Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
a LO:CI story
by RoadrunnerGER
Disclaimer: Yes, Dick Wolf, you still own them. I just borrowed them for a while. They'll be right back (I think…)
A/N: Hey, folks. When I was searching for song lyrics for my Christmas story "Australian Christmas Greetings" I stumbled over this song. I never heard it, only know the lyrics, and don't know how old it is either. It just inspired this oneshot and I couldn't stop writing it. Have fun and "Merry Christmas!"
xxx
Bobby was sitting in the living room, scribbling into his notebook, while Frank was playing with his toy train and cars. There was one especially good one, the model of a Tin Lizzy. Actually that one was a collector's model, way too precious to be ruined by the rough games Frank used to play with his toys. Bobby wished he could own the car, then he could put it up on his shelf and only get it down to dust it.
Pang!
Once more Frank made the cars crash in an accident. One of the other cars got dented from the impact. That only encouraged Frank further. Again and again he bumped the cars into each other.
When Bobby looked up, he saw the friendly face of his mother smile down at them. She looked somewhat lost and he knew that she attempted not to glance at the clock on the wall every so often.
As it happened so often, they were waiting for Frank senior. It was no surprise that he did not show up for dinner on Christmas day. Maybe he wanted to spend the festivities with one of his playmates.
No, he'll be right back, Bobby thought, drawing another picture of his mom into his book. For his seven years he was quite good at drawing. He promised.
Just the other day little Bobby had talked to his dad and he had been confident that he would keep his promise after he had told him,
"Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
I don't want to see my Momma cry
Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
I don't want my Momma cry
Just last year when I was only seven
Now I'm almost eight, as you can see
You came home a quarter past eleven
And fell down underneath
our Christmas tree
"Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
I don't want to see my Momma cry
Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
Now it looked as if he would not show up any time soon. Frank senior was out somewhere having a good time with another woman when his family was waiting at home.
Bobby's stomach was grumbling. Furtively he looked toward the kitchen. He knew his mom would not start dinner as long as her husband was not home. So he probably had to wait until the next morning until he got something to eat.
Sighing he turned to his book again, but it could not hold his attention for long. He got up and went over to his brother.
"Can I play with you?" he asked? "Maybe we can get out our game box."
"Hold on, baby brother," Frank said. "Why don't you finish what you started to draw and I'll be right there with our games?"
"Please come now, Frankie," Bobby pushed. "I wanna play something with you… make time pass until Daddy comes home."
Frank did not look as if he was about to get up. Bobby wanted to play with him, but he knew better than to touch his toys. Oh, he wished to get some toys this Christmas. So far his stuff were things Frank got tired of. He wanted something that was truly his. It did not have to be expensive, just something which was given and received with love.
Sighing he sank back down on the sofa and grabbed his book. After a moment's thought he started to write down the rest of what he wanted to tell his dad but could not because not long after he had made the promise to Bobby to be at home in time he had beaten the crap out of his son once more. Now Bobby's backside was hurting. Before he could choke it down again, a single tear dropped down on the freshly written words,
"Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
I don't want to see my Momma cry
Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
I don't want my Momma cry
Mama smiled and looked
Outside the window
She told me son
You better go upstairs
Then you laughed and hollered
"Merry Christmas"
I turned around and saw
My Momma's tears
"Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
I don't want to see my Momma cry
Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas
I don't want my Momma cry
No,I don't want to see my Momma cry
How long had he waited for him in the end? Bobby did not remember. As the song on the radio faded his memories slowly dissolved. Finally it registered to him what his gaze was resting on and he smiled at the new notebook he just had unwrapped.
"Back from outer space?" Alex teased him.
When he looked up, she sat right across the coffee table in her favorite easy chair. Her legs drawn up she curled in it, holding a mug of coffee with both hands in her lap. She watched him. Then a smirk cracked her features which he answered with a broad smile.
Then he turned to the one who had presented him with the notebook.
The dark curly haired boy sitting right beside him on the sofa expectantly looked up at him. A big grin spread over his face when he finally got his father's reaction and he joyously leaned into the hug he gave him.
"Thank you, son. It's a great notebook."
"Merry Christmas, Dad."
Bobby smiled at Alex. Jimmy and his younger sister Ronni, who cuddled up to him from the other side, were their miracle babies. In this smile lay all his love he felt for his wife and their kids. It was overwhelming him and he was choked up when he felt tears rise in his eyes as he read once more what Jimmy had written in his childish handwriting into the notebook.
For my Dad.
Love,
Jimmy