Q & A #3
by Colleen Hillerup
Meredith rolled with delight in the backyard grass. Everything was fresh, green and alive. Buffy laughed at her daughter, for the sheer joy of it. It was a perfect sunny, summer morning.
The little girl lay on her stomach, her chin propped on her hands. "Mommy, I want daddy to come play with me. Can he come out and play?"
"You know he can't, sweetie." She sat down on the lawn beside her daughter. "I'll play with you."
Meredith frowned. "But I want you and daddy. Why can't daddy come out with us?"
"Come here." She pulled her daughter onto her lap. "I'll try to explain. You know what you always want to take to playgroup, but we won't let you?"
Meredith thought for a moment. "My goldfish?"
"Okay. That's true, but ..." She kissed the little girl on the forehead. "What snack can't you take to playgroup?"
"Peanut butter crackers?"
"Right. And why can't you take peanut butter to group?"
Meredith knew the answer to that one. "Because it could make Annie very, very sick. She could even," her voice dropped dramatically, "die."
She hugged the child closer. "Honey, sun is like peanut butter to daddy. It can make him very, very sick."
The little girl considered that. Her eyebrows knit together. "Even die?"
"Oh, sweetie." Buffy felt tears sting the back of her eyes. "Don't worry. We'll keep daddy very, very safe."
"He can have my Hello Kitty umbrella."
"I'm sure he'd be very thankful that you offered."
*****
After lunch, Meredith rubbed her eyes and yawned. Buffy carried her up the stairs, and lay her on the big bed beside her father. The little girl snuggled beside Spike and went to sleep.
Buffy was born to protect the world. Sometimes it seemed the world could be contained in one little room.
by Colleen Hillerup
Meredith rolled with delight in the backyard grass. Everything was fresh, green and alive. Buffy laughed at her daughter, for the sheer joy of it. It was a perfect sunny, summer morning.
The little girl lay on her stomach, her chin propped on her hands. "Mommy, I want daddy to come play with me. Can he come out and play?"
"You know he can't, sweetie." She sat down on the lawn beside her daughter. "I'll play with you."
Meredith frowned. "But I want you and daddy. Why can't daddy come out with us?"
"Come here." She pulled her daughter onto her lap. "I'll try to explain. You know what you always want to take to playgroup, but we won't let you?"
Meredith thought for a moment. "My goldfish?"
"Okay. That's true, but ..." She kissed the little girl on the forehead. "What snack can't you take to playgroup?"
"Peanut butter crackers?"
"Right. And why can't you take peanut butter to group?"
Meredith knew the answer to that one. "Because it could make Annie very, very sick. She could even," her voice dropped dramatically, "die."
She hugged the child closer. "Honey, sun is like peanut butter to daddy. It can make him very, very sick."
The little girl considered that. Her eyebrows knit together. "Even die?"
"Oh, sweetie." Buffy felt tears sting the back of her eyes. "Don't worry. We'll keep daddy very, very safe."
"He can have my Hello Kitty umbrella."
"I'm sure he'd be very thankful that you offered."
*****
After lunch, Meredith rubbed her eyes and yawned. Buffy carried her up the stairs, and lay her on the big bed beside her father. The little girl snuggled beside Spike and went to sleep.
Buffy was born to protect the world. Sometimes it seemed the world could be contained in one little room.