I shrugged, not used to getting compliments or praise, especially for something I didn’t want anyone to know about me. She understood my silent response, nodding and closing the notebook. She handed it back to me.
“Do you not want anyone to know?” she asked what I was already thinking.
“Half-Pint—”
“It’ll be our secret.” She threw her arms around my waist. “I promise I won’t tell anyone until you say I can.”
I put my arms around her, kissing the top of her head. She hugged me tighter.
“Can you promise to show me more of your drawings? Can you share your talent with me, at least? Please?” she whispered, gazing up at me.
“I promise.”
She nodded, hugging me one last time before she pulled away. It was then that we heard footsteps on the wooden dock, one big thud after another. We both peered in the direction of the noise.
“Bo!” Alex called out, her special nickname for him. “I’ve been lookin’ all morning for you. I found Austin instead.” She pointed in my direction.
He pulled her to his side, and she willingly went with love and adoration spilling right out of her. I looked back up toward Lucas and if looks could kill…
I would be dead.
<>Briggs<>
“Daddy, can I have this?” I asked, holding a dolly with sparkling purple hair, trying to look as cute and adorable as I could. My puppy-dog eyes always worked with Daddy.
“Your mom said no, princess,” he responded.
“But, Daddy, I really need this, please, pleeeease, pretty please?” I begged, giving him the biggest pouty lip.
“Daisy, you already have hundreds of dolls that look exactly like that one,” Mom chimed in.
“No, Mommy, I don’t. She has sparkly purple hair,” I said, raising her above my head so she could see and understand what I was talking about.
She grabbed her out of my grasp and I smiled big, thinking I won. It soon faded when she placed her back on the highest shelf that I couldn’t reach.
“Mommy!” I stomped my foot on the ground.
“Daisy, don’t you dare throw a temper tantrum right now. You have hundreds of dolls, you don’t need another one,” she reasoned.
“Daddy!”
“You heard your mother, baby,” he soothed.
I rolled my eyes.
This was not the time for him to be calling me that. I grunted, “I’m not a baby!”
Did they not understand how much I needed that doll? She didn't know what she was talking about. I didn't have any like her. It was so unfair.
Ken didn’t want to be with plain Barbie anymore, he wanted to be with Sparkle Barbie. She was ruining all my plans for the wedding of the year, a huge, purple, beautiful wedding. I crossed my arms and sulked the entire way through the store as she placed one stupid item after another in the cart.
Why did she get a book and I got nothing? Why couldn’t she just not buy broccoli and get me my doll? I hated broccoli, even Daddy hated broccoli. Stupid Mom. Stupid broccoli.
She never let me buy what I wanted. Daddy never told me no. Sometimes I wished she wasn’t around. That it was just my daddy and me. Life would be so much better if it was just the two of us, then Mommy couldn’t tell me what I could and couldn’t have. My daddy and I don’t need a mommy. We would do fine without her.
I watched him pull out a wad of cash to pay for our groceries. There was a lot of money; we could have definitely bought my doll. She was just being mean.
“Daddy, please…” I pleaded, tugging on the ends of his shirt.
“Baby, we can talk about it later. I have to go. Daddy is running late for a meeting. You don’t want me getting into trouble, do you?”
I could see it in his eyes, he wanted to say yes, but Mommy cocked her head to the side as if she was testing him. He looked down at me and shook his head no. He grabbed my hand as we walked out to the car, but I didn’t want to leave, I wanted my doll.
“Daddy, please,” I tried again.
“Daisy, ya no más!” Mom scolded in Spanish, “Daisy, no more.” I narrowed my eyes at her, giving her my angry face.
He buckled me into my booster in the backseat of his car. I hated that thing; I was a big girl. Daddy told me so all the time. I didn’t need to sit in a baby seat. I was six years old, but my mom said that I was still under the weight and height, so by law, I still had to ride in one. I think she was lying, there was no law—she just wanted me to sit in one. Daddy gave me a kiss on the forehead and told me he loved me and closed the door.
He rounded the corner of the car and gave Mommy a kiss on the lips, telling her he loved her before he got into the passenger seat. I didn’t want to sit behind Mommy, I wanted to sit behind Daddy. I kicked the back of her seat before she got in the car.
Daddy looked down at his watch after Mommy started driving.
“There’s no way I’m going to make this meeting.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, Michael. I know how important this meeting was for you.”