Chapter 3: The Beach Vacation

"This little seaside inn you found is amazing, Genie," Sultana Jasmine declared in amazement.

"You definitely have to plan all our future vacations!" Aladdin laughed.

"Well, it's all in day's work as a phenomenal and almost cosmic being," The blue djinn laughed, "What do think about it Laleh?" Genie put on his goofiest smile trying to cheer up the unhappy looking four-year-old.

"There's too much sand, and too much water, and the air smells." Laleh replied in a displeased tone.

"Laleh," Aladdin fussed, crossing his arms and bending down to his daughter's level, "where are your manners? Is that how we talk to people who do nice things for us?"

"Sorry, Uncle Genie," the four-year-old princess, gave the blue djinn a small hug.

"Hey, it's ok, Laleh, it's been a long day traveling. You just need dinner, and to go to bed and you'll be good as new in the morning," Genie laughed. Laleh nodded in agreement.

"Laleh, you've been quiet throughout dinner, and you only ate half of your chicken souvlaki, and Genie made it your favorite way, is everything all right?" Jasmine inquired to her daughter with a tone of concern in her voice.

"I'm just tired mommy," the four-year-old princess answered.

"Maybe you should get ready for bed?" the Sultana suggested.

Aladdin took Laleh to their room to get her ready for bed. The royal family's room in the seaside inn was smaller and simpler than their rooms in the place. The room had one large bed and a small bed for Laleh, the only other furniture in the room was a washstand, and a small set of table and chairs. The room might not have appeared to have much to offer, but Aladdin liked having a break from the craziness of palace life.

The prince consort helped his daughter put on her night gown and brush her teeth. Laleh didn't talk, joke, giggle or protest as she normally did in their bedtime routine, Aladdin was puzzled. Was she really this tired, she had been going to bed on time the past couple of days , had her afternoon nap. Maybe it was because they had been that day. But traveling by Genie and Carpet didn't take as much time as any other form of transportation would have, so she shouldn't be this tired?

Aladdin picked up his half-asleep daughter and draped her over his shoulder. With her right next to his neck and face, Aladdin realized that Laleh felt surprisingly warm. "Feeling alright kiddo? You feel warm."

"I'm fine, daddy, just tired. I want to go to bed," the four-year-old princess whispered to her father.

"You can go to bed soon. I just need to take you to the outhouse so you can go potty." Aladdin explained.

"I don't have to go, daddy," Laleh moaned.

Aladdin laughed, "Sorry, but you don't have a choice in this matter."

When they got back, Aladdin tucked his daughter into her bed, noticing that she was still feeling warm. He hoped that it was from the Summer weather, not that she was getting sick.

While Laleh slept, Jasmine scooted next to her husband on the bed they were sharing. "What are you reading?" the Sultana inquired when she noticed a book in Aladdin's hands.

"It's a book on parenting that Genie got me. It's written by a doctor who is an expert in raising children," Aladdin explained to his wife.

Jasmine sighed, "Enough with the obsessing over if you are a good father to Laleh. I know you have your insecurities, but no supposed 'expert' is going to make you a better father."

"I know," Aladdin quietly responded, "but sometimes things come up and I don't know what to do. Like tonight Laleh was very tired and wasn't on her best behavior, and I didn't really know what to do, was getting her ready for bed the right thing or should I have sent her to time out for how she talked to Genie?"

"You need to let it go Al," Jasmine yawned, "after a good night's sleep and maybe a swim, I think Laleh will be good as new."

"I hope so," Aladdin answered with a tone of skepticism in his voice.

The next morning Aladdin woke up early. He changed from his pajamas to his bathing clothes, which consisted of a pair of old white cotton drawers that stopped at his knees and were held up by a blue sash. He walked over to the little bed were Laleh continued to sleep.

"Laleh," the prince consort gently called for his daughter, "if you get up now, we can go swimming before breakfast. We could find shells and try to see if we can see a mermaid, I hear they only come to the surface in the early morning."

The four-year-old princess rolled over in her bed and moaned, "I'm still tired daddy."

Aladdin's heart sank in disappointment. "But you love swimming and we never get go to the beach." Aladdin sulked out of their room at the inn and out towards the beach, leaving Jasmine and Laleh to continue to sleep.

The prince consort took to the ocean, swimming laps around the shallower water near the shore. Aladdin didn't care about all the salt and sand getting into his long black hair. He kept swimming until he got all his frustration out and Genie called him for breakfast. After getting out of the water and drying off with his towel, Aladdin suddenly realized how tired he was feeling.

"Hey Al, you're not looking so hot. You feeling, ok?" The blue cosmic being asked his friend.

"Come to think about it, I do feel hot, really tired, and my stomach is a bit queasy." Aladdin answered his friend.

"Let Doctor Genie look into this," A white lab coat and stethoscope appeared on the blue djinn. He snapped his finger and a glass thermometer martialized in his hand. "Now say 'ah', Al". Gennie stuck the glass anachronism in Aladdin's mouth. "Uh huh, you have a fever of a hundred and two."

"That's bad isn't?" Aladdin asked. As if his body decided to answer the question for him, Aladdin felt an uncontrollable lurch in his stomach and suddenly found himself vomiting the remains of last night's dinner on the patio floor.

"Gross," Lelah cringed.

"So Laleh, how are you feeling?" Genie asked trying to make a distraction from gross situation at hand.

"My tummy feels funny," Laleh whimpered.

"Let me take you to the outhouse," Jasmine said in full concerned mother mode, "we don't need a repeat of what just happened with your father."

Aladdin felt like he could die of embarrassment, if he didn't feel like his symptoms were going to kill him first.

Next thing Aladdin knew he and Laleh were tucked into bed next to each other. Genie had determined that they both had come down with the flu and were to stay in bed until further notice. Aladdin let out a sigh, so much for his relaxing and fun beach vacation.

"I can't believe that both of my babies are sick in bed." Jasmine gushed.

"I'm sorry for ruining our beach vacation." Aladdin moaned.

"Don't worry. Genie says if you keep all your food and your fevers down you should be good as new. And then we will all be swimming again" The sultana smiled at her husband.

"This is for sure one of the worst parts of being a parent. Being sick with the same thing as your kid has, and you have no idea who made who sick first." Aladdin groaned, and then looked down at his daughter sleeping peacefully next to him, "maybe this isn't all that bad after all."

"Sometimes the best moments in parenting happen when the worst things happen." Jasmine pointed out, "I would kiss you, but I don't want any of your gross germs."

Aladdin rolled his eyes, "I bet you five denarii that you and Genie will get this flu before the vacation is over."

"You are so on," Jasmine laughed.