It's Sarah Jane, not Sarah
Just because I know how much it would piss me off if my name was Sarah Jane and everyone called me Sarah. Unless it was the Doctor, he could call me Sarah….
"Thank you Mr. Smith; that will be all." Mr. Smith proceeded to recede into the wall, as I removed my glasses and put them beside the computer.
"Any time Sarah Jane." He called before he disappeared into his hiding spot. I type the last finishing touches on the article I'd been writing. I scan it over once more and click 'save.' Closing the document I get up and head downstairs to where the children are.
"Not fair! You cheated!" I hear Rani shout as I reached the living room. She, Clyde, and Sky are sitting in a circle. In the centre of the circle there's a bunch of cards, all spread out, face down.
"What are you three doing?" I ask, coming to stand behind Sky, putting my hands on her shoulders. Sky perks up, a huge smile coming across her face.
"It's called 'Go Fish'! It's a card game!" She thrusts her cards into my face. I took them into my hands and smile at her.
"Are you winning?" My daughter scrunches her nose up and makes a face.
"No," She pouts, "Clyde won." Clyde smiles brightly and waves his cards in Rani's face. Anger crossed her face and she smacks the cards out of Clyde's hands.
"Hey!" He cries.
"You cheated!" She shouts.
"Did not!" He yells. "You can't cheat in Go Fish!"
"Now…" I try to interject but Rani cuts in.
"Oh really?! You can't cheat at Go Fish? What about the cards in your sleeves, hmm? I saw you pretend to pick up cards from the pile and then slipping ones out your sleeve!" I turn to Clyde, giving him my most disappointed face.
"Clyde, is this true? Did you cheat?" I say sternly. Clyde looks down at the pile of cards and shakes his arms. Cards fall out, splattering across the floor. Sky gasps and Rani smirks.
"I was right!" She smiles to herself.
"Now Rani," I turn to her now, talking sternly to my young protégée. "What Clyde did was wrong, but no need to rub it in his face." Rani looked ashamed for a minute, before I broke the silence.
"If you have both learned your lesson, I was thinking of taking you all out for dinner." All three children smile.
"Really?" Clyde asks, getting up. Rani and Sky were already standing, and I move around Sky and wrap an arm around each of the girl's shoulders.
"Really." I state, smiling. "Just make sure to let your parents know where you are."
"Sure thing!" In a flash, Clyde has disappeared from the room. I can't help but chuckle as the girls and I head out to the front hall. Rani grabs her jacket and heads to the door.
"I'll be right back." She darts outside as Sky moved to put her sneakers on and I grab our jackets from the hallway closet. I snatch up my purse, and guide my daughter outside. Locking the front door, we head to the car. Clyde runs up, pushing his wallet into his back pocket.
"Clyde," I chastise. "You don't need your money; dinner is on me." Clyde came to stand beside me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Dinner may be on you, but dessert is on me."
"Oh Clyde, you don't need to do that." I exclaim.
"Sarah Jane, you do so much for us; let me buy you dessert."
"You are too sweet. Now, get in the car."
"Yes, Ma'am!" I make and face and lightly smack Clyde's arm as he gets in my car.
"And don't call me 'Ma'am'!" Clyde laughs and Sky giggles. My headlights flashed for a moment and I sigh.
"Oh Sarah!" Gita voices filters over to my ears and I roll my eyes.
"Sarah Jane." I mutter under my breath. Gita Chandra makes her way over to the car, her arm wrapped around Rani's shoulder.
"Oh Sarah! It's so very kind of you to take my Rani out to dinner. You do so many things for my daughter. Remind me to do something for you one of these days." She said smiling brightly. Normally, I would smile, say 'Thank you" and never take Gita up on her offer. But in that instant, I actually had something she could do for me. Gita had already walked to the end of the driveway.
"Gita, wait!" I call, jogging up to the end of the driveway. She turned to me smiling.
"Yes, Sarah?"
"I actually do have something that you can for me." A surprised look flashes across Gita's for just a second before she smiles.
"What?" She questioned. I smile as sweetly as I can. This is something that angers me greatly, but I don't want to yell Gita.
"Please call me by my real name." Confusion crosses Gita's face.
"But I do-"
"No, Gita, you don't. You call me Sarah. My name is Sarah Jane; Sarah Jane Smith. Not Sarah, not Sarah Smith. There is one person I have ever let call me Sarah, and let me say; you are most certainly not him. So please Gita, call me Sarah Jane." Gita stood there, dumbfounded for a moment before a slightly uneasy smile came onto her face.
"Alright…Sarah Jane."
"Thank you." Gita walks away, and I head back to the car.
"What was that about?" Rani asks, buckling her seatbelt. I smile softly as I buckle my own seatbelt and put the key in the ignition.
"I just had a little talk with her."
"About what?" Clyde inquires, leaning forward from the backseat, poking his head in between the two front seats.
"Yeah? What did you talk about?" Sky is now curious too. They all look at me expectantly and I sigh.
"We talked about my name."
"Your name? What's so important about your name?" Sky questions. Rani's eyes go wide in realization.
"You finally confronted her about your name?" She asks, almost squealing. I nod.
"I have finally had enough of your mother calling me Sarah. She's a lovely lady Rani, but my name is Sarah Jane."