House Rules
Chapter 7
Sunny Days
"Diss water is cold…" Nadia looked up to Lulu for help. Lulu stood up to her ankles in her bikini with her daughter holding her hand firmly.
Lulu nodded. "You get used to it remember?" They had taken both children to the beach as soon as they were able to say the word. As a family it was always a place where they could just have fun. So after breakfast, rounding up Vidina, Nadia, and Wakka, Lulu was able to get them all lathered down with sun screen and into the water. Once they had Nadia they made sure that one of them was watching a kid giving them an equal amount of attention unless they were all together. Right now Wakka and Vidina were kicking a blitzball around in the sand.
Nadia stomped around a little in the water cutely then looked back up to Lulu, doubt in her fathers eyes. "I dunno mommy."
"You think I don't know what I'm talking about?" Lulu teased.
"Is cold now…an we been here for a while." Nadia looked down at the clear water. Her tanned feet moving on the water surface as she stood completely still. Her little pink bathing suit casted a tiny pink glow on the bright water's surface. "Mommy do fishies have names?" She asked suddenly curious.
Lulu watched her daughter with a motherly smile on her face. "I suppose so." She offered. She never thought about something like that. It only made her marvel at her daughter.
Daughter
The word held so much weight for Lulu she badly wanted to be what Nadia needed, but as the young one grew she started to realize that she was not her. Nadia was completely different than she was at that age. Lulu smiled as Nadia bent down a little dragging Lulu down a little while she played in the wet sand.
"Do their mommies name dem?" She asked standing up a little looking up at her mommy.
"Mommy and daddy fish yes darling." Lulu nodded. Her hair was pulled up in an attempt to prevent it from getting her hair wet. She did the same to Nadia's but the youngest family member didn't seem to care as she splashed a bit.
"Oswar…..Memby…Cally…" Nadia bent down a little talking to Lulu as she pointed to a tiny school of tiny fish. "Gowsh so many…Tomsy…Lenfy.." She started speaking faster in order to name all the little fish before they swam away completely. "Phin,Lim,Noasah, Gabben, Halley—" The fish were gone leaving about half of them nameless. Nadia began to pout.
"I'm sure they will come by again sweetie."
Nadia stared off at the vast ocean. It seemed unlikely, but if mommy said so maybe it would happen. She seemed to be right about everything. Nadia sighed which made Lulu chuckle at her little girl. "Okay mommy."
"Do you want to go further?" Lulu asked moving their joined hands toward the ocean. She watched Nadia hesitate slightly. "I've got you." Lulu said quietly. She leaned down and picked Nadia holding her close as she began to walk further into the water. "I know it can be scary sometimes." Nadia's grip around her mother tightened considerably once she felt the cool water crawl up her legs as Lulu continued slowly walking in. "But the things we are most afraid of…" She continued on. She was up to her chest now. "…can be most worth it honey." Lulu stopped. "Look how far we've gone and nothing has happened?" Lulu turned to the beach.
"Whoa we went far look how small daddy is!" Nadia pointed.
"Exactly, " Lulu nodded. She held Nadia close to her. They had gone rather far. She smiled.
"Mommy how is dat? Daddy's huwge! Bigger dan you….how?"
"How?" Nadia nodded. "He was just born that tall."
"As a baby?" The thought of a baby daddy blew her little mind, but him being that tall was just unimaginable. "Will I be diss small foreva?" Nadia asked worriedly.
Lulu chuckled. "No sweetie, Daddy was small once, we all were."
"Even you?"
Lulu nodded. "Even me. You see we start out little like…" Lulu wracked her brain for something that Nadia would be able to relate to. "like Viddys duckies?" Nadia nodded looking at her mother. "…and as they eat all their veggies, and listen to the moma ducks…." Lulu paused. "..and put away their toys, they grow up to be big and strong."
"Stwong?" Naida asked in wonder, her little eyes widening at the word.
"That's right." Lulu nodded. Nadia looked back at the beach and seemed to accept the reasoning. They floated around a little in silence. Nadia putting her fingers in her little mouth in thought, she began to hum a tone. Lulu smiled and placed a little kiss on the side of Nadia's head. "My little girl." Nadia began to giggle.
"Mommy sing"
"Me?" Lulu asked and laughed lightly at how excited Nadia became. "How about this, I bet for bed time if we corner him, daddy will sing with me too."
"Daddy too?" Nadia grinned. "Viddy?"
"If he remembers the words." Lulu smiled it had been a little while since she had song Vidina to sleep.
"Okay!"
"Oh Wakka don't—" Lulu stopped short when Wakka started chasing after Vidina and Nadia up the beach. The two youngsters squeal with excitement as Wakka chased after them running a little slower than he could so they could feel like he was actually chasing them.
"Ay wait up ya?" He called.
Lulu laughed and looked back down to her book.
"Hi."
Lulu looked up from her book. "Hello." She answered politely. She had seen him around town a little.
"I saw you reading here and was wondering—"
"Mommy!" Vidina ran over to Lulu jumping in her lap.
"Mommy?" The man asked, his plan faltering, he eyed the little boy that had to be hers.
Lulu adjusted Vidina in her lap. She nodded once. "Mommy… Wife." The man sighed and smiled before shuffling away.
"Who was dat?" Vidina asked curiously watching the man walk away.
"No one sweetheart."
"What are you doing?" Vidina continued to move around her lap. He was just full of energy today.
"Be still you." She chided lightly. "I'm reading."
"Readin' 'bout animals?" Vidina asked looking at the book in front of Lulu. It had an elephant on it.
Lulu looked at Vidina, then the book. "Yes." It was on Human behavior. She had assigned it to her students over the summer and was re-reading it to be fresh for when she had to actually go back to work in a month and a half.
"Can you read me somefin?" He asked calming a little and looking up at Lulu. He saw her hesitation. "Pwease?"
Lulu nodded and leaned forward to pick up the book. "Shall I start from the beginning?"
"Look how far you got Mommy." Vidina furrowed his brow a little. "No place lost, from where you are."
Lulu smiled at his thoughtfulness. She opened the book and Vidina leaned more forward in her lap to get a better view on the little words. "Edgar.." Lulu paused and looked at Vidina. "That's the elephants name Viddy…I guess I'll have to keep filling you in hm?" Vidina nodded eagerly.
"Tomsky, Goody, Noty, Mendozi, Ralphy…."
Wakka furrowed his brow lightly at his daughter as he watched her squat in the shallow water pointing to a school of tiny fish. "Mommy was wight." She stood and watched proudly as the school swam away.
"Was she? 'Bout what baby girl?"
Nadia turned around and looked up at her father. "Dah names of the fishies…"
"Dere names ya?" Wakka scratched the back of his head. He supposed he would roll with it. Lulu said it, it had to be right. "Oh." He nodded. Wakka watched as Nadia began helping Nadia collecting wet sand and moving it to a pile on the dry sand. Nadia was trying to tell him where to put it exactly. Wakka chuckled lightly at her mother's influence. Nadia was a free little spirit yet she still acted like Lulu at times. "uhuh." Wakka agreed with the gibberish Nadia was now speaking. She was just to happy that Daddy was playing her game with her.
"An..and dat's…..dat's how it goes Daddy weally." Nadia nodded up at Wakka.
Wakka plopped himself down on the ground beside their mound of wet sand. "Yuh don't say?"
Nadia walked over to him, her little arms wrapping around his neck sweetly. "Down't be sad."
Wakka patted her little back, a slow moment of realization hitting him. This was his little girl, his baby. He could play with her and protect her for how long? Not long enough he concluded. He had changed for his children, more so for Nadia and even though it may sound like favoritism, it wasn't. He was her father, she was his daughter, things had to be a little different then with Vidina. "Why would I be sad ya? I got you." Nadia pulled away and giggled at him. "What?" Wakka began to laugh, her laugh infectious.
Lulu laughed. "Wakka really…"
"Mommy look!" Vidina continued patting down the sand that was once her husband. Now it was just a head in the sand.
"I should leave you there." Lulu laughed. She had just taken Nadia to the bathroom and returned to see Vidina covering Wakka in the sand.
"Mommy next!" Vidina hopped around Lulu a little then stopped when he noticed Nadia at her side leaning against Lulu's legs.
"Naddie?" Vidina walked over to her and tried to hug her.
Nadia began pushing him away. "No Viddy No!" She started whining. Vidina stepped away looking heartbroken. He looked up at Wakka for an answer, Wakka was in the process of pullinf himself out of the ground.
"What's up with ya girl Lu?" Wakka joked but stopped when Lulu gave him a look.
Lulu picked Nadia up and Nadia all but fell asleep with her little head on Lulu's exposed shoulders. "She's just a little cranky, and doesn't want to get sand all over her." Lulu looked down at Vidina's sandy hands. "Don't look that way honey, she doesn't mean it."
"Nadie tired?" He questioned taking a few steps toward Nadia's dangling feet. "Sowy Nadie….." He placed a little hand around her ankle. Then looked up at Lulu. "Mommy we leavin' now?"
Lulu nodded and looked over to Wakka. "They are both getting tired." They had spent a longer time at the beach today than they usually did.
Wakka nodded. "Yeah, let's pack it up." Vidina ran toward their towels and started rolling things up. Wakka stepped closer to Lulu. "Nadie you under there?" He chuckled pushing aside her hair a little. It started coming undone and framed her face like it usually did. Nadia swatted his hand away lazily, her eyes closed. Lulu chuckled and bounced her up a little to get a better hold on her.
"You want me to tell Daddy to leave you alone?" Lulu asked quietly and Nadia nodded.
Wakka chuckled. "Dey grow up so fast ya?"
Lulu smiled at Wakka, "Are you ready to go then?"
"Yeah." Wakka leaned forward and pressed a light kiss on Lulu's cheek. "Today was fun."
"It was." Lulu agreed as they made their way over to where Vidina was.
"Showers are for little kids." Vidina crossed his little arms. Soap suds all over his face and in his red hair.
"Are they?" Lulu asked as she sat on the closed toilet seat, her sleeves rolled up.
"I was in da water all day mommy, I'm clean!" He splashed about a little.
Lulu chuckled. She was exhausted after getting the two of them to bed she didn't know how much longer she could stay up. They had returned a few minutes ago and Wakka was tucking in Nadia while Lulu tended to Vidina. He was obviously tired with his little rants and his droopy eyes.
"You need soap too, the ocean doesn't have soap in it sweetheart." She explained, the only way to deal with a sleepy Vidina was to have patience. Nadia just threw herself somewhere and fell asleep, Vidina tried to not be tired, which only tired him out even more.
"Soap…bubbles?" He handed Lulu some bubbles.
"Thank you honey." Lulu dropped the bubbles in the tub. "What's next?" Lulu asked, she was getting him to shower himself.
"um….." Vidina sat in the tub in thought. "Bubbles?"
"Again?"
"No no no…winse?"
"Rinse yes." Lulu helped him fill a little pale and poured it over him.
"Mommy?" He wiped his little face. Lulu looked at him. "Will you weed me some more 'bout Edgar?" He asked sweetly. Lulu hesitated a second, she had completely made up the story doubting that Vidina would remember it.
"Sure Viddy, later hm?" Where had she placed that book?
"I weally like dat stowy….I told Daddy."
"Did you? You two had fun today?"
Vidina nodded slowly making Lulu smile. He was fighting sleep hard this evening. "We did."
"That's good."
"Lu?" Lulu looked up to see Wakka poking his head inside. "Nadie won't sleep till you come in."
"Okay, We done here little man?" She looked to Vidina. His little eyes were closed he opened them quickly.
"Huh?"
"Guess that's a yes."
"Okay." Lulu walked behind Vidina as he climbed into his bed. She picked up a little toy in the middle of the room and gave it to Wakka who chuckled lightly at his wife. She looked bushed. He put the toy on the little kiddie dresser and walked over to Nadia who was snuggled up in her little bed eyes watching both parents.
"Bye Viddy." She whispered as she watched her brother climb into bed.
"Bye bye Nadie." He said facing her as he lay down.
"Sleepy tight little ones." Wakka whispered as he placed a kiss on Vidina's head and walked the small distance to Nadia. "Love you both…how much?"
"Buckets" Came two little voices.
"Dat's right." He placed a little kiss on Nadia's auburn patch of hair.
"Daddy, Mommy said dat…she..she said dat…dat."
"Easy ya?" Wakka patted her little stomach.
Nadia looked a little frustrated. Wakka smiled lightly to encourage her to try again.
"Mommy said she would sing…you too."
"Me too ay?" Wkka looked up to Lulu who was tucking Vidina in. "We singing Lu?"
Lulu chuckled lightly. "I almost forgot Nadia…okay." She turned back to Vidina and pulled his blanket up to him. His breathing had already steadied out.
"Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand Hold it tight"
She sung quietly, Vidina opened his eyes sleepily and smiled. He remembered the light melody. Whenever he thought something bad Mommy would show up and start singing this song.
"I will protect you
from all around you"
She leaned over and placed a little kiss on his forehead.
"I will be here
Don't you cry"
Lulu got up and sat on the edge of Nadia's small bed.
"For one so small,
you seem so strong…"
She pushed aside some of her hair and smiled adoringly.
"My arms will hold you,
keep you safe and warm
This bond between us.."
Nadia giggled lightly as Lulu poked her cheek and then poked her own.
"..Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry."
Wakka watched on with a proud smile. He never thought in a million years that being a father and a husband could be so fulfilling. Lulu stood and looked between the two beds. Wakka smiled and hugged her from behind.
"'Cause you'll be in my heart"
He whispered causing Lulu to smile and lean back into him.
AN: Song used:
You'll be in my heart- Phil Collins
The Tarzan song! Lol
Another successful day in the life of our favorite little family. I know I haven't updates in years! Lol but soo much has been happening I'm only sorry my writing has suffered. Anyway hope you liked it! It's been a while so…yeah lol review.
KathleenDee