Fictober 2024
Day 5 "it's a new day, let's go »

Andy and Sharon bring the grandkid's to an amusement park

like always a gigantic thanks to TheShadowsEdge for listening to me, my worries, my ideas and helping me through them all

PS: I've been quite busy with life and being chronically ill these last few days, I'll try and keep up with the schedule.

To the happiest place on Earth

«Here we go, Grandma, it's a new day, let's go!» Said a too joyful Andy Flynn, opening the blinds on his way to kiss his girlfriend. She grunted, hiding her face underneath the blankets. When the smell of coffee reached her nose, she peeked from the duvet. Even without her glasses, she was able to read the big read numbers of the clock.

«5h15!» She screamed. «Andy, it's even earlier than what we do on a work day! And we haven't had a full night's sleep all week long. Come on, it's just Disneyland, can't it wait 'till 7?» She was beyond herself. She had anticipated that day for quite a long time for two reasons: she was a bit worried about spending a complete day with Andy's grandsons, she did not have the energy of her thirties anymore, when her kids were young and running everywhere. Plus she never had gone to Disney and was fearing the worst. Most of all, she was eager for a good night's sleep and a cozy moment in bed with her lover.

«We need to get ready, drive to their place to pick them up, then drive to Anaheim. It's going to take us at least two hours with the traffic.» He started to explain, taking a sip of his coffee and sitting on the bed next to her.

«It's 5h15, Andy!» she said once more, still irritated. «There's no traffic at this hour!»

«I don't plan for us to leave just yet.» he smiled, coming closer for a kiss.

— 1h30 later —-

«Don't wear that.» He said as he was doing his shirt button. Sharon turned around, her towel firmly maintained around her chest. «Don't get me wrong, I love your lacy underwear but you should were the cottons ones you sleep with.» seeing her surprise and somewhat dubitative expression, he went on. «Were going to walk more than when we hike, tiny little steps, in a hot sticky full of people place, you need all the comfort you can get!»

Sharon eyed him another second and put down the purple thong she was about to put on, one of most beautiful sets, and chose instead a more practical outfit: cotton panties and matching bra, linen pants and simple shirt with a pair of city sneakers. She rarely dressed that casually, usually pairing her comfortable black pants with a more dressed up blouse but Andy was right, better avoid synthetic fibers and be comfortable. Though being comfortable made her feel uncomfortable. She liked to feel elegant, took pride in how she dressed, loved to wear heels and make up. She felt … she felt barre and not herself. The worst part, she tried to be even more practical and take a backpack and was rebuffed by Andy. He reminded her they would have to go through security, so the less the better. Good thing that her pants had pockets big enough to put her phone in.

Her tension only grew on their way to the kids. Andy had a hard time believing that she never went to the famous amusement park, never with her kids, nor with Rusty. She was not into that kind of thing. The idea of being surrounded by so many people worried her as much as the idea of losing the kids. Back then, she preferred saving her money for other activities with the kids, like apple picking, buying books or a day trip to the beach. Andy was her exact opposite and she had once more a hard time understanding how his family could be that mad at him. From 5 to 15, he had brought his kids there twice a year : for each of their birthdays . It was a nice coincidence that Nicole was born in April and his son in October. He never missed it, not even once and stopped only when they showed no more interest in going to the park or spending time with him. Sharon was jealous for her own kids, their father never made that much effort.

After putting the kids in their seats and adjusting the controls of Nicole's van, he petted Sharon's thigh and told her «don't worry, Sweetheart, we're all going to have a lot of fun.» Not even a km later, the boys started complaining that they wanted to watch a movie on their screens. Andy did not know how to do it and did not even feel like trying. «Let's count the red cars.» he proposed instead and the kids, weirdly enough in Sharon's opinion, accepted. «Why didn't you put their seats in your car?» she asked discreetly, uneasy being in Nicole's car.

«Shar, you must remember how awful it is to put on a car seat. Even with the new systems it's easier to just switch cars.» That statement surprised her. She had never put a car seat in, Andy had done that for her years ago and then her father when she had Ricky. She kept the same car for more than 15 years. She vaguely remembers taking the toddler seats and replacing them with boosters. Andy was the one to do it for his family, and hers.

Finally, they arrived just as Andy planned : as 9 o'clock struck. And she had to say it was nothing as she imagined it. Yes, it was fake and all but seeing Sleeping Beauty's castle, the tears came to her eyes. She felt like a child, tons of memories from her childhood, reading Bambi, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast came back to her. Memories of her own children's childhood came up too, reading Aladin, Scar killing the Lion's king's father… her heart seized, she was moved beyond what she thought possible.

Then music started playing and the parade started. Andy grabbed one of the twins and in an instant she had a kid on her shoulders, Andy the other one. Her emotions were so strong, she had a hard time concentrating on the kids and was a bit worried about having him fall off. She had rarely carried her own children like that and felt out of her expertise. Mickey, Donald and the princesses appeared in a joyful dance. It was so fake and so cliche. It was wonderful and got her in tears once more, the drums beating heavily in her chest.

The rest of the morning was more what she expected: lines up and roller coasters. They were more scary than what she anticipated but, the kids seemed to have a ton of fun, so did Andy. She was beyond happy to see them enjoy that moment together and took every opportunity to snatch photos. She wanted to remember that day forever.

Soon noon arrived, then passed. The kids started to complain of being hungry. The line up decreased as most people went eating. They waited until it was nearly 14h to go grab something to eat and Andy was right, the restaurant was now nearly empty. As they finished their ice-cream, her lover came closer, stole a kiss and told her «Now, it's my favorite part.» He got up and arranged two seats in front of his and Sharon's chair. «Now, who's sleeping with me and who's sleeping with Grandma Sharon?She was so stunned she didn't even correct him on the nickname. Surely 7 years old would not sleep… both climbed on them and were asleep within minutes. Sharon might have been surprised but it did not prevent her from enjoying the 45 minutes of their slumber. What's more perfect than having a sleeping child in one's arms? His body warm and relaxed, trusting you to keep them safe and loved. She took a big breath and let the tears move down her cheeks. Andy grabbed her hand, gave her a soft squeeze and smiled at her, his eyes misty too. «What a perfect day.» he said in a deep but soft voice before closing his own eyes. A few seconds later, his respiration became deep and regular. She did not close her eyes, she did not want to despite the fatigue. No. She wanted to enjoy each moment. She had missed so much…