No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behaviour, and I'm not talking about the kids. Bill Cosby, Fatherhood, 1986
" Melanie!"
Lexie yelled chasing after the energetic baby come toddler. She remembered the advice she had been given about ending the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell, the name will carry. 'It was definitely true', she concluded as she tried again
" Melanie MacDonald, stop right where you are now!"
Mel turned around, a mischievous grin lighting up her face as she deliberately disobeyed her mother's yells. She saw her father come out of one of the rooms down the hall and made a mad dash for him.
Lexie viewed the scene as if in slow motion, Melanie's legs got in the way of one another and she began to fall the short distance to the floor, knocking over a stand holding a vase on the way.
" Archie!" Lexie screamed, noticing that the names ending in vowels really did travel better. Archie glanced up and deftly caught Mel before she landed at his feet. At the same time Lexie lunged forward and steadied the antique vase.
Panting for breath she looked up at her husband who now had Melanie perched happily on one hip.
" One of those days?" He asked
Lexie raised her eyebrows, about ready to cry, but instead she surprised all of them, including herself by bursting out laughing.
" You have no idea"
Archie smiled and wrapped his free arm around her middle, " Come tell me all about It." He requested, and then added with a meaningful glance " We have to talk."
Lexie took a deep breath and nodded, she knew what he meant. It would seem that the time had come.
It was while Paul was watching Craig out with the kids on the loch at the Outdoor Activity Centre that he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, curious he extracted it and glanced at the screen.- It read that he had received a message. He tried to think of whom it could be, considering that the majority of people who usually needed to contact him were a few miles away at the house, and they usually chose to call instead.
Finally he decoded to stop the guessing game and open the message, it appeared in his inbox under the name of Katrina. He hadn't even realised that her number was still in his phonebook. He held his breathe as he pressed the button to reveal the message, it read:
Hey Paul
I know this is kind of out of the blue,
But I've been thinking about u lately &
I guess I was just wondering how u r
& Whether there's a chance if we might
Catch up some time soon.
KatrinaPaul read the message a few times; gradually letting out the breath he had been holding before attempting to write his reply.