Bucking the Trends...
Jun. 17th, 2007 11:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tinprathis is actually a short story and related to an earlier story I wrote called, you guessed it, "Bucking the Trends." i don't believe i've posted it anywhere, but if any of my RL friends should peruse this, they may have a copy of it. mayhap i'll post the first one some day as well...
anywho, happy reading. oh, and unedited. sorry about that.
Bucking the Trends: Father's Day
Raspberry, the hot pink and black panda, was giving him that blank stuffed animal stare when he opened his eyes.
“Hi Daddy.”
He looked up from the toy into his daughter’s, very awake, brown eyes. Fluffy, too long bangs obscured her forehead and one eye. Left? No, that was his left, her right. She pushed the hair back right on cue.
How was it that he always got the early morning wakeup calls? He’d done his fair share of midnight feedings. Okay, so there was that one time when he had had to be literally pushed out of bed – there were few things more insistent than feet in your back – but he had more than made up for that at this point. Right?
“Hi, Baby.”
“Raspberry says hi, too.”
He remembered the first time he’d woken up to the bear’s blank eyes. Scared him half to life – and woke up the wife. “What’s wrong?”
“That…thing!”
“Raspberry? You were scared by Raspberry?”
It also hadn’t done much for his manliness, either.
“Sweetheart…it’s creepy.”
“Your sister gave Raspberry to me. She’s had him since she was in college.”
“My sister is creepy.”
And that had gotten the bear thrown at him - she liked his sister. Of course then he’d had the pleasure of showing her just how much better company he was over the bear…
He had been more than happy to give the bear to the kid. Until the kid started toting it around. What was it with girls and abnormally colored stuffed animals? His daughter was also in the possession of one bright yellow and black spotted seal, that looked more like a short baseball bat than a sea-animal.
“Hi Raspberry,” he said dutifully.
Her smile was worth greeting that stupid – now really beat-up – thing. Actually now that it was missing patches of fur, had an ear hanging by a thread and had had its tail repaired more than twice by the wife…it wasn’t half bad.
He opened the bedcovers to let her in but she shook her head. “Nuh uh, Daddy. I made you something.”
His eyebrows went up. “Oh?”
The smile bloomed into a grin. “Uh huh!” And she turned tail and ran out of the room.
He glanced at the clock. Ouch, five in the A M. “The consequences of an eight o’clock bedtime,” he muttered, looking over his shoulder to make sure the wife was still asleep.
“Daddy, Daddy!”
“Shh, Sweetheart.”
“Daddy, Daddy…” she tried again, whispering dramatically. “I have a prezzie for you.”
Obviously someone had been spending too much time with her aunt. And to think, there had been a time when they didn’t see each other at all. He smiled at her. “What’s your prezzie, Baby?”
Raspberry dropped to the floor as she thrust a large unshapely card at him.
“Happy Father’s Day, Daddy!”
Oh.
“Daddy?”
He blinked. Smiled. “Thank you, Sarah.”
She planted both hands on her non-existent hips. “You didn’t even open it.”
“You’re right. You want to help Daddy read the card?”
Bobbing her head frantically, she climbed into the bed.
Behind him the bed moved and a groan went up. “What’s going on?”
“Hi Mommy!”
“What time is it?”
“What time is it, Daddy?”
He chuckled. “About 5:30.”
Sarah half climbed over him as the wife flopped back onto the bed. “Mommy?”
“Hey, Baby. How long you been up?”
“Dunno.”
“Did you give Daddy his present yet?”
“Just the card.”
She sighed and he tried not to laugh again. “I swear we had a plan.”
“We can still have a plan, Mommy.”
A snort went up behind him…which Sarah tried to copy. The bed shifted again, dipped sharply. He half turned onto his back to see Liz standing on the bed. Sarah’s arms were already up. His wife neatly picked up the kid and stepped over him, then on to the floor. He applauded. She stuck her tongue out at him. But then she all but took it back when she leaned over to kiss him.
“Hey,” she said, breaking it off, “there’s a kid in the room.”
“You and Daddy were kiiiiissiiiiiing.”
He rolled his eyes. “I see. And what do you know about kissing?” he asked the four year old, reaching out to tickle her. She giggled and shrieked and squirmed and hid her face in her mother’s shoulder.
Liz leaned down and brushed her lips across his. “Happy Father’s Day.
“C’mon, kiddo…if we don’t make Daddy’s breakfast then who will.”
He shifted in his seat. Jeez it was hot for mid-June. He was starting to stick to the couch. Definitely the hot laptop on his knees wasn’t helping. The kid had been grumpy for the latter half of the afternoon. They could have put on the AC, but it wasn’t that hot. His sister had come with her daughter and taken them both to the pool since Father’s Day in her house meant that Trey got to go play with his friends and she took up the kid-sitting slack. He and Liz had spent an…enjoyable late afternoon/evening to themselves. It had felt like the first one in four years. It couldn’t have really been that long.
Liz had given him that look that women seemed to have been giving him all his life. And he still didn’t get it.
But now his daughter was home and asleep as was the wife. It had been a long day for all of them and while he could do with a visit to his bed as well he was waiting… Ah. There she was.
He typed in a greeting and the obligatory hug. His sister “hugged” him back. “What’s up? How do? Enjoy the time off?”
“Yes. Thanks. Liz and I really appreciated it,” he typed back.
“Good for you guys. Sarah and Corli had a good time at the pool. They were both a lot better once they got in the water.”
“Glad to hear it. That was nice what you said at your church today.”
“What? The announcements? I told you I do that every week.”
He “laughed” before typing, “No, the stuff about me being your brother? And fatherhood?”
“Oh that? Pfft. Well you are my brother, lunkhead. And I would have loved to have had you as a dad. Trey too, but I supe him up all the time.”
He laughed at that too, briefly ignoring the warm feeling it was giving him. “Well it was still nice to hear.”
“It was even nicer to say, Benny. So what else is up?”
“Nothing, really. Was just sticking around to tell you that. It’s actually been a really long day and I’m going to bed.”
“No way!”
“Uh huh.”
“Well shock me. I knew the day would come that I would actually stay up later than you.”
“Yeah, well, don’t spread it around.”
“Haha. Ni-ni, Benny.” She “hugged” him.
“Night…”
[in]Fin[ite]
anywho, happy reading. oh, and unedited. sorry about that.
Bucking the Trends: Father's Day
Raspberry, the hot pink and black panda, was giving him that blank stuffed animal stare when he opened his eyes.
“Hi Daddy.”
He looked up from the toy into his daughter’s, very awake, brown eyes. Fluffy, too long bangs obscured her forehead and one eye. Left? No, that was his left, her right. She pushed the hair back right on cue.
How was it that he always got the early morning wakeup calls? He’d done his fair share of midnight feedings. Okay, so there was that one time when he had had to be literally pushed out of bed – there were few things more insistent than feet in your back – but he had more than made up for that at this point. Right?
“Hi, Baby.”
“Raspberry says hi, too.”
He remembered the first time he’d woken up to the bear’s blank eyes. Scared him half to life – and woke up the wife. “What’s wrong?”
“That…thing!”
“Raspberry? You were scared by Raspberry?”
It also hadn’t done much for his manliness, either.
“Sweetheart…it’s creepy.”
“Your sister gave Raspberry to me. She’s had him since she was in college.”
“My sister is creepy.”
And that had gotten the bear thrown at him - she liked his sister. Of course then he’d had the pleasure of showing her just how much better company he was over the bear…
He had been more than happy to give the bear to the kid. Until the kid started toting it around. What was it with girls and abnormally colored stuffed animals? His daughter was also in the possession of one bright yellow and black spotted seal, that looked more like a short baseball bat than a sea-animal.
“Hi Raspberry,” he said dutifully.
Her smile was worth greeting that stupid – now really beat-up – thing. Actually now that it was missing patches of fur, had an ear hanging by a thread and had had its tail repaired more than twice by the wife…it wasn’t half bad.
He opened the bedcovers to let her in but she shook her head. “Nuh uh, Daddy. I made you something.”
His eyebrows went up. “Oh?”
The smile bloomed into a grin. “Uh huh!” And she turned tail and ran out of the room.
He glanced at the clock. Ouch, five in the A M. “The consequences of an eight o’clock bedtime,” he muttered, looking over his shoulder to make sure the wife was still asleep.
“Daddy, Daddy!”
“Shh, Sweetheart.”
“Daddy, Daddy…” she tried again, whispering dramatically. “I have a prezzie for you.”
Obviously someone had been spending too much time with her aunt. And to think, there had been a time when they didn’t see each other at all. He smiled at her. “What’s your prezzie, Baby?”
Raspberry dropped to the floor as she thrust a large unshapely card at him.
“Happy Father’s Day, Daddy!”
Oh.
“Daddy?”
He blinked. Smiled. “Thank you, Sarah.”
She planted both hands on her non-existent hips. “You didn’t even open it.”
“You’re right. You want to help Daddy read the card?”
Bobbing her head frantically, she climbed into the bed.
Behind him the bed moved and a groan went up. “What’s going on?”
“Hi Mommy!”
“What time is it?”
“What time is it, Daddy?”
He chuckled. “About 5:30.”
Sarah half climbed over him as the wife flopped back onto the bed. “Mommy?”
“Hey, Baby. How long you been up?”
“Dunno.”
“Did you give Daddy his present yet?”
“Just the card.”
She sighed and he tried not to laugh again. “I swear we had a plan.”
“We can still have a plan, Mommy.”
A snort went up behind him…which Sarah tried to copy. The bed shifted again, dipped sharply. He half turned onto his back to see Liz standing on the bed. Sarah’s arms were already up. His wife neatly picked up the kid and stepped over him, then on to the floor. He applauded. She stuck her tongue out at him. But then she all but took it back when she leaned over to kiss him.
“Hey,” she said, breaking it off, “there’s a kid in the room.”
“You and Daddy were kiiiiissiiiiiing.”
He rolled his eyes. “I see. And what do you know about kissing?” he asked the four year old, reaching out to tickle her. She giggled and shrieked and squirmed and hid her face in her mother’s shoulder.
Liz leaned down and brushed her lips across his. “Happy Father’s Day.
“C’mon, kiddo…if we don’t make Daddy’s breakfast then who will.”
§§§
He shifted in his seat. Jeez it was hot for mid-June. He was starting to stick to the couch. Definitely the hot laptop on his knees wasn’t helping. The kid had been grumpy for the latter half of the afternoon. They could have put on the AC, but it wasn’t that hot. His sister had come with her daughter and taken them both to the pool since Father’s Day in her house meant that Trey got to go play with his friends and she took up the kid-sitting slack. He and Liz had spent an…enjoyable late afternoon/evening to themselves. It had felt like the first one in four years. It couldn’t have really been that long.
Liz had given him that look that women seemed to have been giving him all his life. And he still didn’t get it.
But now his daughter was home and asleep as was the wife. It had been a long day for all of them and while he could do with a visit to his bed as well he was waiting… Ah. There she was.
He typed in a greeting and the obligatory hug. His sister “hugged” him back. “What’s up? How do? Enjoy the time off?”
“Yes. Thanks. Liz and I really appreciated it,” he typed back.
“Good for you guys. Sarah and Corli had a good time at the pool. They were both a lot better once they got in the water.”
“Glad to hear it. That was nice what you said at your church today.”
“What? The announcements? I told you I do that every week.”
He “laughed” before typing, “No, the stuff about me being your brother? And fatherhood?”
“Oh that? Pfft. Well you are my brother, lunkhead. And I would have loved to have had you as a dad. Trey too, but I supe him up all the time.”
He laughed at that too, briefly ignoring the warm feeling it was giving him. “Well it was still nice to hear.”
“It was even nicer to say, Benny. So what else is up?”
“Nothing, really. Was just sticking around to tell you that. It’s actually been a really long day and I’m going to bed.”
“No way!”
“Uh huh.”
“Well shock me. I knew the day would come that I would actually stay up later than you.”
“Yeah, well, don’t spread it around.”
“Haha. Ni-ni, Benny.” She “hugged” him.
“Night…”
[in]Fin[ite]