The Monsters My Family Are

Chapter 5: Grandpa

   I wake up and look around. Is he here? No. Good. I heave a breath of relief. The LAST thing I need is you know who, here.

   Angeline pounces on me and asks, no yells, "CAN YOU PLAY WITH ME?!?!" Startled, I stumble backwards.

   I know the answer and it's the same as the other ones, "No."

   "Aww," she whines, "Please?" She uses the puppy dog face to beg.

   "No." She starts sniffing and get the 'boo boo' face on. She starts crying and every time she cries, I'm usually the one held responsible. "Shhh!! Shh!! Okay, Angeline, I'll play with you."

   She automatically stops crying and smiles, "Okay." She grabs my hand and drags me to her room. "Let's play Barbies!!!" She grabs a blonde Barbie and combs her hair.

   "Want to play something else?" I ask, as sweetly as I can, trying not to be mean.

   "Mommy says you love to play Barbies."

   Thanks, Mom. "I used to love it, when I was eight."

   "What happened?"

   "Let's see, when everyone gets older they get into new things. And if you're still playing  with Barbies people will make fun of you and I lost interest in them."

   "Why?"

   "I just lost interest."

   "Why?"

   "I lost interst, okay?!?!"

   "What are you intersted in?"

   "Electronics, iPods, computer stuff, not even that but people like different things. Music is kinda big."

   "Anything else?" she asks, bored.

   Um... what should I tell her? There are so much more but I don't think she's ready.

   "I'm waiting," she plays with her doll's hair.

   "Don't tell mommy I told you this. When you're in... about Junior High, you start to like boys."

   "Of course I do!! I have a lot of friends that are boys!!" Oh boy.

   "No, Angeline, not like as a friend--"

   "GROSS!!!" she bursts out.

   "So I'm guessing you get it, right?"

   "Uh huh," she nods, "All I wanted was to just play Barbie dolls."

   I take out a board game and we play it instead. "YES!!!" she cries, "I WON I WON!!! IN YOUR FACE IN YOUR FACE!!!" She jumps up and dances around me. I  let her win... no, I suck at this game.

   The door bell rings and I race Angeline to get it. "Angeline, don't answer it without me!!!" Too late, she already opened the door.

   "That's Grandpa," she says pointing to the very young looking man. About eighteen to twenty. But he does look like Grandpa in the pictures.

   "No, Angeline." I turn to the guy, "Sorry, sir, she must have offended you."

   "But it's Grandpa!!!" she whines. I put her behind me.

   The man laughs, "No, no, she didn't offend me. I have children too but they aer much, much older than you."

   "So did you have your kids at 16?" Angeline asks.

   "ANGELINE!!" I huff.

   "No, I look very young for my age."

   "How old are you?" Angeline asks.