Childhood

Los Angeles

Age Seven

"What do you mean daddy isn't coming home any more?" Buffy asked her mother. She was almost eight when her mother had to break tough news to her.

"Well, daddy is moving away and mommy, Buffy and Dawn are going to stay in the house for now." Joyce Summers tried to explain to her oldest daughter. They were at the local ice cream parlor. Joyce herself didn't understand why her marriage broke up. She and Hank had never had any problems that she knew of. Suddenly, one day, he ended their ten-year marriage. He said he wasn't in love with her any more and didn't want to be a father either. He moved into an apartment with his younger secretary. Joyce had planned the talk with Buffy but the conversation grew more difficult than she could ever imagine.

Buffy looked up at her mother with her big green eyes. She didn't understand. "Who is going to pick me up from dancing on Wednesdays and school on Fridays?"

"I'll do it." Joyce smiled.

"But mom, you work those."

"Well, I'll rearrange my schedule. I'll make it work."

"And who will go to the father-daughter dance with my troop?"

Joyce thought for a minute. "Maybe grandpap will go with you. Buffy, sweetie, don't worry about anything, we'll make it work." Joyce forced a smile to assure her daughter.

Buffy looked confused after her short talk with her mother. She didn't understand anything about the whole situation. At seven years old she made up her mind. She would be there for her family and herself. She knew that she had to be strong. She would never depend on anyone to do things for her, certainly not a boy. After all, she had trusted her father and now he was gone. Seven year-old Buffy Summers decided at the age of seven she hated all boys. All her dislike of boys could not make one feeling go away. She still wanted her daddy more than anything else in the world.

Age Nine

"You're going on a date? Why? When? Do you even know any boys?" Nine year- old Buffy Summers asked her mother as the drove to a day care center to pick up Buffy's sister, Dawn.

Joyce Summers laughed at her daughter. "I am going on a date on Friday because a man asked me to go to dinner with him and I like this man. He seems very nice."

"Well dad was nice at one time." Buffy bitterly reminded her mother.

"Buffy, I'm not getting married, it's a dinner date, with a man who isn't your father."

"Who is this man?" Buffy pouted.

"His name is Rupert and-"

Buffy chuckled. "What kind of name is that? I don't like it. I don't like him."

Joyce continued ignoring her daughter's attitude.

"Rupert is British and we met when he booked a field trip. He's been coming in a few times a year with his class to the museum. He's a teacher in a few towns over from us."

"Mom, he's British? How boring is that?"

Joyce stopped at the red light and turned to her daughter. "How do you know that British people are boring? How many British people do you know?"

Buffy stopped and looked at her mother. "Mary Poppins was British."

"And you loved that movie. When you were little we went through two of those movies because you liked it so much."

"Yea, but I was only a little kid then and now it's boring."

"Buffy, I promise that he isn't anything like Mary Poppins, all right?"

Ignoring her mother, Buffy continued. "Friday is our night. We rent a movie and have popcorn and have girl talks after Dawn goes to sleep. Some times Stacy sleeps over too."

"I know that Fridays are our nights but Stacey's older sister is coming over to watch you and Dawn and she's bringing Stacy with her. She said something about going to the movies." Joyce said with a smile as she pulled into the day care center.

"But Jenny isn't you Mom. I like our nights together."

Joyce felt guilty but she needed a night out. This was her chance to go out and have a nice conversation about something other than Jem or She-Ra or whatever the popular children's item was.

"Well, we can have our movie night on Saturday night. Not only can we have popcorn but we can have pizza too." Joyce smiled.

Buffy closed the car door and walked next to her mother. "The way I like it?"

Joyce put her arm around her daughter. "You mean with pepperoni and onions on the bottom of the cheese and on top of the sauce?"

"That's the way I like it."

"We'll get that. Deal?"

Buffy nodded. "What kind of name is Rupert mom?"

Joyce laughed. "We're not talking about this again."

Joyce opened the door and saw her youngest daughter by the easel. She painted a house with three stick-like figures outside of the house and then a rainbow over the house.

"Is this another piece of art work to hang in the gallery?" Joyce asked sneaking up on Dawn.
"Mommy!" Dawn turned around and hugged her mother. "Hi Buffy." She said to her older sister. Dawn idolized her sister even though sometimes Buffy got annoyed with her.

"Hi." Buffy managed to say as she walked over to get Dawn's things from her cubby.

"Are you ready to go home sweetie?"

"Yes. Mommy, tomorrow is show and tell."

"Really? What do you want to bring?"

"Mr. Gordo." Dawn answered referring to Buffy's stuffed pig.

"No, no way. Mr. Gordo is mine! He is off limits to you!" Buffy said. Mr. Gordo was the last thing that Hank Summers ever gave Buffy. She pretended that she didn't remember where it came from but she knew. She didn't want anyone touching her last memory of her absentee father. .

"Why do you want to bring Buffy's stuffed animal honey?" Joyce asked as they left the center.

"Because Buffy loved Mr. Gordo and I love Buffy." The three and a half -year old answered, not making much since.

"You're not taking Mr. Gordo with you." Buffy repeated.

"Dawn, why don't you bring Puddles, your duck with you. Buffy picked that duck out for you before you were born."

"You did?" Dawn asked.

"Yes she did. She picked him out in the gift shop all by herself right before you were born." Joyce told her as she buckled Dawn into her car seat.

Buffy shut of her ears as she climbed into the front seat and put on her seat belt. She remembered picking out the yellow duck with her father and didn't want to think about him. Joyce skipped over that part and made the story sound really great and wonderful.

"Can we go out for ice cream?" Dawn asked as Joyce put her seat belt on and back out of the parking lot.

"No, we have to have supper tonight."

"Can we go tomorrow night?"

"No." Joyce answered.

"Why not?" Dawn questioned.

"Because she is going out on a date." Buffy answered harshly.

Dawn's eyes light up like it was Christmas morning. "A date? Like the one Cinderella went on with the prince at the dance?"

"Sort of but we are going out for dinner and we're not going out dancing."

"Is he a boy?" Dawn continued to ask.

"Yea he is and he's British." Buffy added.

"What's British mean?" Dawn asked.

"He was born in another country called England. He talks like Mary Poppins. Buffy, I don't like your tone with your sister."

"He talks like Mary Poppins? Does he sing?"

"Dawn, enough with the questions!" Buffy snipped at her sister.

"Buffy, enough! Please do not talk to your sister like that."

"Are you going to marry him?" Dawn asked.

Buffy looked at her mother like she was going to cry. "Honey, I don't know him well enough to marry him. Plus, I don't want to get married right now."

Dawn looked out the window. She nonchalantly said, "Too bad. I was thinking he could be our daddy."

Joyce looked as if she was going to cry. Dawn had no memory what so ever of her father. It really broke Joyce's heart that she was the only parental figure the girls had. It wasn't fair to them. "Someday sweetie, but not yet. The time isn't right yet but when the time is right, I'll let you know."

Buffy looked at her mother who had tears coming from her eyes. She felt bad for getting angry with her sister and aggravating her mother.

"Hey Dawnie?" Buffy called. She waited until Dawn looked at her before she spoke again. "You can burrow Mr. Gordo but if you get him dirty I'll be very angry."

A smile found it's way to Dawn's face. "Thanks you Buffy, you are the nicest sister. And you're pretty too."

Joyce smiled at her daughter as they pulled into the driveway. She put her arm around Buffy for a moment and said nothing. She just smiled.

Age Eleven

"So we are going to eat after my recital?" Dawn asked as her mother parked the car and led her into the auditorium for her first recital.

"Yes. I have some very important news to tell you and Buffy. It's a secret."

"Is Buffy going to be here tonight?" Dawn asked.

"Of course Buffy is going to be here tonight."

A smile formed on Dawn's face. She still idolized her sister. "She said she had a dance at school."

"She told me she really wanted to come and cheer you on in your first big recital." Joyce said as she walked her daughter to the stage area where her daughter's dance class was meeting. "Now Dawn, when you are all done with your dancing, meet us over by this door after you have changed, all right?"

"Okay mom. I'll see you soon!" Dawn said as she skipped over to her friends.

After being in both the jazz and ballet portions of the show, Dawn took her bow and got off stage. She changed out of her dance costume and into a dress she had picked out to wear out to dinner with her mother and sister and her mother's boyfriend.

After she was changed and ready to go, Dawn headed towards the meeting area. The first person she saw was Buffy.

"You did a good job Dawnie!" Buffy said as she hugged and kissed her sister. "Here, I want you to have this." She said as she handed her a bag with a gift in it.

Dawn was amazed as she pulled out a stuffed pig that looked like Buffy's Mr. Gordo. "Buff, is this-"

"No, it's not him, but it's your own. It is identical to mine. I did a few extra chores around the house and bought it for you." Buffy explained.

"But I thought you were saving for the new Nintendo game?"

"I was, but your first dance recital only happens once, so I wanted you to have something special. What are you going to name him?"

Dawn smiled. "G.J."

"What does that stand for?"

"Gordo junior!" She said.

Both girls laughed as they were leaving. "Mom and Rupert are waiting out side for us. Are you ready to go?" Buffy asked. Dawn nodded. Buffy took her dance bag so she could carry G.J. as they set out to meet their mother and her date.

When they met them, they were waiting to go. Joyce hugged her daughter and gave her a charm bracelet with a ballet slipper charm. Rupert had bought her a bouquet of flowers. Dawn and Rupert had a great relationship. He was the only person who she remembered doing father-like things with. She had said many times to her mother and to Buffy that she wanted him to be her father. Joyce always smiled and thought that was sweet.

Buffy on the other hand, had a hard time dealing with Rupert because she remembered her own father and loved him and wanted him to come home. She knew that would never happen so she didn't want anyone else if she couldn't have her own father.

The entire car ride to the Italian restaurant was spent listening to Dawn talk about how excited she was to dance. She was most of all excited that Buffy was there. She then said how much she liked the music she danced to when she dud her jazz number but she didn't really like the ballet music because it reminded her of the boring music that Rupert listens to in his car.

Once at the restaurant everyone ordered what they wanted to eat for dinner. While they were waiting for their dinner, Joyce began to talk to the girls.

"Girls, we have some very exciting news"

"That means it is good news, right?" Dawn asked.

Joyce smiled at Rupert and then looked at her youngest child. "Yes, it is good new."

Buffy knew what the news consisted of and she wasn't happy about it. "Are we getting a dog?" She asked trying to change the subject.

Joyce smiled gently. "No, not yet anyway."

"A cat?" Dawn asked.

Again, Joyce smiled. Buffy interrupted her before she spoke again.

"A bunny?"

Joyce and Rupert were both laughing at this point. "Okay, okay, maybe we will have to get a pet, maybe after we move."

"Ah, move?" Buffy asked.

Joyce nodded. "Yes, girls we are going to move-" Dawn interrupted her.

"To a new street?"

"Yes Dawnie, a different street, in a different town."

"A different town?" Buffy asked.

Again, Joyce had nodded. She was so excited Buffy had never remembered seeing her mother this happy, ever. She decided to be quiet so her mother could deliver the news that she had been waiting for. She was surprised when Rupert spoke up this time.

"I have asked your mother to marry me and she has said yes. We are getting married and we will be moving to a town that is in between both of our jobs." He smiled at the two girls.

Dawn was so ecstatic. She got out of her seat and jumped up and down as she hugged and kissed both her mother and Rupert. Buffy smiled. She thought about all that she would be leaving behind. All of her friends and all of her teammates on her sport teams and her dance squad. Most importantly, she would be leaving a house she had lived in her entire life. A place she knew better than the back of her hand. Overall, the place she remembered her father and mother being together. She didn't like the idea of getting up and moving. It scared her to death.

Buffy forced a smile on her face. "That's great. Good for you guys."

As Dawn sat down, Joyce began to talk again as she beamed with joy. "Do you want to tell them? I really think they should hear it from you." Joyce asked her fiancé.

Buffy spoke up before anyone had a chance to say anything. "There's more? The fun keeps rolling."

Rupert nodded and he also beamed from ear to ear as he spoke. "Your mother and I have talked a great deal and have decided, that, if it is all right with you girls, I would also like to adopt you after the wedding. I-I have thought of you girls has my own for some time and I would love it if you gave me this privilege of legally becoming your father."

"You would be our dad?" Dawn asked wide-eyed.

Rupert nodded with a smile. "Yes"

Dawn again jumped up and down happy beyond belief. She was getting her family she had wanted for some time.

Buffy sat back and smiled. Even if she objected she knew her mother would agree with Rupert. "I'm so happy." She said to her family. She hugged her mother and then Rupert and then Dawn wrapped her arms around Buffy.

Dawn whispered into Buffy's ear, "Buf, we are a real family. We have a mom and now we have a dad too!"

Buffy wanted her father, her real father more than anything. When she got home that night she excused herself from the ice cream bar her mother and Rupert had created to celebrate their news and Dawn's recital. Buffy went upstairs and went to bed. She cried in her bed in the dark. She was happy that her mother was finally happy but with her marrying Rupert, that meant that there was no chance of her mother and her father reuniting. She knew that she hadn't seen in father in over four years but she always hoped that somehow they would get together. Now that dream was dead. She had to prepare to say good bye to everything she had ever known.