My Daughter, Audrey [ON HOLD]

Deserving More

When morning came, Peter felt the bed bouncing beneath him.  He heard a childish squeal and felt whooshes of air cooling his face.   He opened his eyes and saw Audrey hopping on the bed on her knees while throwing sections of the quilt up in the air—that explained the random breeze.   Peter rubbed his face and ruffled his bangs.   “Aye, wot ya doin’?”

               At the sound of his voice, Audrey settled down and crawled onto his lap.  “Daddy, let’s do something today!”

               “Daddy’s got to work,” Peter said quietly, playfully tapping Audrey on the shoulder and then jerking his hand away when she tried to grab his fingers.

               “Oh, we never play together,” Audrey said drearily, folding her arms.

               “Don’t be like that, Ace.  Ya can let Jennie take ya around town, aye?”

               Audrey shook her head.  “Can I come with you?”

               “It’ll be dull—a child of yer spirit’s doesn’t want to sit around a tailor shop all day!”

               Audrey thought differently.  “I don’t mind.  Do, take me!”

               “Alright, but ya start complainin’, I’m not walkin’ ya back to the ‘ouse.  Deal?”

               Audrey nodded her head excitedly and sprung out of bed, waking up Jennie.

               Jennie sat up with a start, her hair covering her eyes.  “Oh blimey!  What time is it?”

               “Eight o’clock,” Peter answered casually.

               “I was supposed to help the girls plan tonight’s show!”  Jennie scrambled over Peter, gasping in astonishment at her own sleeping in.

               Peter held her back, flirting and laughing at what seemed to be “a trivial error” to him.  “Oh, come off it, love, yer makin’ a fuss!”

               “Let go of me!”  Jennie said, trying to sound frustrated when in all honesty, she was enjoying being handled by Peter and the attention was quite worth it.   She slapped Peter’s wrist until she was free from his hands. “Behave, you!  I’ll ring you this afternoon.   Be a good boy and I’ll put on a brilliant show for just you.”   Jennie gave him an exaggerated wink and puckered her lips at him.

               “Really?”  Peter asked hopefully, leaning forward in the bed.

               Jennie’s face went straight and she answered bluntly, “No.  Sorry, on our wedding night though.”

               Peter flung his head into the mass of sheets and lamented loudly, hoping that his pitiful tears would make Jennie feel sorry enough for him to give him a tease.   But she didn’t buy it, and instead whacked him on the head with her pillow.   “Now, Peter, I was only playin’ with you.   I want everything to be special.  I don’t want to spoil anything.”

               “I understand, same ‘ere—I guess.”

               Jennie went up to Peter and rubbed noses with him and kissed his forehead.  “Visit me after the show, I’ll miss you.”

               “Will do, I’ll take care of the girl as well.”

               “I know you will.”

               “I love you,” Peter said without second thought.   He held back any further affection, hoping that he hadn’t crossed a line with Jennie.

               Jennie, having never heard those words said to her in a meaningful tone, rested against the door and stared at Peter in disbelief.   In almost a whisper, she said, “I don’t deserve you, Peter Holmes.  I know we’ve known each other for only what seems like moments, but you’ve stayed with me—and you haven’t treated me like so many men would.”

               Peter shrugged and answered candidly, “You don’t deserve to be treated that way.  Not like those old buggas treat ya.”

               Jennie lips pinched, keeping the tears behind her eyes.  She nodded her head, agreeing with him.   “I’ve got to go.”  Jennie slipped into her heels, grabbed her stole, and propped her black sunglasses on top of head.  She blew both Audrey and Peter a kiss and left.

               Audrey looked at Peter and winked.  “She loves you!”

               “Shut up, you,” Peter said, covering up his shyness.

               “You’re blushing!”  Audrey exclaimed, pointing to Peter’s rosy cheeks.

               Peter threw a pillow at her, lightly hitting her in the face.   “Come on, let’s go take a walk.”