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Chapter 3 – Posh Ride

Genie sat next to the Doctor in the R8 Spyder. She wore sunglasses that were much too big for her face. Her long braid lay on her shoulder. They rode down the Pacific Highway in California.

Genie smiled at the ocean as the wind blew in her face. She looked back at the Doctor who sat with his arm propped up on the door. He bit his thumb, lost in his own thoughts.

Genie giggled at him.

He looked over at her and smiled, "What?"

"Mummy bites her thumb when she's thinking about something, too. You look like her." Genie laughed.

He smiled and dropped his hand in his lap. "I didn't realize I was even doing that."

Genie pointed at the ocean. "This is so pretty, Daddy. Is this where Tony lives?"

He nodded, "Yes. This is his car. He let me borrow it so I could take it for a drive."

Genie looked confused. "Why?"

"I haven't driven a car for a bit. Tony has some really neat cars."

She looked back at him. "The last car I rode in was…"

"It was a limo. We were leaving Jacob's big, White House." He helped.

She smiled. "No. We rode in a big limo when we went to our flat in London. Do we not live there anymore?"

He smiled, "We have two houses and the flat. Although, I've thought about giving the flat to someone. We really don't need it anymore."

She nodded her head. "That's really….posh."

He laughed, "Well, Rose is posh. I keep telling you that."

"Mummy says she's not posh. It's you."

"Oh, it's me, huh?"

"Yes. It's you." She insisted.

"Alright. Let's settle this. Tell me something posh people do."

Genie thought. "Well, they don't cook. Other people cook for them."

He nodded his head. "Have you ever seen your mum cook anything?"

She smiled as she realized, "No. But, she's been sick with Sam."

"I've known Rose a long time. I've never seen her cook anything. I'm not sure if she does cook."

Genie rolled her eyes. "I think she does. She doesn't order room service."

He laughed at her. "You do. Pizza for breakfast?"

Genie giggled, "Better than…what was that you had at the hotel?"

He smiled, "A banana split."

She shook her head, "Way too much sugar for you."

"It had a healthy banana in it!"

"That's full of natural sugars!"

"Bananas are full of good stuff, too. Potassium and pectin, which is a form of fiber, magnesium, and vitamins C and B6."

"And the ice cream?" Genie asked.

"Calcium. It's good for your bones." He reasoned.

Genie rolled her eyes.

He mumbled. "Lectured by a cheeky toddler over my dining choices."

Genie shook her head. "Posh people also wear a lot of jewelry."

"I wear my wedding ring and my wristband that Tony gave me. That's all. What does Rose wear?"

She groaned, "Ugh. Alright. Mum wears a lot of jewelry."

He pointed at her. "You wear a lot of jewelry. You have on your ear rings, two rings, what else?"

She smiled, "My necklace. You are always giving me and Mummy jewelry!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? Jewelry accents a woman's beauty. You and Rose are so lovely, I can't help but want to give you ladies some more. What is your favorite sort of jewelry?"

Genie smiled, "I'm not picky."

He laughed, "You sound like Rose." He spoke in a high pitched voice to imitate Rose, "I love anything you bring home and give to me."

Genie laughed at him. "Mummy does not sound like that."

He laughed, "Sure she does." He started to speak in a high pitched voice again, "Oh, sweetheart! You shouldn't have! It's not even my birthday!"

Genie laughed and covered her face. "Mum would slap you for that."

He laughed, "Oh, she would. Rose says she likes it all, although I think she likes necklaces the most. She seems to smile bigger when I give her those. I think you like rings the best."

Genie smiled, "I never had jewelry before I came to live with you. I don't know what I like the best."

"Maybe you are posh."

She tossed her hands up. "I am not posh!"

He teased her, "Oh, I think you might be. You like jewelry. You don't cook. You don't even do your own laundry."

"I'm six! You don't do your own laundry, Daddy."

He smiled, "Oh, I don't?"

"I don't think you do. Who does it?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly have no idea. It just gets done. Maybe it's little gremlins that are sneaking into the house."

Genie rolled her eyes. "Sneaking into the house to wash your dirty socks?"

"It would be a great kindness to the galaxy." He insisted.

Genie shook her head and pointed at him. "Alright. I've got it. Posh people don't drive themselves. Someone drives them."

"See. You're posh. I'm driving you around."

"Daddy! I'm too little to drive!"

He laughed, "Oh, another posh thing. Posh people dance ballet and play music."

Genie threw her hands up in frustration. "See. I know what you are doing here. You are just winding me up. I need to go back to ballet."

"Yes, you do. I talked to your …..hmm… what is she? A coach?"

Genie rolled her eyes. "It's ballet. Not football, Daddy."

"Right. Well, she says you can just practice at home for a bit. But, I need to get you there to practice with the company at the end of the week. I'll get you there, my dear. Don't worry about that."

She became serious, "But…?"

"But, what?"

"Will the bad people get me there?"

He sighed as he pulled off of the road. He stopped the car and turned to look at her. "I knew you were going to ask me about this."

"Are you cross?" Genie asked him.

"My child, you can tell what I'm feeling. What am I feeling?" he asked her.

"You are worried about me." She said.

He smiled at her. "I am that. I'm always worried about you. Genie, no. I'm doing everything I can to keep the bad people from you. If you go someplace, you won't be on your own. You will always be with someone. It will either be me, your mum or one of the guys. Maybe even Grand or your Grandfather."

Genie took a deep breath and looked him in the face. "I don't like being alone."

He held her hand. "I know. You have a good reason to not like that. It will probably always bother you a bit. Genie, your mum was coming home. She didn't mean to leave you like that. I know she didn't."

Genie nodded her head.

"I've always wondered, why didn't you go back to your neighbor's house when your mum didn't come home?"

Genie shook her head as she looked down at her shoes. "She told me to stay there until mum got home. She was just around the corner. She was late for something, I don't remember. But, she went someplace."

He bit his lip and shook his head.

"Daddy. You're angry-"

"I'm not angry."

"You are, Daddy. I can feel that. You are proper cross." Genie said.

He took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm angry. But, not at you. I'm angry someone left you like that. You should have never been on your own."

Genie looked worried. "So, you're not cross with me?"

He smiled at her. "No. I'm not."

"But, it was my fault."

He sat back and looked at her. "Genie, how in the world could any of that been your fault?"

"I wanted to go home and play with my toys. I asked to go home."

He shook his head and sighed. "My Sara Gene. Listen to me. Remember this. One day you will understand this more, but for now just know that it is an adult's responsibility to take care of a child. Even if a child wants something, it's up to the adult to make the decision. That is so the child will remain safe. If a child was allowed to make their own decisions…well….they wouldn't go to bed at night. They would eat too much sugar. They would just be…."

"You." Genie smiled.

He laughed, "Ha! Yeah they would. And see, you don't want that."

Genie laughed.

He looked seriously at her. "None of that was your fault. Don't ever think it was. You can tell when someone is lying to you. Am I lying to you?"

Genie looked at him. "No."

He bopped her on the end of the nose. "See? And Daddy will always do everything he can to keep the bad guys and the monsters away from you. Love is a promise. A promise that you will always take care of and protect someone. And there's not many people that I love more than I love you. Maybe no one. You know that, don't you?"

She smiled proudly, "Yes, Daddy."

He nodded, "Alright. Let's take my posh daughter on down the road." He said as he started to drive down the Pacific highway again.

"Daddy! I'm not posh!"

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