If it is not that he is a man, he would have burst out in tears already. Well, it wouldn't be a good thing to show the weak part of him openly.
Hendrix took a long breath of air, and when he blew it out of his pursed lips, he calmed down himself before preparing to let the words slip out of his mouth.
"I promise never to hurt either you or your Aunt Ava because I know how much she means to you," Hendrix blurted out firmly.
At once, the young man held his daughter to his chest and as he quickly pushed the lady close to himself.
Sophie's soft body almost disappeared in the man's hefty chest as he embodied her in his entire length.
At the end of the long hug, he gently used a clean napkin to wipe the child's tears away.
"Come on now, baby girl..." Hendrix said but stopped when the child held his hands.
"Let's cross out pinky fingers first, so that I would know that you wouldn't literally walk away in the middle of the night, or more chase us away," the child's words slipped out of his mouth.
She meant everything that left her mouth, and as she lifted her baby finger up, it was protruding as she wanted the young man to hold on to her as her dad forever.
All these tasks were becoming unbearable, and right now, the least he can do about it is to follow the child's path in most cases, and although this is sore, all Hendrix did was to stick out his hand in fright, and the best of it came off when he decided to please his daughter by promising her that she was worth swearing for.
"Is that good by you now, baby?" Hendrix called out as she wanted to know.
The truth is that the young man felt obliged to his daughter's well-being, considering the fact that he hasn't been present for the most part of her life.
Just holding her, and squeezing hers tight to herself is something that has never been present anywhere.
Flashing Hendrix those pretty teeth of hers, Sophie nodded her head with anticipation as she gladly told them what she thought.
"Yes, daddy, thank you so much, I am happy that you want me here," Sophie spat out.
She was a fast growing, and the thought of knowing that Hendrix hadn't been part of Sophie's first part of his life made him sad because the child was picking up fine, especially when she has a very bright future in front of her.
Whatever the case might be, he knew deep down in him that he was trying to make amendments, but that wasn't happening, well, he hopes that she would continue loving him this much.
Hendrix stood on his feet, and as he glared at the child, he remembered something and asked,
"What class are you, Cutie pie?" Hendrix's tried making his voice to be light and funny, so as to lighten up the already grim and dark atmosphere.
Sophie stared at him for quite some time before letting the words slip out of her mouth.
"I do not go to school, daddy," she said.
Sophie's manner of talking, and the way she responded to Hendrix's question spoke a lot about herself right now, which is quite something different in her life already.
Hendrix felt his jaws clenching, and at once, he knew that he couldn't blame this on Ava, hell no, the petite lady had gone through a lot already, and the fact that all these things doesn't kind of sit well with him just being here in town frolicking with other ladies while his daughter doesn't even know how the four walls of a traditional classroom look loge make him extremely sad.
"Wait, Sophie, how then are you this good with words, and decent in speech?" Hendrix asked in shock.
Sophie had a small smile pass across her face, and when she straightened her baby looks, she let the words slip out of her mouth,
"My Aunt Ava, she usually teaches me everything she wants me to know," Sophie muttered out.
Sophie was being serious with the words that left her mouth. Indeed, Ava has been the one fighting for her all the time, and she teaches her as much as she can.
Although the school was too expensive for the young man to afford, all she did right now was to homeschool her niece with the basic things she could afford.
Hendrix nodded his head very boldly, it was fun doing so, and the fact that he swiftly nodded his head in anticipation, made him feel even better as so he thought.
To Hendrix, he was pleased that his daughter had truly been in good hands, coupled with the fact that she had been deprived of some certain things due to lack of funds.
Hendrix knew that he had done a lot of mistakes that were incomprehensible, but then, there isn't much of a difference now that there are here, and also, there isn't much of a thing to consider.
Hell no! well, there isn't much of a thing to consider right now, and the fear that swept through his entire body just made him reconsider these thoughts as that was necessary, more than he can actually think about.
Hendrix wanted to be the better version of himself, one that he didn't have the opportunity to show off at the child's early beginnings. Today, he is ready to start the change, to make the child's life a better one.
Holding the child's hands, he let the words slip out of his mouth,
"Now, let us get going, darling because we have wasted more time than was actually necessary. We should be going now, huh? by the way, I haven't forgotten that you told me you wanted to eat, I better get my baby something to eat before she passes out of the blue," Hendrix said and they all laugh out loud.