Jokers child

A day out

A little bell chimed as I entered the Sunny Village Daycare, "Welcome to- Oh, good afternoon Ms. Quinzel, here for Lucy?" It was a perky little blonde girl, Carley, I believe her name was.
"Hey there," I smiled, "Yup, it's time for Lucy to come home, she do good today?"
She nodded, "Yes Ms. Quinzel, she did wonderful as always," She paused, "Ms. Quinzel you've died your hair." She noted, and I had, the ends of half of my hair were red and the other end were black.
"Yeah, changing things up a bit, good for the soul." I laughed.
"Well, you're cleared to go back to the playroom, good evening Ms. Quinzel." She smiled and pressed a button that opened a pair of double doors to a very yellow, and very cartoonish, room.
I waved at her and embraced the yellows and oranges of the suns painted on the walls, play duo smelling, not sure what that sticky stuff is, of the play room at the daycare.
Something I realized as a parent is that I can always tell where Lucy is, she's always near a window, and always is laughing, sometimes it's for the wrong reason but most time for a good reason, well hopefully.
I started to walk towards her but was interrupted by the manger of the daycare, Mrs. Slaught. "Ms. Quinzel!" Her voice rang out over all the children screaming as so did her ugly tan suit dim the bright yellows and oranges of the walls.
"Oh- Hi ya, Mrs. Slaugh." I replied and tried to step around.
She side stepped in front of me. Does this women know I can take her out in under a minute? "Ms. Quinzel, how do you like being the therapist at the local Meredith Senior Center?"
I tilted my head. "It's great, ya see, all the old people tell you all their secrets, that not even their children know. Or when they admit the killed someone, that's great too, they confess all the guilt they've felt over the years, cry a little, then no longer need life support. See? Guilt really does kill!" I laughed, the daycare manager just stared at me for a moment, after clearing my throat I added, " That was the topic of my thesis paper at Gotham University, well my second one anyways, my first one was unethical."
"Unethical?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow, what a curious old bat.
"Ha bat"
"Like the Batman!"
"Yes, we all got the joke, the Batman."
"That was a joke?"
"Only half."
"Half?"
"Yea because I cut the bat in two!"
"We're being watched."
"Ms. Quinzel?" Mrs. Slaught bent down towards me. "Are you alright?"
I smiled, "It's Dr. Quinzel, and yes I'm fine, sorry I just remembered something."
"Ah, I see," She smiled. "My reason behind bringing that up is, we have a couple student, they're good students do not get me wrong, but they have weird behaviors at times." She paused then gently pulled me towards papers and paints on the floor. A rather dump I'd say.
"Might want to clean that up." I suggested.
She nodded with her light pink lips pressed together. "Yes, well Ms. Quinzel, I mean Dr. Quinzel, this is what I mean. Joey is a wonderful student, truly gifted in the arts," She picked up a painting of a house with a family and a smiling sun. "Then he'll have an episode like this, trash all the papers, and other kids paintings too, splatter paint everywhere, scream, kick. It's a rather awful sight really." She began shaking her head.
"That's typical among artsy people, no matter the age, recessive anger issues, it's comes with the artistic gene. He'll either grow out of it or just learn to deal with it." I shrugged.
"Well, we have this girl,-"
"Mrs. Slaught, I don't mean to come off rude, forgive me I am from New York, but I'm here for my daughter. Lucy." I pulled on the sleeves of my long black, silk shirt.
Ms. Slaught sighed. "Yes, of course, I apologize." She stepped aside and waved a hand in the direction of Lucy. Nodding, I stepped around and headed straight towards her, with a sigh of relief.
"So happy to finally get you." I said picking her up, she always looks so surprised to see me when I come get her, I love it. "Ready to go home, Lucy?"
She giggled.
"Are you daft or dim?" I heard someone yell, once I turned around, well, it wasn't a surprise to see who it was yelling.
Tiffany Jones. She was wearing a tight black dress with silver heels, her pixie cut hair was a mess, and she looked to be picking a fight with Ms. Slaught.
"What a beastly idea, you must be daft," Tiffany raised her hands. "and a little dim too."
"Ms. Jones, I'm simply saying she has anger issues, she's hit several kids." Mrs. Slaught tried to continue on.
"I don't care if she hit the bloody governor, she's my daughter, and I will not have this foolishness." Tiffany picked up Dani, she's around Lucy's age with dark short hair and the cutest chubby cheeks, and began to stomp off but stopped and turned back around. "Why don't you just clear off, Ms Slaught."
Then she was gone.
"Let's go investigate Lucy." We hurried off after Tiffany, who was a lot faster than she looked, because once we got out into the parking lot she was no longer there.
I groaned.
That night Lucy and I fell asleep in the living room watching Julia Child cook a Hot Turkey Ballottine, and with thanksgiving coming around the corner, something like this would be good.
So first you debone the turkey. Fair enough.
"Like we should have deboned Batman."
"Joker wouldn't have gotten mad at us if we would have."
"He was mean."
"Stop thinking about him."
After you've properly deboned the chicken you can start the stuffing. Some onions, butter, 1 lb. pork, thyme, bread, peppers, salt and pepper, 3 eggs and cranberries.
Simple enough.
"Joker asked only simple stuff from us."
"He asked us to kill people."
"That's against our profession."
"Yea, eight years of school, a handful of money."
Insert the stuffing a 1/2 cup at a time until the turkey is full and then take a cup of nuts, such as pistachio and cashew, as the final touch to the stuffing. Pinch the turkeys legs together and tie it with a 1/8 in. long sting.
Place it in a shallow roasting pan.
"Joker was shallow."
"Shut up. I love him."
"No you don't, you love Lucy, she's here."
"Quite. Julia is talking."
The oven much be at 350 for 3 1/3 hours. 1/2 way threw it you must flip the turkey. And every 1/2 hour you must bast it in its one juice.
I started laughing.
Lucy yawned and I smiled.