Brave (New Earth Saga)

Ch. 10

"Please Morgan, just tell me who grabbed you? A-and how did they, an-and WHERE did they grab you!?"

"Hey!" I attempted to shout over Joe's panicked booming voice. "Bring it down Joe! I-I shouldn't have even told you-"

"No Morgan. Don't act like this. Did your teacher know? I mean, why didn't I get a call? I mean Morgan, you can always call me anytime. I don't care what rules they have at the school about phones... If you ever feel unsafe, or you need to come home, just call me, and I'll,"

"I know," I said as I looked down at my feet.

"Please put me out of my misery and tell me what happened."

5 min later...

So Joe didn't take the way I was grabbed well... and he took the fact that it happened in front of a teacher even worse.

"What is wrong with that school. I should have been notified!"

"Well in a way I am supposed to notify you, but on the part where I got detention."

"What?!" Joe boomed. When he's this emotional he forgets to be mindful of my human ears... or maybe that was the theme of today.

"So I should probably add in the part where I panicked from how tight he held me, and you know, from him grabbing me without asking... which being your daughter I'm apparently spoilt into feeling entitled to giants asking... So yea, I kind of freaked out... and I bit him."

"WHAT!?" Joe literally shouted.

"Hey! Don't yell like that!" I scolded Joe as I held my hands to my ears.

"Sh#t, I'm sorry Morgan," Joe apologized in a much quieter tone... well quiet for a giant.

"So maybe we should just get the rest out in the open?" I asked

"There's more?" Joe asked as his eyes grew wider than I think I've ever seen them grow.

"So I didn't go to a club meeting or whatever after school. I actually had detention, which I know I'm bad for lying about, but I just wanted to tell you in person. Oh and now I'm actually required to tell you in person because detention issued us sig-grams to get our parents thumb print... so that was obviously exactly how I wanted to end my day, with having to explain to my teacher that I would need to use a giant sized sig-gram that's literally bigger than me.... Only to have that not work because I'm too much of a little human for the device to even notice me... but I guess it all worked out in the end because if that huge sig-gram had worked, it's not like some puny human like me could have carried it out to you. I couldn't have even lifted it into the elevator...and then there's no way I would have gotten it out the human exit."

Joe's right hand was holding onto his forehand as he closed his eyes seeming to ask for strength on how to proceed. I knew I shouldn't have said this all at once... but it's all linked... and on the bright side I didn't' say eeeverything... like I didn't use any names, and because I've just thrown so much on him, I have a solid few minutes before he circles back to asking for names.

"Ok... First of all, look at me," Joe asked me in a very soft tone. "Don't ever put yourself down for being human."

Now I was crying... again.

"Hey- I'm not done," Joe joked. "There's so much to unpack here... but I need you to know that hearing all this, what really breaks my heart the most is to hear you look down on yourself in any way for being who you are."

"I'm sorry,"

"Why are you apologizing?" Joe asked with an exasperated tone.

"Because you always have to change for me," I admitted as I looked down at the ground unable to meet Joe's eyes. "Like how come all the other kids in detention could just do normal sig-grams and put it in their bag and go home with no fuss, but with me it's a whole thing. Or like I have to have a special kitchen because I can't do anything in your kitchen. And, what about how long I make you wait for me to walk through the parking lot because my legs are so short that I'm slow..."

"Sweetheart, how long have you been feeling all this?"

"I don't know... today I guess," I said in a hushed tone. If Joe wasn't paying attention he probably would have missed it thanks to my puny voice.

"Morgan... look at me," Joe requested, with so much care behind his eyes once I finally looked at him.

"Do you ever think that there's something wrong with me because I can't fit in your kitchen?"

"No, but-"

"Let me finish," Joe insisted before he kept getting to the point he was trying to make. "Do you ever think about how you had to walk all the way through the parking lot because it's me who can't go in your parking lot? Or what about when I find my daughter upset, it's me who's too big to give her a proper hug."

"That's not what I think!"

"And why is that?" Joe asked with a sense of pride because he knew his point was starting to sink in.

"Because you're not too big, you just are a giant."

"So how is that any different then you just being human?"

"I guess it's not," I finally admitted as I let out a sigh.

"Being in a mixed family, or going to a mixed school is inevitably going to have It's hills to climb, but just remember that treating people equally isn't pretending that you aren't different. It's accepting those differences."

"Joe, how are you so wise?"

"Well it's not the first time I've had to have this conversation you know,"

"Really?"

Joe let out a chuckle at my surprise. "Oh yea. You think your mom and I never had this conversation?"

"What did Mom have to say?" I asked as if hearing the words of my mother would grant me a new memory to share with her... it's not like we could make more together.

"Well, Mom usually was in the position I'm in right now," Joe admitted as he leaned back in his chair like he was settling into the memory himself.

"What do you mean?"

"It was me who felt too big for her world. I couldn't fit in her house, I couldn't ride in her car, I couldn't hold her hand..."

"You felt all that?"

"Yep... but it was your mom who had this same conversation with me where she made me understand that me being bigger than you guys, was me being myself."

"I miss her so much," I said as I wiped my eyes.

"I understand... but you know how I've been getting through this?"

"How?"

"I get to spend time with the spitting image of her, who happens to be the best daughter ever,"

"You are so corny!" I said with a laugh.

"Hey! I got a laugh!

"

"Thanks Joe... For everything."

"Thank you for smiling right now. My heart couldn't take much more!" Joe expressed as he put his hand on his chest like he was in physical pain.

As if he could sense I'd reached my limit for the day, Joe dropped the school topic all together and distracted me with a movie night. Before the two of us went our separate ways to head to bed, Joe brought school back up, and offered for me to stay home tomorrow. As tempted as I was, I knew I couldn't stay home forever... so tomorrow I'd brave it out... I mean the first day's the worst... right?