Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Alton
Daddy was wrong.
No.
That would be mean.
“You… you’re still pretty, Daddy.” Yes. His colors were still pretty. That was more important than being wrong or not matching anymore. “You’re… you look nice as a human.”
He was big like that too.
And he wasn’t ugly.
He just wasn’t Daddy.
“Thank you.” Daddy looked down at his body and frowned. “I don’t use this much but I can change it if you’d like.”
Oh.
That’s.
“No.” Shaking my head, I tried to be nice. “That’s weird.”
Daddy laughed. “I can see how it would be weird from your perspective. Think of it like my human costume.”
“You’re not a bug, Daddy.” That’d been a big bug in the alien movie, but Daddy wasn’t like that. “I… I like your human costume.”
It was like playing pretend.
Yes.
“I like playing pretend.”
I could play pretend with Daddy.
Poke.
He was real.
And not hairy.
“Where’d all your fuzzy go, Daddy?” Where did the rest of him go? “Did you lose them?”
“I have no idea how that works but I can explain how we ended up being seen as gods in several ancient religions.” Daddy shrugged when I giggled. “We all have our strengths and weaknesses.”
Daddy was smart but he was old story smart.
“I like stories.” Poke. “But… but my car…”
Yes, had to do that before forgetting got me.
“Can we play? I want to slide again.” I could go wee and make Daddy groan and be silly.
“You’ve had too much food for that.” Daddy gave me his look when I tried to pout but it wasn’t his regular Daddy look. “You had two servings of dinner and a cupcake.”
Daddy made good cupcakes.
“If you play too hard, you’ll vomit.” Daddy scrunched up his face and almost looked like him again. Almost. “I don’t want to even think about that, but we can come back tomorrow after breakfast? How does that sound?”
“I like playing.” I was good at playing. “Can we watch cartoons?”
“Yes.” Daddy got a frowny look on his face. “Can I kiss your head?”
“No.” He wasn’t Daddy. “I don’t kiss strangers, Daddy.”
No strangers.
Daddy blinked. “That’s a good rule. I’ll give you kisses when we get home and I can look like myself again.”
“Yes.” Daddy was smart. “I… I’ll give you big boy kisses when you’re Daddy again.”
Poke.
He wasn’t Daddy.
“You’re not fuzzy.” I couldn’t rub his hair. It was all gone. “You’re still big.”
“Thank you and remember you said I was still pretty.” Daddy pointed to the car. “Just remember that part when we’re driving.”
Driving.
Yes.
“Here.” Daddies did driving. “I don’t like getting lost.”
Daddy nodded and knew it was serious. “I can understand that. I’ll drive so you don’t get lost.”
Good.
“Okay.” Hmm. “I left Bouncy.”
“But she’s on the couch and she’s all safe waiting for you.” Daddy pointed to Bouncy’s seat. “Next time we have to leave her at the house we’ll turn on cartoons for her.”
“News. She likes news. She’s big.” News was boring but she liked it. “I’ll be Bouncy. It’s her seat.”
I bounced once but Daddy shook his head. “You can be Bouncy once I can hold your hand again. I don’t want you to fall.”
Daddy that wasn’t Daddy still worried.
“Okay…” I pouted a tiny bit but I did my big boy walk to Bouncy’s seat. “You can do my belt. I’ll let you since that’s not touching or kissing.”
It was belting and he was still pretty.
“Thank you.” Daddy opened the door and didn’t do any touching while I sat down and he was big careful when he put my belt on. “There we go. No touching.”
Whew.
“Why don’t you close your eyes and just listen to me. I think that might be easier.” Daddy shrugged while I made thinky sounds. “Let’s try that while I start driving us home.”
I was a big boy and nodded as I got lots of thinky.
Daddy knew I was being good and closed the door to walk around to the driver’s side. I knew he was Daddy, so I decided to try and closed my eyes. I heard him open the door and groan. “What?”
Daddy laughed and he was real Daddy again. “I forgot to push the seat back.”
Daddy got squished.
He groaned.
He sighed.
I heard the seat move.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz goes the seat.
“That’s much better. I’m starting to see why most of us have SUVs.” Daddy mumbled to himself about car stuff and then I heard it turn on. “We just don’t really fit in anything smaller.”
Daddy was big.
“Do you got a car?” I didn’t see a car. “Do you like walking?”
“I like walking, and no, I don’t own a car.
I don’t use them often enough.” Daddy made more thinky sounds as the car started to move.
“I share one with my father, though, and I have my driver’s license with this face on it.
I never understood why humans hated the DMV until I had to go there myself. ”
Daddy was funny.
“You’re laughing but that was very confusing for someone who’d lived in a tiny town all their life.” He sighed as I giggled more. “Nothing around here is that big, so even on trips into the human world we’d stuck to places that I wouldn’t get overwhelmed.”
“DMV is bad naughty.” And loud. And long. And cranky. “You did good, Daddy.”
“Thank you.” Daddy sounded happy as the car moved and turned and slowed again. Click. Click. Click. We were turning. “I’ve done a bit of traveling, and I go do a large grocery trip about every other month to stock up on staples, but most of the time I prefer looking like myself.”
“Good.” Hmm. “You’re still pretty when you’re not yourself.”
And I liked cereal and noodle soup from the can, so I could be brave sometimes.
“Thank you, little Roo.” Daddy hummed to himself as the car slowed again and it got bumpy and darker behind my eyes. “And we’re on the back roads now. I’ll show you how to get here later.”
Later… when I could look later.
“I’ll ’member, Daddy.”
Later.
“That’s right because you’re keeping your eyes closed for me.” Daddy made a happy sound when I nodded. “Then we’re going to watch cartoons and cuddle and hide from my parents.”
They were funny.
“Your Daddy had bunny slippers.” He was silly. “Bigfoot and the bunnies.”
“That sounds like a story book.” Daddy laughed when I gave a big nod. “Are you going to write a story about a Bigfoot that has bunny slippers? You said you were in animation, right?”
“Yep. I make pictures.” I was good at making pictures. “I can make happy pictures and sad pictures and silly pictures and naughty pictures.”
That made me giggle and Daddy laughed.
He pretended to be shocked. “Oh, my sweet Roo wouldn’t make naughty pictures.”
“I’m good at naughty ones, Daddy. I make good penises. My naughty-show boss said so.” He was nice. “But my boring-nice boss doesn’t know about penises. Shh.”
He was confused, so I didn’t tell him about that stuff.
“I won’t tell.” Daddy was quiet and then made curious sounds. “So you’re self-employed? You work for several companies?”
“Yep. Little bit here. Little bit there. Little bit everywhere.” That was a good song. I was so funny. “I got my stuff, so I go and I work and I say ‘yes, boss’ and I do good.”
“I bet you’re very good at your job, little Roo, and it sounds like you have fun with it.” Daddy made more sounds as we bumped and turned. “What do you mean when you said you go?”
“I go here. I go there. I go everywhere.”
Ha.
“Okay, Dr. Seuss.” Daddy chuckled and if he’d have been regular Daddy, he’d have been shaking his head. But he wasn’t regular Daddy yet, so I didn’t peek. Nope. No peeking. “Is that the kind of cartoon we should watch? Should we find one of those Dr. Seuss movies?”
“Oh… hunt for trees?” I good hunter. “Be nice to the trees.”
“Because that’s where Bigfoot lives.” Daddy thought he was funny and I thought he was funny and we both thought he was funny. “Okay, silly Roo. We’re home. Do you hear the garage door?”
Rumbles.
“Yes.” Slow. Slow. Slow. “We did it.”
“Keep your eyes closed for just one more minute, little Roo.” Daddy made hums and sighs and then it was quiet. “One more tiny bit and I’m going to come around and get you.”
Yay.
“Then we’ll get Bouncy and tell her sorry for not turning on the news.” Daddy was nice to Bouncy and nice to me. “Okay. I’m coming around to get you.”
Open.
Close.
Quiet.
Quiet.
Open.
“There we go.” Daddy crouched down beside me. “Open your eyes, little Roo. I’m me again.”
Hmm.
I was brave and reached out and found Daddy’s face.
“You’re back.” He was big and fuzzy again and his pretty colors were still there. “Now you get kisses ’cause you match.”
“I match my aura again?” When I nodded, Daddy laughed and kissed my pucker-lips. “I really like kisses, so thank you.”
Lots of kisses for Daddy, so I leaned over and kissed his cheeks. One. Two. “I like kisses but I like you bigger, Daddy.”
I like it when Daddy was Daddy too.
“Thank you, little Roo.” Daddy unbuckled me and I snuggled up to his arm. “You ready for cuddles?”
“Yes!” I was ready for Daddy too because he was back. “Milk?”
Daddy chuckled and picked me up out of the car. “We have a few things to talk about before we get that relaxed.”
Aww.
“I like relaxed.” Kiss. Kiss. “Now I get milk?”
Daddy laughed. “You are the cutest little manipulator ever.”
I was cute.
I giggled and hid my face and Daddy laughed again. “Okay, little Roo. Do you have pajamas you want to wear? Do you have your toothbrush?”
Oops.
“I forgot.” I sat up and pointed. “Back there, Daddy.”
“Okay, in the trunk?” Daddy kissed my head when I nodded. “Good boy. You tell me what we need.”
Lots.