Of course he would see a big difference in families. How could she tell him, that for whatever reason his father chooses not to be a part of his life?