Melinda and Daisy had uncharacteristically slept in. They had not gotten out of bed until nearly eleven in the morning. When they finally arose, they headed to the living room to do Tai Chi. Phil had left a note saying her had a few errands to run and was also going shopping.
"So no Black Friday shopping for you Melinda?"
"Nope. Can't stand it." She led Daisy into the next fluid movement.
"Yeah you're not a big fan of crowds."
"Nope. Not a lot of people. Not all that pushing and shoving and driving like maniacs in parking lots."
"Oh hey, um last night – you know – when I called you – you know – well I..."
"It's okay Dais, not an expectation. You call me whatever you want. Whatever works best for you."
"Yeah. I'm not saying I won't ever call you that. I might. I dunno. Maybe. I mean I probably will. Sometimes. I mean if that's okay."
"It's fine." Melinda smiled at her. "I get it. None of it is simple. Or easy."
"Yeah. Do you think of the name Skye when you look at me?"
Melinda stopped moving. "Wow, that came out of nowhere."
"Do you?"
"Not really. I mean – it's um – it's hard to explain. I see – sometimes I see Skye when I look at you, sure. I remember the little girl you were, in your face I can see her – see you – certain times, certain expressions. So yes, in that way I think of the name Skye. To me you are my Skye, and my Daisy. I know we missed all those years with you but look what we have now. Look what we can have in the next forty years. You are Skye. You are Daisy. You are you."
"My illegal birth certificate says that I'm Daisy Louise Johnson. Nothing at all about my Chinese heritage. My legal one says that I'm Skye Qiaolian May Coulson. "
"Chee-ao lee-an."
"Oh. That sounds cool. Chee -a -o – li -an."
"Pretty close."
"I used to know how to pronounce Chinese words better. I wonder why Jiaying never bothered to continue to teach me or speak it at home? Weird. So what does the name mean?"
"Skillful always. It's part of my name. My full name is Melinda Qiaolian Li Ming May. Li Ming means beautiful and bright. Both names are family names. Li Ning comes from my grandmother on my father's side and Qiaolian from my mother and grandmother."
"Skillful always. Damn you lived up to that part, didn't you? And you are beautiful for sure. And bright. Wait does that mean bright like color or smart? I guess it doesn't matter really since you are both. But your name Melinda is very American. And May is as well."
"My parents wanted me to fit in. Having a more English sounding name was something many parents of their generation did for their children when they lived here. The May name was changed spelling wise from Mei when my grandfather came here to America. It's confusing I know."
"It's my family history."
"Yes, it is."
"I should learn more. That's something William would probably enjoy telling, isn't it?"
"Indeed. I can also shed more light on it, but yeah, he would be the expert. Don't forget Phil's family history. I'm sure he'd be happy to fill you in on his family's history as well."
"Yeah. I will."
"We should finish. I'm starving and those leftovers are calling my name."
Phil came back home a few hours later at around two o'clock. He had a bunch of bags which he ran downstairs to his bedroom. He came back up and grabbed some leftovers for a quick lunch and then the three headed out to the local shelter with the goal to get a kitten for Daisy. That didn't work out quite as planned.
Daisy walked hurriedly into the large building followed closely by Phil. Melinda dragged behind. Daisy went up to the receptionist and asked if they had any kittens for adoption. The young man at the desk looked up and smiled.
"Sure. We have a couple new litters of stray mama cats that just came in. What kind of cat were you looking for?"
She stared at him blankly and then spoke. "A little one?"
He laughed. "Good choice. But what I meant was long haired, short haired, any specific breed in mind, or color?"
"Nah. I just want a cat."
"Okay. So you're under eighteen so I take it these are your parents?" He motioned to Phil and Melina standing behind Daisy. "You are aware there is an adoption fee, because we give all the shelter animals their shots and medical care. We also will spade or neuter them when the time comes. That's included in the fee as well."
"Yeah. How much?"
"It's two hundred altogether for a kitten. Less for a cat six months or older."
Daisy looked back at Melinda and Phil. Phil spoke up. "Yes that's fine. We know."
"Okay then. Let me ring the back and have one of our assistants come get you to take you back to the kennels. It may be a few minutes so there's a small waiting area over there. Oh and you can fill this adoption request form out." He handed her a clipboard with a form.
"Thanks." Daisy flashed him a big smile and the three walked to the waiting area and sat down. She and Phil huddled over the clipboard filling out the information needed. Melinda looked around. This place was a no kill rescue shelter. Phil had made some calls talking to animal owners that he knew, and they had recommended this place. It seemed nice enough and clean. The young man at the desk was polite and helpful. Just then there was a bit of a commotion at a side door with what appeared to be a worker letting a dog back in. Except the dog had somehow gotten off the leash and was making a beeline straight for them. It was a fairly large dog, probably weighed close to fifty pounds, a mutt of some sort. Its tail was wagging a mile a minute as it dashed toward them. The worker chased after it calling out its name.
"Stop Leia. No Leia. Come back here. Leia stop."
Melinda smiled. Leia. The dog was named Leia and oh crap it was heading right for her full blast. She barely had time to absorb the impact as the dog jumped into her lap. Well tried to jump into her lap. I was hanging off her lap mostly with one leg still on the floor. It reached up its head and licked her face as its tail bashed her leg at light speed.
Daisy looked up from the clipboard and laughed at seeing the large dog trying to sit in Melinda's lap.
The disheveled worker finally caught up to the dog and clipped the leash back onto the dog's harness. "I'm so sorry. "She said to Melinda. "Come on Leia, stop slobbering up the nice lady." She pulled her, but the dog didn't budge.
Daisy jumped out of her chair and knelt by the dog. "Awe what a sweetie." She started petting the dog and the dog being given affection turned her attention to the girl and licked her in the face while Daisy giggled.
Phil stood up looking at the worker. "Did you just call that dog, Leia?"
She nodded. "Yes. She doesn't act much like a princess though, as you can see. Come Leia. It's time to go back to your kennel. I need to walk another dog."
Daisy looked at her. "I'll hold on to her for a while. She's adorable." Daisy buried her face in the dog's fur as she continued to pet her.
Melinda pushed the dog down off her lap and got up. She watched as Daisy then fell to the floor holding onto the mangy mutt and giggling as they wrestled across the small aisle between chairs.
"Daisy. Give the dog to the nice lady."
"She likes me. See." Daisy sat up and the dog jumped onto her lap and licked her face. The expression on Daisy's face was priceless as she hugged the dog.
Melinda walked over to the desk and addressed the receptionist. "I'm going to need a form to adopt a large fluffy clumsy adult dog." She held out her hand.
The man laughed loudly and plopped the form for adult dog adoptions in her hand. "Good luck."
He laughed more as she walked away and handed the new form to Phil, then walked to the female worker and stood in front of her. "We'll take this one."
The worker smiled and nodded. Melinda knelt down and spoke to Daisy whose eyes had grown large when she'd heard what Melinda had said. "You clean up all the dog poop. You walk her. There will be no doggo sleeping in your bed. And if she gets flees – I better not know about it." Melinda stood up and walked to the door. "I'll be next door in the ice cream shop. Drowning my sorrows."
Phil laughed at her antics as Daisy gave a loud shout of joy.
"You sure we couldn't get a dog and a little tiny kitten?"
"I wouldn't press my luck if I were you Daisy." Phil glanced at Melinda who was pretending she didn't hear her.
"I know. But now some poor little kitten won't have a home."
"Kittens get adopted first Daisy. All the kittens will be fine."
"I can't wait till Monday to pick up Leia. I get that they have to approve paperwork and us but I'm gonna miss her."
Melinda rolled her eyes.
"Maybe we could go visit her tomorrow so she's not so lonely?"
Melinda stayed quiet. Phil answered. "Maybe. I need to stop over at the school gym tomorrow for a coach's meeting at ten in the morning. If you don't mind waiting, it should only take about an hour, we could stop in afterwards. The kennel is only open till one for visitors on Saturdays and Sundays."
"Sure. I can read my English book while I wait." She sat back in her seat with a smile putting her headphones in and the rest of the ride home was quiet.
Lian and William arrived at the house via uber at six o'clock. They were taking everyone out to dinner. When they arrived, as Daisy heard their voices she ran out of her room.
"Guess what? I got a dog. At the shelter. Her name's Leia and she's a border collie, and hound and doberman mix, with probably other stuff, and she's two years old and she was abandoned in the cold last winter and no one wanted her but us and so she's coming here to live with us, and Melinda is the best cause it was all her idea."
William laughed. He looked at his daughter. "Softie."
Lian raised her eyebrows at Melinda. "Leia. Isn't that from Star Wars?"
"Yep. She's Princess Leia and we pick her up on Monday." Daisy answered.
"It was not my idea. I just knew after the dumb dog came to us and you petted the pitiful thing that you wouldn't rest till it came home with us."
"She ran right to you first. She felt a kindred spirit. She knew you'd save her."
Melinda rolled her eyes. "I just bypassed all the pitiful mournful looks from you and Phil. And didn't have to hear the begging or see the pouting."
Daisy grinned at her and turned back to William as Melinda walked away. "She is a softie."
He winked at her.
Melinda smiled as she walked to the basement door and went down the steps to get Phil.
They enjoyed a nice dinner, just the five of them, at a nice Italian restaurant. Afterward, Lian and William left early, and Daisy spent some time doing some of her schoolwork. Melinda sat with Phil in the living room, reading, as he watched a basketball game.
It was halftime when Daisy came out in the living room, only about half past nine. "Hey I'm going to bed. I can barely keep my eyes open."
Melinda looked up. "Okay. It's been a long couple of days."
"Yeah. I guess everything caught up to me. I was even reading a good book for English but found myself nodding off. So goodnight you guys." She walked over to Melinda and bent down to give her a hug. "Thanks for letting me get a dog. I love you."
"I love you too sweetie. Goodnight. Sweat dreams." Melinda gave her a smile.
Daisy moved to Phil and bent down and gave him a short hug. "Goodnight Phil. I love you."
He failed to mask the surprise on his face, and then gave her a huge grin." I love you Daisy."
She grinned at him. "I'll be ready to leave tomorrow at nine-thirty."
"Okay."
She left the room and walked down the hallway to her room. Phil waited till he heard the door close and then turned to Melinda. "She just said – wait – you don't seem surprised."
"She said it to me before. Last night. In Chinese. She was practicing it with my dad. She said 'Wǒ ài nǐ māmā'."
"She called you mama too?"
Melinda gazed at him with a couple tears forming in her eyes. "Yeah."
He moved over the couch where she was sitting. "That's great Mel. She's starting to see you as her mom."
"She's starting to see us as her parents, Phil. She also told me she was pretty much just trying it out."
"Good. You've been nothing but patient and just so good for her."
"So have you, Phil. She's letting you in a lot more."
"I know. How bout you Mel? I know you two were up the other night. No, I didn't eavesdrop," he said at her glare. "There were two empty glasses on the counter with milk residue and one that held scotch. I used to be a spy, remember? I know how bad your nightmares were. You want to talk about it? You want to let me in?"
"Phil. It's not your place anymore. We're not married. We're living together to provide Daisy with the best possible home we can give her. We were always able to get along. You were my best friend before we got married, and that continued into the marriage as well. The only other person I've ever let in that far into my space, was Maria. We always respected each other, and I still do respect you. I expect the same."
"Okay. So then find a counselor. Or just make a personal appointment with Jemma. Or call Maria. Talk to someone."
"Phillip that is not your..."
"Yes Melinda, it is. It is because I still care for you. And it hurts to see you hurting and in pain. It hurt when Skye was taken, and I couldn't make it better for you. I didn't know how to deal with it all for myself let alone know how to help you. I should have fought more to stay. I should have never let you push me away. I know what we are now, what we have to be, is friends. I can live with that because I want Daisy to have both of us. She deserves to have both of us. I can live with it, but these weeks of being together, of rehashing the past, the memories – they just make me see better how much I still care for you. And to see you hurting and see that you won't help yourself like before – it's something I can't...no it's something I won't let you do."
"Geezus Phil. You can't – that's not a good idea. We cannot go there. We need to stay focused on Daisy. Not on each other."
"Each other?"
"You think this is at all easy for me Phil? I fell head over heels for you. You were the only one who ever got me. Who understood that it was my shyness and introverted self that used coldness and stiffness to cover for my anxiety. That I had to promote a strong and always capable person because being a woman of color made the road I chose in the Air Force harder and full of more obstacles at the time. You broke right through that exterior and you allowed me to be me and you liked who you saw. You saw my quirks as endearing, you were never intimidated by my skills in fighting or weapons handling, or my field of choice. In fact, you were always my biggest cheerleader. You never forced antiquated roles on me, and when I got pregnant you followed my lead in how we would handle all that. So yes, Phil, I care for you too. I never stopped caring for you."
"I've never loved anyone the way I loved you Melinda. I tried to move on. It didn't work. Not with Audrey and not with the many dates that Bobbi has tried to set me up on."
"Like the one at the picnic?"
"Yeah. What about you. Maria said you and Andrew were very happy. She still has no idea why you two split up."
"You know that me and Andrew is none of your business, right? Nor is my current love life."
"I know. But still curious as to why you two split up."
Melinda sighed. "You're not the only one. My mom thinks I made a huge mistake separating from Andrew. He is a well- respected man. He is a kind and thoughtful man. His only downfall is that he talks a lot. Like you. He even talks for a living. He's a psychiatrist, but then again, you knew that. He didn't try to make me into something or someone else, like many people do. In that way, he was very much like you. He did help me realize that I needed to move on with my life, to let Skye and you go. Not to forget but to start another chapter. It took a while, but I was finally at a point to do just that. We were planning to have a child. We had decided it was the right time for both of us. Then – well then it wasn't. Then no time was the right time."
"I'm sorry Mel."
"So was he. But he couldn't help me. I wouldn't let him. I couldn't let him. I couldn't let anyone back then. I had to see a mandatory psychiatrist afterward, but by then I knew all the right things to say, to get cleared. I transferred to administration and pushed all my friends in the field away. I pushed Andrew away. Then I moved to the Pittsburgh office because my parents were worried about me. Going back and living at home was a good choice. That lasted a year or so, till I needed to just get away, so I transferred here. New start. New apartment. New city. New life. Just like you did when you moved back to Manitowoc. I too kept tabs on you through Maria. I knew your mom was sick Phil, but I didn't know she had died. I may have come to the funeral had I known. She was always good to me. I loved her. But I stopped talking to Maria when she wouldn't let things go."
"I should have tried to contact your mom. I just figured you preferred all ties to be cut. After my mom died, I moved to the only family I thought I had left. Bobbi was a lifeline. She pulled me into her life. I guess that both of us, you and me, we were trying to start anew."
"I figured the anonymity here would be good."
"Was it?"
"No baggage. No expectations. No wondering why I moved to administration. No feeling sorry for me. No rumors. I never really let anyone get too close. Fitz – well he was the exception. He was so in need of guidance at first. Then he and I just clicked. I didn't pry into his personal life and he reciprocated. I let him rant and rave at the idiotic bureaucracy, red tape, and rules he said stifled him. In exchange I'd tell him some of my best Air Force mission stories. We both like scifi and weird movies too. I'm glad you had Bobbi and Hunter. You never did well with being alone. You're too much a people person."
"Doesn't mean it wasn't lonely."
"I know. Being alone and being lonely are completely different things. We all cope differently, Phil. You like to do so around people. Me, I just avoid people."
"One of the reasons we got along so well, we balanced each other."
"Like the Force?" She said with a stoic face.
"Ah a Star Wars reference. An attempt to lighten the subject and maybe swerve its course?"
"See. You always knew me so well. Seriously Phil. We are getting into no return territory here."
"Good. Maybe it's time to navigate that map."
She stared at him for a long while. "I think we have enough navigating going on right now Phil – with Daisy."
"You're doing great with it. With Daisy. I know it's not easy, but somehow, you've managed to make Daisy's journey with us so far much easier than I ever thought possible. I said it before, she is drawn to you. To your protectiveness. To your strength. To your love."
"She's getting better with everyone Phil. You, me, even Jemma at her sessions. With her new friends. With my mom and especially my dad. The long road is rough, sure, but the short drives – well they are getting smoother."
"You could always do that."
"Do what?"
"Wax poetic. Make points in simple understandable terms. It's one of the things I loved about you from the beginning. Well that and that you are absolutely stunning."
"Phil."
"No Mel. You were and you are so beautiful. I'm glad Daisy took mostly after you in that department."
"You're ridiculous. You look fine Phil. Your face is the one I fell in love with. It reads kind and generous and patient. It always has. You're nice to look at Phil."
"Even the receding hairline."
"I hate to break this to you Phil, but you've had that since we met." She smirked at him.
"Ouch. Hurtful Mel."
"It makes you look distinguished. Like a professor. Oh hey remember that undercover assignment we had? When you went as the professor and I was your student."
"Of course I remember. We weren't even dating yet. Just friends."
"You fumbled terribly Phil." She giggled." It was as though you'd never gone to second base before."
His face was aghast. "I hit many a double before meeting you. And triples and Homeruns. I just didn't know you very well, and well – I'm a gentleman. It wasn't supposed to be real."
"Well I was trained in operations to commit to the mission. All the way."
"I didn't want to be presumptuous. I figured I did okay. We got the intel."
"Yeah. Better than the op after we were dating when you left my ass in the bay."
"I fished you out. Eventually. We had to secure the scene first. You were fine."
"I was cold Phil."
"Good thing I warmed you up after we got back to the hotel."
"I admit it was a nice hotel. Nice warm blankets." She smirked at him.
"I think that was the last mission we went on together. Once they found out we were fraternizing."
"I missed going on missions with you. I think that was my only regret in saying yes to us getting together. You were a great partner out in the field."
"You have any good ones at the FBI? Partners?"
"A few. Akela Amador and I worked a lot of the undercover cases together on the team. We took down a lot of bad guys. But every time it seemed like two more pop up on the radar. So much human trafficking Phil. And it was all connected to the drug trafficking and a lot of time to the cartels."
"Sorry. You must have seen some awful things."
"Yeah. Phil, nice try. I'm not going to talk to you about it. I need to get to bed. I'm as tired as Daisy. And you have a playdate with a dog to take your daughter to and a basketball meeting tomorrow. Oh wait – all those bags you carried in earlier. For Christmas for Daisy?"
"A few things. Just some DVD's and a DVD player on sale. To go with the TV for her room for Christmas. I figured she might want that if she has a friend or two sleep over. Teens still have slumber parties, right? "
She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess they do. I don't want to overwhelm her though, Phil."
"Yeah I know. So those are the big ones. Now we can just get small things for her. Special things we know she'll like."
"I got her a jade bracelet already. And a Star Wars t-shirt. I want to get her a good leather jacket, similar to mine. I have a few other things in mind."
"We could go shopping sometime. Together. I could use some help picking out something for Bobbi too. And I have absolutely no idea what to get for your parents."
"Okay. Maybe next weekend. Don't forget Daisy starts Taekwondo lessons next week too."
"Yeah. And I have basketball practice every day after school with the JV squad. Unless Daisy wants to wait till five every night, maybe we should see about getting her registered for the bus?"
"No need. I need to pick her up Tuesday and Friday for Taekwondo anyway. She will have to wait till I can get her at four though. Maybe she can do homework in your classroom or gym office till I can get there."
"Mel, she can take the school bus. She'll be home before four. Then you don't have to rush or go in early. She'll be safe on the bus."
Melinda sighed. "She's either been home, with at least one of us, or at school where you are since she came back to us."
"I know. But she's going to not always be with one of us. She's fifteen."
"I know. I just know that I can protect her. I know that you can protect her."
"Okay. We can ease into it. Maybe next week at least you pick her up. It's only three days. And till Christmas break it's only a few weeks. So we can talk about it later. Basketball season goes into February. Longer if we make the playoffs."
"And it will be snowing more than. I know I can drive in the snow. Some random bus driver – I'm not so sure."
"Okay. We'll talk about it later. Maybe you get her some days and others she just stays and waits for me. For now.
"I think that's a good idea." She got up. "Good night Phil." He watched as she walked down the hall until she was out of sight and he heard her bedroom door close. Then he got up, turned out all the lights and walked down the steps to his own bedroom.
Daisy was waiting in the hallway for Phil. His meeting with the other basketball coaches was in a conference room at the high school. She had been in a classroom down the hall a bit but had grown tired of reading, already having read three chapters of her book, and had taken a walk to the ladies room and then gotten a drink at the water fountain. Then she'd walked around the hallways a little, and finally had settled on just sitting here outside the room he was in. She had her backpack and could do some homework she'd brought along but she really was excited about seeing the dog again. She wished Phil would hurry up. A few minutes later the door to the room opened and the coaches all came out. Phil hurried to her.
"Sorry, Daisy, took longer than I thought it would. But we still have plenty of time to get to the shelter and visit with Leia."
"No problem Phil." She got up and slung her backpack on and followed Phil down the hallway.
They got to the Shelter and one of the workers brought Leia out for them. They were guided to the fenced in yard to wait for the dog. The worker brought out Leia and then sat on a chair after letting the dog off her leash. Phil watched as the dog headed straight for Daisy with her tail wagging. The dog sniffed Daisy for a moment and then jumped on her licking her face. Daisy smiled and then took off running with the dog. Phil watched with a huge grin on his face remembering how Melinda just gave up yesterday allowing Daisy to get the floppy eared fluffy large animal who had jumped into her lap. He figured part of the win was because the dog was not a puppy. In fact, he had inquired and was told the dog was fairly well behaved, was potty trained and had a good disposition in spite of spending a good amount of time as a stray on the streets. The dog was mostly black and tan with a patch of white on its chest as well as white around the nose on its face. The tan was on its face and legs while its back and sides and top of head along with the ears were black. Its face was a collie face, with the thicker collie fur all over with the coloring of a Doberman pincher. The ears appeared to be similar to a beagle, floppy but not overlarge. They were told that she weighed around forty- five pounds and stood twenty-two inches high and was considered a medium sized dog.
Eventually Daisy found a stick and the dog was actually playing fetch with her. Phil watched as the two bonded. He sat down next to the worker.
"Hi. I'm Karolina."
"Phil Coulson. That's Daisy, my daughter."
"I know. You teach at the high school. I'm in eleventh grade."
"Oh sorry. I never had you in class, did I? I do tend to remember the kids I've taught."
"No I just started at the school. I used to go to a private school, but well, my parents split and there's not as much money now. So public school it is."
"It's a good school."
"Yeah, it is. Lots of good teachers." She paused as they both laughed as they watched Daisy chasing Leia for the stick. "Leia is one of my favorite dogs to take care of. I'll miss her. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad she's getting adopted. It's just a little bittersweet. She's a sweet dog. She obeys commands even. I taught her some."
"Really." He called over to Daisy. "Daisy, bring the dog over here."
Daisy looked over and walked over to him and the dog followed her. "Yeah?"
"Daisy this is Karolina. She helped take care of Leia. She says the dog obeys some commands."
"Oh cool. Hi. Like what can she do?"
Karolina got the dog's attention. "Sit Leia." The dog sat. "Paw," The dog offered Karolina her paw.
Daisy's grin grew larger. "Oh wow. She's so smart. You think she'd do that for me?"
"Sure. She also knows stay but only listens when she wants to. And she knows how to heel when you take her for a walk."
"You taught her?"
"Yeah. Sometimes the older dogs who are more excitable get passed by when people come to adopt. So I thought a few basic commands would show that she's trainable. I do it with some of the others too."
"So you volunteer here?"
"No I work here. Sometimes I do come by though as a volunteer too. I work a couple days a week. Just walking the dogs, playing with them, cleaning cages and watching when potential adopters want to spend time with an animal."
"Sounds like an amazing job."
"Yeah? The place is hiring. They hire teens like me to do those jobs. Pay is only minimum wage and you only get about 10 to 15 hours a week. But it's a fun job for sure and gives me spending money. You do have to go through a training session first."
Daisy swung her head around to look at Phil. "Oh, can I apply."
"You don't need to work Daisy. Melinda and I will buy you whatever you need. Or want. You know that."
"But it's such a cool job. I need my own money too."
"Okay. We'll give you an allowance."
"Oh hey, it's nearly twelve thirty. We like to get the animals in their cages and settled for the day before we close." Karolina interrupted.
"Oh yeah sure. Say goodbye to Leia, Daisy."
Daisy knelt down by her dog and patted her and then gave her a hug. "See you Monday Leia." The dog wagged its tail and licked Daisy. Daisy got up. "Nice to meet you Karolina. Is there an application I could get?"
"You can stop by the receptionist desk on your way out," she answered as she placed the leash on the dog. "I work mostly Saturday and Sunday mornings. It doesn't interfere with my schoolwork." She looked at Phil. Then back to Daisy. "Hardest thing is getting a ride home since I only have my learner's permit. My mom usually drops me but then she has to go to work too. But my girlfriend usually can pick me up. I've biked here and back already. I only live about five miles away."
Daisy gave her a smile. "Thanks for taking such good care of Leia. And thanks for telling me about the job. Have a good day."
"You too."
Daisy picked up an application at the desk and read it over in the car on the way back to the house. "Phil, I'd like to get a job. This one would be perfect."
"We can talk about it when we get home. With Melinda."
"I want to have my own money. I want to buy you guys Christmas gifts. With my own money."
"We'll discuss it. Hey, how about we stop at Mickey D's for lunch?"
"Cool. But Melinda's not fond of the food."
"She likes the milkshakes and fries."
"Okay. I'll take a Big Mac, large fry and a chocolate milkshake. Please." She looked over at him with a grin.
They were eating the fast food while Daisy was explaining to Melinda why she should be allowed to work at the Shelter. Melinda reminded her she didn't get the job yet. But they both okayed her filing out the application, with the condition that she would tell the Shelter she could only work weekends and holidays off from school and only four hours per day max. In the summer she could work more hours and more days if they allowed her to, if she got the job. She agreed and then she excused herself to her room. After she completed the application, she studied and did her homework. Later on, Melinda taught her taekwondo and they ate leftovers for dinner. They ended up watching the next Star Wars movie.
After the movie Daisy said quietly while Phil was taking the video out of the player, "Maybe we could watch a little bit of one of those home videos you have?"
Melinda looked over at her. "Sure. Which one did you have in mind?"
"Your wedding? That'd be fun."
"Sure let me grab it." Melinda walked back to her room. She returned and handed it to Phil who put in in the machine.
The first scene appeared, and Daisy smiled. Her mom was absolutely gorgeous even seven months pregnant. Phil looked nice too, in his tuxedo. Daisy watched as the ceremony played out on screen. She watched as the two turned to look at each other and how they looked at each other was just like they were the only two people in the room. She decided to tell them. "You guys look at each other like you are the only two people in the room." She laughed. "Holy cow, look at how you look at each other – so in love. I mean that's what love looks like. That's how I pictured it when I used to think about what people in love should look like."
Phil looked over at Melinda who just stared at the screen. She bit her bottom lip. Daisy continued to gush over how they kissed each other and how they kept staring at each other.
"Awe look, you guys are so soft and sweet. It's like you see each other as the most important person in the world." Daisy was sitting on the lounge chair and looked at Melinda who was seated on the couch. "I came from that. True love just like in the Princess Bride."
Phil grinned. "Twu wuv".
Daisy laughed. "Exactly. I bet Buttercup and Westley had lots of true love kids. I wonder why they never did a sequel. I mean there are so many bad movies they do sequels to, but good ones are skipped."
"So I take it you liked the movie then. Wouldn't know since when we watched it all you did was make sassy comments." Melinda raised her eyebrows at Daisy.
"Hey I have a rep to maintain. Just cause you don't care if everyone knows you're a softie, a pushover, and a romantic at heart."
"Hey. I'm not soft and I am not a romantic." Melinda tried to glare at her.
"Ha. You are so much a soft cuddly teddy bear." Phil grinned at her.
"You take that back. I am no such thing."
"Oh please Melinda. You are exactly that. And you are romantic, just not in the traditional way."
"In what way then?" Daisy asked.
"Oh Dais, you don't want him to answer that. Do you think it's wise to go there Phillip?"
"What? No. I wasn't talking about ...get your mind out of the gutter woman."
Daisy paused the video. "Um – you guys. Kid here."
"Yeah Phil. There's a kid here. Why are you bringing up sex?"
"Me? I'm bringing up sex?"
"Yeah I know right? With the kid in the room too."
"You're exasperating."
"Phil lets' just watch the video. Turn it back on Daisy."
Daisy flipped the video back on. "Oh who's that. She's really pretty."
"Which one?"
"The lady in the purple dress similar to your red one."
"That's Maria. Maria Hill. She was my best friend back then. Also my maid of honor I guess. We really didn't do a very traditional wedding."
"Who was your best man Phil?"
"Glenn Talbot. We were in the Academy together. He was a good friend."
"No one understood how Phil. He was always about regulations and rules and you were not exactly one to always adhere to those."
"Phil was a rule breaker. Really?" Daisy looked at him surprised.
"Hey. I followed the rules. When they made sense. Glenn was a little overboard at times on the military stuff."
"A little? One time he reamed me out for not being in uniform Phil, and I was on an undercover assignment."
"Oooo... you did undercover assignments? Like a real spy. Who'd you go undercover as?"
"Lots of different kinds of people."
Phil added. "Prostitute. Drug dealer. Gambler. Hit woman. Cop on the take. Brothel owner. You know. All the upstanding professions women can be."
Daisy chuckled. So that rumor at school of my mom being a prostitute – not that far off base, yeah?"
Melinda threw a pillow at her. "Haha. I was just very good at being bad. Don't fault someone for being good at their job. I nailed all those roles."
"I bet. You have the poker face, and the icy glare down pat."
"My favorite though was when she played a rich dumb floozy. She would get them off guard and then beat the crap out of them. It was a site to see."
Daisy grinned. "I bet." Then she turned to Melinda more serious. "Don't you miss it? Being out there, where the action is, instead of stuck behind a desk? Obviously, you could still do that kind of work right? You're in great shape, you can kick anyone's ass, and you are still with the FBI. What made you stop?"
"Things change. People change." Melinda said abruptly. "Hey let's watch more of the video. The reception is on there too.
Daisy exchanged a knowing look with Phil and then switched the video back on.
