Sunflower - Post Malone

Childhood

Lola and Rich are sat under a big boardroom table in Austins music studio. She had seen him crawl under it with markers and when she checked he had been drawing on the underside of the table.....so now she is helping him. 

Austin and a few of his people and friends are sitting around the table on chairs talking about his upcoming tour dates and other very boring work stuff.

"What do you think of this tattoo?" one of Austin's friends holds up his phone to Austin.

"Wow. That is awesome." Lola catches the genuine excitement in his voice, she guesses they will be in a tattoo parlour by the end of the day.

"Should I make an appointment for you to get it?"  His friend asks.

"Na, I don't think I am going to get any more tattoos."

Lola stops colouring. What the fuck did he just say? His words must have everyone in shock because the whole room has gone quiet. 

"What?" someone says.

"Yeah," Austin says a little unsure, "I have read and heard some of the stuff people have said about me lately. Thinking I am too immature to raise my kid right and should man up.......be a better example. So I was thinking of cleaning my act up a bit. No more tattoos, maybe a haircut. Start small."

What the fuck is Lola hearing? She hates every word that has tumbled out of that stupid man's mouth. This can't be right....she must have misheard what he said.

"Yeah I was watching a talk show the other day that said you needed to grow up a little now that you are married and have a kid."  someone says.

What the actual fuck. Lola can feel the anger in her body vibrating. Fuck that talk show and fuck whoever brought it up now. She has had enough.  She searches the feet around the table and identifies Austins, crawls over to him and pops her head out from under the table between his legs.

"Hello Austin," she says and waits a moment while he jumps in his seat and almost falls backwards. 

"Fuck me baby!" he grabs his chest and tries to calm his breathing "where the hell did you come from.......what are you doing under there?"

Lola shakes her head, "semantics Austin. Now, if you please. Will you join me under the table for a family meeting?"

Austin slides off his chair and crawls under the table. He is too big to sit up so he opts to just stay lying down on his belly, his face splits into a smile when he sees Rich.

"Hello, little man, what are you and your mother doing under here?"

Rich who is kneeling and holding an uncapped marker smiles at his father and then points up to the underside of the table with his marker. Austin flips himself on his back and looks up.

The underside of the table is of a man on a stage that looks a lot like Austin he has curly hair and is holding what could be a microphone or an ice cream, Austin is not sure.  It looks like he has a crown on his head and is flexing his muscles. There are lots of stick figures standing around the Lobsided drawing of the man on the stage and they all have big smiles on their faces and heart-shaped eyes.

"Dadda" Rich points to the man on the stage. Austin can't help the smile on his face getting bigger. Lola lays down next to him as Rich reaches up and continues to colour in the crown.

"You know what I think?" Lola asks Austin, her voice soft.

"What do you think baby?"

Lola points to the drawing and Austin watches her delicate fingers trailing the lopsided drawing.

"Now I don't know about you but the way I see it........ if your kid spends all his time drawing the best fucking picture in the world and it's of you singing, flexing your muscles and wearing a crown while the world watches with hearts in their eyes........its kind of obvious what he thinks of you........you are doing a bang-up job at this fatherhood thing."

Austin stays still and when Lola turns her head slightly she can see his eyes are shining. She looks up again and points to a poorly drawn house.

"I drew that....... it's our home.....the home that you have given to Rich and me. We are both very happy at our home."

Rich finishes colouring in the crown and swops his yellow marker for a red marker and then moves over to the picture of the house drawing a wobbly heart around it then wriggles his eyebrows at his father. 

"When he sees how kind and loving you are, how respectful you are to those around you..........when he sees you wear your tattoos with pride because it makes you different and when he sees you brave enough to follow your dreams and never giving up, it gives him the confidence to dream........to be just like you. In this world, Austin, if you are not dreaming then you are just sleeping."

Rich lets out a loud yawn and clampers onto his father's chest and curls himself into a ball like a kitten and falls asleep.

"It scares me." Austin whispers

"What scares you?"

"That I might not be the best man for you and Rich."

"I will tell you what a wise man once told me..........We are all a little weird and I would love you no matter how you present yourself because there is never a scenario that I cant love you. But I do really.....really like this version of you. You are my Austin."

Austin smiles and turns his head to face Lola. She moves in closer so the tips of their noses touch.

"That's me. I said that."

"Yes, you did." Lola rubs his nose with hers, it's sickly sweet this love of theirs.

"Do you really think that?" he whispers.

"Yeah, I really think that," she answers back just as softly.

"Ok," he mouths and leans in stealing a kiss from Lola.

"So are we all good?" Lola asks and Austin nods.

She pulls back and smiles then leopard crawls to the end of the table and pops her head out.

"Book that tattoo appointment please.....we have a busy afternoon of bad choices and making memories to start!"