Finnick and Annie (Short Stories)

Trouble in Paradise

"Annie for the love of God, I am not crazy! You said you'd pick him up!" snapped Finnick.

            "Oh but I am, so you're obviously right. I'm crazy so I must be making this up!" she snarled.

            "You said it, not me."

            Annie glared at him but beneath all the anger Finnick could see that he had hurt her feelings. "Just stay. I'll go."

            "No, Annie, it's fine. I can do it."

            "Well I don't want you to!" she said.

            She turned on her heel and slammed the door on her way out to pick up their son at school. She'd told Finnick that morning that she had errands to run so that he had to go, but Finnick could have sworn that she hadn't. Annie had been furious when she'd arrived home from the market, forty minutes after Caspian should have been picked up.

            "Where's Cas?" she'd asked him.

            "I thought he'd be with you," he said. And that little misunderstanding had evolved into a full-fledged fight. They'd been arguing over everything lately. It was so frustrating.

            When Annie got to school Caspian was sitting against a tree, his arms crossed and his face screwed up into a frown. His eyes were puffy and red because he'd been crying. "Sweetheart... what's wrong?" she asked.

            "You forgot about me," he sniffled. "I've been waiting here like three hours and everybody else left." He looked like what Finnick must have looked like when he was five years old, except he had his mother's lighter skin.

            "I didn't forget about you, Sweetie," she said. "I was just busy with some stuff and so I was running a little bit late." He stood up, picked up his bag and marched in front of his mother without saying another word. When she tried to hold his hand to lead him home he puled it away.

            When they got home Finnick was in the kitchen and Caspian ran to hug him. Finn picked him up and kissed his head. "Hey, buddy. What's up?" he asked

            "Mommy forgot to pick me up and I was all alone at school for like three hours," he whined.

            "Three whole hours?" he asked amused, Caspian nodded. "Would some ice cream make you feel better?" He nodded once more, smiling this time.

            Finn sat him down on the kitchen counter as he served him a bowl of ice cream. "Thank you, Daddy, you're the best!" Finnick smiled and winked at him while Annie stood in the kitchen doorway, glaring at him.

            "Great, Finn," she barked. "No wonder he likes you more."

            "Oh, what on Earth are you talking about now?" he sighed.

            "You're the one who forgot to pick him up but he's mad at me and then we get home and you're waiting for him with a bowl of ice cream. I'm always the bad guy."

            " Annie, that's ridiculous."

            "It is not!" she yelled. "You're too damn worried about him liking you so I have to be the strict one all the time. I'm the one that makes him do his homework and you take him to the beach. I force him to eat his vegetables and you give him sweets."

            "So you want me to nag him too?"

            "I don't nag him!" she protested.