Title: Little Wishes
Spoilers: Seven-ish
Rating: It's a realy, kinda late, quickie. No more than PG
I smoothed out my sheet of paper. It was blank and neat. I had been sitting here for almost twenty minutes, but my little fingers didn't know what to write. I guess I should start it with, "Dear Stephanie."
But that sounded too sincere. "Dear Miss Plum." Sounded polite, but a little too respectful for some of the stories daddy told us on Christmas.
Our time wasn't long enough. Daddy could only stay a week this year. He showed up two weeks before Christmas, like always. He was busy over Christmas, so he came early every year since I could remember. Only this time his mind was on something... or someone... in particular. He smiled a bit more, laughed a bit more, and sang a bit louder when Uncle Mickey put in his Christman Elvis CD.
I picked up my pencil with a fresh idea in my head. I scribbled away, and once I hit the bottom, I scribbled my name in the corner and drew a tiny picture of Daddy and Stephanie, drawn like Daddy described her.
I carefully folded it, licked the envelope and addressed it to RangeMan, with Stephanie's name on it in big letters. I snuck into the den, and into the desk drawer and put a stamp on my letter. And I'd slip in into the mail on my way to school. I tucked the little pink envelope under my pillow and fell asleep on it.
I was up to my knee's in dust. Something about Valentine's day made my want to clean. Maybe to make up for the fact that I didn't have a regular boyfriend.
There were two tiny knocks on my door, and I hollared, "It's open," above the radio.
Ranger twisted the handle and came in. I'd been a while since I'd seen him on a personal level. He'd been really busy, and didn't even have a lot of time to sleep. And it showed.
He unsheathed a little pink envelope and nearly crashed to the floor. I took it and looked him in the eye. Bags underlined them heavily and his eyelids were droopy.
I closed the tiny space between us, and he leaned on my shoulder. Almost instantly, he was a sleep. I wrapped one arm as far as I could around his huge middle, and half-drug half-walked him into my bedroom. I let him drop onto the bed, and I pulled at his shoes untill the laces came undone and they slid off. I pulled a blanket over him, and let him sleep.
With Morelli gone, the treats keeping me and Ranger apart weren't as large. We were starting on working toward a confortable level before a physical level. I looked at him, his exausted form finally asleep. And it was confortable.
Back to the letter. I looked at it. There was a tiny heart in the corner where a return address should have been, and in neat handwritting was written, "Miss Stephanie Plum." and the RangeMan address was given.
I carefully peeled back the envelope, and pulled a sheet of lined paper, folded into thirds and stickered with a heart.
I broke the seal and read the letter. My heart clenched, and I peeked at Ranger. He was still asleep. But this letter was from a Miss Nicola Manoso, the daughter Ricardo Manoso. I reread the note. It had been written in a redish pink ink in honor of the holiday:
Dear Miss Stephanie,
I'm Nica, Nicola actually, but I like Nica. I'm writing to you about something very important. It's my dad, you know him as Ranger.
I saw him before Christmas and he looked really happy. Happier than he was when my Momma told him to go to places I can't say and rot there for an eternity. He laughed a lot, and told Abuella all about you. You sound really cool.
Daddy's tough, but his heart is kinda squishy. A bunch of kids are afraid of him, but he's really a big teady bear. I hope you like him, because he likes you a whole ton.
I have one question: Can he be your Valentine, for this year?
He always asks me to me his, thats only because he can't find someone he really loves but me. But Abuella told me what boys do when they like girls, and Daddy really, really likes you.
Thank you and hope Daddy gets brave enought to love you,
NICA ROSE MANOSO
She signed in with a big marker, and there was a little doodle of a tall man wearing a black outfit and a shorter woman with curly hair and a big heart in between them. I could only guess who the two were.
As if by chance, Ranger stirred in the next room. I peeked in the doorway, and he had sprawled out across my bed. I kicked my dirty dust rag as I walked to the bed. I carefully got on it and laid on my stomach facing him.
"Ranger?" I asked.
"Hmmm?"
"Would you be my valentine?" I asked.
He opened his eyes, smiled and pulled me into his arms, where he fell asleep again. I folded the note and slid it under my pillow for now. I'd tuck it somewhere safer later, but right now, I was "as snug as a bug in a rug."
Sorry it's late. I checked my email, a mere twelve minutes after the new challenge was posted. I had a few ideas, but they came out too sappy or dull. And finally, I got this one. It's short, but it's quick. And, I dont think I'll be doing the colors often either, I just didn't feel like reading black today and got carried away... Esentrik
