My Daughter's Feet Ch. 09

I stood up and kissed her on her forehead. "Ask to talk to Renee. She knows who you are. She'll make sure your application gets put on my desk. Talk to you soon?" She just watched me walk to the door. I opened it, and looked back at her. "Bridge?"

"I'll go tomorrow bright and early Brad. I promise. I think I even have some pantyhose to wear for you when you interview me." She winked. I smiled at her and proceeded to walk out the door.

"I Love you." She called after me.

After shift was over, and I turned over to the on-coming Battalion Chief Frazier who took some time to congratulate me on finally making BC, and offered some advice; I returned home to Corinne, Kayla, Ken and Katrina holding makeshift congratulatory signs. Katrina also made a congratulations cake. I took a piece, and she jokingly smashed it into my face. Ken and Katrina then left for school, after being called in late by me. Corinne started to make a pot of coffee while I went to wash my face and change. Taking my seat at the kitchen table, with a fresh cup of coffee placed before me, Kayla sat on my right as she did on Tuesday, and crossed her right leg over left. She was wearing jeans and black nylons with flats, letting her shoe dangle from her toes. She winked at me when I looked. I briefly wondered if the nylons she was wearing were the same ones she had on two nights ago when I had to 'rescue' her. Corinne sat on my left and crossed her bare legs toward me as well, lightly touching my leg with her foot.

"Did you check up on your sister?" Corinne asked. "Don't make me tell your mother if you didn't." she ended with a laugh and shook her finger at me.

"Yes I did." I said. "She's fine, so you can give an all clear report to my mother." I smiled at her.

After a brief silence, Kayla said. "I know your promotion is very special dad. Why don't you take mom instead of me Friday night? You and mom can go and have a celebration dinner. I haven't found a dress yet, so it's really no big deal to me."

Corinne got up from the table to refill her cup of coffee. "Don't be silly Kayla." She snipped at her. "That's your birthday present from grandma."

I needed to end this before it turned into a catfight. I pointed my finger at Kayla: "You get out and find a dress." I turned in my chair to look at Corinne: "You call my mother and give her a status report of all is good with Bridgette. Got it?"

"Wow." Corinne softly said. "What brought that on?"

"I'm just not in the mood for bickering this morning Cory." I said. I turned back to Kayla: "And you need to stop procrastinating on this dress. Your grandmother gave you money to buy one. If I have to wear a tux, you can find a dress."

"I'm not procrastinating daddy." Kayla whined. "I looked yesterday but didn't find one that would look nice on me instead of making me look like a high priced call girl."

"You mean a slut." Corinne said as she sat back down.

"Mom!" Kayla yelled.

"That was uncalled for Corinne." I calmly said leveling a stare at her. "Just what are you getting at?"

"What?" Corinne asked in surprise. "I didn't mean anything bad..." she looked back and forth between Kayla and I. "I was just saying...." My stare at her didn't change. "Forget it. You both misunderstood what I meant. I'm sorry Kayla."

I turned toward Kayla: "You can't expect to find a nice dress at Wal-mart for something like this Kayla. Grandma gave you money to go somewhere nice. You and I will go together. I have to get a tux."

After small idle talk and finishing my coffee, I got up from my chair. "Let's go Kayla." In a snooty voice I continued: "Let us obtain proper attire."

Corinne laughed at me; Kayla giggled and gave me her daddy smile. "You're such a dork sometimes dad." She said as she got up from her chair and followed me out to my truck.

We went to a few places, explained what we needed, and allowed salespeople to help us. I found my tux at the first place we went to, while Kayla tried on what had to be a hundred dresses. Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little. Some were nice but too girly, and some straight up screamed 'I am going to get laid tonight.' After trying on the dress, Kayla would do a little catwalk and show it off to me for my opinion. As expected, the ones I liked, she didn't. The ones she liked, I didn't. I was starting to get bored and annoyed. We started this endeavor at 10am; it was now going on 3pm. We would thank the people for helping us and apologize for not having the 'right' dress. The last place we went to, I sat in the chair and muttered to her: "this better be the last store." She stuck her tongue out at me, and I chuckled. The first couple dresses she tried on, she wore strappy high heels with. The shoes made her feet look sexy even in the black nylons she wore today, but they just didn't match the dress. The next couple with closed toe heels, again I didn't like. Frustrated, she bent down and whispered in my ear.

"Daddy." She said sternly. "Stop judging these dresses by how my feet look in the shoes. All these dresses are pretty."

I just chuckled at her as she pulled away and stuck her tongue out at me for the millionth time today. I took a little nap as the saleslady and her perused the dress racks again. I was awoken by Kayla clearing her throat. She sat on an ottoman legs together feet turned inward wearing peep toe heels. The dress was blue, which actually matched the cumber bund for my tux. No smile on her face, but her head was nodding yes. I smiled at her and said: "Looks good. That's the one." She let out a sigh, and out of the corner of my eye, I seen the saleslady put her hand to her head in a 'thank God' gesture. Kayla paid for half of the dress. I told her I would pay half and pay for the shoes so she had money to get her hair done and accessorize if she needed to.

I carefully put the dress into the back seat of the truck while she got in. We made conversation as I made my way back into traffic. At the first stop light, Kayla grabbed my wrist lifting it off the arm rest, lifted the arm rest up, kicked off her shoes and put her feet up on the seat, her black nylon soles facing me. She put my hand on the top of her foot and interlaced her fingers with mine. I smiled at her and used my thumb to rub the bottom of her soft nylon foot.

"I've wanted you to do this for years, dad." She purred. "Having you rub my feet while you were driving us home from our 'dates'. I was too scared to ask." At the next stop light, I leaned down and sniffed her nylon toes. She giggled and lightly bit her thumb while wiggling her toes against my nose. Her feet smelled of lotion and shoe leather. Every stop light we had to stop for afterward, she would whisper: "Smell my feet again daddy" followed by a little giggle if I did.

Kayla put her shoes back on when we got home. Corinne came out of the house as I was taking her dress out to put it in the trunk of her car.

"My gosh." Corinne said with her hands in her pockets. "Where did you guys go? Ethiopia?"

"Where didn't we go would make a shorter list." I muttered.

Kayla let out a gasp. "Dad that's not nice." Turning to Corinne: "We only went to a few places, but he was being too picky over which dress to buy. He's worse than me." She laughed.

I held up the dress for Corinne to see. She gave a little whistle. "That is pretty Kayla."

"I paid for half of it." I told Corinne. "She's going to need money to get her hair done and stuff. Don't tell mom. Otherwise, I would hear the southern drawl say something like 'a gentleman should always pay the way of a southern belle.'" I said in my fake mother's voice. Both Corinne and Kayla laughed at me.

"You're such a dork sometimes dad." Kayla added. After closing her trunk she looked at her watch and said: "Well, I gotta go. I got the graveyard shift tonight."

"Okay dear. Have fun at work." Corinne smiled at her. "What are we going to do for supper Brad?" She said looking at me.

"I figure I take you to the Japanese steak house and celebrate my promotion a little bit." I winked at her.

"Not fair!" Kayla pouted. "I wanna go too."

Corinne laughed at her and put her arms around my waist. "Kayla?" she said in her mother's voice. "What did I tell you about sharing? I get him tonight, you get him tomorrow night."

"Wow." I chuckled. "If that isn't loaded, I don't know what is."

We all laughed. Kayla gave her mom a hug, before coming to me and giving me a hug. She gave me her standard daughter kiss on the lips and whispered: "Thank you dad. I love you." She got in her car, started it, and with a beep of the horn, a wave, and a "see ya later dad" she was gone.

Corinne and I had a marvelous hibachi dinner prepared by our favorite hibachi chef we long ago nicknamed Fred. As always, he returned the playful banter with us and accidently on purpose screwed up our order so we didn't have to pay. We tip him very well. He made a big fireball when he lit up the grill, amazing the two small children who were with their parents sharing the same table as us. They watched him closely throughout his performance. When they begged him to do it again, he told them he couldn't because the fire chief is watching him, as he shook his spatula in my direction. After dinner we went to the bar where the firemen and policemen hang out. The bar is owned by a sheriff's deputy, and his dad, a retired firefighter before I even was hired, runs the place. I normally don't drink a lot, but tonight I was accepting shot after shot in celebration of my promotion. I bought a few rounds as well, and thank goodness Corinne decided to only drink soda after awhile, because I was in no shape to drive. As we pulled into the driveway at our house, Eric Clapton was crooning on the radio 'Wonderful Tonight.' We both laughed since it mimicked us at this moment in time. I was still singing it way off key as I flopped down on our bed. Corinne undressed me the best she could since I couldn't cooperate with her. Singing to her over and over again how much I love her and how wonderful she looked tonight, she laughed because I apparently always tell her that when I'm drunk and she is fondling me. I passed out smelling the familiar aroma I am so addicted to, while singing 'wonderful tonight' into Corinne's white nylon foot.