Fatherhood

Chapter 1: Bedtime

"I'm all already for bed," Aladdin and Jasmine's four-year-old daughter, Laleh announced to her father. The young girl twirled to show off the blue silk nightgown she was wearing.

"Are you?" Aladdin, also dressed in his pajamas, asked his daughter. "Did Rani give you your bath?"

"Yes," Laleh beamed. She had an adorable smile, that she inherited from her father, "She let me have bubbles this time."

"Did you brush your teeth?" Aladdin asked

"Uh huh," replied Laleh, "see how clean they are". She demonstrated by pointing to her teeth.

"And did you say good night to Grampa, Mommy, Abu, Genie, Rajah, and Iago?"

"Of, course daddy," the four-year-old replied.

"Did you remember to go potty?" Aladdin asked blushing. Even though he had been a father for four years talking about bodily functions still made him uncomfortable.

Laleh gave her father an unconvincing smile.

Aladdin skeptically raised his eyebrows, "Your mother is really tired and doesn't need you waking us up in the middle of the night because you have to pee." He grabbed his daughter's hand and walked her to the lavatory.

After taking Laleh to the bathroom, Aladdin took her to the nursery. He tucked her in bed and kissed her forehead. "Do you remember the prayer your mom taught you?" the prince consort asked his daughter.

Laleh recited the passage from memory.

"Daddy, please tell me a story." she begged.

"Ok, one story."

Aladdin told the best stories and unlike his father, he did not tell his daughter traumatic bedtime stories like the one's Cassim had told him as a young child that gave him nightmares

"Did I tell you about the time Abu and Iago decided to sneak food during Ramadan?"

Laleh shook her head.

"It was the first Ramadan your mother and I celebrated together. My mother's family was of mixed faiths, so I had never properly celebrated it before, so the practice of fasting was new to me. I was able to adapt to it, but Abu and Iago decided that they didn't have to follow the rules…"

"So, Genie knew that they were going to break the fasting rules and that's why he made the magic cake? Did the cake really turn them purple?" Laleh laughed.

"It really happened like that. Abu and Iago can be kind of predictable when it comes to food," Aladdin laughed. He tried to grow more serious, "Now it's time for you to go to bed, because if you don't go to sleep your mother is going to kill me."

"She, wouldn't," Laleh laughed, "she'd just get mad."

Aladdin got up from beside his daughter's bed, extinguished the lamp, and closed the door behind him as he left.

Aladdin made his way to the bedroom he shared with Jasmine. As he entered the room, the street boy turned prince was met by his wife sitting on their bed brushing her long black hair.

"Did Laleh go to bed alright?" The Sultana asked her husband.

"For the most part," the prince consort replied, "she is getting really good with her bedtime routine. Though she still needs to be reminded to use the toilet first,"

"She's only four," Jasmine laughed, "I'm sure your mother still had to remind you to do that at that age."

"Hey," Aladdin interjected, "my mother always said I was very advanced in that area."

"Whatever," Jasmine smiled mischievously, as she hit her husband with a brocade pillow.

Aladdin rolled his eyes, positioning himself under the covers next to his wife. Jasmine leaned in and softly kissed his temple.

"Jaz," Aladdin said softly as he pushed himself upright on his pillows, "sometimes I wonder if I'm a good father to Laleh."

Jasmine softly kissed her husband's cheek, "You are a great father, instead of spending your days in a stuffy throne room, letting her be raised by nannies; you play with her, help with her lessons and you even got lessons on styling her hair."

But Aladdin didn't seem to hear the praises, "I grew up in a one room apartment with no heat, a gross privy and walking to the town well for water. I have no experience raising a princess. My father left when I was three and a half, causing me to believe for most of my life that I was the reason he left. I never even had a father figure to model myself after. . ."

Aladdin would have continued his rant, but Jasmine interrupted him, by kissing his neck.

"I thought you were tired from all you're Sultana duties?" Aladdin asked his wife mischievously.

Jasmine giggled seductively.

But before any more amorous activity could begin, a bright bolt of lightning flashed in the window, followed by a loud crash of thunder and the sound of violent wind and rain. It was a rare, but violent Summer storm

"How long before the kid joins us?" Aladdin joked to his wife.

"I'll give her five minutes," Jasmine replied.

The bedroom door creaked opened, Laleh stood in the doorway holding her baby blanket in her left hand. "Mommy, Daddy, I'm scared," Aladdin could tell from her voice that she had been crying, "can I sleep with you?"

"Of course, baby," Jasmine got out of her bed and started hugging the four-year-old. She gently stroked Laleh's long black wavy hair. Then the Sultana picked up her daughter, tucked her in the middle of the bed.

Jasmine smiled to her husband, "Your father would not have done this for you."

"I guess you are right," Aladdin answered as he hugged his little princess.