I know I am going out on my own here, but there were other characters, and (gasp) other generations, so here is one of "the others". I have also noticed I used a lot of my words to make the characters sad, I guess I want to see if I can write happy. Indulge me a little.

Skins may not be mine, but the grammatical and spelling errors are.


Grace sat on the floor in the middle of a pool of sun light that was spilling into the room. The last week and a half had been cold dark and rainy, so it was nice to see the sun again. Being that it was still a little too cold and damp to sit on the grass in the garden, the floor of the front room would just have to do. She surveyed the objects trying to decide which peaked her interest the most. For a moment they all took a distant second to her dress and the uncomfortable way it felt across her shoulders and around her neck. She grabbed near her waist and pulled at the garment. Satisfied with the adjustment she looked behind her to verify she was not alone and then selected her course of action. On wobbly legs she pulled herself to a standing position and then holding onto the edge of the couch she turned to face the other direction.

Mini also sat on the floor enjoying the sun; far enough away that Grace could have her independence, but close enough to help if needed. She looked on with just a little bit of envy at her daughter's strawberry blonde ringlets. Mini worked hard to have that little bit of curl and bounce in her hair, and Grace came by it naturally. But she wasn't really jealous, she couldn't be. She was far too proud of her beautiful little girl for that to be the case.

She smiled and waved when the child looked back at her. Then watched as she pulled herself to a standing position and cautiously turned to face her mom. Mimi held her arms out to the child. Grace considered her options, looked at her feet and took a tentative step, shifted her weight and took another. She looked up at her mom and started to babble non words as she moved across the floor. The young mother held her breath waiting for the fall that so often came with learning to walk. When Grace reached Mini's hands the toddler looked up into her face and opened her mouth, "Mom."

Mini's world came to a stop. She couldn't believe she had just heard that. "Gracie, did you just say 'mom'?" The child continued to just look into her face. "Did you say 'mom'? Can you say 'mom', Gracie?" The smile and excitement in her eyes just kept growing as she gazed in wonder at her child. Grace responded by babbling the non words back as her own excitement grew.

Mini pulled her close, hugging and cooing in her ear, causing her daughter to squeal with delight. She reached back to the table behind her and picked up her phone, dialing the number with out really thinking about who to call first.

"Hey there," the voice hard to hear over the background noise.

"Alo, she said her first word!"

"Mini is that you?"

"Grace said her first word!"

"What is wrong with Grace." There is a panic in he voice. "Just a moment..." The background became silent as the tractor was turned off. "Now what's wrong with Grace?"

"Nothing is wrong, she just said her first word."

"She did? What was it?" the concern replaced with a mix of pride and excitement.

"Mom."

"Cool," a little hint of disappointment coloring the response. "Can you have her do it again?"

"She's a little person, Farm Boy. I don't train her with biscuits to do tricks like your dog."

"Have you tried?"

"Alo!"

Laughter came through the phone, "Just kidding. Give her a hug and kiss from me and I will come see my girls when I finish this field."

"I already have."

"Well then give her another. Love you both," The tractor could be heard starting up as the call dropped.

With a big smile on her face Mini leaned over and placed a kiss on Grace's forehead. "Your daddy loves us and will see us soon." With that they returned to enjoying the warm sunshine.


Thanks for reading, all reviews are welcome.