Sunday 1st October 2016
Sam and Tom had just parked up in the car park for harvester as they were going out for a family meal. It was only once a month that they went out and set together at a restaurant but they always chose family friendly ones so that they didn't feel awkward with bringing their son, Daniel, who was 1 year and 1 month old. He was just beginning to get the grips of 'cruising' - term used when infants begin to walk but they cannot do so without holding onto something such as a piece of furniture to steady them. However, he was just entering a phase where he had stranger anxiety and so he didn't trust anyone except his mum and dad. And because of this, Daniel didn't walk using furniture to balance himself, he would only walk if he was holding on to one of Sam or Tom's legs.
"Come on you little munchkin. Are you hungry?" Tom asked as he lifted Daniel out of his car seat and placed him firmly on the ground. At 13 months old, Daniel's vocabulary consisted of six words: mummy, daddy, please, thankyou, yes and his favourite word 'no'. Most of what he said was incomprehensible to most, only Sam and Tom could ever understand that he was trying to say which was why he trusted them so much.
"Yes daddy." Daniel nodded enthusiastically.
"Now it's a busy car park so daddy's going to carry you just in use but you can walk in the building okay." Sam said as she glanced at Tom. He got the message as he was going to let Daniel walk there but he decided that Sam was right so he picked Daniel up and carried him son who was dressed in a blue checkered shirt and a tiny pair of jeans along with his favourite trainers that flashed when pressed a button on them. They entered the restaurant which wasn't too busy but it certainly wasn't quiet and were waiting mere seconds before a cheery waiter came up to them, by which time Tom had placed Daniel on the floor.
"Table for three?" He questioned.
"Yes please." Sam nodded.
"And will this young gentleman need a high chair?" He asked as he smiled down at Daniel but his stranger anxiety got the better of him and he hid behind Tom's leg.
"No, we've got a seat for him but we need a booth bench to put it on." Sam replied as she gestured her large changing bag. "And could we have a table near the salad bar if possible because he likes walking but he can't go very far. And also if we could sit out of the way of people because he's a bit anxious around people, that would be great. Sorry to be a pain."
"No worries, just wait here for a moment and I'll go and see what's available." He smiled before he disappeared and Sam looked down at her son who was still clutching onto Tom's jeans.
"Hey, it's okay we'll hopefully be somewhere a bit quieter in a minute." Sam said reassuringly because they were in a loud area of the restaurant. Daniel jumped out of his skin when the door behind him opened and as a group of adults entered the entrance, Daniel pulled an upset face and clung to Tom even harder. He pulled on Tom's jeans and the reached one of his hands up so Tom bent down and picked Daniel up and kept one arm under his bum to support his weight.
"He's really clingy tonight isn't he?" Sam sighed as Daniel buried his head under Tom's chin. "Maybe we shouldn't have come out-"
"Hey, he's not gonna get over this fear of people without meeting some is he?" Tom said to reassure Sam that she had not made a wrong decision. "Besides, you wait until he's got food in front of him and he'll be fine."
"Daddy." Daniel mumbled.
"I know mate, it's alright." Tom said sympathetically as he rubbed him on the back. "But seeing as you've been so good this week, we're treating you to a nice dinner. And there's going to be lots of different colours and bits to try with the sald. You like bright colours don't you?" Tom asked and Daniel finally took his head off of Tom's head and he nodded. The infant could understand and comprehend a lot more words than he could say so for example, if Sam asked him to clap his hands, he could do so. But he couldn't say the phrase himself.
"If you'd like to follow me." The waiter smiled and so Tom carried his so and followed his wife to a table. "Is this suitable for your needs?" He asked as he gestured the booth in a corner of the restaurant with three benches around the table that would certainly seat more than three people. They could clearly see the salad bar just several metres away and so both of them were pleased with their table.
"This is perfect thank you." Sam smiled.
"Okay, well here are your menus. And this is the children's menu. Would you like a puzzle map and some crayons?" He asked as he placed three laminated booklets onto their table.
"Um, no he's a bit young for that. But thank you anyway." Tom replied.
"Well I'll leave you to get seated and I'll be back soon to take your orders." He stated happily before he left.
"We always seem to be lucky with the waiters when we go out." Sam smirked as she got out the plastic chair for Daniel that had a lap tray and was easy to clean. She just placed it on the back of the booth, facing the rectangular table before Tom sat his son down in it and they strapped him in.
"Or maybe the places we go to are just very family friendly." Tom remarked as he sat a foot away from Daniel, and opposite Sam so there was one person on each bench, and both parents were next to their child. "Right, do you want a beer?" Sam asked.
"Um, no thanks. I might have one when I get home though and then crash out on the sofa in my boxers." He admitted.
"And of course you mean after Daniel's bedtime routine." Sam stated sheepishly.
"Noooo!" Daniel moaned.
"No, not yet sweetheart. You've still got a couple of hours of energy left in you haven't you?" Sam smiled as she reassuringly put her hand on top of his.
"Yeah!" Daniel giggled as he clapped his hands together.
"What do you want for dinner Daniel? We get unlimited salad so we'll have plenty of that first, but like daddy said, seeing as you've been very good this week you get a big boys meal off of the menu for big boys." Sam said as she picked up the children's menu. "You can have chicken strips, fish and peas, fish, chips and peas, sausages, mash and peas, pasta in a yummy tomato sauce," sam said as she showed the infant the colourful menu. Though she put emphasis on 'yummy' as she tried to steer her son to the healthier meal. "Or macaroni cheese." She added and Daniel firmly, and clumsily, placed his finger on the chicken strips meal that had a cartoon chicken standing by it.
"Nice try." Tom smirked at his wife. "Has he tried peas before?" Tom asked.
"Um, yeah but he didn't like them I don't think." Sam replied.
"Do you think maybe it's a good idea to ask for it without the peas? And just give him some veg through the salad because I can imagine that peas are gonna be a bit messy." Tom suggested.
"Yeah, that's probably the best idea."
"What are you gonna have?" Tom asked.
"Er... I'm gonna be an absolute pig and have the plantation platter." Sam stated proudly. She didn't often indulge in unhealthy food, but when she did she could eat for England.
"Which includes?"
"Chicken wings, pork ribs, spit roast chicken, king prawns and a corn on the cob." Sam explained.
"Ooh, I might have that but without the prawns." Tom stated.
"They do it for one, and to share so we could share it and you could have my wings so I can have your prawns. And you get two sides with it too. I was gonna get mashed potato as my side and then swap Daniel's chips for mash because he likes mash and I don't really want him eating chips. He probably won't like them anyway."
"Yep okay." Tom nodded. "What drink are you gonna have?"
"Unlimited refills." Sam replied just as the waiter came over.
"Have you decided what you would like this evening?" He asked politely as he stood ready with a notepad. Daniel frowned at the appearance of a stranger so Sam soothingly held Daniel's hand with one of hers and she used the other to draw imaginary lines all over his hand which settled him.
"Yes we'll have two unlimited refillable drinks, a plantation platter to share with mashed potato and chips. And off of the children's menu, we'll have the chicken strips and chips but can we have it without the peas please?" Tom asked.
"Yes, of course you can. Would you like your salad bowls now?"
"Yeah we'll have three please."
"You must have a healthy little lad there. The youngest people who don't just go up to the salad bar for bacon bits are young adults like yourself." The waiter smiled. "I'll be back in a moment."
"I just go up to the salad bar for bacon bits." Tom whispered and Sam rolled her eyes.
"Mummy!" Daniel announced to make his presence known before he cupped his hands together repeatedly.
"You want a drink?" Sam asked and her son nodded so she rustled through her bag before she pulled out a bottle of very diluted squash because he wouldn't drink plain water. She poured a little bit into Daniel's blue cup and then handed it to him, but she kept her hands over his to prevent any spills before she out the cup out of his reach and on the table.
"Fank you." Daniel smiled.
"No, thank you for being such a polite little boy." Sam smiled.
"You're turning into a right little gentleman aren't you?" Tom teased as he tussled Daniel's short brown, curly hair. "Do you want to go up with him first and take his salad bowl, and the I'll go up and get what we want while you supervise him?"
"Okey dokey."
Sam had Daniel balanced on her hip with his plastic salad bowl on the side of the salad bar whilst she filled it up for him and Tom waited back at their table with their things.
"Shall we get you a hard boiled egg? You like those don't you? And ooh, grated carrot. You like this Daniel, what colour is carrot?" Sam asked but Daniel had a habit of putting his hands up and shrugging when he didn't know something. "It's orange." Sam put in plenty of other bits of salad with bright colours and avoided the couscous because she could only imagine the mess that he could get in. She also avoided the harder items such as croutons because even though he had almost three quarters of his baby teeth already, she didn't want him crunching away on something hard. Sam was just finishing up when a couple of harmless but loud men with deep voices came over to the salad bar and Sam felt Daniel cling to her.
"Mummy." He sobbed quietly.
"Alright, we'll go back to the table." Sam whispered reassuringly as she kept one arm under his bum to hold him up and she picked up his salad bowl with the other before she made the short journey back to their table.
Everyone had finished their meal including Daniel who had made a spectacular mess with his mashed potato but Sam and Tom cleared it up and he was back to watching his parents after the distraction of food - which he saw as a toy - had been removed.
"Do you want to get dessert?" Tom asked.
"Nah, I'm stuffed." Sam stated as she patted her stomach. "You can have one if you want."
"No, I'm filled up too. You finished with your drink?" Tom asked and Sam confusedly nodded. She watched as he took the half slice of lemon out of her glass and he removed the single pip before he moved towards his child.
"You're not actually gonna give it to him are you?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, it's a good source of vitamin C." Tom smirked as he handed Daniel the slice. Daniel sniffed it before he licked the strange item. Sam and Tom watched as he screwed up his face but moments later, he licked it again.
"We should've gotten this on camera." Sam laughed as he kept on pulling strange faces but he returned the slice to his face and he licked it or took a little nibble again each time. But soon, he dropped it onto his tray as he had had enough of it. "Oi, I just cleaned that!" Sam protested as she picked the mauled and chewed object up and put it into her empty glass. "Right, shall we go home?"
"Are you ready for bedtime Daniel?" Tom asked as he lifted Daniel out of his chair and then placed him onto the floor on his own two feet.
"How on earth did that get there?" Sam questioned as she picked up a slice of cucumber from the back of the chair and put it in her glass too before she cleaned the chair up and put it in her large changing bag.
"Right-"
"Fancy seeing you lot here!" Fletch laughed as he, his wife and his kids had just been seated near them.
"Hi." Sam smiled as she went to go and walk over there.
"Mummy no." Daniel whined before he pouted his lips whilst he clung on to Tom's leg. He was obviously anxious of the large family that, for him, were far too close for comfort.
"Daniel it's okay, it's Uncle Fletch. Y'know, the one who we see in the park sometimes with Mikey?"
"Daddy." Daniel sobbed as he looked up at his father.
"Hey, don't cry mate. It's alright mummy and daddy aren't going anywhere." Tom said reassuringly as he picked his son up and gave him a cuddle before he held him on his hip whilst Fletch and Natalie gave them a sympathetic look.
"Let's go home and give you a nice bath." Sam said softly as she brushed his cheek with her thumb before she grabbed her bag. "Sorry but he's really anxious around other people at the moment." Sam said as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder.
"Don't worry we've been there twice already." Fletch stated.
"Twice?" Sam questioned.
"Yeah, only Mikey and Noah had it, but the girls were fine."
"Daddy." Daniel muttered.
"Sshh, it's alright. We're going home now, just cover your ears and before you know it we'll be in the car." Tom stated.
"By the way it's chucking it down outside." Fletch stated as he took his seat.
"Really? Oh, I'd better bring the car around then." Tom stated as he went to put Daniel down on the floor but Sam stopped him.
"Tom, it's a bit of rain, it's not gonna hurt us."
"Alright then, let's go home."
"It's raining cats and dogs out there." Tom announced as the Kent Family entered their home. They hadn't brought coats because it had been a warm evening and they were eating inside so they were drenched. Sam laughed as Tom shook his hair like a dog to dry off and so Daniel copied him.
"Right mister, shall we get these fancy shoes off?" Sam suggested as she sat Daniel down on the bottom stair and then she pulled his Velcro trainers off.
"It's only 7pm so maybe he can stay up for a little bit longer." Tom said.
"Yep, okay. You don't look tired do you?" Sam smiled before she lifted him off of the step and put him on his own two feet.
"Maybe to wear him out, we could see if he can take his first couple of steps by himself."
"I think that that might be pushing it." Sam stated as they entered the living room and closed the baby gate behind them where Shadow, Alex, Panda and Zoe were walking around and wagging their tails as they welcomed their owners home. Sam and Tom rarely sat on the sofas anymore unless Daniel was asleep because they always had to sit on the floor and play with Daniel and his toys, or assist him with cruising around. "Did you have to give him the loudest toy?" Sam moaned and Daniel giggled as he sat with his small, colourful, wooden xylophone in front of him.
"It's his favourite one!" Tom protested as he sat cross legged behind his son whilst he randomly hit the tiles with the beater, though despite the fact that they were so big, he still managed to hit the frame rather than the bits that made music several times.
Suddenly, the living room flashed a bright white and then there was a loud rumble of thunder. Daniel immediately dropped his beater and began to cry so Tom reached forward and pulled his son into his lap.
"It's okay... Sshh. Daniel why don't you try and make as much noise as you can with this?" Tom suggested as he pulled the xylophone forwards and held the beater towards his son but Daniel kept on crying.
"Daniel, it's stopped now, it's okay." Sam said reassuringly. "Oh brilliant, they don't like it either." Sam stated as the younger dogs where beginning to hang around her and Tom, as they always did when there were loud noises such as fireworks, and they began to pant. Shadow -though she did used to- obviously didn't mind thunder but she hated fireworks.
"I cannot believe what I'm seeing." Sam smirked as she and Tom collapsed onto the sofa. In front of them, in the corner where there were three beanbags against the wall, were the five youngest members of the family. Panda was curled up in the corner, Zoe was right next to her, as was Alex. And then in between Alex and Shadow, Daniel was also laying down and he had his arms wrapped around Shadow's torso as he nuzzled his face into her fur. Shadow, of course, didn't mind at all because she was very tolerant of Daniel and she would protect him, and Sam and Tom, just like she would her own puppies who were almost grown to full size. Because all of them except Shadow had been scared of the thunder, they had curled up together and then Daniel had crawled over and climbed on top of them. Now however, Sam and Tom were faced with a dilemma.
"How long do we leave him there until we take him up to bed?" Sam asked. "I know Shadow is perfectly safe with him but we can't leave him there all night, just in case Shadow jumps up or steps on him or something." Sam stated.
"Yeah, I know." Tom sighed. "Maybe we should just wait until the thunder calms down because it's coming every five minutes at the moment and I don't want to wake him up on the way up to bed because then he won't get back to sleep again."
"And what if the thunder goes on all night?"
"It won't."
"Daddy?" Daniel mumbled sleepily. He had just been carried upstairs and laid down in his cot and Tom had changed him into a sleep suit.
"It's bedtime sleepyhead, night night." Tom whispered as he bent down and kissed Daniel on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams." Sam whispered as she did the same action. They waited a couple of minutes until he was definitely asleep again before they left the room and switched the light out. Sam and Tom walked straight across the landing to their bedroom and got ready for bed.
Coming up: Firework night arrives and once again, five members of the Kent Family are petrified of the loud noises.
Thanks for reading, please review :)
Im sorry if these chapters are getting a bit boring but I promise there's some more Tam romance and a big surprise coming up in chapter 37 (or possibly 38, I'm not sure yet!)