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Sunday, November 1
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Marcus jolted awake and gasped for breath, his eyes flashing open as he returned to reality. Jessie had been kneeling in the middle of his bed, lightly prodding his shoulder and telling him to get up, but she leaned back suddenly as he jerked forward. “Daddy, are you OK?” she asked, her face suddenly filled with worry for her father. “Did you have a bad dream?”
His breathing slowed as his mind settled down, and realized that everything had all been in his head. “Yeah. I mean, no, it was just weird.” He couldn’t take his eyes away from his daughter’s concerned face. What a weird, crazy dream. In the moment, he had felt completely serene, albeit confused, but now he was a bit uncomfortable. His own flesh and blood having just moments ago been a heavenly being, but now in actuality, was back to being his normal, teenage daughter.
“Daddy?” she repeated, her head tilting to the side. “Are you sure you’re OK? You’re kinda looking at me weird.”
“Yeah, sorry.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “What time is it?” He glanced towards the clock on his dresser: 10:13. What the hell? It’s been awhile since I’ve slept in that much, and I wasn’t even up that late last night.
Jessie looked to the clock too, “Yeah, that’s why I came to wake you up. We both went to bed at the same time last night, but I figured maybe you just didn’t sleep very well.”
“Eleven, right?” he asked, turning to look at her again. She nodded and pursed her lips. Guess she’s right, maybe I just didn’t sleep well last night. After his encounter with Veronica last night, he spent several hours watching TV in one of the guest rooms, until Jessie and Paris came up to get them around 10:30 and said they were ready to go. Then Marcus had dropped Paris off at her house before taking Jessie and himself home. I guess the upside to middle school parties is there’s no alcohol, so there’s no way to get so blackout drunk that I wake up the next day and forget what happened. His memory still felt a bit foggy, but it was starting to come back to him. “Yeah, I had a bit of a hard time falling asleep,” he admitted. The encounter with Veronica had been on his mind the whole time. Had he done the right thing, allowing her to be friends with his daughter after admitting she had a crush on him? Maybe my first instinct was right, maybe I should’ve just said no, and been the adult in the room and said she’s not allowed to come over to our house. I could’ve been polite and respectful and still said that. But… I do need a job. It wasn’t merely that his daughter’s classmate had admitted she liked him, he was sure lots of parents had had a friend of their child’s admit to something like that before. And the parents probably just explained that feelings are natural, but there should be boundaries, and right and wrong. But this felt different, since they were starting off that way, instead of it just coming out after some time. And the fact that half the reason she likes me is because of my size. That doesn’t help. But he wasn’t completely helpless at his size; like any responsible adult, he knew to set boundaries, like he had last night when they first spoke to each other. He wasn’t even sure when he’d see Veronica again, but if he just always made sure that his daughter was nearby when her friend was around too, then there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
“Well I made you some eggs, but they’re probably kinda cold by now,” she said, interrupting his thoughts and bringing him back to the new day. She hopped off her bed and reached out her hand to pull him out of bed, but as he sat up more, his covers fell off his torso and she glanced down at his bare chest. “Wait, you… should get dressed first,” she giggled awkwardly, and retracted her hand as she turned back around and scurried out his bedroom door, softly closing it behind her.
Marcus emerged a few minutes later dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, headed to the kitchen to eat his breakfast. Jessie sat down at the table, holding her head in her hands and happily watched him as he microwaved the breakfast she made for him before sitting down across from her. “So what’s on the agenda for today?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with interest and curiosity. “We have a whole Sunday to do whatever we want,” she gleamed, chipper as ever.
Marcus paused his eating for a moment. Wait, it’s not her birthday today… and it’s not mine… “Is there something special I’m not thinking of?” he asked, and continued eating again. “It’s just a regular Sunday, isn’t it?”
Jessie sighed, rolling her eyes with a giggle at how ordinary and unimaginative her dad could sometimes be. “Yeah, Daddy, it’s just a normal Sunday, I’m just trying to be in a good mood.” She rapped her knuckles down on the table, and bit her lip as she started to make a beat with her knockings. “So what is it? What are we gonna do?”
He scratched his temple awkwardly, “Well since we didn’t get to them yesterday or last week, there’s some chores around the house we have to do.” He glanced outside to their backyard; the grass was getting dangerously tall. “And you need to cut the grass.” Jessie groaned, her face falling to the table as the little beat she was making with her knuckles stopped.
“Nice going, now you’ve killed all my enthusiasm,” she droned into the table, and Marcus chuckled.
“Jess, all of that shouldn’t take that long, and then you’ll still have the rest of the day to do whatever you want.” He looked to the clock again. “We might even finish with everything well before noon.”
Jessie didn’t say anything for a few moments, then sighed and lifted her head back up. “Yeah. Alright.” She stood up, figuring she mind as well get it over with and just mow the lawn now. But she still wasn’t happy. “You killed the vibe, man!” she jokingly told him, although it wasn’t a lie. “Killed it, Daddy!” She smirked at herself as he chuckled, then stomped slightly as she headed towards the back door. She wasn’t angry with her dad for making her mow the lawn; she knew that he was physically incapable of doing it himself because of his size. She was just a bit frustrated that after thinking she’d have the whole day to relax and do absolutely whatever she want, with endless possibilities, her dad had to come along and remind her that there were still chores she had to do. Just a part of growing up. But Marcus saw her heading outside barefoot, and spoke up before she could make her way out the sliding glass door. “Hey hey hey, wait,” he yelled out of concern, pointing down to her feet. “Why aren’t you wearing any shoes or socks?”
Jessie looked back to him, a completely innocent look on her face as she glanced down to her bare toes and then back up to her dad. “What do you mean? Do I have to?”
Marcus scoffed, “Well yeah, I don’t want you coming through the house when you’re done with dirty feet.” Isn’t that obvious?
Jessie crossed her arms, upset that her dad had scoffed at her. “Well obviously I’m gonna wash them off with the hose after I finish, I’m not stupid. But it’s a nice day out, doesn’t everyone like the feeling of grass between their toes? It’s like you’re one with nature!” She beamed at him, trying to infect him with her upbeat and positive attitude, but her father retained his stoic expression and didn’t budge on the matter.
“I know you’re not stupid sweetie, it’s not that I don’t believe you or trust you. But wet grass stains really easily. Even if you wash all the dirt off and everything, it’s still gonna stink up the house. You might not even smell it yourself, but I’m a lot closer to the ground now so I’m closer to the source.” Then he tapped his nose a few times with his finger, “Plus my sense of smell is stronger.”
“So I can’t cut the grass barefoot, not because they’d get dirty, but because they’d get smelly?”
Marcus looked away, then tilted his head back and forth as if weighing what she said. “Yeah, I sort of see it as the same thing, but I guess they’re technically different.”
Jessie huffed in annoyance at his demands. This was her chore, she was the only one who could do it and she offered to start doing it for him when he first shrunk. And now he wouldn’t even let her do it her own way. It wasn’t like it affected how good of a job she did or how long it took. She looked to the ground, and subsequently her feet, clenching her jaw and curling her toes against the rug as the tried to think of how else to argue with him. “Everyone’s feet stink, that’s normal like that’s just life,” she mumbled, but didn’t say it very loudly since she knew it wasn’t a real comeback and wouldn’t change his mind.
“What?” he asked, unable to hear her.
“Well I don’t want my shoes to get dirty,” she protested, a little louder this time. It was a better excuse, but as soon as she said it she already knew it still wouldn’t change his mind.
“You can use my old ones,” he offered. “Since I don’t use them anymore, I don’t really care what happens to them.” She continued to look at the ground, moping about her situation and refusing to make eye contact with her dad. Typical teenage angst, he thought. But I’m not without good reason, I don’t think. “Do you not think I’m being fair?” he asked softly. “I don’t want to be controlling, and I don’t think what I’m asking is too harsh. Sometimes people just have to compromise though.”
“No, I get it,” she muttered. “It’s fine.” She heaved in a big sigh, not missing the opportunity to be a bit dramatic, as she went to her room to put on some socks, before heading towards the garage where most of her dad’s old clothes were and find his shoes.
* * * * * *
Marcus was sitting in his armchair responding to emails on his iPad when he heard the door to the garage open behind him, and Jessie silently came back inside, finished with the lawn. “How’d it go?” he asked without turning around, hoping for the best.
“Fine,” she muttered, and he heard her walking by behind him, her footfalls padding against the wood floor as she made her way to the kitchen.
As she passed by behind him, he realized he could smell something funky, and he crinkled his nose as he turned now to look to Jessie. She was grabbing a glass of water from the sink… and she was barefoot. Did she disobey me? he wondered. She could’ve just taken her socks off already, although she didn’t go to her room. He looked around, and didn’t see any bundled up socks lying around. And she didn’t just ball them into a wad and toss them aside like she’s done before. “Jess, can you come over here?” he asked.
She finished gulping down her water before sighing and turning to strut back towards her dad, crossing her arms as she looked down at him with a bored expression on her face. “What?”
Now that she came closer, he could definitely smell it again. That distinct, gross, wet grass smell. The very one he had specifically wanted her to avoid. He pointed down to her feet with his head. “Jessie, you’re barefoot, and I didn’t see you take any socks back to your room just now when you came in. And now just like I told you would happen, your feet got dirty and even though it looks like you might’ve washed them, I can still smell them around the house!” Jessie looked at him with incredulousness. She didn’t look guilty, or like she’d been caught, she instead seemed amazed that he would even accuse her of defying his instructions. Her eyebrows narrowed, and she opened her mouth to respond, before catching herself and closing it again so she could stomp back towards the garage and head back outside. Now the way her feet pounded against the ground made it abundantly clear she was irritated with her dad. More than that really, she was angry. Marcus was confused at her reaction, but looked to the door in await of her return. She came hurling back inside only a few seconds later, clutching a pair of limp socks by her side as she stamped back towards her dad. The socks seemed to be damp, and were clearly soiled on the bottom, a mix of gray and brown and green coloring the once-fresh pieces of footwear. He realized what had happened, but it was too late. He had already hurt her with his accusation.
“My feet weren’t the only thing that got dirty,” she yelled, holding up the pair of socks. “I did wear shoes, and socks, I did just what you asked, and even after doing exactly what you told me to do, I guess stuff still got through your worn out tennis shoes, and now you thought that I just disobeyed you and went out barefoot. Now I almost wish I would’ve though, because clearly it would’ve received the same reaction from you!” She stooped down lower, her eyes filled with resentfulness as she continued berating her dad. “If you wanna complain about how my feet smell, then just imagine what my socks are like! Anything from my feet had to go through them first, they were like, fresh and clean and a nice light blue and now they look like shit!” She held them back up in front of her face and examined them, quickly biting her lip in anger as her fists curled into balls and she squeezed her eyes shut. “AARGHHH!” she screamed furiously at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I did exactly what you made me do and now I’m even worse than I would’ve been!”
She jumped onto his recliner with bent knees, both of her legs easily fitting on either side of his body that was simply too small to fill out the chair it sat in. “Look at how ruined they are, see?!” She stretched out one of the socks, showcasing how stained they were all along the soles, just hopelessly covered in green and brown. “This is your fault, Daddy!” she added, then bunched them back up and shoved them into his face. He immediately tried to recoil, except he was already sitting against the chair, so he couldn’t move back any further. Plus his daughter’s strong thighs bordered his own legs, with her knees hugging up against his torso, so he was trapped beneath her. She was right, the socks stank far worse than the faint scent of her dirty feet did. He wished he could just be smelling her feet again, he wished that the vague stains on her feet were all he had to endure, instead of being forcibly subjected to the rotten stench that had accumulated from her outside work. It was a disgusting and revolting smell, the unnatural mixture of grass and dirt with mustiness and dried sweat. Plus the socks were damp, and lifelessly cold. She made sure to hold them right up against his nose, while still leaving room above so she could look him in the eye. “I couldn’t even use any of your old socks since you don’t have them anymore, I had to use my own, and now look at them! Smell them!” she yelled again, keeping the nauseating stench pressed to his little face. He couldn’t even open his mouth to try and reply or defend himself, because he was too scared to get anything sickening onto his lips or in his mouth. “You know these were a gift to me from Auntie Emma? She got me them for my birthday last year. And I kinda liked them! They were a nice color, and they had a little white frilly thing around the ankle, aaaaaand I don’t even know where she got them! I know you’ll probably just be like ‘oh Jess I can just buy you a new pair,’” she said, mockery dripping from her voice, “but they were a gift, that’s not the point. They have sentimental value, that’s something that money can’t buy!” She was obviously letting her emotions get the best of her and not thinking logically, but he had no way to fight or even argue back. He was just along for the ride, and hoped that her frustration wouldn’t amount to anything more. “But now I’m gonna have to scrub them a bunch with like OxiClean or something, which might not even work, I don’t know. But none of this would’ve happened if you just would’ve let me go barefoot! I mean, my body is a lot easier to clean than my clothes, it’s not like my skin can really absorb stuff like how socks can. You could’ve just asked me to take a shower afterwards, what was wrong with that? Why didn’t you suggest that? But now my feet are apparently still annoying to you and my socks are ruined.” Her tirade had lasted so long that Marcus hadn’t been able to hold his breath beneath her smelly, thoroughly dirty socks. The initial smell was worse when she rushed them towards his face, but it had only worsened after his lungs had forced him to take several deep breaths, with her caked socks acting as a filter for his tainted oxygen. She continued glaring at him, and an uncomfortable several seconds passed as he coughed a few times breathing in her socks’ odious and grassy scent, before she realized she had said everything she wanted to, and finally pulled the socks off his face, climbing off the chair in the process.
He gasped for air, closing his eyes in silent thankfulness for her mercy, as he savored the sweet smell of clean air once more. The grassy aroma was still noticeable, but compared to what he had just undergone, it paled in comparison. He set aside his tablet that had still been on his lap, which Jessie now noticed and pointed to accusingly. “And you were on your iPad while I was mowing the lawn? What happened to doing chores, what happened to finishing everything by noon?”
Marcus calmly wiped his face—particularly his nose—from the dampness that had seeped onto it. “I was checking my LinkedIn and emails to see if there were any new updates for any jobs,” he quietly explained. The entire mood of the room immediately shifted. Her jaw unclenched a little, feeling awkward, and she glanced down.
“Was there any news?” she asked, significantly more somber now, but still with some leftover angst in her voice. Even if she was still on edge, she still cared about her dad and him finding a new job. His discouraging reminder, which she had basically made him tell, definitely helped to settle the mood.
“No,” he sighed, and stood up out of his chair to face her as best he could. “Jessie…” he started, but looked down at the socks she was still holding and scoffed out of disbelief for what just happened. Where do I even start?
His daughter moaned, and collapsed on the couch behind him, her head falling backwards as she stared at the ceiling. Now that her outburst had faded, she realized how incredibly rude what she had just done was. Even putting it like that was a bit of an understatement. “That was… beyond disrespectful of me,” she groaned, bringing her hands up to her eyes to rub them, like she was trying to forget what she had just done. “I’m so sorry Daddy. I… just got caught up in the moment,” she said, taking her hands away now so she could address him properly. “I wasn’t trying to be mean, honestly. I was just… really upset.” Her eyes started to water, and he watched as a tear fell its way down her cheek, and she sniffed and looked away in embarrassment, wiping them away. “It was just… very frustrating.”
Compassion filled Marcus’ heart now, and he came over beside her to console her. He hated having to smell her socks’ worn-out grass stains, but he would’ve done it a dozen more times if it meant not having to see his daughter cry. “Yeah, that’s… life. Sometimes it’s just unfair, and people are wrong. I know you know that I wouldn’t have made you do that if I had known that was gonna be the outcome. And your shower idea was great, honey! I’m sorry I didn’t think of that myself, we can do that next time. But what you did, was also very wrong too,” he added sternly. “I forgive you, I know it was just an outburst. But it can never happen again.” She nodded earnestly, feeling truly remorseful for her actions. He took a deep breath. As much as she’s sorry, which I know she sincerely is, there still need to be consequences for her actions. “Jess, I think—“
Three tiny, meager knocks rang out from their front door before Marcus could lay out her punishment. Jessie looked at her dad, who returned her look of puzzlement right back, causing Jessie to shrug. They both stood back up, and Jessie headed to the door to investigate. She opened it a crack to see who it was, but then smiled and swung it all the way open. On the other end was a small hispanic girl. Where have I seen… Oh that’s right, she’s Jessie’s friend from school. He recalled her coming over a couple times a few weeks ago to work on a school project together, and Jessie saying that she lived nearby so she hadn’t needed a ride home.
“Hey Camila,” Jessie greeted her, wiping her eyes again to make sure there was no evidence of her former tears. “What’s up?”
The shy girl glanced from her friend over to Marcus still sitting on the couch. “Um, I— my um, parents are both working today,” she softly explained, “so uh, they thought… I told them a few weeks ago that I had come here after school, and so, um, they thought that maybe I could come over today while they were working, cuz they’re not supposed to be back til pretty late, and my brothers are hanging with friends, so…”
Jessie instantly recognized what Camila was trying to say, even if she was too reluctant to say it. Without breaking her smile, she invited her in. “Oh, do you wanna hang out? I was just… talking with my dad…” she said, as Camila slowly stepped past her into their house. Behind her back, Jessie pointed to Camila, mouthing “can she stay?” to her dad while the other girl was looking around at their house. Marcus was overtaken with a look of concern and quickly nodded his head and gave a thumbs up, indicating she had done the right thing by inviting her in. “We didn’t really have anything to do today, so you’re free to just like, chill with us and do whatever.”
“Yeah, have you had lunch yet?” he asked, jogging around the couch to greet her. “Do you want anything to eat?” Is that being too forward? Am I being presumptuous by assuming she hasn’t had anything to eat yet? Her parents are just at work, that doesn’t mean they starve her for Christ’s sake.
“Yeah, I had a PB&J before coming here,” she answered. Oh, good then. “I can go home for dinner too, there’s some leftovers in the fridge that my older brother made. I just… didn’t wanna hang out by myself all day,” she said awkwardly, tracing circles on the floor with her foot. Marcus scolded himself even further. Why’d I just assume she was from a broken home, it sounds like her parents are just busy a lot.
“Oh no, there’s no need for you to go home, you can eat dinner with us,” he told her. “You can stay as long as you want.”
“Thanks,” she said, making eye contact for the first time as she scratched her ear, then quickly darted her eyes away. “Um, can I use your bathroom though?”
“Of course, it’s right down the hall,” he said, pointing her in the right direction. She faintly smiled again, and mumbled a thanks before heading to use the toilet.
Jessie turned back to her dad, “So, I… I’m still in trouble right? Should we wait til after she heads home to talk more about it?”
Marcus sighed, “Just forget about it, I don’t wanna dwell on it any longer. I already forgive you, you know that, and I know you’re not gonna do anything like that again, right?” She nodded. “Yeah, so… I guess your friend kinda saved you,” he chuckled.
She grinned, feeling unworthy of how lenient he had been on her, and stooped down to give her dad a hug. “Thanks, Daddy.” Then she stood back up and headed towards her room, before spinning back around. “Oh yeah, what about the chores we were supposed to do?” she whispered.
Marcus shrugged, “Just go have fun with your friend, I can do the other stuff. Mowing lawn was literally more than I could ever do myself, anyways.”
She giggled at his comment, “Alright, thanks Daddy.” Then turned back around as Camila came out of the bathroom so they could head to her room together. Marcus sighed at the surprising chain of events, a double surprise, and soon got to work on cleaning up around the house while his daughter was left to play with her friend for the rest of the day.