"Darry, can I talk to you?" Pony asked the next day after breakfast.
"Huh? I can't now kiddo. Katherine needs a change and I have to leave in five minutes." I said, putting my shoes on.
"Can't I just have a couple minutes of your time?" He asked.
"When I get home tonight we'll talk, ok?" I asked, looking around the room for my keys.
"But Darry-"
"Tonight." I said again, firmly. He stared down at his shoes and I felt guilty when I saw his downcast face. "The second I get home, little buddy. I promise." I softened my tone.
"Yeah sure." Pony said, softly. "Tonight." I smiled and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder before going to get Katherine. Wait a second, where was Katherine. I had put her down just three minutes ago. "Katherine!" I yelled.
"Relax, Dar." Soda said, walking out of his old room with her. "I've got Kat right here." He said.
"Kat?" I asked.
"Yeah." Soda said. "The name Katherine is so long so I think we should call her Kat."
"Whatever." I said, as he handed her to me.
"Park!" She yelled, smiling.
"Park?" I asked.
"Well that was random." Soda said.
"Park! Park! Park! Wan go Park!" She shouted.
We laughed. "Sorry, little one. No park today. Work today. Park some other day." I changed her diaper and got her dressed. We were still working on her room. She needed a few more things in there. Like a hamper for one. Recently I'd just been throwing her dirty close on the floor since there was nowhere else to put them until it was time to do the wash. "Ok. Almost ready." I said, brushing her hair which was pretty long for a one and a half year old. It went a little below her shoulders.
She started to fuss. "No no no no no." She cried, trying to push the brush away.
"Ok, ok." I said, picking her up, grabbing her bag full of stuff, my bag full of stuff, and heading out to the truck. "Soda!" I yelled, as I walked out the door.
"Coming." He grabbed his shoes.
I dropped Soda off at work and then headed for the day care center. I signed her in and was about to hand her to Nancy, the women that runs the place but then Katherine started screaming and crying. I sighed. "No go." She said again and again.
"Play and wait for Daddy to come back and get you, ok?" She kept fussing. I handed her to Nancy who did her best to comfort her but it wasn't any use and I figured she'd calm down a while after I left so I headed out. Five seconds later though I was stopped because she was clinging to my leg. She had escaped from Nancy and was holding on for dear life. "C'mon Katherine." I pleaded, pulling her off.
"Want mama!"
"I know." I said, bouncing her up and down and trying to get her calm. I tried again to hand her back to Nancy but she was unable to comfort her and Katherine just kept screaming. The closer I got to the door the louder she'd scream. I walked out and went towards the parking lot, continuing to listen to her screaming. Before I got to my destination though I turned around and headed back. She was having a fit to hard to handle. She usually got upset when I dropped her off but today she was really going nuts. She reached out for me crying when I walked back in and I took her.
"I'm sorry Mr. Curtis." Nancy said.
"It's not your fault." I said. "I think I'll take her today." She nodded and I signed Katherine out who had stopped crying. I took her back out to the truck and then sat there for a minute, thinking. I needed to go to work. I'd missed to much lately but I didn't really have a choice if Katherine was gonna scream like that. I didn't wanna make Pony watch her again and even if I did I couldn't because I told him the night before he could go to the movies and after that he had track. Since school wasn't going on and he wanted to make sure he stayed in shape he'd joined a local track team for high school kids they were holding during the summer.
I realized I really had no other option but to just leave her there crying like that or to take her home. So we headed home. I didn't wanna leave her there when she was so upset. Not with her mother leaving and everything. She was just so little and of course she didn't understand what was going on. "All-right, you win." I said, pulling onto the street. I don't know if she understood me but she giggled and started clapping her hands.
When we got home I got a few toys out and set her in front of them. I then laid down across the couch and closed my eyes, doing my very best not to fall asleep because I needed to listen for her. "Voom voom." I heard her go. I figured she was playing with that little fire truck the people at the baby store had given me for free since I spent so much money there.
"Hewwo?" I opened my eyes to see what she was doing now. "Hewwo Hewwo bye bye Hewwo." She said into the phone, which she had grabbed off the table. I figured it was fine just as long as she wasn't dialing any numbers. "Pease, hewwo, bye bye, voom, no, yes, doggy, birdie." She went on to say as many words as she knew and was capable of at least semi pronouncing. I chuckled and closed my eyes again.
"Ake up." She pulled my sleeve a minute of two later.
"What, baby?" I asked, groggily.
"Dis." She banged on the TV and then started hopping around the room.
"OK." I said, getting up and turning it on to Mickey Mouse and then lying back down. I woke up around one, silently cussing at myself for falling asleep. Katherine was still watching the TV and somehow she had gotten the ice cream out of the ice-box and was chowing down. I should've put it higher up.
"Kat." I said. I kinda liked that name. She looked up at me. "Num yum!" She squealed. "Yeah, no more num yum." I said, picking up the ice-cream.
"Num yum." She whined, getting up and following me.
"Lunch." I said, getting the bread, peanut butter, and honey out. I put those down on the counter and picked her up so I could wash her off at the sink. She had chocolate ice-cream all over her. After that I fixed us both a sandwich and she ate it to my relief. I wasn't sure if she was full from all that ice-cream. Now another thing I had learned recently was that kids her age are supposed to take naps. Two-Bit's mother had been calling frequently and giving me pointers. She knew I had no idea what I was doing even though I wouldn't admit it. I wasn't exactly to sure how easy it would be to get Katherine to take a nap, but I tried. "Katherine, nap time." I said.
"No nap!" She said and ran into the living room. I couldn't help laughing. She was sure stubborn when it came to what she did and didn't want to do. I decided not to fight it or at least not that day. She was full of energy and she just kept on jumping around and playing. You'd think she'd get tired after a while but she didn't. I didn't get anything done either because whenever I turned my back she ended up knocking over a lamp or something like that so I spent a whole lot of time following her around making sure she didn't break anything or break herself for that matter.
Around five p.m. Pony got back. "You're home early." He said.
"I've been home all day." I said.
"How come?" Pony asked confused.
"I'll tell you later."
"Ok, well I'm glad you're home because I really wanna talk to you, Darry."
I looked at him closely for the first time that day. He looked sort of upset. "What's the matter, kiddo?" I asked.
"Well I-" Just then I could hear Katherine start to cry.
What now? I thought. "Hang on just a minute." I said, going to find her. Well it wasn't just a minute. She'd fallen off a bed or something and hit her head on a nearby chair. She wasn't to happy when I put ice on the forming bump but I needed to. I could already see a bruise. Then when that was all done she needed a change, then she needed food, then a bath, then bed and by the time I was done it was eleven p.m. Soda had cooked dinner but I didn't get around to eating it because Katherine doesn't like chicken apparently so I had to make her something else. When I finally got around to getting some rest I fell asleep instantly.
"Huh? I can't now kiddo. Katherine needs a change and I have to leave in five minutes." I said, putting my shoes on.
"Can't I just have a couple minutes of your time?" He asked.
"When I get home tonight we'll talk, ok?" I asked, looking around the room for my keys.
"But Darry-"
"Tonight." I said again, firmly. He stared down at his shoes and I felt guilty when I saw his downcast face. "The second I get home, little buddy. I promise." I softened my tone.
"Yeah sure." Pony said, softly. "Tonight." I smiled and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder before going to get Katherine. Wait a second, where was Katherine. I had put her down just three minutes ago. "Katherine!" I yelled.
"Relax, Dar." Soda said, walking out of his old room with her. "I've got Kat right here." He said.
"Kat?" I asked.
"Yeah." Soda said. "The name Katherine is so long so I think we should call her Kat."
"Whatever." I said, as he handed her to me.
"Park!" She yelled, smiling.
"Park?" I asked.
"Well that was random." Soda said.
"Park! Park! Park! Wan go Park!" She shouted.
We laughed. "Sorry, little one. No park today. Work today. Park some other day." I changed her diaper and got her dressed. We were still working on her room. She needed a few more things in there. Like a hamper for one. Recently I'd just been throwing her dirty close on the floor since there was nowhere else to put them until it was time to do the wash. "Ok. Almost ready." I said, brushing her hair which was pretty long for a one and a half year old. It went a little below her shoulders.
She started to fuss. "No no no no no." She cried, trying to push the brush away.
"Ok, ok." I said, picking her up, grabbing her bag full of stuff, my bag full of stuff, and heading out to the truck. "Soda!" I yelled, as I walked out the door.
"Coming." He grabbed his shoes.
I dropped Soda off at work and then headed for the day care center. I signed her in and was about to hand her to Nancy, the women that runs the place but then Katherine started screaming and crying. I sighed. "No go." She said again and again.
"Play and wait for Daddy to come back and get you, ok?" She kept fussing. I handed her to Nancy who did her best to comfort her but it wasn't any use and I figured she'd calm down a while after I left so I headed out. Five seconds later though I was stopped because she was clinging to my leg. She had escaped from Nancy and was holding on for dear life. "C'mon Katherine." I pleaded, pulling her off.
"Want mama!"
"I know." I said, bouncing her up and down and trying to get her calm. I tried again to hand her back to Nancy but she was unable to comfort her and Katherine just kept screaming. The closer I got to the door the louder she'd scream. I walked out and went towards the parking lot, continuing to listen to her screaming. Before I got to my destination though I turned around and headed back. She was having a fit to hard to handle. She usually got upset when I dropped her off but today she was really going nuts. She reached out for me crying when I walked back in and I took her.
"I'm sorry Mr. Curtis." Nancy said.
"It's not your fault." I said. "I think I'll take her today." She nodded and I signed Katherine out who had stopped crying. I took her back out to the truck and then sat there for a minute, thinking. I needed to go to work. I'd missed to much lately but I didn't really have a choice if Katherine was gonna scream like that. I didn't wanna make Pony watch her again and even if I did I couldn't because I told him the night before he could go to the movies and after that he had track. Since school wasn't going on and he wanted to make sure he stayed in shape he'd joined a local track team for high school kids they were holding during the summer.
I realized I really had no other option but to just leave her there crying like that or to take her home. So we headed home. I didn't wanna leave her there when she was so upset. Not with her mother leaving and everything. She was just so little and of course she didn't understand what was going on. "All-right, you win." I said, pulling onto the street. I don't know if she understood me but she giggled and started clapping her hands.
When we got home I got a few toys out and set her in front of them. I then laid down across the couch and closed my eyes, doing my very best not to fall asleep because I needed to listen for her. "Voom voom." I heard her go. I figured she was playing with that little fire truck the people at the baby store had given me for free since I spent so much money there.
"Hewwo?" I opened my eyes to see what she was doing now. "Hewwo Hewwo bye bye Hewwo." She said into the phone, which she had grabbed off the table. I figured it was fine just as long as she wasn't dialing any numbers. "Pease, hewwo, bye bye, voom, no, yes, doggy, birdie." She went on to say as many words as she knew and was capable of at least semi pronouncing. I chuckled and closed my eyes again.
"Ake up." She pulled my sleeve a minute of two later.
"What, baby?" I asked, groggily.
"Dis." She banged on the TV and then started hopping around the room.
"OK." I said, getting up and turning it on to Mickey Mouse and then lying back down. I woke up around one, silently cussing at myself for falling asleep. Katherine was still watching the TV and somehow she had gotten the ice cream out of the ice-box and was chowing down. I should've put it higher up.
"Kat." I said. I kinda liked that name. She looked up at me. "Num yum!" She squealed. "Yeah, no more num yum." I said, picking up the ice-cream.
"Num yum." She whined, getting up and following me.
"Lunch." I said, getting the bread, peanut butter, and honey out. I put those down on the counter and picked her up so I could wash her off at the sink. She had chocolate ice-cream all over her. After that I fixed us both a sandwich and she ate it to my relief. I wasn't sure if she was full from all that ice-cream. Now another thing I had learned recently was that kids her age are supposed to take naps. Two-Bit's mother had been calling frequently and giving me pointers. She knew I had no idea what I was doing even though I wouldn't admit it. I wasn't exactly to sure how easy it would be to get Katherine to take a nap, but I tried. "Katherine, nap time." I said.
"No nap!" She said and ran into the living room. I couldn't help laughing. She was sure stubborn when it came to what she did and didn't want to do. I decided not to fight it or at least not that day. She was full of energy and she just kept on jumping around and playing. You'd think she'd get tired after a while but she didn't. I didn't get anything done either because whenever I turned my back she ended up knocking over a lamp or something like that so I spent a whole lot of time following her around making sure she didn't break anything or break herself for that matter.
Around five p.m. Pony got back. "You're home early." He said.
"I've been home all day." I said.
"How come?" Pony asked confused.
"I'll tell you later."
"Ok, well I'm glad you're home because I really wanna talk to you, Darry."
I looked at him closely for the first time that day. He looked sort of upset. "What's the matter, kiddo?" I asked.
"Well I-" Just then I could hear Katherine start to cry.
What now? I thought. "Hang on just a minute." I said, going to find her. Well it wasn't just a minute. She'd fallen off a bed or something and hit her head on a nearby chair. She wasn't to happy when I put ice on the forming bump but I needed to. I could already see a bruise. Then when that was all done she needed a change, then she needed food, then a bath, then bed and by the time I was done it was eleven p.m. Soda had cooked dinner but I didn't get around to eating it because Katherine doesn't like chicken apparently so I had to make her something else. When I finally got around to getting some rest I fell asleep instantly.