Abigail's Hat

Robert\Holly

Rated: G

~Easter, 1994~

Abigail Scorpio ripped the little white Easter hat off of her head and tossed it onto her bed. She hated hats. In fact she couldn't think of anything more she hated than hats! Well, hats and her brothers! They were always picking on her, even though Ryan was younger than her. She climbed up on her bed pouting. Her bottom lip stuck as far out as it could reach.

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door and then she heard it open up. She turned her head to the side of see her father standing in the door. "May I come in?" he asked. "I thought maybe you and I could have a little talk."

"I don't want to talk." the six year old replied. "I just want to stay here and play with my dolls."

"You can't stay here all by yourself." he said, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "It's Easter and we all have to go to church together as a family."

"I don't want to."

Robert gently stroked his daughter's long blonde hair. "Now, luv, you have to come with us." he said, again. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

"Alex and Ryan are going isn't that enough?" she asked. "I just want to stay here with my dolls."

"Abigail." he sighed, lifting her up and into his lap. "Why don't you tell daddy why you're so upset and I'll make it all better, okay"

She looked up at her father with big, dark brown eyes. "You can't."

"How do you know I can't?" he asked. "You haven't even told me what's wrong, yet."

"Because you can't." she replied, crying. "You just can't."

"Abigail, I'm going to make you a promise, okay?" he started. "As long as you always come to daddy and tell me what's wrong then I'll always do my best to fix it, okay?"

She looked up at her father, debating for several long seconds. "Okay." she finally agreed. "Alex and Ryan are always picking on me. They said that I look dumb in hats and that I shouldn't ever wear them. They made fun of my new Easter hat."

Robert wiped away his daughter's tears. "Now, darling, that's nothing to be upset about." he soothed her. "Alex and Ryan are boys and they don't understand things like hats and shoes. I think your new hat is beautiful and I think you should wear it as much as you want."

"They said it was ugly!"

"It's a beautiful hat, luv." he told her, reaching across the bed for the hat. "And it looks even more beautiful on you."

"No it doesn't!"

Robert placed the hat on his daughter's head. "Yes it does." he told her. "You look so much like your mum."

Abigail smiled. "Mummy loves hats."

"That she does." he agreed. "Once mummy and I went to New York for a big dinner event and mummy bought a dozen hats. And all in one day."

"That's a lot of hats, daddy." she said, quite seriously. "Why did you let her have so many?"

"Because I wasn't with her when she went shopping." he replied. "But you know what? Mummy looked beautiful in every one of those hats just like you look beautiful in your new hat."

"It's an English thing." she said, a cute little British accent narrowing through in her words. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, daddy."

Robert laughed. "You are so much like your mother." he said, smoothing down the front of her dress. "But if you're all wrinkled before church she's not going up be very happy."

"I know, daddy." she said. "I don't like it when mummy gets mad. She takes away my dolls and makes me help her around the house. I wish I wasn't the only other girl around here."

Holly, who had been listening at the door, made her way inside. "I thought you liked being the only girl?"

Abigail looked up at her mother. "Sometimes." she replied. "When Alex and Ryan aren't being so mean to me."

"Maybe I should have a little talk with your brothers." she replied, brushing back a curl out of her daughters face. "You all shouldn't be so mean to each other, your family, you should love each other."

"I don't like being the only girl anymore." she told her mother. "Why can't I do things that boys do like play in the dirt and climb trees?"

"Little girls are much more delicate than little boys." Robert replied. "Besides if you played in the dirt then your doll's new dress would get all dirty and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"No, I guess not." she replied. "I just wish Alex and Ryan played with me more."

Holly looked at Robert and smiled. He nodded and winked, giving her the approval for what he knew she wanted to tell their daughter. "Abigail, how would you like to know a really big secret?"

Abigail's eyes grew wide with excitement. "I would love it!"

She reached for her daughter's hand and placed it against the small bump of her stomach. "You're not going to be the only little girl anymore." she told her. "You're going to have a little sister in about five months."

She rubbed her hand over her mother's stomach. "A girl baby?" she asked. "Are you sure this time? Because last time we got a boy baby."

"We're positive." Robert replied. "And she'll be here before you know it."

"How long have you known about my little sister?" she asked. "A long time?"

"Since Christmas morning." Holly told her. "We were trying to keep it a secret so we could surprise everyone at dinner this evening."

Abigail smiled. "That's a really good surprise." she said. "But, mummy, where do babies come from? I mean I know that they grow in your tummy but how do they get in there in the first place."

Both Robert and Holly looked at each other and then they looked at their daughter. They were definitely going to be late for church.

The End.