Pink Milk
Record Cover
There were three sharp knocks on the door and it swung open. A little boy with sun-bleached blonde hair walked in, carrying a white tray in his hands.
Little Rikku stirred, woke and sat up in the bed, a dry, weak cough escaping her throat. Her pigtails were messy and coming loose. The boy flinched; it sounded like it hurt. Then he put the tray against the bedside table.
"Hey, Rikku? Momma says you gotta have some food or you won't get better."
Rikku's eyes were wide, she stared at Gippal. She had been sick three days now, and for some reason the cold was more stubborn than anticipated.
Gippal frowned. He was worried about Rikku. Rikku was his best friend, he didn't want her to hurt. His momma had said if she ate well and had her medicine, she'd get better quickly. Gippal had asked why the potions weren't helping, and Momma had just said there were some illnesses potions couldn't heal, and that you had to build up a natural immunity to it, whatever it was.
Diligently, eight year old Gippal handed Rikku the cup, complete with a swirly straw. It was pink milk. Rikku loved pink milk. It was her favourite, strawberry flavoured. Pink milk always made Rikku smile.
She took it from Gippal's hands. He nodded and said, "Drink it! Momma says you should finish it, or you won't get better! If you don't get better we can't go treasure hunting nomores!" He splayed his hands out to her, offering his simple, logical, eight-year-olds explanation.
Hesitantly Rikku took a sip. Then she made a face and pushed the cup away. "Eewwie, Gippal, it tastes like paper," She looked very sad, disappointed that pink milk tasted so bad.
Gippal grinned. "So you have eaten paper, Cid's girl?"
"No!" Rikku frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. But she felt very very hot, and her head spun, so she stopped being silly and slumped against the pillows sadly. "I remember when pink milk was yummy, Gippal."
Scrambling onto the bed, Gippal grabbed Rikku's hand. "I'm sorry, Rikku."
"Sorry for what?"
"Sorry for letting you be sick. I gotta be sick with you, so we're even, see?"
"Naw, it's okay, Gippal."
"You wanna try the rainbow bread? It's got hundreds and thousands on 'em." Grabbing a little sandwich off a plate on the tray, he pushed it into Rikku's hands. She sniffed it and frowned again.
"My throat hurts, Gippal. I can't eat anything. It doesn't smell so good either. I can't smell a thing."
"What happened to your nose?"
"I don't know, pooh," Rikku's face fell even more, a miserable look on her small face. She handed back the bread, so Gippal instead took a large bite of it and chewed. They sat in silence, Gippal eating the bread, Rikku staring at a little green cactuar-baby on the bedspread.
There was another knock on the door and the door swung open. Gippal's mother swept in, tall, willowy and beautiful, perfect cheekbones, with lovely jade green eyes, almond shaped. The eyes and cheeks that Gippal had.
"Rikku, honey, you have to eat, or you won't get better," Emeka said kindly, eyes twinkling. "Gippal," She added sternly. "Don'teat that. It's Rikku's. I thought I ought to check on you."
"Sorry," Gippal hastily put the leftover crusts back onto the plate.
"Rikku, try to eat, for Gippal," Emeka smiled and brushed the hair back on Rikku's forehead, knowing just how much the two children adored each other. She kissed the girls cheek tenderly. Emeka had always wished so dearly for a daughter, but had been blessed with three sons instead. Gippal was the youngest. Thia had been the lucky one; two boys and a girl; Rikku. Now Thia was gone and Cid was almost always away with the boys on a job, Emeka had taken Rikku under her wing for the time being.
Emeka swept back to the door, skirt swishing. Rikku admired her, for Gippal had the loveliest mother. Sometimes Rikku felt sad being with Gippal's momma because she missed her own and it never felt right, though Emeka had never asked Rikku to regard her as a maternal figure. Rikku wanted to- and did- it's just that- she missed her own mommy, too. Well, Rikku thought, they were even, coz she didn't have a momma and Gippal didn't have a daddy and they both had two older brothers.
Then, Emeka looked back.
"Oh, Gippal, Darrik's just come in wondering wether you can go play. You can go, if you like, just be back before dark and tell me before you do. Make sure Rikku eats something before you go, or I won't let you out again until Uncle Cid comes back home. And I don't know when that will be."
Emeka had always been stern with her sons, unafraid to discipline them when it was required. Emeka's two older children- fourteen and eleven, were known throughout Home for being exceptionally well behaved when the time to be came, obedient and loyal to their mother. Gippal was still only eight- so there were no expectations set for him to meet as of yet.
It didn't mean Emeka was strict and demanding though- she knew as boys, her children needed to be set loose to run around wild and receive their fair share of bumps, bruises and cuts. She wasn't worried about the oldest one- but the two younger ones, including Gippal, she couldn't help but feel anxious. They didn't have a fatherly figure, no male to look up to… she wasn't stupid, boys without fathers grew up attached to home and didn't have as much masculinity as the others did. Emeka wanted her boys tall, big and strong. She wasn't sure Gippal would end up that way, and especially not when the two most important people in his life were women. Only time would tell… With a last smile, Emeka shut the door quietly behind her.
Gippal looked at Rikku, sitting up from his position flopped somewhere around Rikku's legs on the bed. "Darrik wantsta go play!"
Rikku immediately pouted. "Gippal, don't go. Stay with me, please? I'm all lonely. I want to be with you." Rikku knew Gippal would probably choose Darrik over her because Brother had said boys only wanted to play with boys and only cissys played with girls, but Rikku didn't have anyone in the world like Gippal. Anyway, she figured if she never asked for what she wanted, she'd never get it. Gippal was her best friend, they went hunting together, ate ice cream together and baked cookies with Gippal's mama together. Gippal was annoying, and he was a smelly boy, but deep inside Rikku loved him more than anything in the world. She hoped he would always be her best friend.
Gippal looked at her. Rikku was his best friend, but he wanted to go play with Darrik, too. Rikku was a girl. When they played together Gippal always had to hold back in case she got hurt, because his mama had told him to watch out for her. When she wasn't there he didn't need to worry. He hesitated for a moment.
Gippal had learnt a long time ago, that sometimes you had to sacrifice things you wanted for someone important, which was much better. Momma had taught him now Rikku needed friends more than ever, because she was always overshadowed by her brothers and had no-one to play with for the other girls wouldn't go near her because she was the daughter of Elder Cid. And because Rikku had lost her mama, she didn't have anyone to be with. And since Gippal had known her for so long, and he was older, taller, stronger, he had to look after Rikku and be her friend and hug her when she needed it and look after her when she was sick. So maybe one day when they were all grown up, Rikku could look after him when he got hurt. He had to be her protector.
Gippal thought, hard. As hard as an eight year old could think. Did he want to play with Darrik? Or did he need to play with Darrik? Did he want to look after Rikku? Or did he need to look after Rikku?
Yes, he thought, he wanted to play with Darrik. He didn't need to. And he didn't really want to look after Rikku. But heneeded to, otherwise when Darrik was gone Rikku would still be sick. And Gippal didn't have anyone in the world like Rikku. Rikku was his best friend. They made sandcastles together, got into fights, threw cookie dough and each other and got in trouble from Emeka together. He didn't really like Rikku, because she was a girl, and girls were weird, but Rikku was fun when she wasn't all sick and bothered and unhappy.
He broke into a grin. "Sure, Rikku, I'll stay."
Rikku was delighted.