Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Alton
“And I like Legos and green and books and cartoons.” I liked lots of stuff. “Green food and green Legos and green-color stuff.”
Daddy chuckled and gave me another push making me go higher and higher. “That’s a very good color. I don’t think I have much green in my house, but you might be able to help me with that.”
I was good at colors.
I looked backward at Daddy to tell him that but swings were very swingy. Daddy caught me before the ground did. His eyes got real big. “Oh. That’s…”
“You’re a good catcher, Daddy.” He didn’t have to worry about me going fast on the slide. He was big and fast. “Yes. I’ll help make your house green.”
Daddy sat me back on the swing and took a big breath. “I think I just lost a couple of years off my life right there.”
Why?
Hmm… Daddy probably just liked to worry. I’d heard lots of them did.
“I’ll help you find them.” I was good at finding things. “I can find green for you too.”
Daddy let out a deep breath as he rubbed my back. “You’re going to do a great job helping me find green, but let’s be careful on the swings. If you fall, you might not want to play.”
Oh.
“Okay, Daddy.” I held on tighter and showed him I was serious. “I’ll be safe so we can go fast.”
“That wasn’t…” Daddy mumbled something about gods above but he pushed me big and made me go faster. “Thank you for holding on tight.”
“Welcome, Daddy.” I was good and safe and went really high as Daddy pushed me and my swing went up and down and back and forth. “What kind of green do you need, Daddy?”
“I don’t know.” Daddy got a thinky sound in his voice as he pushed me again. “You’re going to have to help me figure that out. There are too many choices and I don’t know the names of the colors.”
“Crayons have names, Daddy. We can use those.” I was so smart. “Then we’ll find your green. Do you have crayons?”
“Yes. I wanted us to have some special things just in case our date went well, so I have some crayons and a few coloring books.” Daddy made a happy sound when I got excited about new crayons. “We’ll have to pick out more things for next time.”
Oh, more toys.
“Do you got an man, Daddy?” How did he get my crayons? “Do you got a UPS man? I do. Mine’s cranky.”
“Mail and packages get delivered to the small grocery and general store in the next town over. Then it’s picked up and delivered here. So while I have several delivery men, I haven’t talked to the others much.” Daddy huffed. “Yours shouldn’t be cranky, though. You’re a very nice boy.”
“I am.” And I was good at swinging and I was a good boy. “He’s just cranky. He didn’t even want my cookies when I got him a present at Christmas. So no more cookies for him.”
He was naughty and naughty meant no cookies.
“I think that’s a sound decision.” Daddy pushed me again, rubbing my back as he made me go higher and higher. “Do you like baking cookies? Do you celebrate Christmas?”
“Yes.” They were fun. “I like cookies and I like Santa and the fun stuff.”
“Okay, I don’t mind doing that. Christmas trees are green too so that will help us with our green problem.”
Oh, he was so smart.
“I like trees.” Trees were pretty. “Down the road. Where I live down the road. She has a spring tree and a Valentine’s tree and a bunny tree and a beach tree and a Halloween tree. She likes trees too.”
“She changes her tree to match the season?” Daddy hummed like that was very thinky. “Did she say why?”
“I don’t know. I see it in her window. It’s big and she lives in a fancy house.” She might be nice. “Do you think we’re fancy?”
“Hmm… I think I’m not the type of person who should be tasked with changing the decorations that often.” Daddy was being so thinky he forgot to push me. “That sounds pretty but like a lot of work. Are you the type of person who likes changing decorations?”
I made Daddy thinky sounds too and gave him a big boy voice. “I’m the type of person who doesn’t pick up toys… so maybe not?”
No trees for us.
“That’s okay. We only need one at Christmas.” Daddy chuckled when I shrugged. “You have lots of outside trees.”
And I didn’t have to pick those up.
No cleaning trees for us.
“Let’s fly, Daddy.” I jumped off the swing but I remembered to wait until it was slow so that Daddy didn’t worry. It was a big, big swing and my feet didn’t touch the ground. But Daddy was big so they needed big stuff to play on.
I wasn’t big but Daddy seemed to like that.
Some people didn’t like that but Daddy didn’t seem like some people.
Matchmaker lady said he wasn’t like some people, but she was funny colors sometimes.
Oh, Daddy wasn’t like some people.
He wasn’t a human people.
“She might’ve tricked me.” I pouted at Daddy as he cocked his head. “Our lady. She said you weren’t like other people and her colors were weird. She meant you weren’t like the mages and people like that.”
She was sneaky.
Daddy didn’t seem to know if he could smile or not and coughed. “She did have very interesting ways of phrasing things, so yes, she probably enjoyed tricking you.”
“You’re not tricky colors.” He was Daddy colors and that was nice. “You’re pretty.”
His smile jumped out and went big, big. “I’m glad you think my aura is pretty, little Roo. I bet yours would be pretty if I could see it. But what I can see is a cutie with a big heart who likes scaring his Daddy.”
No giggles.
No giggles.
“Me, Daddy?” I shook my head and pouted. “Nooo, I’m a good boy.”
But I could go faster, faster, so I took his hand and tugged.
And tugged.
Daddy was big.
That meant he got stuck, but he could carry me so that was okay.
“Let’s fly, Daddy.” He walked when I tugged him again but he rolled his eyes and did a Daddy sigh. Yep, he was a Daddy. They came in all shapes and sizes and talls and shorts and happies and growlies.
“I really hope you’re not talking about the slide.” Daddy groaned when I giggled and we went over to the bigger, bigger ginormous fort with the tallest slide ever. “You’re talking about the slide.”
“Weee…” I let go of Daddy’s hand and spread my arms out as I raced up the stairs and went higher and higher. “I’m gonna fly.”
“That had better be a metaphor for going fast, little Roo.” Daddy got his serious face as he went to the bottom of the slide. “I will not be a happy Daddy if you try to fly.”
Hmm.
I leaned over the tall, tall railing and gave him a Daddy face too. “Spanks?”
He shook his head. “Worse. No desserts and no green.”
Oh.
Serious Daddy.
“Careful flying, Daddy.” Yes. Careful. Careful. “I like green.”
And I liked happy Daddy.
“See?” Higher and higher. “I found it.”
“That did not seem so high up when I walked past it before. Who decided it needed to be five stories tall?” Daddy had the grumblies and frowned and huffed. “This is ridiculous and can’t be safe.”
Fun Daddies not safe Daddies?
“I’m careful, Daddy.” Sit. Wiggle. Wiggle. “Careful.”
Wee…
Faster.
Faster.
Whirl.
Whirl.
Fly.
“For fuck’s sake.” Daddy caught me and swept me up as I flew down. “That’s dangerous.”
“I flew!”
“I saw.” Daddy hugged me tight and patted me down. “Are you okay? Your bottom actually came off the slide at the end.”
“I was flying, Daddy.” He had the bestest park ever. “Again.”
Daddy made me stuck.
So I wiggled.
I was stuck more.
Oh, Daddy frown.
Oops.
Hmm.
Oh.
Cheek kiss.
“You made me fly, Daddy.” Yes. Bestest Daddy ever too. “You have a me-size park and I can fly. Catch me again.”
Daddy sighed.
Yay.
“Don’t think I missed what you did there.” Daddy glared and grumbled and looked like he wanted to pout. “You won’t always be able to distract me with cheek kisses and looking so cute.”
Yes.
I could.
All the Littles said so.
I shrugged and shook my head. “No. If you’re my Daddy, the Littles online said it would work.”
Daddy blinked. “Ah, some kind of Little magic.”
“Yep.” So I did it again. It worked. He set me down. “See?”
Now he had to catch me again.
“I’m not sure I like this type of magic, little Roo.” Daddy made big sighs as I raced and ran faster, faster up the stairs. “You might fall.”
“You’re a good catcher, Daddy.” He was big. I liked big. “I fly. You catch. It’s fun.”
He just forgot.
I was going to show him.
“How about we make a deal that you can fly down the slide if you walk slower up the stairs?” Daddy gave me a big, big smile. It was the Daddy version of cheek kisses. I knew it was dangerous. The other Littles said so.
“I’m gonna fly up too. I’m fast.” He needed more cheek kisses. “I’m so tall, Daddy.”
Up.
Up.
Up.
“I didn’t think it was possible for your flying to make me sick, but evidently I was wrong.” Daddy liked to worry but he was a good catcher. “Please be careful.”
“I like cookies and green, Daddy.” No punishments for Daddy’s little Roo. “I’m ready. I’m gonna fly.”
Wee….
“For the love of the ancestors.” Daddy’s voice was big so it was loud even when he grumbled. “That’s…”
Fast.
Round and round.
Faster and faster.
“Caught you.” Daddy whirled me around and did a big breath. “Oh, my goodness. Yes. No cursing.”
Daddy was so funny.
“See?” Cheek kisses. One and two. “You’re a good catcher.”
He just kept forgetting.
I’d be a good helper and remember him.
“That’s only going to work until you bonk your head the first time.” Daddy got his worry grumbles as he gave me another hug and I got more pats. “Then it’s not going to work any longer.”
I was smart.
I’d try again.
Hmm.
Big eyes.
Big pout.
Sad eyes.
Sad pout.
“But I like it when you catch me, Daddy.”
Ha.
Daddy groaned. “That’s cheating, little Roo.”
Nope.
“Littles can’t cheat because Daddies make the rules.” I shrugged. “They said so.”
Daddy raised one eyebrow and scrunched up his face. “The other Littles said that, hmm?”
I nodded and giggled as Daddy kissed my forehead and pouted. His hair tickled my skin and made me wiggle. “I learned all the lessons and won’t forget.”
He pressed his lips together to try not to laugh, but he liked his little Roo. “You are smart and very sneaky.”
Ha.
The Littles said that was good, so I gave him a hug and my biggest bestest-boy smile. “Flying, Daddy.”
I had to go faster, faster.
“You’re going to give me a heart attack.” Daddy made more grumblies but he put me down. “I might have cookies for a good boy who walks up the stairs carefully.”
Oh.
Daddies cheated too.
I forgot.
“I like cookies, Daddy.” But I like flying. Walk. Walk. Clomp. Clomp. Hmm. Flying was better. “What kind?”
Daddy liked winning.
“I have Oreos and chocolate chip cookies.” He got his devious Daddy smile when I sighed. “I thought you might like those if you came over to visit.”
“I like visits.” I liked cookies too. “I like flying a lot, Daddy. A big lot. Ten and ten and ten cookies a lot.”
Daddy laughed. “Five cookies a lot.”
Hmm.
“Five and five.” I showed him my two hands. “Flying means I need a snack.”
“You’re working hard.” Daddy nodded and pretended to be thinky. “Five cookies and a snack or a sandwich? I’ve got peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese.”
“Both!” Flying was hard. “Catch me, Daddy!”
Wee….
“Ancestors above.”