Tooth Fairy Gifts

In the soft glow of candlelight, I'm high, intensely reading something, with no idea what time it is, though the sun's not up yet, so it's still night.  

A long cold cup of coffee rests on the table beside me. 

Lainey softly snores from the sofa, my nighttime companion, and it's a good almost morning, so far anyway. 

Suddenly, I feel a presence, look up and see Che standing in her Pokémon underwear, flashing a beatific smile with four missing front teeth.  

"Da, you want to see if the Tooth Fairy came?"

Grabbing my hand, she guides me down the hall, into her bed room, flips the lights on and we climb in her bed. 

Her eyes are the size of aqua water moons, wide and sparkling, as she reaches her hand under the pillow and swiftly pulling out four quarters and the lost tooth in a plastic baggy. 

"She let me keep it Dad!"

Che has all of her lost teeth in a plastic tooth container. 

She drops each quarter into her piggy bank. 

"Which tooth you think will be next Da?" she asks, so I poke my finger in her mouth and determine it will be a front bottom tooth. 

"No Da, those are my adult teeth coming in!"

I look again and laugh. 

"What does Dad know?" I smile. 

We return to the sofa, collapsing on it in a close snuggle.  She watches television with her head on my chest and I resume reading. 

I remember the excitement of reaching my hand under the pillow searching for Tooth Fairy gifts, when I lost a tooth when I was six. 

Sixty years later, I got to do it again. 

Who gets to do that?

I am one blessed guy. 

Che and I settle, cuddled tightly on the sofa and wait on the sun to bubble out of the Sea.