Growing up, I was equal parts fearless and anxious.  I was also an incredibly curious child, which often led me to trouble or dangerous situations. With my head always in the clouds, my feet in the sand, and never quite focusing on the task at hand, it’s a wonder I’m not already dead. Caution wasn’t exactly my middle name. Though, perhaps it should have been. Maybe that would have kept me out of trouble.

After a few short years, it’s no longer just my mom and me.

  “Jessi,” my mom says. “This is my friend, Jeff.” Staring up at him hesitantly, I observe his facial expression. His expression is kind and there is a noticeable twinkle in his eye. Looking up at him, I’m super aware of just how tall he is. He seems larger than life.   

Shyly, I admired the soft blue dress hanging on his arm.

“Who’s that for? Me?”

“It’s for me.” He teases me. “Think I can wear it?” He says, holding it across his chest even though it barely covers half of it.

I can’t help but giggle at the sight of him.

“No. It won’t fit you.” I reply literally. At the tender age of four, I wasn’t nearly acquainted with the art of sarcasm just yet.

“I’m just kidding,” he confesses. “It’s for you! Isn’t it pretty?”

My eyes light up. I love the pale blue shade of it so much. As he extends the dress to me, I pet the soft fuzzy bear in the center of it. It feels like a stuffed animal and I instantly fall in love with it.

“Do you like it?” He asks, eager for my opinion.

“It’s so soft and pretty. I love it.”

Glancing up at him, I find myself becoming rather fond of both him and the blue dress. Hugging the dress closer to my chest, I flash him a grateful grin. A few short months later, Jeff and my mom get married. Rather impulsively. I don’t mind one bit. He doesn’t hit me like her last boyfriend did. With his warm smile and a mischievous gleam in his eyes, we become fast friends.