"Good morning baby.." Aria whispered as she entered Bella's little pink princess room. Aria and Ezra had taken her to the park after Jason had gone back home and it had exhausted her. "Isabella DiLaurentis, guess what your mommy made you for breakfast.." Aria teased as she sat on Bella's bed as the little girl stirred awake.
"Morning mommy.." Bella whispered. She sat up and instantly smiled at what was in Aria's hands. "Choc chip pancakes! Yay! Can I eat them now?"
"Go and wash your face and brush your teeth first sweetie." Aria smiled.
"Okay!" Bella jumped out of her bed and rushed to the bathroom down the hallway.
Aria walked out of Bella's room and called out "Come to the kitchen when you're done sweetie!"
Two minutes later Aria and Bella were eating at the kitchen table digging into the pile of pancakes they each had on their plate. "Where's Ezra?" Bella asked as she sipped her glass of milk.
"He had to go into work extra early today to help some of his students." Aria replied looking at something on her iPhone.
"Did you make him pancakes too?"
"No, I only make them for special girls.." Aria joked as she kissed Bella's head.
"We're special." Bella smiled.
"Yes we are." Aria laughed.
Bella finished her plate of pancakes and asked if she could be excused. Aria's mouth fell open a little bit. Jason's mother had taught Bella to not just run off from the table when she had finished her food - she told her she should ask to be excused. Bella doing this when Mrs DiLaurentis was not around genuinely surprised her. "Sure." Aria smiled. Picking up the plates and glasses in front of her, Aria went to the kitchen to put them in the dishwasher. Walking over to the kettle Aria flicked the switch and waited for the water to boil so she could have her cup of coffee. She had ordered a new coffee machine over a week ago to be delivered the day before yesterday but it hadn't arrived which annoyed Aria. So she was forced to do it the old fashioned way. She leaned against her worktop and checked through her emails on her phone. Just as she was about to lock it, she received a call.
"Good morning." Aria smiled.
"Well I'm glad it's a good morning there cause its not over here.." Jason moaned.
"Oh dear grumps, what's the matter?" Aria cocked her head to the side ready to hear what Jason had to say.
"I had my day planned out perfectly. Breakfast with my mom and Alison at the country club, then golf with Tyger and Andrew, I've got a work lunch with that obnoxious client I told you about the other month and it's raining. It hasn't stopped raining for the past three hours.."
"Poor you.." Aria teased.
"I called you looking for some sympathy.." Aria heard a car horn blare. "Fucking idiot!"
Aria's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"What? Not you. I don't understand how some people get their drivers' licence."
"You're driving? Jason!" Aria told him off. She hated when he would call people while he was driving.
"Don't worry! It's on handsfree. It's in my lap. How is my baby anyway?"
Aria breathed a sigh of relief. "She's okay. She's just finished her breakfast, she loves my pancakes doesn't she?"
"Everyone loves your pancakes Aria." Jason told her.
"Including you?"
"Yes, including me. Chocolate chip ones are first class!" Jason told her. She already knew this though.
"Guess what.."
"What?" Jason parked in front of the country club and shut his door loud enough that Aria could hear it.
"Bella and I were eating breakfast and once we finished she said, 'may I be excused?'"
Jason laughed. "That's my girl! My mom will be proud."
"I was literally speechless when she said it."
"Don't worry. It's the only thing my mom's taught her. She won't turn into a snob like Mama DiLaurentis.."
"Um, I didn't say it was bad.."
"So you'll be happy to have my mom give her etiquette lessons?"
"Your mom wants to give her lessons?!"
Jason laughed. "No, she just wants her to have manners.. like Ali..." Jason paused awaiting Aria's snort which was bound to come.
Aria snorted. "Alison and manners do not mix. Your mother is delusional.."
"Oh I know.." Jason agreed. "I'm on my way to meet my mom and Alison so can you put Bella on the phone for me?"
"Sure.. one sec.. Bella! Bella come into the kitchen quickly!" Bella came running in a few seconds later. "Your daddy's on the phone baby."
"Hi daddy!"
"Hey baby, are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine. Are you okay?"
"I miss you. I forgot you were at your mommy's house this morning for a little while.."
"Aww daddy I miss you too! What are you doing?"
"I'm just going to see your Grandma and Aunty Alison. We're going to have breakfast together."
"I had breakfast already! Mummy made pancakes!"
"I know she did. She told me already."
"Can I talk to Aunty Ali?"
"Yeah just give me one second to find them.."
"Did you lose them?"
Jason laughed. "No, I just don't know where they are at the moment.. Ah I can see them.. Hey Ali, Bella wants to talk to you.."
"Hi little Miss DiLaurentis! How are you?" Alison loved talking to her niece.
"I'm fine. Are you having breakfast with my daddy?"
"I am. Your grandma's here too." Alison told her as she flicked through the breakfast menu.
"What are you and grandma going to eat?"
"I don't know yet little one. We were waiting for your daddy to turn up before we ordered. He was very late.." Alison smirked as she looked towards Jason.
"Naughty daddy."
"He is naughty. Anyway I have to go Bella because the waiter is coming but I'll see you soon okay."
"Okay, I love you!"
"I love you too." Alison hung up the phone and passed it to Jason.
"I've finished." Bella passed Aria her phone and ran back into the lounge to watch tv.
"Bella, what do you want to do today?" Aria called before Bella left the kitchen.
"Can we go to the zoo?"
"I'd love that. Just let me have this coffee and then we can start getting ready." Aria smiled at her daughter.
"Okay." Bella skipped out of the kitchen.
"Aww mommy! Look at the penguins! They're like the ones from happy feet!"
"They're cute aren't they?" Aria smiled down at her daughter as they walked hand in hand around the zoo.
"Can we have one as a pet?" Bella asked, licking her ice cream cone and admiring the penguins for a little while longer.
"I don't think we can sweetie.."
"Why not?"
"Cause penguins can't live in homes like ours.." Aria told her.
"I'll ask daddy then." Bella shrugged.
Aria laughed. "They can't live in your daddy's home either. They need water, ice and snow baby."
"Ohhh!" Bella said loudly as she finally understood why a penguin couldn't be a pet. "But they're so cute mommy." she stepped closer to the penguins and squealed when she saw a little chick sheltered underneath is mother. "Look there's a baby one. Look how little he is! Can you take a photo?"
"Take a photo of you and the penguin or just the penguin?"
Bella managed to get herself up onto a ledge which was in front of the penguins enclosure. "Me and the penguin."
"Okay, one, two, three.. smile." Aria looked down at her phone and smiled. "This is cute. Shall we go and see something else now?" she asked as she held out her hand for Bella to take again.
"Sure."
Aria and Bella walked along looking at all other animals which didn't interest them that much. As Aria walked, she sent Jason the photo of Bella with the penguin. They always took photos from days out with their daughter and sent them to each other so no parent was left out. Aria put her phone back in her handbag and concentrated on what her daughter was interested in.
"Mommy, what's that?" Bella asked pointing to the pink creature.
"That's called a flamingo sweetie."
"Flamingo? I've never heard it."
"You haven't? Do you think they're cute like the penguins?"
"Nuh uh!"
"Why not?" Aria laughed.
"Look at them. They only have one leg and their noses look nasty!"
"Look closely." Aria took Bella closer to them and pointed at them. "They have two but they're standing on one. And that's not their nose it's their beak.."
"If they have two legs then why don't they stand on them both?"
"I have no idea sweetie."
A few minutes later, they came across the giraffes. "Aww look it's your daddy!" Aria teased as she pointed to one of the male giraffes.
"Mommy!"
"I was kidding baby!" Aria bent down kissed her head. "He's tall like your daddy though isn't he?"
"He's so tall!"
"Shall we take a photo?" Aria asked as she took her phone from her bag.
Bella nodded and went to stand right next to the enclosure. Aria stepped back a couple of metres to ensure that she got the giraffe and Bella in the frame. Taking the photo and quickly walking back towards Bella, Aria sent the photo with the caption. 'Isabella with her daddy!' to Jason and got a swift semi sarcastic reply saying 'Oh ha ha, you're hilarious, why did I ever let you go?' The reply shocked Aria and Jason a little bit. Aria was shocked that he acknowledged the fact that he let her go and this made her question whether he was missing her. And it shocked Jason because it was so impulsive and he didn't realise what he had said until he had sent the reply. Not knowing what to say back she put her phone back in her bag and carried on with the tour around the zoo.
Aria and Bella came home at 4pm after going for a little retail therapy after the trip to the zoo. Ezra was in the kitchen and greeted Bella with a hug and Aria with a couple of kisses.
"How was your day? Where did you go?" he asked as he stirred the pasta he was cooking.
"We went to the zoo and then we went shopping for a little while. I enjoyed myself." Aria told him as she stood next to him as he took the pan off the gas. "Did you?" Aria asked Bella who was sitting at the dinner table.
"Yeah, I loved the penguins and giraffes!"
"I did too." Aria smiled as she joined her daughter at the table.
