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Chapter 4: Happily (Never) Ever After?
Dave woke up the next morning, bright and early. He instinctively reaches for his sunglasses on his nightstand and looks around the room. He immediately realizes that his surroundings are completely different than that when he had fallen asleep. He was in his room. The last thing he remembers was piling up on the futon, watching old home videos with his bro and dad.
'Bro must've carried me in here when I fell asleep.' As he had done multiple times before.
As Dave made his way out of his room, he heard what sounded like laughter coming from the kitchen.
"Awww, look at this one.", Derrick said pointing to a picture of baby Dave in one of the many photo albums that he and Dirk were looking at on the table. "Yeah, he had just started crawling in that picture.", Dirk smiled over the image.
He and Derrick had been up for hours looking at old photo albums.
"Bro? Dad? What are y'all doing?", Dave asks as he walks into the kitchen.
"Good morning Dave! How did you sleep?", Derrick asked. "Good." "We were just looking at some old photo albums. You were such an adorable baby. You still are.", Derrick doted as Dave looked over his and Dirk's shoulders to see what they were looking at.
"Hey Little Man. Dad went and got us some breakfast this morning. It's on the stove.", Dirk said, "If you plan on eating, you'd better hurry. You've got to be at school soon." "K, thanks."
Dave fixed himself a plate of waffles, bacon, and eggs and sat down by his bro at the table. "So Dave, how many more weeks of school do you have left before you get out for the summer?", Derrick asked. "Two, thank God." "What will you be going into then?" "The 7th layer of hell, high school." "Ahhh, come on Son. High school's not that bad." "I beg to differ. CNN survey once said that high school was the worst years of a child's life." "Well, just remember to always to do your best and don't let anyone get you down.", Derrick reassured his youngest son.
Dave finished his breakfast as peacefully as he could with his father and brother beside him, pestering him with every other photo they saw. Dave then quietly slipped into his room, and dressed in his normal attire for the day. Red and white long sleeved T-shirt with the broken record on in, black Levi's, and red converses. "You're not going to school in that are you?", Derrick questioned the moment he saw Dave step back into the kitchen. "What? This is what I normally wear. What's wrong with it?" Derrick gave Dave another one of his disapproving looks. "We're definitely going clothes shopping after school." "Okay, cool.", Dave simply said as he grabbed his backpack. 'Sweet, free stuff.', Dave thought in the back of his mind, as the three walked out the door to take Dave to school.
"What about this Dave?", Derrick handed Dave another shirt in the dressing room of the department store that he took them to almost immediately after he and Dirk picked Dave up from school. "Yeah, I like it.", Dave said, trying on yet another button up shirt. It's the fifth shirt he's tried on in the past 15 minutes. "Here, try these pants too." "Okay." And this was the fourth pair of pants. Since Derrick didn't approve of any of the clothes that Dave had picked out, saying that a young man should dress as such and not a 'sloppy thug' as he put it, Dave just let Derrick pick the clothes out for him. And so far, he's done good. Dave had to admit it, the man did have good taste. He only had to send back one thing he picked out for him.
Dirk just sat in the dressing room while Dave was changing. He really did appreciate everything their dad was doing for them. Derrick had even offered Dirk if he would like anything, which Dirk respectfully declined. Saying that Dave needed some decent clothes worse than he did. But, Dirk did begin to notice something about their dad. He was, pushy. Almost demanding at times. Dirk really didn't think nothing of it though. He just figured that being in business so long, that you kinda can't help but to be a little pushy at times if you wanted to get anything done.
"How's it coming Little Man?" "Good.", Dave panted from pulling the pants up. "Getting tired already?", Dirk laughed a little. "Man, I don't know how all these women do it." "Me neither Little Man, me neither."
"So, let's see how you look Dave.", Derrick said, stepping back into the dressing room. Dave stepped out and wowed his father and his brother. He was wearing a red button up shirt and a pair of blackish jeans. He looked like a model right out of a magazine. It seemed that clothes really did make the man.
"Oh Dave! You look so handsome. You show up to school like that tomorrow, and the girls will be running over themselves just to get to you.", Derrick doted over his son. "Why thank ya Dad. Heh, I do clean up pretty nice don't I?", Dave said looking at himself in the mirror. "Damn Little Man, you look sharp.", Dirk said, "A regular stud muffin. You take after me too much." "Yeah yeah, you only wished you looked this good when you were my age.", Dave playfully retorted to his brother.
Derrick watched as his two sons playfully picked at one another. And he was almost envious of their relationship. True, Dirk did raise Dave since he was born, but he was his brother, not his father. In Derrick's eyes, they should have a brother-brother relationship, not a father-son relationship. HE was their father after all, and to Derrick, HE should have the fatherly role. Not Dirk.
"Hey Dad, you okay?", Dave asked. "Huh?, yeah I'm fine Son. Just thinking that's all.", Derrick answered. "You bought ready to go?", Derrick asked Dave. "Yes sir. I think we're good." "Good."
Derrick had picked out Dave five shirts, four pairs of pants, and two new pairs of shoes. Dave had told him over and over that he didn't need to do all this for him, but Derrick kept insisting. Saying that it was the least that he could do for him. When they went to checkout, the lady at the counter kept swooning over how adorable Dave was. Derrick began to get really annoyed at the woman when she asked Dirk if he was the boy's father. Derrick was about to say something, when Dirk answered, "No actually, I'm his brother. This is our father.", Dirk said pointing to Derrick. The woman apologized and Dirk laughed it off, but Derrick wasn't so amused. He was more than happy to finally leave the store when the lady finally handed over the receipt.
Dave went to school the next day in true 'Strider Style' as he put it. When he walked down the hallway, people literally stopped and turned their heads to the gravitational force that was the Strider. Even Jade and John were shocked to see him in such a new attire. "Ladies, ladies. Calm your orgasms, Strider is in the house.", Dave said sitting next to his two friends. "Wow Dave, you look," "Great?", Dave finished for Jade. "Yeah.", Jade swooned. "What's with the get up?", John asked, "Did you rob a department store or something?" "Nah, my dad's in town this week. He took me shopping yesterday." "How is everything going with your dad by the way?" "Everything's going great! He always tells me to do my best at everything, that I can be anything and anyone I want to be if I set my mind to it. I don't think he really approves of my idea of become a music artist though. I think he wants me to go into business, like he did. But hey, it's my life." "How are he and Bro getting along?" "They're getting along pretty good. They're doing alot of catching up, we all are." "That's good." "Yeah. Like we're a normal family, kinda."
"Hey Dave." Dave was greeted by his father as he climbed his way into Derrick's black Escalade. "How was your day Little Man?", Dirk asked. "Did you break any hearts today, Son?" Dave pulled out his pockets and handed them a small pile of love letters he had received that day, answering their questions. "And that's just from BEFORE lunch." Both Derrick and Dirk laughed.
"Hey Little Man?" "Yeah?" "I got called in tonight, so it looks like it'll be just you and Dad tonight. Okay?" "Okay."
"We'll be alright, won't we Dave?" "Yes sir, we will.", Dave answered his father.
"You sure that you'll be alright here with Dad?", Dirk asked Dave as he finished getting ready for that night in his room. "Bro, you leave me here all the time here by myself. Why wouldn't I be alright here with Dad?", Dave questioned his brother. Even though the man was their father, Dirk still felt iffy about leaving his little brother alone with a man that they barely knew a week ago. Call it, parental instinct if you will. "Just making sure."
"Alright, I'm off Little Man. Call me if you need anything okay? And don't drive Dad crazy." "Me? Nah, I wouldn't do that.", Dave put on an innocent face. "Yeah yeah.", Dirk kissed the top of his forehead.
"Dad, you sure you can handle Dave by yourself?", Dirk asked before heading out the door. "I got it Son, don't worry. He can't be that bad.", Derrick laughed. "Alright, you need anything just call me okay?" "Will do Son. Have a good 'night'." "Thanks, will do." And with that, Dirk Strider went off to do his thing.
"Dave?" "Yes sir?" "What are you doing?" "Playing video games with John." "Do you have homework to do?" "Yes sir." "Get in here and do your homework, then you can play video games all you want." There were a few moments of silence after that. "Yes sir." Derrick Strider finally heard. "Come on, I'll help you with it." Dave sat down with his father at the table and completed all his homework in a matter of no time.
"There see, that wasn't so hard now was it." "No sir. It actually made since of what the teacher was talking about today.", Dave admitted. "See there. Smart and pretty, the ladies won't be able to keep their hands off of you." Dave smiled at his father's compliment. "Can I go play video games now?" "Sure." Dave was about to turn around and leave when he turned and gave his father a hug. "Thanks Dad." "You are so welcome, my son.", Derrick returned the hug and kissed the top of his forehead.
Okay, that was enough mushy stuff for one day. Dave quietly turned around and made his way back to his room. To drown his 13 year old mind in senseless video games.
Even though it was brief, Derrick felt that he made a great connection with Dave. Atleast he could check one thing off his fatherly to-do list. He couldn't help but wonder if Dirk ever helped Dave with his homework. He highly doubted it.
Every now and then, Derrick would check up on Dave and sometimes sat down with him and played a few rounds of whatever he was playing. He'd always end up loosing, but he felt it was a good way for him to start bonding with his son.
Between 7 and 8, Derrick took Dave out to eat somewhere. The two would talk about whatever peeked their interest.
When it was nearing 10 pm, Derrick felt that was an appropriate bedtime for his young son. So against Dave's many protests about how he stays up much later than this, he shoves him off to bed.
Dirk ended up coming in at 4 in the morning, to find his father asleep in the recliner waiting for his eldest son to get off from work. He went off to grab a couple of blankets from his room, and check up on Dave, who was sound asleep in his own room. Dirk put one blanket over their dad, and covered himself with the other as he laid on the futon.
That's pretty much how the rest of the week played out at the Strider residence. In the mornings, Derrick would go and get his sons and himself some breakfast. While Dave was at school, Derrick and Dirk would spend some good father-son time. Then when Dave came home, they would all do something together before Dirk headed out to work. While Dirk was working, Derrick made sure that Dave got his homework finished and played video games or watched T.V. with Dave. The two would talk over dinner and at 10 pm, Derrick would send Dave off to bed and watch T.V. while he waited for Dirk to get off from work.
Just during this week, Derrick felt that he had grown closer to his sons than he had anyone in years. He had grown especially close to Dave, more so than Dirk. Dirk was a grown man; he had lived his whole life without him in his life. But Dave was still a child, who Derrick felt desperately needed a father in his life. And to Derrick; even though he was doing his best, Dirk, with his current lifestyle, could never be the father that Dave needed. Derrick felt that Dave needed more stability in his life, and that he would do anything he could to give him that stability.
Dave and Dirk felt that everything was going great with the time that they had with their dad. It seemed that, since Derrick had entered into their lives; that they had grown closer as a family than they had ever been. To them, everything seemed to be going fine. Seemed.