Prompt: Ray takes Annalise to see Finding Dory because she is sad Len is out of town for a few days. When he gets back she slips quotes into everyday speech and Len has no idea what's coming out of her mouth. Ray, of course, finds it hilarious.
Len loved his daughter, loved her more than anything. She and his husband were his whole word. But as hard as he tried, he could not understand a word coming out of her little mouth right now.
According to Ray it had begun about a week previous while Len had been out of town on perfectly legal business. Annalise really missed him while he was away so to cheer her up, Ray had decided to take her and her best friend Aideen who was Mick's daughter and her cousin Sofia who was Lisa and Cisco's daughter to the movies to see anything they chose. Of course, due to all the hype the three seven year olds had picked Pixar's Finding Dory. Not that Ray minded, Pixar movies were full of jokes perfectly written to go over children's heads, to make their parent's laugh. And Ray just really wanted to see it… And he wanted to spot all of the easter eggs before someone spoiled them by putting them online.
Ray sat in the theatre just behind the three girls who spent the whole movie with their eyes glued to the screen and giggling every so often. They walked out of the theatre talking about the movie, already quoting their favourite lines to one another. He took them for milkshakes and burgers before dropping them home.
The next day as he walked Annalise to school he found he was repeatedly telling her to stay away from the edge of the sidewalk. "Sweetie come here, it's not safe to walk all the way at the edge."
"How come?" She asked, her bright eyes inquisitive.
"Think of it like in Finding Dory, say a big truck comes by or a car drives really fast, it creates a pull of air which could pull you into the road and you could get hurt. Like the undertow," he said thinking quickly. "We see the undertow we say-"
"Let's go!" she chanted.
"Not exactly, in this instance we say 'heck no!' OK? Let's try that again; We see the undertow, we say," he looked to her.
"Heck no!"
"Perfect, now come on before you're late," he smiled taking her hand.
Which brings us back to the now, where Annalise is explaining that the road can have an undertow which could hurt her daddy if he walks on the edge of the sidewalk. Ray stood back hiding his hand. "Come on daddy, it's really easy, we see the undertow we say…" She sang and looked at him to finish the song.
"Sweetie," Len began, "please don't get upset," he said kneeling in front of her, "but I don't know what you're talking about, what's the undertow?"
"Well daddy says it's a pull of air made by a fast car or big truck that could pull me onto the road if I'm too near the edge, he said I could get hurt, but you're walking right at the edge of the sidewalk and I don't want you to get hurt daddy," she explained and though he still didn't quite get what she was talking about he nodded and pulled her into a hug.
"OK honey, you don't have to worry about me, I'll stay away from the undertow, what was the song you were singing?" He asked standing and she excitedly gripped his hand and skipped alongside her parents attempting to teach him the song.
"Care to explain to me why Annalise is so concerned about my road safety?" Len asked as he and Ray changed for bed that evening.
"While you were away I took the girls to see Finding Dory, there's a thing her parents warn her about called the undertow and so when she was walking close to the edge it was the first thing that came to my mind as to how to explain it to her." Ray explained pulling back the duvet and sitting on the edge of the bed, turning to face Len. "You know she fully expects for you to take her after school on Friday to see it again so you can 'learn about the undertow.'"
"Oh, I am fully aware and excited to learn about the undertow," Len told him wholly serious as he leaned to kiss his husband.