Q & A #49
"What's a honeymoon?" Meredith asked, pulling a chocolate chip out of the cookie dough.
Dawn flicked her bottom with the tea towel. "Hey! Those are for baking, not eating."
Meredith pouted. "Daddy lets me eat them."
"Yeah." Dawn scooped the last spoonful of the dough and dropped it on the baking sheet. "I bet he does." She pulled open the oven door, and shoved the tray inside. "But I'm not your daddy. And I say we keep the chips in the cookies."
"Are they ready yet?"
Dawn threw up her hands. "I just put them in. Give them fifteen minutes, okay?"
Meredith considered. "Okay." She climbed up on a kitchen chair to wait. "But what's a honeymoon? Is that like the man in the moon?"
"Not really." Dawn put the empty bowl into the sink and ran the water. She swished the water around in it and turned towards her niece. "A honeymoon is when two people get married and they want to spend a little time together. Alone."
"They don't want me," the little girl grumbled.
"Oh, no sweetie." Dawn through her arms around her niece and hugged. "They want you. Heck, I had to talk your daddy out of taking you. But they need a little time away. Just to be with each other. Cause that's what married people do."
"Did they go far, far away?" The child tried to put the pieces together. Her eyes widened. "Did they go to the moon?"
Dawn tousled Meredith's hair. "No, silly. No rocket ship. They went to the Sunnydale Arms for the weekend. If I know your mom, she's spent some quality time throwing up in their nice, fancy bathroom. And if I know your dad ..." The telephone rang. "I so know your dad." She picked up the phone. "Hi Spike. No, just a hunch."
"Daddy, Daddy ..." the little girl cried, reaching for the phone.
"Yeah, here she is. No, she's been good. Mostly." She handed the receiver to Meredith. "Here you go, kid."
"Hi Daddy." Her face broke into a wide grin. "When you coming home? Okay. We're making cookies. I'll save you one, and Mommy too. How's baby? Oh, that's good. I love you Daddy. Kiss Mommy for me. Okay." She handed the phone to her aunt. "He wants to talk to you."
"Hey, Spike. Oh, Buffy. How's it going? Oh, sorry. I packed you some soda crackers in your bag. Are you getting any nookie time in? Well, that's good, anyway. Yeah, she's fine. Here she is." She handed the receiver back.
"Hi Mommy. I love you. I have a cookie for you. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Mommy." She listened to the buzz on the line. "She hunged up."
Dawn put the receiver back on the cradle. "You can save her a cookie, but she'll just toss it. Geez, I thought she'd be over all that by now."
"Why would Mommy throw my nice cookie?" When her aunt just stared at her, she changed the subject. "What do people do on honeymoons?"
"I'll tell you when you're older." She went over to the oven. "But kissage is involved." She pulled the tray out and set it on top of the stove. "Hey, they're done. Let them cool for a minute, and you can have one. And I said one."
"What's nookie?"
Dawn stuck a cookie in the child's mouth and steered her into the living room. "Let's watch Monsters, Inc."
"Okay," Meredith replied, through her cookie.
"What's a honeymoon?" Meredith asked, pulling a chocolate chip out of the cookie dough.
Dawn flicked her bottom with the tea towel. "Hey! Those are for baking, not eating."
Meredith pouted. "Daddy lets me eat them."
"Yeah." Dawn scooped the last spoonful of the dough and dropped it on the baking sheet. "I bet he does." She pulled open the oven door, and shoved the tray inside. "But I'm not your daddy. And I say we keep the chips in the cookies."
"Are they ready yet?"
Dawn threw up her hands. "I just put them in. Give them fifteen minutes, okay?"
Meredith considered. "Okay." She climbed up on a kitchen chair to wait. "But what's a honeymoon? Is that like the man in the moon?"
"Not really." Dawn put the empty bowl into the sink and ran the water. She swished the water around in it and turned towards her niece. "A honeymoon is when two people get married and they want to spend a little time together. Alone."
"They don't want me," the little girl grumbled.
"Oh, no sweetie." Dawn through her arms around her niece and hugged. "They want you. Heck, I had to talk your daddy out of taking you. But they need a little time away. Just to be with each other. Cause that's what married people do."
"Did they go far, far away?" The child tried to put the pieces together. Her eyes widened. "Did they go to the moon?"
Dawn tousled Meredith's hair. "No, silly. No rocket ship. They went to the Sunnydale Arms for the weekend. If I know your mom, she's spent some quality time throwing up in their nice, fancy bathroom. And if I know your dad ..." The telephone rang. "I so know your dad." She picked up the phone. "Hi Spike. No, just a hunch."
"Daddy, Daddy ..." the little girl cried, reaching for the phone.
"Yeah, here she is. No, she's been good. Mostly." She handed the receiver to Meredith. "Here you go, kid."
"Hi Daddy." Her face broke into a wide grin. "When you coming home? Okay. We're making cookies. I'll save you one, and Mommy too. How's baby? Oh, that's good. I love you Daddy. Kiss Mommy for me. Okay." She handed the phone to her aunt. "He wants to talk to you."
"Hey, Spike. Oh, Buffy. How's it going? Oh, sorry. I packed you some soda crackers in your bag. Are you getting any nookie time in? Well, that's good, anyway. Yeah, she's fine. Here she is." She handed the receiver back.
"Hi Mommy. I love you. I have a cookie for you. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Mommy." She listened to the buzz on the line. "She hunged up."
Dawn put the receiver back on the cradle. "You can save her a cookie, but she'll just toss it. Geez, I thought she'd be over all that by now."
"Why would Mommy throw my nice cookie?" When her aunt just stared at her, she changed the subject. "What do people do on honeymoons?"
"I'll tell you when you're older." She went over to the oven. "But kissage is involved." She pulled the tray out and set it on top of the stove. "Hey, they're done. Let them cool for a minute, and you can have one. And I said one."
"What's nookie?"
Dawn stuck a cookie in the child's mouth and steered her into the living room. "Let's watch Monsters, Inc."
"Okay," Meredith replied, through her cookie.