“Daddy!” Arms wide opened the little girl plowed into her father’s leg while he was cleaning the dishes and held on tightly. Looking up she called out, “Daddy! We’re late!” the volume control on her voice seemed to be broken with how excited she seemed.
“Oh?” He chuckled, “What are we late for?”
“A date!” So much mirth in those wide dark purple eyes, it was clear as day she had watched Alice in Wonderland too many times. Too bad DVD’s didn’t break as easily as VHS tapes when over used. “I’ll go get Jasper! He can come too!”
“A-Ame…” Before her father could so much drop the dish he was holding, the soon to be kindergartner had already bolted towards his son's room. Lord help him.
The young female voice going up and down the hall was something Jasper had become accustomed too. It could be ignored as long as it was not screaming his name or following behind the sound of something breaking. That normally got him up.
But today was one of the few days his father was not rushing off to work so Jasper had decided not to play big brother and be a teenager...or was it college freshman...both really.
He was sleeping in peace after having once again gotten up in the middle of the night to go for a 3am run. The nightmares were starting to get more vivid. Always the same. Always a cold sweat found him. After several weeks, he had finally taken to getting up and running his body ragged before sleep returned to him. This had been one of those mornings.
Flopped on his bed, still in running clothes, Jasper had basically exhausted himself to sleep.
But the bomb was about to go off.
The knob turned with a not-too-quiet click and within seconds his little sister came stumbling into the dark room. Blessid be that fall was here and the room was dim enough, save for the light that spilled in from the hallway, to quiet her some. However, she was not to be deterred from her original mission.
“Jasper…” she spoke in a loud whisper while tip toeing across his room some how managing to step on every squeaky board feasibly possible. “It’s time to get uuuuuup. We’re going to be late!” Once at the side of his bed, Amelia rested her chin on folded arms and waited expectantly for him to wake up all the while fidgeting in place.
“Amelia….” Jasper’s voice came in a low, half asleep groan. He was facing his ceiling but it was clear that somewhere between when the door clicked open and the squeaky floorboards, she had broken the dreamless sleep. He didn’t need to open his eyes or see her to know who it was. Their father never woke him so quietly.
“Why are you already awake?” He groaned out as his head flopped over sending the silvery hair falling into his red eyes. But he was looking at her as if she didn’t have a good answer he would roll over and go back to sleep. “And where is Dad? Shouldn’t he be running you around?”
“Daddy’s in the kitchen cleaning.” If washing a few bowls counted as cleaning then he was doing his duty well.
“I want to try my outfit on but he said no. He said we have to get my hair cut first.” Her new school uniform had arrived the day before, still wrapped in the plastic bag she waited as patiently as a five year old could to finally be able to open it and play dress up.
Amelia shook her head causing the hair that had been tucked behind her ears to fall in front of her face like a vale. She was not suited for long hair, not yet at least. Especially since she liked crafts and, when able, to help out in the kitchen. Without at least one of the two males there to help get her hair out of her face, Amelia was prone to making a rats nest instead of pigtails if she tried to tie it back by herself.
“And isn’t Dad supposed to take you?” Jasper eyed her, barely moving. The point as to why she was waking him up had not be found yet. She was five. That hair needed to go and he was not going to be the one to cut it. Father’s orders. But if he so much as took her to a barber shop...oh Jasper would have words.
“Meli, I was up late. Is there a reason you need me?” He sighed, trying to allow himself to sleep.
“Yeah, but..” She paused, her excited mood sobering up significantly.
“But, I wanted you to come too.” She wasn’t trying to be manipulative to get her way; her words were sincere, Amelia really did want him there with them. “Please.” A tinge of sadness creeped into her tone. It was rare enough that the three of them got out of the house as a family which was why she often inquired about Jasper joining them whenever their father planned to take her out somewhere.
“Meli...please…” He started to say, his hand coming off his side as he rolled his head back to face upright. His fingers brushed his loose hair back and he closed his eyes. He was just so tired. Not to mention dealing with their father. Jasper had always been his mother’s son after all.
But he could hear the sadness in his sister’s voice. And as always, it broke him. Curse his weakness towards women. If only she had been born a boy.
“Alright. alright. Give me a few minutes. I need to get a shower and changed.” He finally forced out, pushing himself into a sitting position. He did stink.
If expressions were like lightbulbs the smile on her face would have blinded him, fortunately that was not the case. True he could have told her no, and yes she would have been disappointed some, but Amelia would have still enjoyed the day nonetheless.
“Yay!” She hopped in place like the white rabbit several times before stopping to reach up so she may give him a hug. “Now you can tell them how to cut my hair the right way!” Not to mention, with him there she would be far less fidgety. Oh the look of horror and dread on the last stylists face when Amelia turned her head as a customer walked in the front door only to mistakenly cut the child's bangs at a very obvious slant.
Excited Jasper was going to go with them, Amelia let him go and shuffled her feet out of his room back out to the kitchen to tell their father the good news.
Sirene Naiads
Word Count: 476
Shanyume
Word Count: 708
