"Suits"
"Mr. Chuck, it's time to wake up, you have a big day today," his third nanny of the year called into his bedroom as she began to open his blinds.
It was not because Chuck was such a terribly behaved child that each nanny seemed to go quicker than the last had. There had been times, of course, where he had tested the patience of each. However, even a young Chuck had begun to notice that the real reason he seemed to have had so many more nannies than other children was his father.
Bart Bass was at the height of his career when Chuck had been born. At first, hiring a nanny had merely been about having someone to take care of Chuck so that he would not become a nuisance. With Chuck's mother absent, a full time nanny seemed like the appropriate choice. Bart had had his assistant arrange for the hiring of one, but when he met the woman, he had been disappointed. She was experienced in childcare, sure, but if he was going to have this woman present in his home at all times, he would have preferred that she not be such an eyesore. Thus, he dismissed the woman and took the search for a nanny into his own hands.
Inevitably, Bart could not help but toy with the woman he had hired…and all the women since her too. There had been blondes, brunettes, and even a few red heads, but he grew bored with all of them. He had told Chuck that his actions arose from a desire to make sure that his son only had the best, and Chuck believed him.
Now Bart found himself with a newspaper in hand, sitting at the table, and inhaling the aroma of dark coffee. He furrowed his eyebrows as he watched his son come bounding around the corner.
"Daddy, daddy, guess what today is?"
Bart rose his eyebrows, not looking up from the newspaper in hand, "Now son, what did we say you should call me?"
Chuck's eyes drooped and his smile vanished, "Father or Dad, I'm sorry…"
"It's okay, I suppose, we all make mistakes," Bart sighed, "Now what is it that you're going on about?"
"You don't know what today is," Chuck looked genuinely confused and then took his father's silence as his answer, "…my first day of kindergarten."
Bart was surprised that he had forgotten this detail, but only for a moment, before he looked up to take in the image of what his son was wearing. He had chosen a light purple button down and a pair of khakis.
"Charles, is this what you would like to wear to your very first day at school?" he questioned.
Chuck hesitated, "Well, Daddy—I mean father, I know you like purple…and…"
"Oh son, don't try to please me with such silly things. How would you like to wear what I wear to work and look like a true Bass?"
Chuck beamed up at him momentarily before he realized what that meant, "But my nanny helped me pick this out, she says it's the perfect outfit and that other kids…"
"No, no, Chuck, the most presentable kids wear suits, even to kindergarten," Bart continued, "and so should you."
Chuck was easily convinced and returned to his room to change. The prospect of finally being able to please his father was all that he had needed to hear.
The third nanny of the year stood near the counter and felt she had to interject, "Mr. Bass, with all due respect, you must know that children don't really wear suits to kindergarten…it seems almost cruel to…"
Bart cut her off, "Thank you for your input, and I'm sure you must know that you're fired."
Chuck exited the limousine and turned to wave goodbye to his nanny, unknowingly for the very last time, and ran towards the other children. He immediately noticed that none of them were wearing suits. He considered that perhaps their fathers had forgotten to tell them to, but he still felt out of place.
That is, until a little girl with brunette curls and a sparkly tiara approached him, "I like your suit, my mommy says it's important to dress for what you want. That's why I have my tiara, I'm going to be the queen here," she smiled with her eyes and he couldn't help but smile back.
A/N: I realize this is kind of a short piece, but I wrote it quickly. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Please, as always, do review! I look forward to hearing your thoughts.