Send Me In Orbit

Quickie

Prompt from @elliee23 : quickie (as alluded to in Birthday). Takes place about a month before Birthday.

Clark was building a house.

Well, a small one. A playhouse to be exact.

CJ was in a phase where he loved crawling into small spaces. They would find him under tables and inside of closets. Blanket forts were a delight for him, which Clark liked to indulge him in over the weekends. Father and son loved to huddle in a blanket fort in the living room or CJ's bedroom where they would talk or Clark would read stories or play his guitar. Sometimes Leah joined them, but mostly she kept out of the way and left them to their father-son bonding. It was the other day when they had all been in Clark and Leah's bedroom watching a little TV before bedtime that CJ saw some kids playing in a playhouse in a yard. He watched enraptured as the kids moved inside and out of the small space, playing pretend games.

Their precocious two year old had said, "Daddy, I want house!"

Clark studied the house on TV and said, "I could build that."

The next day Clark had hauled home wood from the shop and now here Leah was, watching her husband build a house.

She observed him through the backdoor as she held Claire on her shoulder, patting the infant's back. Claire let out a burp and Leah wiped her mouth with the burping cloth and gave her sweet baby a kiss. Meanwhile, outside, Clark paused from his work to wipe his face that was dripping with sweat. He used his shirt to do it, lifting up the bottom and revealing his very fine abs that Leah could never ever get tired of staring at. She paused in rocking Claire to do so now. There was a reason that she was standing here on the other side of the glass door. She did love to watch Clark work. She watched the defined muscles of his biceps pop out as he sawed the wood. When he bent down to pick up the fallen piece, she admired his backside...Yes, she was standing here and shamelessly ogling her husband.

The doorbell rang, making Leah jump and pulling her out of her reverie.

"Waah..." Claire whined.

"Shh...shh..." Leah rubbed her back as she walked to the front door.

Tita Jack was on the other side, holding Gigi. "Hi Leah! Hi Claire! Ahh gising ang baby!"

"Patulog na nga po," Leah said as she gave her a beso. "Pasok po kayo! Hi Gigi! I love your pink dress, you're so pretty."

"Tank tchoo," Gigi said in her small adorable voice, making Leah smile.

"Ready na ba si CJ?" Tita Jack asked. She put Gigi down in CJ's playpen in the living room, where the little girl immediately occupied herself with CJ's toys. Tita Jack held her arms out excitedly for the baby and Leah gave her Claire.

"Jenny!" Leah yelled up the stairs. "Nandito na si Tita Jack! Bumaba na kayo ni CJ."

"Sandali na lang, Ate!" Jenny yelled down.

Leah walked back over to Tita Jack. "Pasensya na po, si Jenny ang nagbibihis kay CJ."

"Ahh. Nasaan si Clark?"

"Ayun, nasa likod. Nagtatrabaho."

"Nag-uwi ng trabaho si Clark?" Tita Jack asked in surprise.

"Hindi. Naisipan niya kasi na gawan ng playhouse si CJ."

"Si Clarky Boy talaga! Ang dami naman mabibilhan niyan."

"Alam mo nama, Tita," Leah grinned. "Tawagin ko lang si Clark para makapagpaalam kay CJ."

Leah walked across the house to the back door. "Clark!" She called out. "Pumasok ka muna. Aalis na anak mo."

He looked up. "Nandiyan na si Tita Jack?"