The Big Bad Wolf

Jasmine twirled around in her princess dress as she and her father sang the theme song of her favorite Disney show in the living room.

Wearing a king’s robe and the crown she’d made him a few weeks ago, he bowed before her gallantly, then took her hand, leading her to her throne-like chair to watch the new episode of Sofia the First.

She was halfway through the show when he decided to go get her breakfast and get her ready for school.

Knowing his daughter, he thought she’d want to leave in her dress, but luckily, he’d bought substitutes when he’d gone shopping for her the day before.

“Thanks, Daddy,” she mumbled as he placed bacon, crown-shaped pancakes, and orange juice before her on the purple kiddie table.

“You are welcome, Princess,” he said, imitating the character Baileywick. “The carriage will be ready soon. I shall go get your things.”

Jasmine giggled at her father’s silliness and dug into her breakfast.

Jacob quickly ran upstairs and changed into his work clothes, double-checking for any glitter from the crown, then going to the large Disney princess-themed room to get her stuff.

The show was rolling its last credits when he came back down, and she was clearing her table. She ran back in and stood before him.

She had been excited since the night before when he’d told her he had a surprise for her.

“Are you ready?” he asked with a smile that resembled his daughter’s.

She nodded her head in excitement. Her light-blue eyes shone, and her long, black curly hair bounced up and down.

“Eyes closed,” he ordered, gently tapping her nose.

She did as asked and kept bouncing on her toes. He placed the items on his lap and asked her to open her eyes.

Jasmine squealed in delight as she took in the Sofia the First T-shirt with the words Princess at Heart and the matching pink-and-purple tutu.

He’d added thin white tights and a new pair of—you guessed it—purple Sofia light-up shoes. She hurriedly changed into them with minor help from her dad.

For a six-year-old, she was very independent and brave, which Jacob was proud of.

He encouraged her to have her own sense of style and to speak her mind but be mindful of people’s feelings, and he didn’t limit her education.

Smoothing out her tutu, she thanked her father so many times with the smile that always melted his heart.

He took her small hands and kissed them. “Anything for my little girl,” he said, looking at the little girl who’d captured his heart six years ago when he first held her.

Her mother had been the first to have his heart from the time they were teens, but he knew for sure Jasmine was the official owner.

Her light-brown skin was due to the mix of her white father and Spanish American mother. She was truly beautiful inside and out to him, and he knew others thought so as well.

Though her delicate nose, mouth, and hair were all from her mother, her blue eyes were from him. Every day, he was in awe of what love had produced.

“Can you braid my hair, Daddy?” she asked, pulling the chair to sit before him.

He didn’t answer but took the brush and comb, quickly braiding her hair in one of the five styles he knew.

As a single father to a little girl, he’d had to learn how to do things on his own and fast.

Jacob depended on no one but himself when it came to Jasmine; he’d learned that the hard way six years ago and had promised that whatever his daughter’s needs were, he would meet them.

“All done,” he called out, standing her up, then handing her the personalized Sofia hoodie her godfather had bought for her.

She touched the six cornrows at the front of her head and the braided ponytail at the back. “Do I look pretty?” she asked as he got up to put on his suit jacket.

“Nope,” he said nonchalantly, going for the car keys and messenger bag.

She paused in picking up her backpack and lunch bag and looked at him with a frown.

He smiled. “Beautiful. You should have asked, ‘Do I look beautiful?’” he said, kissing her head.

Just like that, her megawatt smile returned.

Walking her to her class was nerve-racking. It was her first day of first grade; she was growing up too fast in his eyes. The tight grip on his hand let him know that she, too, was nervous.

“It’s all right,” he said to both her and to himself as they stood in the hallway looking in at the class. Mrs. Johnson’s Class, he read above the doorway.

Moms walked past them, giving him the once-over, then smiling at Jasmine before giving him approval with their eyes.

Jacob kept his face stoic. Though they were attractive in their own way, he wasn’t interested.

Dressed in a steel-gray business suit and a dark trench coat, he looked the part of the successful and sexy father, not to mention his blond hair, striking blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard.

He kept himself in shape and neat for himself, not to trap any new ladies. He couldn’t do that to his daughter yet.

The pair walked into the chaotic place called first grade. Kids ran about the room as mothers stood in a corner, talking among themselves.

The teacher, he assumed, was checking on the children who were already seated at tables, doing whatever artistic things came to their minds.

The middle-aged lady stood up once more and caught his gaze; with a warm smile and bright eyes, she walked toward them.

Jasmine stood her ground but kept close to her father. Head held high, she said good morning to the lady.

“Good morning to you, sweetie. And what is your name?” she asked.

“Jasmine Anahi Kaiser,” his daughter answered with pride.

“My, what a beautiful name. What does Anahi mean?” the teacher asked, crouching to her height.

“My daddy says it means beautiful, just like me and my mommy.”

Mrs. Johnson glanced up at Jacob, who only had eyes for his brave little girl. “Well, I guess your daddy is right.”

“Daddy is always right,” Jasmine responded.

Jacob chuckled and playfully tugged on her braids.

“Well, I am sure he is. Welcome to first grade. Are you ready to make new friends?” the teacher responded, standing up.

The little blue-eyed girl looked around the room and took a deep breath before letting go of her father’s hand. His heart lurched as she took the first step away from him, then another.

She paused, focusing on a little boy who was by himself, playing with Jake and the Never Land Pirates toys. She was about to go to him but spun around and went back to her father.

Jacob bent to her level. “Bye, Daddy,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

Rubbing her cheek with his thumb, he gave her a watery smile. “Bye, Princess Jasmine,” he said softly before kissing her cheek, which she returned.

Standing back up, he joined her teacher as she went ahead to meet a new friend.

“Jasmine is allergic to peanuts and has mild asthma. There is a MediPack in her bag with an EpiPen and inhaler for those types of emergencies.

“These are my contact numbers and also her godfather’s and godmother’s. Her doctor’s information is here also,” he said, nervously handing her four laminated index cards.

“Mr. Kaiser. Breathe in. Breathe out. She will be fine,” the teacher reassured him.

He did what she asked, looking over at his princess.

The boy was shyly showing her his toy, and she showed him her Sofia and Clover toys.

Feeling stares at the back of his neck, he turned to the ladies in the corner. Their eyes showed him how much he affected them. With a subtle nod, he returned his attention to Mrs. Johnson.

“Don’t mind them. They’re soccer moms appreciating a good view.”

The older woman’s words caused a faint blush over his cheeks, and a nervous laugh escaped his lips.

“Um. Her godmother or I will pick her up. I work in the city. If she needs anything for school, please notify me,” he said, shaking her hand.

“Will do, Mr. Kaiser,” she replied. The teacher left to tend to the students as he took one last look at Jasmine.

Looking up, she caught her father’s gaze.

“I love you, Daddy,” she signed.

“I love you too, Princess,” he returned.

Not everyone knew of his disability, nor had he allowed it to prevent him from living a normal life. His being deaf was something minor to him.

Jasmine’s mother had had no problem with it, nor did his best friend.

With a wave, he left for work as his little girl started her first day of being a big kid.

Adjusting his hearing aid as he stepped into the building, he greeted the security guard and the lobby receptionist before going up to his floor. The wonderful world of accounting.

The company he worked for specialized in handling people’s money, helping them to save and to invest in great opportunities.

He was a junior partner, and he was pleased to have a large corner office on the thirty-ninth floor. As with those close to him, his being deaf wasn’t a big deal to his coworkers and boss.

A few of his coworkers had taken the time to learn American Sign Language, while others spoke so that he could read their lips.

“Morning, Therese,” he greeted his secretary.

The matronly woman looked up from her computer and gave him a bright smile. “So…how was it?” she asked.

“I miss her already,” he said, pouting.

Therese laughed, shaking her head at the man whose whole world was his daughter. “Miss Jasmine will be fine. She’s as brave as her father,” she said, handing him a few files.

Taking them, he gave the woman who was like a mother to him a kiss on the cheek and retired to his office.

Turning off his hearing aid, he worked in silence on his high-priority clients’ accounts. A few hours later, he felt the vibration of his iPad.

It was a message from Therese informing him of a few meetings scheduled for the day.

As he read through the list, something was waved before his face. Startled, he dropped the iPad, miraculously, on a folder. Looking up, he found the smiling face of his best friend.

“Hard at work?” he asked, signing his question.

William had been his friend since they were four, his first friend. He hadn’t cared that Jacob was deaf; when the other kids had made fun of him, he was his friend’s bodyguard.

Turning his hearing device back on, he spoke to his friend. “Money keeps growing. How have you been?” he asked.

William sat and looked around Jacob’s office, then picked up a picture of his goddaughter and himself.

“I came for two things. How was Jaz’s first day? Did she cry? Did you cry?” he asked with a stupid grin on his face.

“No, we didn’t. She’s my kid; we don’t cry. I think she made a new friend,” Jacob answered proudly.

“Nice. I brought her a new gift for being the brave girl I know her to be. It’s in your car already.”

“A new princess toy?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Psh… What? Nooooo. It’s not technically a toy…,” William answered, stumbling over his words.

His best friend contributed to his daughter’s princess obsession; Jacob bought her clothes, and William was the one for toys and other little things with Disney princess themes.

“Right. Now the second thing?”

“You, my friend, have a date tonight.”