Eli: Hey all! Yes, Shinara, I was like this when I was little. Some of
these are personal experiences. No Dm, no personal preference. Yes, she
was watching 'The Nightmare Before Christmas". And no, I do not actually
sing off tune. I just did when I was little. Here's the chapter. Enjoy!
Eli watched her DVD three times, starting it over as soon as it ended. Ian watched silently as he tried desperately to hold onto the remains of his sanity.
Finally, Eli fell asleep at the beginning of watching it a third time. Ian sighed in relief and pressed the mute button on the remote control. He let her sleep till the movie ended for a final time. He looked at the clock. 7:30 P.M. He decided to wake her up so that she would not remain awake all night.
He shook her gently. "Eli, time to wake up."
She turned from him by going onto her side. "Five more minutes, mommy."
Ian was almost floored by silent laughter. After he had stopped shaking, he tried again. "Eli, it is time to wake up." He said, a bit more loudly. She sat up and yawned.
"When's dinner?" She asked as she stretched her arms. Ian had forgotten that he had to feed her more than once a day.
"What would you like to eat?"
Eli spent five minutes trying to figure out what she wanted. Then she smiled and said
"Pizza! With anchovies and pineapple!" Ian grimaced at the decision. He felt his stomach turning again.
"Eli, I do not know how to make pizza, sorry." He told her. Even if he did, he didn't know he could stomach a dish that contained both fish and fruit at the same time. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Can't we call Domino's then?" Eli asked. Ian looked at her with confusion.
"Why would you ever call a Domino? Is that not a toy in a game?" He asked. Eli stared at him for a full minute before she started laughing. She went red and was crying from laughter.
"No, not that kind of Domino's! The Domino's that sends you pizza!" She said between laughter. "Ian, you are so silly!" She was rolling on the ground with laughter.
Ian waited till she calmed down a little before he took her hand and led her back to the kitchen. She wiped at the tears in her eyes. She kept mumbling "Why would you call a Domino?" and giggling all over again.
When they got to the kitchen, she pulled out one of the phone books and showed him the Domino's add. He called and ordered, with her on the counter next to him asking him to remember the anchovies and pineapples.
An hour later the pizza arrived. He set the pizza down on the counter and Eli crawled up onto it again and opened the box.
"Wait, you didn't wash your hands and you need......." It was too late; she had already taken a piece out and had taken a big bite out of it. "Plate." He finished.
She looked up at him. "Id oo say soming?" She asked him, mouth full. He shook his head and sat down on the stool at the counter. She pushed the pizza box toward him.
He took a slice of the pizza and took a bite. Ian looked at her surprised. "This is good."
She swallowed and smiled. "I know, that's why I got it. Anchovies and pineapples rule."
An hour later, the pizza was gone. Eli was starting to shift on the counter, meaning she was getting restless. Ian threw away the pizza box and turned to her.
"What do you usually do after dinner?"
"Take a bath." She answered as she climbed down off the counter. He nodded.
"I'll take you to one of the bathrooms now." Eli didn't move to take his hand and lowered her head.
"Is something wrong, Eli?" He asked her. She mumbled something that he couldn't make out. "What? Please repeat that?"
"I can't take a bath by myself." She said slowly, very embarrassed. Ian looked at her confused for a moment before it dawned on him what it meant.
"Then I must assist you as you bathe?" Eli bit her lip and nodded. Ian sighed and restrained from falling to his knees and yelling.
He took her to one of the smaller bathrooms and started running the water. Eli removed her shoes and socks, then her overalls and shirt. She was about to remove her tank top and panties, when Ian stopped her.
"Leave those on, please."
"But they'll get wet." Eli complained. He insisted she leave them on, so she just shrugged and got into the bath tub. Ian was grateful she listened. Six or sixty, he would not be comfortable if she had continued. He was uncomfortable enough as it was.
Ian took out her pigtails and had her dunk her head to get her hair wet. She splashed him as she lifted her head back up. His shirt was now soaking. He sighed and reached for the shampoo.
Eli had nothing to really do, so she started asking him questions.
"Ian, what's your middle name?"
"Christian."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty-two."
"When's your birthday?"
"April 21, lean you head back." She did as he asked. She closed her eyes to keep the soap out.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Black."
"Why?" She asked.
"It just is." He told her as he finished rinsing her hair and grabbed the conditioner.
"What are your parent's names?" She asked. He stopped for a second, accidentally pulling her hair as he did.
"Ouch."
"Sorry."
"You didn't answer." She said softly.
"I do not know."
"How come?"
"Because I am an orphan." He answered coldly.
"Oh. What's an orphan?" She asked innocently.
"Someone who has no parents due to death, loss of custody, or in my case, abandonment." He told her. Eli whirled her head to look at him, splashing him in the face as she did.
"No." She stated. He nodded and she began to pout. "That's not fair!"
"Learn now that life rarely is fair. Put your head back again." She was quiet as he rinsed out her hair. When he was finished, she asked another question.
"Want me to find them and kick their butts for you?"
"Who?"
"Your parents. I'll just go Hi-Yah! Wah!" She demonstrated fast kicks to the head, once again splashing Ian with water. He smiled at her comment.
"No, thank-you Eli." He handed her the body wash. "Can you wash yourself?"
"Uh huh, just get my back." She washed her arms and legs.
"Who raised you?" She asked as he lifted the back of her tank top up and got her back.
"Kenneth Irons."
"Was he that blonde man?"
"Yes, he was."
"Is he your daddy?" Ian didn't answer. Eli rinsed the soap off and stood up. Ian pulled the plug and handed her a towel. She took it from him.
"Can you get my froggy pajamies from my bag, please? They're in the front pocket."
"Yes, I will be back." He turned and left the bathroom. It was the first time he noticed that she had gotten him absolutely soaked. He sighed and decided to change after he got her dressed.
Alone, Eli remembered what he told her about his parents and scowled. "I still want to kick their butts." She said out loud to no one in particular.
She didn't know that Ian heard her say it and reply.
"So do I, little one. So do I."
Eli watched her DVD three times, starting it over as soon as it ended. Ian watched silently as he tried desperately to hold onto the remains of his sanity.
Finally, Eli fell asleep at the beginning of watching it a third time. Ian sighed in relief and pressed the mute button on the remote control. He let her sleep till the movie ended for a final time. He looked at the clock. 7:30 P.M. He decided to wake her up so that she would not remain awake all night.
He shook her gently. "Eli, time to wake up."
She turned from him by going onto her side. "Five more minutes, mommy."
Ian was almost floored by silent laughter. After he had stopped shaking, he tried again. "Eli, it is time to wake up." He said, a bit more loudly. She sat up and yawned.
"When's dinner?" She asked as she stretched her arms. Ian had forgotten that he had to feed her more than once a day.
"What would you like to eat?"
Eli spent five minutes trying to figure out what she wanted. Then she smiled and said
"Pizza! With anchovies and pineapple!" Ian grimaced at the decision. He felt his stomach turning again.
"Eli, I do not know how to make pizza, sorry." He told her. Even if he did, he didn't know he could stomach a dish that contained both fish and fruit at the same time. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Can't we call Domino's then?" Eli asked. Ian looked at her with confusion.
"Why would you ever call a Domino? Is that not a toy in a game?" He asked. Eli stared at him for a full minute before she started laughing. She went red and was crying from laughter.
"No, not that kind of Domino's! The Domino's that sends you pizza!" She said between laughter. "Ian, you are so silly!" She was rolling on the ground with laughter.
Ian waited till she calmed down a little before he took her hand and led her back to the kitchen. She wiped at the tears in her eyes. She kept mumbling "Why would you call a Domino?" and giggling all over again.
When they got to the kitchen, she pulled out one of the phone books and showed him the Domino's add. He called and ordered, with her on the counter next to him asking him to remember the anchovies and pineapples.
An hour later the pizza arrived. He set the pizza down on the counter and Eli crawled up onto it again and opened the box.
"Wait, you didn't wash your hands and you need......." It was too late; she had already taken a piece out and had taken a big bite out of it. "Plate." He finished.
She looked up at him. "Id oo say soming?" She asked him, mouth full. He shook his head and sat down on the stool at the counter. She pushed the pizza box toward him.
He took a slice of the pizza and took a bite. Ian looked at her surprised. "This is good."
She swallowed and smiled. "I know, that's why I got it. Anchovies and pineapples rule."
An hour later, the pizza was gone. Eli was starting to shift on the counter, meaning she was getting restless. Ian threw away the pizza box and turned to her.
"What do you usually do after dinner?"
"Take a bath." She answered as she climbed down off the counter. He nodded.
"I'll take you to one of the bathrooms now." Eli didn't move to take his hand and lowered her head.
"Is something wrong, Eli?" He asked her. She mumbled something that he couldn't make out. "What? Please repeat that?"
"I can't take a bath by myself." She said slowly, very embarrassed. Ian looked at her confused for a moment before it dawned on him what it meant.
"Then I must assist you as you bathe?" Eli bit her lip and nodded. Ian sighed and restrained from falling to his knees and yelling.
He took her to one of the smaller bathrooms and started running the water. Eli removed her shoes and socks, then her overalls and shirt. She was about to remove her tank top and panties, when Ian stopped her.
"Leave those on, please."
"But they'll get wet." Eli complained. He insisted she leave them on, so she just shrugged and got into the bath tub. Ian was grateful she listened. Six or sixty, he would not be comfortable if she had continued. He was uncomfortable enough as it was.
Ian took out her pigtails and had her dunk her head to get her hair wet. She splashed him as she lifted her head back up. His shirt was now soaking. He sighed and reached for the shampoo.
Eli had nothing to really do, so she started asking him questions.
"Ian, what's your middle name?"
"Christian."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty-two."
"When's your birthday?"
"April 21, lean you head back." She did as he asked. She closed her eyes to keep the soap out.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Black."
"Why?" She asked.
"It just is." He told her as he finished rinsing her hair and grabbed the conditioner.
"What are your parent's names?" She asked. He stopped for a second, accidentally pulling her hair as he did.
"Ouch."
"Sorry."
"You didn't answer." She said softly.
"I do not know."
"How come?"
"Because I am an orphan." He answered coldly.
"Oh. What's an orphan?" She asked innocently.
"Someone who has no parents due to death, loss of custody, or in my case, abandonment." He told her. Eli whirled her head to look at him, splashing him in the face as she did.
"No." She stated. He nodded and she began to pout. "That's not fair!"
"Learn now that life rarely is fair. Put your head back again." She was quiet as he rinsed out her hair. When he was finished, she asked another question.
"Want me to find them and kick their butts for you?"
"Who?"
"Your parents. I'll just go Hi-Yah! Wah!" She demonstrated fast kicks to the head, once again splashing Ian with water. He smiled at her comment.
"No, thank-you Eli." He handed her the body wash. "Can you wash yourself?"
"Uh huh, just get my back." She washed her arms and legs.
"Who raised you?" She asked as he lifted the back of her tank top up and got her back.
"Kenneth Irons."
"Was he that blonde man?"
"Yes, he was."
"Is he your daddy?" Ian didn't answer. Eli rinsed the soap off and stood up. Ian pulled the plug and handed her a towel. She took it from him.
"Can you get my froggy pajamies from my bag, please? They're in the front pocket."
"Yes, I will be back." He turned and left the bathroom. It was the first time he noticed that she had gotten him absolutely soaked. He sighed and decided to change after he got her dressed.
Alone, Eli remembered what he told her about his parents and scowled. "I still want to kick their butts." She said out loud to no one in particular.
She didn't know that Ian heard her say it and reply.
"So do I, little one. So do I."