Chapter 1.12

Chapter 1.12- Sometimes We Dance

                Phedra’s gonna be a big girl! Feeling like a nanny for a little too long, Phedra’s birthday gives Helen all kinds of glee. She’s also felt left out of the little world Cyrus and Buck have together. She wants a little one who will look up to her in the same way. Also, she’s more than ready to prove to herself that her parenting skills are not and worse than Buck's.

                Sparkles!

                And just like that Phedra pops out legs! And a dress! And fixes her hair!

                A sigh of relief escapes Helen, noticing that this tiny almost-clone of herself looks almost nothing at all like her father. The jaw line is all Trenton, strong and square, and her hair belongs to Trenton’s father Johnny. But everything else is her mothers. With almost no effort at all, she’ll be able to hide her daughter from her father for a long while yet.

                When Helen insisted she be allowed some time with the birthday girl, Buck decides that Cyrus needs some attention too. Just because it isn’t his birthday doesn’t make him not special.

                Every time the two passed the park on the way to the pond, Cyrus would point his chubby hand and ask if they could go. Buck’s answer never varied, it was always “Another time, Buddy.” This time, was the time.

                Cyrus can’t believe his good luck when they stop at the park finally. He’s going to have the best time ever with Buck.

                Buck is just excited the boy is enjoying it. Rarely does he enjoy something if Buck isn’t able to hold him while he does it.

                The squeals and whoops Cyrus lets loose as he rides the rocket ship set Bucks heart soaring. This was the right decision while Helen has some time with Phedra.

                Looking into Cyrus’ shining eyes once more though, and his throat constricts.

                ‘If life can be so good and fun with someone else’s son, how much better would it be with my own?’

                Cyrus finally stops rocking and reaches up, grunting for Buck to take him down, to take him home.

                Buck lifts the boy up and cuddles him for a moment. He’ll have to talk to Helen tonight. See if she could ever think about just one more… For him.

                Meanwhile, Helen sits down to talk one on one with her daughter while the boys are out.

                “Music,” Helen says with a bug eyed grin. “Music is what we listen to on the radio. Sometimes we dance.”

                “Danz!” Phedra even accompanies her statement by showing off a few of her moves to her mother. Helen couldn’t be happier. It’s what she’s always wanted, a tiny little version of herself in looks and tastes.

                “Yes! Yes! Yes Fay! Dance! We love to dance!”

                When Phedra asks if she can fly in an airplane one day, though, it’s all Helen can do to keep from clasping the girl tightly to her.

                “Ayer paine go high! Ayer Paine take Fay away!”

                “Oh no honey,” Helen gasps. “You can’t go in an airplane until you’re older. You can’t leave Mommy behind can you?”

                “Fay go away in Ayer Paine!”

                Helen turns the subject, hoping her daughter will never leave her side.

                Little does she know that her daughter’s plans extend far beyond mere airplanes. Phedra hasn’t let Helen in on that little secret yet.

                Trying instead to give her daughter wings closer to the ground Helen undertakes teaching Phedra to walk. It’s amazing to her just how reluctant the small girl is to try to learn. It’s like she prefers crawling, which Helen cannot wrap her head around.

                Her wobbly and unsteady legs give no natural confidence, and little Phedra finally sees some of why Cyrus is forever seeking Buck out. It’s to get a little bit of time away from the giant Helen shaped Helicopter.

                “Come on,” Helen encourages. “Come on sweetheart. You can do it.”

                Barely able to stand steadily, Phedra is seriously concerned at the distance Helen is asking her to traverse on this, her first lesson.

                As though to emphasize a point, Cyrus chooses that moment to walk in between the two heading for the Master Bedroom. His steady gait and ability to run, (even though he flaps like a bird as he goes,) makes Phedra even shakier than before.

                “No,” Phedra tells Helen as she gingerly lowers herself to the floor. “No, Mama.”

                Her little lip is aquiver and all she wants to do is go and find her rocket toy. Helen doesn’t notice Phedra’s distress however. She just thinks Phedra is being cute.

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                It seemed like a joke at first, but Buck has gradually come to accept the calls asking him for electronic repairs by various folks around town. He had barely ever unstopped a toilet when he was first commissioned to repair a tv. Another tv repair has him at the hospital today. The doctors are tired of missing the soap operas during break time and he’s just finished making sure The Sims of Our Lives is coming in clear and crisp when he spotted Trenton across the street.

                He’s tired of people around town assuming that he’s the father of two children. They ask why he doesn’t just marry Helen and change the children’s last name to his own. It’s this remark that some busy-body nurse had thought he ought to know that springs to his mind the moment he spots Phedra’s birth father.

                “When are you going to man up and take care of your kid?” Helen is going to kill him when she finds out about this.

                “My kid?” Trenton, who has no idea who Buck is, thinks Buck is simply an escaped resident of the top floor of the Hospital.

                “Yeah,” Normally, Buck hates confrontations. He’s a coward by nature. But today, something else is pushing him on.

                A spark of fear in Trenton’s eye gives a boost to Buck’s normally low confidence, making him plan his attack in his head before he ever acts on it.

                ‘I’m going to go Kung Foo on his ass, but not before I make sure he knows that he messed with the wrong family.’

                “You’re a sack of garbage,” Buck snarls, raising his hand for his signature Kung Foo Flick.

                “Ow!” Trenton grabs his nose, rubbing it furiously. “Did you just flick me in the nose?”

                “Yeah, I did! N’ there’s more where that came from, scum bag!”

                “You’re jus’ a bug! A stupid weak little Bug! I squish bugs! Then I feed em’ to fish!”

                Taking a step back from the nut, Trenton finally realizes that this man was at his wedding. He still can’t make any connection to what he’s shouting about and real life though.

                “Look,” shoving a finger in Buck’s face, Trenton finally has had enough. “I have seen you only ONCE in my life before! I have no idea what you are going on about! Leave- Me- ALONE!”

                That’s enough for Buck. All the shouting he had done had gone to his head in ways he didn’t even realize.

                Trenton catches a devilish grin as Buck looks down. He can imagine it bodes badly for him, but he has no idea what is about to happen.

                What has happened is Buck sighted Trenton’s footwear and compared it with his own steel-toed boots.

                Coming down as hard as he can Trenton only has time for a surprised gasp before the men’s feet collide.

                For a moment, Trenton hops around on one foot as Buck laughs maliciously at him.

                ‘Where are the police, or even a photographer, when you need one?’ Trenton thinks hopelessly.

                He was forced to put his foot down again when Buck reached out and slapped him, hard, across the cheek.

                The blood had rushed to Buck’s face and neck, making him look like a boiling lobster, making Trenton fear for the worst.

                Sure enough, barely had he raised a hand to his bruised cheek when he registered a low, guttural growl that was getting louder quickly.

                Buck had sprung, wrapping his arms around Trenton knocking him to the ground.

                Finally, Trenton reacted. Buck might have gotten a few free shots due to Trenton’s complete bewilderment, but it was over.

                In the background, Bryant Swanson presents a lovely bouquet to his lovely wife, Stephanie. Even the photographer is ignoring the two men tussling across the street.

                Screaming for Help as loudly as he can has produced nothing. Trenton is sure the howling swearing ball of sweat he is trying to escape will eventually kill him if no one steps in. He’s a weakling at best, his pretty face getting him farther in life than he would have otherwise.

                It’s only when Buck finally gives a final ear-splitting howl and shoves Trenton one last time that someone arrives.

                It isn’t help. It’s another worthless photographer. Trenton rubs his back, hoping the man didn’t get a shot and doesn’t tell anyone that he was bested by some random insane former wedding guest.

                The rush of blood to Buck’s head has finally started to ebb, leaving his ears throbbing and head pounding. Trenton had managed to get in a pretty good blow to the back of his head that makes his eyes want to cross, but he’s pretty sure he just made far better moves than this pansy.

                He lets Trenton trot away from him. Buck is still trying to register what had just happened. He can’t be sure if he started it, or it Trenton did. It’s a big blur. Standing still a moment, he does what Buck does best; he thinks.

                A song floats along the wind, making him turn to find the source. Seeing Trenton from afar again jars his memory.

                “Shit.”

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                I had a really hard time with this chapter. It was fun to play, not to write. Buck has the coward trait and fighting Trenton, for any reason, was a risky move. I was kind of banking on Buck losing. Things never go the way I figure they will. Oh well. There is a reason for the fight. I swear. It's not random.

                Trenton is a minor celebrity in the town while I keep killing Buck and Helen’s celebrity points. So Buck actually had to befriend Trenton in order for me to have Buck beat Trenton up. It was a little funny actually. And Buck really did inform Trenton that he has a kid. Loved it.
                 And finally, there is a headshot of toddler Phedra up in the Generational Goals Tab. She looks a LOT like her mama.