Happy Father's Day! We love you dads everywhere!
I do not own Pepe or Penelope
I do own Pepe's family and Pheffe
(Warning: read this chapter with some Kleenex at hand.)
Chapter Four
Going Home
With a great bang of the door, Pheffe rushed into the house. She sniffed the familiar smells and took in all the familiar sights. She felt like she had been away for years!
She ran into her bedroom and flopped on her bed with great enthusiasm. She inhaled the scent of her pillow and sheets. How wonderful it felt to be home! For a while all was calm. Until…
Pheffe blew her very first tantrum in her whole life!!
"I WANT CREPES NOW!!" she screamed.
"You know zhat you cannot have sweets before dinner," Pepe said firmly back.
"I'M HUNGRY!!" she screamed back.
"Pheffe you have to wait," Pepe replied back.
"WHY ARE YOU BEING SO MEAN?!"
"Because you are acting immature!"
"I WANT CREPES SUZETTE NOOOW!!"
"PHEFFE! DINNER IS BEING DELAYED BECAUSE GRANDMOZHER HAS BEEN FOR US! BE PATIENT!"
Pheffe could no longer take the wait for one dinner and wanted a whole lot more of food after her starvation of weeks. She was still hungry from it. She suddenly yelled out words that parents never want to hear; "I HATE YOU!!"
Pepe narrowed his eyes at her fiercely and said in a hard voice;
"Pheffe Rosalie Le Pew what deed you say?!"
"I HATE YOU!"
No parent would tolerate it and Pepe was the most of them. He firmly took Pheffe by the wrist and marched her to her room. He pulled her small rocking chair and made her sit.
"Unteel you speak calmly, you weell seet here." he said.
Pheffe screamed loud and hard. Pepe left the room calmly and shut the door. Pheffe lept out of her chair and yanked on the doorknob. Pepe stood outside of the door easily holding on to the knob on the other side. Pheffe kicked the door and screamed very loud. She sounded like a fire alarm. She screamed on and on for a whole hour and a half.
Then with one huge and ear-piercing scream that made Pepe flinch she fell on the floor and panted. She crawled to the rocking chair and sobbed with frustration.
"I've never heard such a loud scream seence Josephine was nine and she whined about not having zhe latest fashion line." he said to himself.
Throughout all the screaming and knowing Pheffe would give up on opening the door he had set himself on the couch reading the newspaper. Seeing the comic he and Louis created not too long ago brought back memories of being a child of Pheffe's age, but it was different for him he had enjoyed the responsibilities of becoming a sibling at that time.
Though things were now quiet he did not go in. Pheffe needed to cool of completely and she could trap him by throwing another tantrum.
As much as it hurt him to hear is only child scream that she hated him he knew she was only angry. It is better to have a disciplined child than a spoiled one. He knew that after just one year experience of junior high.
All the kids seemed spoiled and when they never got something they whined for it. Pepe on the other hand learned early on that getting something is better when you earn it.
Finally, after all that thinking he quietly opened the door and got on his knees. He glanced in to see Pheffe rocking in her chair aleady in her light blue silk pajamas and singing. Her stomach growled.
"Shut up stomach, eet's all your fault zhat I'm een timeout for zhe first time and I yelled out daddy for zhe first time." She then sang softly;
"No fun. No fun. Staring at zhe wall. Weesh I had a har-mon-ee-ca."
Pepe smiled gently at hearing her sing. He crept on his knees to her and turned the chair around to face him.
Pheffe looked down to hide her light pink eyes that were from crying and her tear-stained face. Her thick black hair fell swept down hiding it more. Obviously, she was sorry. Very sorry.
Pepe gently lifted her into his arms and sat on her bed. Pheffe still looked down.
"So eets your stomach fault zhat you yelled?" he said kindly.
Pheffe nodded but still didn't look him in the eye.
"Pheffe," Pepe began. He paused and wondered how bring up his question.
"Eez zhere any other reason zhat you were upset?"
Nod.
Pepe knew at once what was wrong but still asked. "What eez eet?"
Pheffe looked straight into the eyes that were so much like hers. Her lips crumpled up into the strange way a person does before they cry. Her eyes watered up fast. She whispered with a gulp in her throat to hold back the sobs. "
Mommy ain't here."
Quickly, she buried her face into his shoulder to stop crying. She trembled. Pepe pulled her back to look at her face. Tears brimmed her eyelashes and were ready to start a waterfall. Its one thing when a child cries from being hurt physically, but it was another thing to see a child cry about a hurting heart.
"So zhats eet." he said. "You meess her. I meess her just as much."
Stop eet. Can't cry." Pheffe said to herself.
"What?"
"When you were away and Uncle Louis was weeth me a nurse told me to not cry and be brave."
Pepe rolled eyes annoyed. "How old do nurses zhink you are?"
Reaching for her pink blanket Pepe held Pheffe with one thin-looking but strong arm. He put the blanket around her shoulders for her security.
"Oh, Pheffe." he sighed. "You never should hold back your crying. Eets not healthy to hold een your tears. Don't let people tell you to not cry; because when you cry for someone you love you show how much love you have for zhat someone."
Pheffe leaned back in his arms in ease. Soon, she was a baby again. Her head resting in the crook of his arm, her small hand held in the wrapping of Pepe's right hand and his other arm around her knees.
"Eets okay to be sad Leetle Fleur." he concluded.
Pheffe was quiet as her tears ran into little rivers on her cheeks. She didn't sob, but she was crying. When her tears stopped she looked apologetically to Pepe.
"Sorry I yelled." she said softly.
"Apology accepted." said her kind-hearted daddy. "No matter how many times you say 'I hate you' zhere always an 'I love you' not to far away."
Pheffe smiled content with everything. She was so content her eyelids closed and her lashes fluttered. She was the newborn Pepe had fallen in love with at first sight all over again.
With a kiss on the nose that flinched like his Pepe whispered. "Bonne nuit Cherie. I'll always love you."
Author's Note: Wow! I was in tears when I wrote this. I'm so sentimental aren't I? Don't forget to vote on my poll. :)
