Chapter 3: Her Smart Daughter
"That looks so fake." Meredith replied, as her eleven-year-old sat on her bed with her, watching CSI. She wasn't sure when she had started watching it, but she was pretty sure Dawsyn caused this. Dawsyn always seemed to act older than her age, leading Meredith into trying to figure out how much was too much. Dawsyn started watching this at age seven, causing Meredith to get hooked as well.
"It's so cool." Dawsyn said, staring intently at the television.
"Still...fake."
"Whatever, Mom."
"Hmm..." Meredith sighed, turning on the mute button as the nighttime drama went to a commercial.
"Maybe I'll get to see the real stuff tomorrow." Dawsyn grinned.
"There isn't going to be a crime scene on your field trip to the hospital."
"Yeah. They're might be blood and bodies."
"I doubt your teacher is going to let you guys see blood and bodies." Meredith explained.
"Ugh. That sucks." Dawsyn groaned, leaning back onto the pillows.
"And please don't run off and try to find them."
"Okay..."
"Dawsyn, I mean it."
"I know."
"I just...I can't leave work again to come get you because you decided you were too smart and wanted to see more." Meredith replied sternly. "You did that at the Zoo, and I thought I would lose my job."
"I got to see more animals than anyone else." Dawsyn sighed.
"You were grounded for a week."
"That's because you were being mean."
"Do you really want to have this argument again?"
"No..."
"I didn't think you did." Meredith sighed.
"What if I get permission to go look?" Dawsyn asked, looking up at Meredith.
"You're not going to get that permission."
"I might...There are going to be more parents there this time."
"Dawsyn." Meredith said calmly. "Look at me."
"Fine...I won't go looking." She said, looking away.
"Look at me..."
"What?"
"If I get a call at work tomorrow...or I find out that you pulled something...no Hannah Montana, No iPod, no Jonas Brothers concert...nothing." Meredith looked into her daughter's eyes.
"Mom..." Dawsyn groaned.
"Dawsyn..." Meredith mimicked.
"Fine." Dawsyn sighed, crossing her arms.
"It won't be a problem if you just stay with your class and learn something with them."
"It'll be boring."
"It won't be boring."
"It will be if we don't get to see the cool stuff."
"I'm sure you'll get to see cool stuff." Meredith replied.
"Like what? Babies?"
"I don't know, Maybe."
"I'll just stick with Scott and he can teach me more things."
"Oh..." Meredith let ot a giggle. "Who is Scott? Your boyfriend?"
"Eww. No." Dawsyn groaned.
"Oh okay." She giggled, "Well is he your new friend?"
"He told me what getting laid means."
"What?" The color drained from Meredith's face.
"He told me today." Dawsyn said.
"Do I even want to know what he told you?" Meredith groaned, pulling a pillow over her face.
"He said it means having sex."
"Oh God."
"The show is back."
"And you don't know what sex is right?" Meredith ignored her daughter.
"I'm not stupid." Dawsyn scoffed.
"You know it's wrong and you can't have it and all that stuff, right?"
"Mom...I'm eleven."
"I know but between Scott and Aunt Christina...I never know."
"I'm not stupid." She repeated.
"I know you're not stupid Dawsyn."
"Shh...The show is on!"
"Dawsyn..."
"What?" She groaned.
"He didn't tell you what the other thing was right?"
"No...He didn't know. But he said he was going to ask his big brother."
"I'm going to murder Christina and then they will reenact it on CSI...I just know it." She said, her voice muffled by the pillow.
"Can we please watch the show now?"
"Fine...I don't care."
"Thank you." Dawsyn rolled her eyes.
"Please don't say getting laid, orgasm or sex on your field trip tomorrow."
"Shhh!"
"Sorry." Meredith replied, hitting her with a pillow. She was trying to contemplate warning her daughter again, but like every time she just hoped Dawsyn would use her brain. Dawsyn was smart, exceptionally smart, witty, and funny but Meredith was always getting calls from teachers about how she would wander off or do something like correct her teacher in front of the whole class.
"Why are they so stupid? That guy obviously did it."
"Because it's a tv show and they have an hour of time to solve it."
"Nick always does the best." Dawsyn said.
"You say that because you think he's cute." Meredith giggled, loving that she could tease her daughter.
"I do not!" Dawsyn replied, her face turning a shade of pink.
"Dawsyn bug...you love him."
"No...I don't..."
"You do."
"So...What if I do?"
"If you do that's okay but I can't imagine you loving him more than Nick Jonas." Meredith teased.
"Why don't you marry Nick Jonas?" Dawsyn replied. "You need a man."
"Dawsyn!"
"What?" The little girl grinned.
"I don't need a man."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"You need a guy who can take care of you and satisfy you."
"Seriously?" Meredith reached for the remote, turning the television off. "Where do you hear this stuff?"
"Hey! We were watching that!" Dawsyn said, diving for the remote.
"I don't need a man."
"But don't you want one? A really good looking one?" She smiled.
"Why do you care?"
"I just want you to be happy."
"Dawsyn...I don't need a guy to make me happy."
"I know. But wouldn't a really good-looking guy make you really happy?"
"I'm too busy making sure you don't run off or say orgasm to get a guy."
"If I say it, will it get you a guy?"
"No!"
"Chill out."
"I can't date because I have to make sure you have food to eat...which speaking of...we're going to have to make you lunch for your field trip." Meredith frowned, turning on her side. "I know you really wanted to eat from a hospital cafeteria but..."
"We're going poor and you can't afford to give me lunch money?"
"We're not going poor."
"Can I have peanut butter and jelly?"
"Yeah." Meredith bit her lip, her face turning into a frown.
"You want a man."
"No..."
"Then why are you all sad...and...ick?"
"I'm not."
"Turn that frown...upside down." Dawsyn said, grabbing her Mom's cheeks.
"Dawsyn." Meredith giggled slightly. She hated that Dawsyn was so smart sometimes because her daughter understood that money would be tight sometimes. She just hated that she really did understand.
"I just want you to be happy, Mommy."
"I know Dawsyn Bug."
"Because I love you."
"I love you do Dawsyn." Meredith whispered.
"It's bedtime." Dawsyn sighed.
"I know." Meredith whispered, running a hand over her daughter's hair.
"Meet you in my room?"
"Yeah...go brush your teeth first."
"You got it." Dawsyn said, kissing Meredith's cheek before running out of the room.
"I got it." Meredith whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek as her daughter disappeared into the other room. Her daughter was great, completely amazing and Meredith knew that. But still, she hated knowing how smart her daughter was when it came to her daughter's mother. She hated knowing that Dawsyn may worry about money too. Meredith always tried to put money aside to make sure Dawsyn had things that the other kids did. It just sometimes meant things were tighter in other places. Not that Meredith couldn't make it work. She just hated that Dawsyn worried about money and her mother's happiness.
