Favorite Things


"Oh for crying out loud."

That outburst woke him.

He felt someone in his room

He didn't want to wake knowing he was safe and sound in his home in his bed.

He heard a thump and a loud sigh.

He finally got his brain to respond to him and opened one of his eyes.

The sight that greeted him was priceless.

She had opened the closet and was in the process of trying to unhook his favorite hockey jersey.

It was her favorite also, having been allowed to wear it when they would watch the games at home together.

He did not make a sound watching her try to figure out how to get it off the hanger.

He tried not to chuckle but it was a losing battle.

She had her hands on her hips and was wearing her mother's combat boots.

She grabbed the end of the jersey and started to pull.

He knew it was a disaster waiting to happen and loudly cleared his throat.

She pulled at the same time and it fell to the floor. She turned around and almost fell out of the boots.

"Daddy?"

Kayla Catherine O'Neill or KC to her father turned and smiled.

She walked over to the bed and tried to peek over her dad to see if her mother was also awake.

Her father motioned with a finger to his lip to let her know her mommy was still sleeping.

"Young lady what are you doing? Why are you wearing your mother's boots and why is my hockey jersey on the floor instead of hanging in the closet?"

She whispered back, 'daddy pa pa Jacob asked me what are my favorite things in the whole world and told me to draw them but he went back to sleep and well I wanted to show him instead of drawing them."

He looked at the clock on the nightstand and understood why Jacob had thought having his granddaughter draw her favorite things at 5:00 in the morning would entertain her. Since joining the Tokra he had learned to sleep in past 6:00 am and he must have been tired from baby-sitting the night before. KC had a way of bending the rules to her favor.

She had on her tierra and a necklace.

He pointed to them and she started to explain, " Uncle T gave me the necklace isn't it pretty daddy? He said it comes from…" Her forehead scrunched up and came really close to him and said Chu'lak she whisperedto him and asked not to say anything because it was a secret.

He smiled. She continued with her story telling him that Uncle T had made it for her and that was the reason it was one of her favorite things.

She bent down on the floor and picked up a book.

"Uncle Danny gave me this, it's a book about digging and what fun it is and also about different English."

He looked at her and whispered, "different English?"

She rolled her eyes, "daddy other people's English or languages, it has pictures and everything and he's teaching me new words and what different symbols mean and we sometimes talk in our own language."

He closed his eyes Daniel was making his daughter a geek, he'd have to talk to uncle Danny.

He pointed to the tiara.

She pulled it off and showed it to him.

"pa pa George gave me this says I'm a princess and all princesses have to have tiaras and wands but I took my wand apart. I wanted to see how it lit up."

She put down the book and held up her wand that had wires coming out of the bottom and top.

Just like her mother. Always wanting to see how things worked and givinghim more grey hair in the process.

"KC give me that I don't want you to hurt yourself."

She handedhim the broken wand and shook her hand to reveal her bracelet.

"Oh and this is the bracelet aunny Janet and cousin Cassie gave me. See daddy all the charms have everyone's picture see yours and mommy's in the heart charm."

She shook her arm at him and smiled.

He shook his head.

He looked at his daughter with her bright smile and pointed at the boots.

She looked down, "Mommy's boots! My favorite thing of hers I like them daddy, they are fun to wear and I want some when I get bigger oh and the jersey is my favorite thing of yours. So can I put it on?"

He smiled as he saw her standing there.

"Please?"

He nodded and she pulled the jersey over her head and showed her appreciation with a big smile.

"Okay daddy go back to sleep now, I'm going to go wake pa pa Jacob."

He debated if he wanted to save Jacob from being awaken but changed his mind as he watch her struggle to get toher pa pa's room with his wife's boots on.

He turned to see his wife awake with her hand on her belly.

"Morning, I see our lil terror is up."

He kissed her and kissed her expanded belly.

"Yeah she's so like her mother, always wants to go that extra mile. Did you hear what your dad wanted her to do?"

She took his hand and squeezed it and before she could answer they heard laughter coming from down the hall KC must have woken her pa pa.

He smiled and pulled his wife into his arms.

"Never a dull moment," she whispered.

He nuzzled her neck and murmured, "did I tell you your one of my favorite things?"