Inspired by: Little Toy Guns by Carrie Underwood
Nico and Paige were in the hallway just outside their bedroom door after supposedly putting their daughter to bed in her bedroom right down the short hall. Paige had her hands placed on her hips while Nico's arms were crossed over his chest. They were in the midst of a heated fight.
"It would be so nice to have a partner for once," she stated causing Nico to scoff and mutter under his breath. "I don't know if you could squeeze that into your busy schedule, but that would be great."
"What more do want from me?" Nico asked incredulously.
"I want you to be here!" she said beginning to raise her voice.
"Can you hear yourself right now?" He shot back in disbelief.
She ignored him and continued, "I want you to help me!"
"Can you listen to-" he began but was cut off by his angered wife.
"I am doing everything!" she cried. She felt the tears rising to her eyes but she wouldn't allow Nico the pleasure. Both adults were gesturing with their hands until Nico put his hands on his hips.
"Yeah. Mm-hmm, sure."
"Literally everything!"
"M'kay."
"You don't care about me! You don't care about her." Paige shouted pointing to their daughters room. "What do you- What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked her voice strained and shakey. "Do you even care? You make me sick to my stomach! I can't believe I'm married to you!"
"Would you- Would you just give me an opportunity to talk?"
"Oh yeah sure. What could you possible have to add to this conversation?" Paige shouted at her husband.
"Would you let me get one word in?" he began to shout, too.
While they went on and on a little girl by the name of Rylee sat alone in her bedroom closet between all the clothes. She held onto a heart shaped locket that her father gave her.
In between the coats in the closet,
she held on to that heart shaped locket,
staring at a family flawless,
but it ain't a pretty picture tonight,
She tried to make the tears go away, she really did, but they just wouldn't. The words of her Mama and Daddy seeped in through her open door and filled her head. Don't they love each other? kept racing through her head. She had always thought they did, but maybe she was wrong. She didn't want to be wrong though. Her friends at school had told her what its like when parents don't love each other anymore and she didn't want that.
Mama and Daddy just won't stop it,
fighting at the drop of the faucet,
cuts through the walls catastrophic,
she's caught in the crossfire,
She pressed her hands firmly over her ears in a hope to block out the painful words. She felt the tears rolling down her face. She started to mumble things about how terrible words were and how she wished they wouldn't hurt so bad.
Puts her hands over her ears,
starts talking through the tears,
she's sayin', she's prayin'
"I wish words were like little toy guns.
No sting, no hurt no one,
just a 'BANG BANG' rolling off your tongue.
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
She sat there listening to all the hurtful words. Everything her mother and father said felt like a bullet through her heart. She wished they would stop. That they would realize hat they were doing, what they were saying. Her mother was such a sweet person that Rylee couldn't believe that those words were coming out of her mouth. Even more so that they were aimed at her father. Clearly there was something that she didn't understand or something she could see going out there.
Yeah, No smoke, no bullet,
no kick from the trigger when you pull it,
no pain no damage done,
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
just a 'BANG BANG' rolling off your tongue.
(wish words were like little toy guns)
Her mother seemed to pull her trigger with ease and Rylee wasn't sure if that should worry her or not. Sometimes her friends at school say that their dads have hit their mom and that worried Rylee. Does that mean that her father would hit her mother? She hoped not.
Wish there was a white flag wavin',
or that they were both just fakin',
and it was just a game they were playin',
like Shoot Em' Up Cowboys.
Leave the plastic pistols in the front yard.
Throw away the score cards.
Just turn off all the noise!
Rylee stood from he spot in the closet and slammed her door shut. She needed to do something now, because she just slammed her door and her parents didn't even notice. They didn't come running, they didn't check on her, no her mom just accused her dad of being the reason she was upset. She went to her closet and pulled out blankets and some old Christmas decorations.
I wish words were like little toy guns,
no sting, no hurt no one,
just a 'BANG BANG' rolling off your tongue.
(wish words were like little toy guns)
No smoke, no bullet,
no kick from the trigger when you pull it.
No pain, no damage done.
(wish words were like little toy guns)
Rylee created a small fort of blankets big enough to hold the small family. She used the light from the Christmas tree decorations and strung them everywhere. She then place blankets under her fort and pillows.
Just a 'BANG BANG' rolling off your tongue.
(wish words were like) little toy guns!
Oh, I wish they didn't cut like a knife,
wish they didn't break you inside,
I wish they didn't 'BANG BANG' make you wanna run.
Yeah! Like little toy guns.
Rylee slowly opened her bedroom door and approached her parents, flinching slightly at their harsh words and raised tones. She turned to her father and said in a small voice, "Daddy?"
Nico's attention snapped to Rylee stopping mid-sentence. "Not now Ry," he said scowl still placed on his face.
"Daddy I need you," she said forcing her self to tear up, as if he were making her cry.
"See now you've gone and made her cry," accused his wife.
"Shut up Paige! Now is not the time!" he turned on her quick, while subconsciously balling his hand into a fist.
"Daddy! Please don't hurt Mommy!" Rylee cried her hand finding her father's arm.
Nico's eyes went wide as he stared at his formed fist. He unclenched it, shook his head then kneeled next to his daughter. "Oh, Princess I would never hurt your mommy," he said.
She nodded hesitantly. "Daddy I need you to come with me. Please, Daddy, please."
He nodded and let his ten year old daughter lead him away from a seething Paige.
She led him into her room and over to her fort and instructed him to sit on his pillow. She gave him a small smile and retreated from the room when she returned she had her mother by the hand. she gestured to a pillow and instructed her mother to sit as well. She then crawled around them and sat on her own pillow.
No sting no hurt no one,
just a 'BANG BANG' rolling on your tongue.
(wish words were like little toy guns)
Rylee sighed. She started, "I know that you guys have been fighting lately but I want you to know that you aren't the reason I get upset. It's the way you feel. Sometimes I think that you don't love each other anymore."
This caused Paige to take in a sharp breath and Nico to huff out one.
no smoke, no bullet,
no shot from the trigger when you pull it,
No pain, no damage done.
(wish words were like little toy guns)
Rylee continued, "My friends have told me what its like when their parents don't love each other anymore. They split up and marry new people. My friends get new moms and dads. But I don't want that. I don't want two birthdays and two Christmases and two Thanksgivings. I just want to stay together."
Just a 'BANG BANG' rolling off your tongue.
(wish words were like little toy guns)
Oh, like little toy guns.
"I just want you. I don't want you to fight any more. Can you do that? For me? Do you still love each other?"
Paige nodded and Nico stumbled out a "yes". Rylee then took her mom's hand then her dad's and placed them in the other's.
"Then will you please act like it?" she asked as she placed both her hands on top of theirs.
They both said in unison, "Yes."