Simply Sophia: An Ichabbie Family Short from Sleepy Hollow
First Day of School September 6th
"Ichabod please" Abbie laughed "the kids will be home any minute"
Ichabod chuckled and gave Abbie a kiss on the cheek anyway. The two had been married for eight years and Abbie was amazed at how her heart still fluttered whenever Ichabod kissed her, made love to her, or simply would say "I love you"
"We'll have plenty of time tonight my love" Ichabod said, "you should know by now that I can never have enough of you"
"I love you too Ichabod" Abbie replied "before you get any pre conceived notions about tonight's plans I believe that our children are right on the clock"
The proud parents stepped outside of the little cabin in time to see the yellow school bus making it's way down the road.
"Mommy!" their youngest child a little boy of seven called happily as he ran into Abbie's arms
"Nick!" Abbie greeted him in a warm embrace "how's my big boy? Do you like second grade?"
Nicholas laughed as Abbie planted kisses on his cheeks and Ichabod ruffled the boy's curly hair. Ethan, Nicholas's older twin brother by five minutes followed closely jumping into Ichabod's arms.
"My teacher said that I'm really smart Daddy!" he exclaimed "just like you!"
"Of course you are" Ichabod agreed "you are a Crane after all"
Abbie looked over to see their oldest child Sophia slowly make her way over to the rest of them. This morning Sophia seemed just as excited about the first day of school as her brothers were. However her whole attitude was the complete opposite. This morning Sophia drove Abbie crazy with her constantly trying to figure out what she was going to wear; she finally decided on a light green sundress with cute little sandals to match. Abbie spent of good portion the morning brushing her daughter's beautiful thick hair from the bed curls and managed to get most of Sophia's curls in her headband.
However Sophia seemed to have stuffed all her hair under one of her brother's baseball caps and she seemed very sad and upset.
"Sophie did you have a nice day at school?" Ichabod asked tucking his fingers under her chin
"Yes"
"You don't sound very convincing young lady"
"It was okay Daddy it was just school" Sophia said moving past her parents to go into the cabin.
Ichabod was about to say something else but Abbie gently put her hand on his shoulder.
"Sophie's never acted that way" Ichabod insisted
"Let's leave her be for now" Abbie said "I'll check on her a little later"
Sophia laid sprawled out on her bed with her face buried into her pillow she ignored her parents calling for dinner.
"Sophie" Abbie called gently entering her room "sweetie aren't you hungry?"
"No"
"Not even for spaghetti and meatballs?"
"I'm not hungry Mom"
Abbie sighed she realized that her little girl was growing up she'd be ten years old next month; however she didn't expect this behavior until she was a teenager.
Sitting down on the bed beside her Abbie tried taking the cap off Sophia's head but the little girl grasped onto the dear thing for life.
"Something happened at school today didn't it?"
"How did you know?"
"I'm your mother I know everything" Abbie insisted, "now please tell me what happened"
"My…my…my hair"
"What about your hair honey?"
" Maya and Madison Avery both got perms over the summer" Sophia replied "they look really pretty because their hair is straight and flowy; they said my hair was ugly because is too curly and called me a bush head"
"Oh Sophie" Abbie said finally managing to take the cap off Sophia's head "you've been hiding your beautiful hair under this cap all day?"
"My hair isn't pretty like Maya and Madison's" Sophia said, "can I get a perm Mom?"
"No"
"Why not?"
"It's not healthy for your hair" Abbie insisted knowing that she herself had a perm at Sophia's age and it was one of those things she regretted to this day "besides your hair is beautiful just the way it is Sophie"
"All the other black girls in fourth grade are getting perms" Sophia said "Maya and Madison said that they wouldn't be my friends if I didn't get my hair straightened"
"Sophia Abigail Crane if those girls will only be your friends based on how your hair is then they're not your real friends" Abbie explained patiently "a real friend doesn't care about silly little things like that"
"Your mother is right Sophie" Ichabod said entering the room he had been listening to the mother and daughter talk for a while now. Knowing spaghetti was Sophia's favorite Ichabod put some up away for her later so that Ethan and Nicholas wouldn't eat all of it without saving some for their sister. Ichabod didn't like the fact that his daughter's classmates had been teasing her for her hair and were judging her based on that alone. He didn't like anyone making his Sophia feel sad or ashamed of who she was.
"You think my hair is pretty Daddy?" she asked
"I think your hair is very beautiful" Ichabod replied, "it's not just your hair though Sophia you're beautiful with or without it; I do agree with your mother that you shouldn't alter it in anyway"
Abbie smiled when she noticed Sophia give her father a little grin; those two were inseparable since the day she was born.
"Now should I make it my business to go have a stern talk with these girls?" Ichabod asked winking at her
"I'll be fine" Sophia replied, "I just hope some of the other girls will be my friends"
"I know they will you're a very special girl Sophie you'll make friends" Abbie said giving her daughter a hug "don't let Maya and Madison get to you okay?"
Sophia nodded smiling "I won't"
"Now I know somebody wants spaghetti before her brothers gobble it all up"
"Yes" Sophia agreed sliding off the bed and quickly made her way to the kitchen "Ethan! Nick! There better be some left for me!"
"There's some left for her" Ichabod chuckled
"And how do you know?" Abbie asked and Ichabod simply winked at her.
Abbie snorted playfully "Of course she's your little princess you looked out for her"
"Don't be jealous my love I know you'd do the same for the boys" Ichabod replied; "besides you're my queen and nothing is ever going to change that"
Halloween Party at School October 31st
"Happy Birthday Sophie!"
Sophia smiled and then blew out all ten of her candles that were on the jack-o-lantern cake.
It was Halloween night and the parent and teacher committee at the elementary school decided to throw a party for the students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Abbie had fun dressing her kids up this year. The twins were ninjas. Nicholas was the red one while Ethan was the blue one. Sophia was a witch because she claimed that now being ten years old meant she was too big for a princess costume. Putting her own twist on the witch costume Sophia chose bright festival colors and even got Ichabod to help her paint an old broomstick that was lying around the house. What excited Sophia the most the fact that she didn't need a wig. Abbie was able to jazz up Sophia's own hair into a cute twist out to make it look whimsical; and she couldn't be more proud of her. Sophia was beginning to see just how beautiful her hair was just the way it was.
The birthday girl was even more excited to learn that she won best costume of the fourth grade class.
"Your costume is really cool Sophie," one of her classmates Ava Spencer said
"Yeah I wish my hair was like yours too" Emma Neilson another classmate added, "your dad even has a cool costume too"
Abbie shook her head at Ichabod who proudly showed off his attire giving Sophia a wink and being his child Sophia winked back. It was funny to think that nobody knew that her husband was from a different era and that his attire was pretty much daily.
"Your costume is stupid" an obvious jealous Maya said to Sophia "witches have black dresses and green faces"
"Yeah and the only reason you won cause it's your birthday" Madison added "your is still ugly"
"I like my hair" Sophia replied standing up for herself "I won because I'm being myself and people liked my costume"
"You still can't be our friend"
Ichabod's jaw tightened but Abbie took his hand in hers; they needed to let Sophia handle this herself.
"Maybe I don't want to be your friend" Sophia replied, "I don't want to change the way I am because you don't like it"
"You won't be cool then" Maya said
"I don't care" Sophia said, "I'm going to hang my real friends"
Sophia wrapped her arms around Ava and Emma and all three of the girls laughed as the two sisters walked away with their noses in the air.
"Daddy look at all the candy we got!" Ethan exclaimed excitedly
"We can have some tonight right?" Nicholas added
"Sorry boys your mother and I have to check the candy first" Ichabod replied
"Please Daddy just one little piece" the twins pleaded
Ichabod sighed and fished out a bite sized piece of chocolate for each of the boys "Just one and don't tell your mother"
The party was over and all of the students were getting ready to leave. Abbie saw Ichabod give each of their sons a piece of candy. Lord have mercy Ichabod was spoiling their children left and right.
"Bye Emma! Bye Ava!" Sophia waved "see you tomorrow!"
"Mom look you want to see the ribbon I got?"
Abbie smiled at Sophie and chuckled "Yes I see you know your father and I are very proud of you and Emma and Ava seem like very nice girls"
"They're my best friends" Sophia replied proudly
"Well is my big ten year old witch ready to fly home on her broomstick?"
"Oh wait a second Mom I forgot my broomstick!"
Sophia quickly made her way back into the school gymnasium to get her broom. Sighing in relief that it wasn't thrown out Sophia was about to make her way back outside when she heard crying.
"It's okay girls it's not too late maybe some doors are still open"
"We didn't get any candy at all Mommy"
Sophia saw both Maya and Madison Avery crying in their matching fairy costumes with their empty candy bags being comforted by their mother.
"I wish Daddy was here to take us" Madison cried "he always took us trick or treating"
"I know sweetie but Daddy's in heaven remember?"
"I know"
Sophia bit her lip she couldn't imagine her own father not being in her life let alone no candy on Halloween.
"Miss Avery?"
"Oh hello Sophie my you look adorable in your witch costume" the girls mother Miss Avery said
"What do you want?" Madison asked rather rudely
"Madison!" Miss Avery scolded
Sophia ignored Madison's rude remark and handed over her whole pillowcase of candy "Miss Avery Maya and Madison can have my candy"
"Sophie sweetie are you sure?" Miss Avery asked shocked "you really don't have to"
"No it's fine really my little brothers have more than enough for us to share at home"
"Why that's very generous of you" Miss Avery beamed "girls what do you say to Sophia?"
The girls were speechless because they couldn't believe the same girl they teased and mocked was being nice to them.
"….Thanks" Maya managed to say, "sorry we made fun of your hair and stuff"
"Yeah your hair is kind of pretty" Madison added, "even if it's not straightened"
"Sophia Abigail!" Abbie scolded gently "young lady you heard me and your father calling"
Sophia turned around to see her family enter the gym looking for her and before she could explain Miss Avery did it for her.
"It's okay Mrs. Crane" Miss Avery insisted "Sophie did a very kind thing for my girls"
"Sophie is that your candy bag?" Ichabod asked noticing the bag was now with the Avery girls
"Yes Daddy it was my candy bag but I let them have it" Sophia replied
"I couldn't get off work in time to take the girls trick or treating" Miss Avery replied "by the time I got here most of the candy had run out and my husband…. my husband before he passed last Christmas always took them when I couldn't"
"You've raised a sweet girl I was just telling Sophie that she didn't have to give her candy away but she insisted"
"You can come trick or treating with us next year," Sophia said
"We can?"
"Sure!"
The adults chuckled and Ichabod gave Sophia a kiss on the cheek
"Well that's not for another three hundred and sixty five days so we might as well rest up" Miss Avery said "say goodnight girls"
"Night Sophie"
"Night Maya" Sophia said "Night Madison see you tomorrow"
"That was a very kind thing you did for those girls," Abbie said as she was braiding Sophia's hair for the night so she could go to bed "I know that they weren't always nice to you either"
"Yeah but I wanted to though"
"I know" Abbie replied, "I'm also proud that you didn't allow those girls to pressure you"
"I like being me Mom"
"You know what Sophie I like that too" Abbie replied as she pulled the covers up over Sophia "all of us like you for simply who you are and we hope that you will always like being you"
"Night Mom"
"Goodnight Sophia" Abbie replied "Happy birthday my sweet girl"