Trying Hard to Ignore You

Memory Lane

I sit in my chair at the table, staring at the mushy oatmeal my Mummy set out for me. I'm only three years old, and the food is so gross!

"Pew!" I pout, scooping a spoonful of the gross stuff and throwing my spoon across the kitchen.

It clatters against the floor.

"Come on sweetie, just eat some." Daddy says, trying to get me to eat some of the nasty tan mush.

"No!" I say, slamming my hands down in my plate.

"Eat the bloody food, dammit!" Mummy yells at me.

"Josephine, stop being so cold." Daddy snaps at her. "Come on honey, just one bite?" He asks.

"No!" I say, kicking my feet. My sneaks connect with Daddy's arm, splitting the spoonful of mush into his pretty blue shirt.

He sighs, setting down the spoon, defeated.

"Let her starve!" Mummy growls. "She doesn't get anything until the little brat eats!"

She storms out of the kitchen, the front door slamming.

Daddy looks at me, studying me.

"You're a cute little girl, do you know that? You're so beautiful, Audrey."

I grin. Mommy hit me in the mouth last night and made me lose my first tooth, and then she told me that the tooth fairy isn't real, but Daddy swore on his life that it was, and he had me put my tooth under my pillow anyways, and I got five dollars!

"I'm hungry." I whine.

"Well then eat your food." He says calmly.

"No. It hurts my mouth!" I whine.

"It hurts your mouth?" He asks. "Why?"

"Look!" I lift my lip where Mommy hit me, and there's a big painful cut there and it keeps bleeding.

Daddy looks angry.

"Let's get you changed, okay darling?"

"Okay." I smile, but I stop because it hurts my mouth.

My baby sister is with my Nana for the day because my Daddy said he wants a day to bond with me. We haven't had a lot of time to play since Emmy was born.

I watch as he eats all my tan mush, cleans up the floor in the kitchen where my spoon landed, and walks over to me with a wipe. He has me wipe my hands and helps me wipe my face.

"Come on my sweet little girl." He picks me up. I start swinging my feet.

"I want to walk!" I whine.

He sets me on my feet and has me go up the stairs first, watching me as I go up, and then he goes up them quickly.

"I hope one day I can go up the stairs as fast as you can, Daddy." I say.

"You one day will darling." He says, walking into my bedroom.

I walk in too, and he holds up my two favorite dresses.

One of them is white with yellow flowers, and the other one is pink with purple dots.

"Which one sweetie?" He asks.

"That one!" I point to the yellow one.

"What color is that?" He asks.

"Yellow!" I say, giggling.