"Mama?"
"Yes, Vivi?"
"Sometimes Grandpa, Grandma, and Helen come to our parties, and sometimes Uncle Mal, Aunt Sora, and Jade come to our parties. But they never all come to our parties. Why do Grandpa and Uncle Mal hate each other?"
Yayoi blinked in surprise. She hadn't realized her daughter was so observant. "I wouldn't say they hate each other ..." Yayoi paused as Vivio glared at her. "No, I really wouldn't use the word 'hate'." Vivio stopped glaring, but she kept her eyebrows lowered. "And don't give me that look, or I won't answer your question."
Vivio pouted, then stopped making faces. "All right, Mama. I'm sorry. Why don't Grandpa and Uncle Mal like each other?
"Well, I have to guess why Mal doesn't like Noah. It could be because Mal thinks everybody should be able to live together and share everything, and Noah thinks that it's all right for people to keep the things they made. It might be because Noah kept some things secret for some good reasons, but Mal thought there were other good reasons that those things shouldn't have been secret. Or it might be because they're both used to people listening to what they have to say and following all of their advice, and they have to learn to see that they aren't always right all the time. Or maybe it's something else."
"So they never learned in school how to get along with people?"
Yayoi shook her head. "It's more that they didn't learn how to get along with people who are so different from the people they grew up with."
"Oh." Vivio thought for a moment. "You said that's maybe why Uncle Mal doesn't like Grandpa. Why doesn't Grandpa like Uncle Mal?"
Yayoi sighed. "There are so may reasons that Noah would tell you if you ask him, but there's only one real reason. Noah loves your Aunt Sora as much as I love you, and your Uncle Mal took her away from him."
"But people grow up and find people to love who aren't their family. That doesn't mean we stop loving our family ... does it?"
Yayoi saw the look of fear in Vivio's eyes, and hugged her daughter to calm her down. "No, we don't stop loving our families." She gave Vivio a moment to sigh in relief, and went on. "But sometimes Noah only sees what he wants to see. He still thinks of your Aunt Sora as his little girl, and he wants to be the one to keep his little girl safe."
"Oh. But Aunt Sora isn't a little girl. She's all grown up."
"I know that, darling... but sometimes Noah forgets that."
Just a little something to stretch my out-of-practice writing muscles. (Although I wouldn't be surprised if somebody posts a companion piece to this...)
Feel free to post other vignettes/short-shorts/spamfics to this thread.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
"Yes, Vivi?"
"Sometimes Grandpa, Grandma, and Helen come to our parties, and sometimes Uncle Mal, Aunt Sora, and Jade come to our parties. But they never all come to our parties. Why do Grandpa and Uncle Mal hate each other?"
Yayoi blinked in surprise. She hadn't realized her daughter was so observant. "I wouldn't say they hate each other ..." Yayoi paused as Vivio glared at her. "No, I really wouldn't use the word 'hate'." Vivio stopped glaring, but she kept her eyebrows lowered. "And don't give me that look, or I won't answer your question."
Vivio pouted, then stopped making faces. "All right, Mama. I'm sorry. Why don't Grandpa and Uncle Mal like each other?
"Well, I have to guess why Mal doesn't like Noah. It could be because Mal thinks everybody should be able to live together and share everything, and Noah thinks that it's all right for people to keep the things they made. It might be because Noah kept some things secret for some good reasons, but Mal thought there were other good reasons that those things shouldn't have been secret. Or it might be because they're both used to people listening to what they have to say and following all of their advice, and they have to learn to see that they aren't always right all the time. Or maybe it's something else."
"So they never learned in school how to get along with people?"
Yayoi shook her head. "It's more that they didn't learn how to get along with people who are so different from the people they grew up with."
"Oh." Vivio thought for a moment. "You said that's maybe why Uncle Mal doesn't like Grandpa. Why doesn't Grandpa like Uncle Mal?"
Yayoi sighed. "There are so may reasons that Noah would tell you if you ask him, but there's only one real reason. Noah loves your Aunt Sora as much as I love you, and your Uncle Mal took her away from him."
"But people grow up and find people to love who aren't their family. That doesn't mean we stop loving our family ... does it?"
Yayoi saw the look of fear in Vivio's eyes, and hugged her daughter to calm her down. "No, we don't stop loving our families." She gave Vivio a moment to sigh in relief, and went on. "But sometimes Noah only sees what he wants to see. He still thinks of your Aunt Sora as his little girl, and he wants to be the one to keep his little girl safe."
"Oh. But Aunt Sora isn't a little girl. She's all grown up."
"I know that, darling... but sometimes Noah forgets that."
Just a little something to stretch my out-of-practice writing muscles. (Although I wouldn't be surprised if somebody posts a companion piece to this...)
Feel free to post other vignettes/short-shorts/spamfics to this thread.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012