Dad quest

"Alright, Wilbur," Cornelius started, "Say 'Dad'."

But once again, the young boy exclaimed happily, "Mom!"

Cornelius sighed. Apparently, teaching Wilbur how to say 'Dad' turned out to be more challenging than he had anticipated. Don't get him wrong, he was happy with the bond Franny and his son shared, but he couldn't help but feel a little left out.

Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "D-A-D. Dad." he spelled the letters, hoping it will help Wilbur pronounce it.

The boy looked at his father with confusion, clearly unaware of his attempts, and let out a small giggle, making Cornelius, despite his growing frustration, chuckle lightly

"Let's try something else." Cornelius pointed to himself. "See? This is dad."

But the boy quickly responded with a happy "Mom" and a playful coo. Cornelius couldn't help but smile at his son's stubbornness.

"Alright, how about we try again, Wilbur?" he tried, maintaining a patient tone. "Dad. Can you say it? Dad."

Wilbur seemed to ponder for a moment before his face broke into a mischievous grin. He opened his mouth and gurgled out another sweet "Mom," much to Cornelius' amusement.

The inventor leaned closer to his son, his tone filled with genuine affection. "You little troublemaker," he murmured, gently tickling Wilbur's tummy. "You know, one day, you'll have to call me 'Dad.' It's just how it works."

Wilbur giggled in response, kicking his legs excitedly. Cornelius was clearly in awe of this little bundle of energy and potential. He knew that parenting would be filled with moments like these—laughs, challenges, and teaching Wilbur how to say 'Mom' or 'Dad'. And to his luck, it was 'Dad'.

"Alright, one more time, my little Mom-loving buddy," Cornelius said, determination creeping into his voice. He met Wilbur's wide-eyed gaze, mirroring the same excitement. "Say 'Dad' for me."

Wilbur's brows furrowed for an instant as if contemplating this new word. Then, in a burst of enthusiasm, he cooed out a string of unintelligible syllables, followed by a triumphant "Mom!"

Cornelius let out a laugh, shaking his head in mock defeat. "You are too good at this, Wilbur. It's like 'Dad' is a foreign concept to you."

Wilbur giggled, his brown eyes shining with innocence. He reached out his tiny hand towards his father, seemingly asking for another tickle. Cornelius obliged, gently poking Wilbur's belly and causing him to erupt into even more laughter.

"Okay, okay," Cornelius said, trying to compose himself as he wiped away tears of laughter. "We'll try again, little troublemaker."

Cornelius scooped Wilbur up into his arms, cradling him close. He looked into Wilbur's eyes, trying his best to convey the importance of what he was about to teach him.

"Forget about 'Dad'," Cornelius said softly, his voice filled with affection. "Dada. Can you say 'Dada' for me?"

Wilbur blinked up at him, his lips forming into a cute pout. He let out a happy coo, his arms flailing in delight.

"Oh, come on, you little rascal," Cornelius chuckled, tickling Wilbur's side playfully. "I know you can do it. Just say 'Dada', okay?"

Wilbur giggled uncontrollably, squirming in Cornelius' arms. As much as Cornelius wanted to hear his son say the word 'Dad', he felt a surge of joy every time Wilbur responded with laughter and coos.

"Alright, let's try something else," Cornelius said, looking determined. He picked up a toy car and held it up in front of Wilbur. "Dad," Cornelius enunciated, pointing at himself.

Wilbur giggled and reached out for the toy car, clearly more interested in playing than in learning new words. Cornelius chuckled and tried a different tactic. He pointed at himself again and said, "Dad," tapping his chest to emphasize the word.

Wilbur's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he imitated his father's gesture and tapped his own chest. "Da...d," he said, his voice unsure yet filled with enthusiasm.

Cornelius froze. He said it. He finally said it. He could hardly contain his excitement. His heart swelled with pride as he smiled at his son. "Yes, Wilbur! That's it! You said it!" he exclaimed, his voice brimming with joy.

Just as Cornelius was about to praise Wilbur and give him a hug, his hand accidentally swung wide and knocked over a glass of water sitting on the nearby table. The glass tipped over, fell to the floor, and the water spilled all over the place, creating a puddle.

In the midst of his celebration, Cornelius let out a disgruntled exclamation. "Crap," he muttered under his breath, his face falling momentarily. He quickly glanced around to make sure his son was still near him, safe and sound, but he saw his son's eyes widen with curiosity.

"Cwap," he said innocently, unaware of the weight behind the word he had just mimicked. Cornelius' eyes widened in realization. He hadn't expected Wilbur to catch on so quickly, especially to a word that was not meant for young ears.

"And now you know how to talk perfectly, don't you?" the older said, his voice laced with amusement and frustration.

But Wilbur's cooing and giggling continued, interrupted by a little "Cwap" in between.

"W-Wilbur, no, no," Cornelius stammered. "That's not a good word for you to say. It's not nice."

"Cwap! Cwap!" Wilbur giggled, clenching his tiny fists in delight at the newfound word.

Just then, Franny swung open the door to the sight of a small water puddle on the floor, her husband, surprisingly, stammering, and her young son saying 'Crap'.

"What's going on in here?" she asked worriedly

Cornelius turned towards her, his cheeks flushing bright red with embarrassment. "Franny, I swear, this is not my fault. Wilbur, he caught me off guard and-"

But before he could finish his sentence, Wilbur shrieked with excitement. "Cwap!"

Franny gasped, cradling her son in her arms and looking into his wide eyes. "Who taught you that?"

Wilbur, seemingly bored of saying 'Crap', decided to say the other word, "Da..da"

"Neil!" Franny turned to her husband, "I thought you were teaching him how to say 'Dad'!"

"I was!" he tried to defend himself, "And I did!"

Franny turned her attention back to her son, who was now climbing her shoulder. She held tight, and sighed.

"Three days aren't over so…you win," she smiled. "But he's gonna walk to me when he takes his first steps."

Cornelius smirked, "You're on."