The house felt different that afternoon. Mom had gone to the market, and little ATong, the most talkative baby monkey in the family, was feeling nervous.
He paced the living room with wide eyes, glancing at the door every few minutes.
“Daddy… when Mommy come back?” he asked, tugging at Dad’s shirt.
“She’ll be home soon, sweetheart,” Dad said gently, trying to relax on the couch.
But ATong wasn’t satisfied. “Soon like banana snack time or nap time?” he asked, holding up his tiny fingers as if to count the minutes.
Dad chuckled. “Maybe two bananas’ time.”
ATong gasped. “That long?! But… but what if she forget me? What if the market has too many people and she can’t find her way back?”
Dad smiled and lifted ATong onto his lap. “Your mommy never forgets you. She always comes back. Every single time.”
ATong thought hard. “Okay… but Daddy, I sleep in your shirt today. Only today. Deal?”
Dad raised an eyebrow. “You want to sleep in my shirt like a kangaroo pouch?”
ATong nodded furiously. “Yes. Safe. Warm. Good smell.”
“Deal,” Dad said, wrapping his arms around the little monkey. ATong snuggled in close, still glancing toward the door now and then.
He kept talking softly: “When Mommy home, I tell her I be brave. But I not brave now. I be brave in five minutes.”
Dad kissed the top of his head. “Five minutes is a great place to start.”
And just like that, ATong felt a little stronger, wrapped in love and his daddy’s warm shirt, waiting for Mommy to come home with a smile and maybe a mango. 🍌👨👦💛
