Reminiscent 6
Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:41 pm
Reminiscent
Part 2
Chapter 6
The day was still bright and the afternoon heat hadn?t faded when I found myself in a random park. I recognized it a little, but I was still too busy thinking about what I was going to do about a place to stay or income. I could always stay over at one of the guys? houses, but something about that seemed? unappealing.
?Oh, no, come on, this way.?
That voice? it seemed oddly familiar? but no, there were the sounds of giggling children. She was probably just a housewife bringing her kids to the park?
?Hey, Jacob! You?re going to spill your ice cream.? Her tone made me smile a little, inwardly. The kids giggled some more. I stood up, thinking I could get going before I was questioned.
?Hey, Mister! You want some cookie?? A little dark-haired girl was looking up at me, a crumbled cookie in her outstretched hand. I could feel the surprise on my face; I could?ve sworn they were still quite the ways off.
?Katrina! Don?t bother that man! You understand how rude that is? And look at you; you?ve made quite a mess of yourself with those cookies.?
There was no mistake now. It was Relena, in a peachy sleeveless shirt and some loose jeans. Her hair was in a loose, messy bun as she bent over the little girl and wiped her mouth clean, smiling the whole time at the child.
?Sorry Miss Relena...? the girl, Katrina, said in a sugar-sweet, sing-song voice. She gave Relena some puppy eyes and, in turn Relena tapped her nose once and sent her off to play with the other children.
?Sorry about that? Heero?? I was actually busy counting the children that ran past us to play on the equipment, and the ones that stayed on or around the wagon to eat their treats when she said that.
There were eight in total.
?Heero?? I snapped my eyes back at her. She was looking at me, and then the bag slung over my back, then back at me again. ?What?s this all about??
I looked at her and regretted the words I was about to say. ?Over the break, I dropped out of school.?
?What?? she yelled out loud. It made me wince and the little children turn and stare. She noticed this and dismissed them again to play while she had a little talk to me.
?Why would you do that?? I don?t understand why, but I couldn?t describe her expression to be anything but frantic.
?I didn?t see what else I could learn from school. I mean, I?m not learning anything new now.? She was exasperated, truly and completely. Her shoulders slumped as she leaned her head back and sighed loudly. ?Relena, it?s not that big of a deal.?
There was a pause as I watched her calm herself down, one breath at a time. She then looked at me, eye to eye.
?Then what is that bag you have over your shoulder?? I froze up. What was I going to tell her that wouldn?t make her point at me and say ?I told you so??
?My mother kicked me out.? I managed, after a little silence.
Relena sighed again, taking my wrist and guiding me to a nearby tree. The sun in the afternoon was hot, so the shade was very much welcome. She then took out her own bag and started calling the children over, one by one, to adjust their hats and apply sun screen on them.
She never spoke a word to me as she worked. I watched quietly, watching her move the shaded baby carriage under the tree and settled the child into her lap.
?Uh, Relena?? She looked up at me, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. I couldn?t keep my eyes off of the baby, though. How naturally she held the boy, and how easily he settled into her arms. I then remembered she?d been taking care of children since she was about eight.
?Is there something you want to talk to me about??
She thought for a moment, staring at the boy, sucking at his bottle. She looked out at the children, watching them calmly.
?To be honest, I don?t think there?s anything else I can say, Heero. What happens now is your choice,? she sighed, softly this time, ?however, if you don?t mind, Heero.?
?What is it??
?Do you want to stay with me today?? I blinked. At her house?
?Wh- what? I don?t understand?? She regarded me quietly and gave a short, kind giggle. I suppose I was a little flustered at the thought of living with her at her house and everything?
?I mean help me baby-sit today. My parents? friends came over and I?m in charge of the younger children. Zechs went home to play video games with the older children an hour ago.?
That explained why not one of the kids here looked to be over six years old.
?Sure, but? how long are you taking care of them for?? I looked over at her, expecting a smile, or something, but instead she was watching the kids again.
She glanced at a watch I guessed to be her little brother?s, since she didn?t own one. ?It?s about three? so another four hours.?
Could I survive for four hours with eight children? More importantly, could I survive for four hours working with Relena?
My mind wandered off, thinking of all the possibilities. I?d hate to say it, but her overly-imaginative mind was starting to rub off on me.
?But first,? she snapped me out of my reverie with a healthy, cool, helping of sunscreen, ?you?ll need it.? She smiled and went back to watching the children. I could only stare at her for a moment before moving to cover myself with the sunscreen. Her hands maneuvered to apply what was left on her hand onto her arms without moving the baby too much. It was rather admirable, considering I couldn?t hold kids in the first place?
It wasn?t long before my mind found its way back to what I was thinking before?
And it took even less time to come to question? if my head was coming up with all these rather absurd situations? what was she thinking?
This is, if she had even the slightest interest in me. Wishful thinking, Heero?
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The next three hours were? in all reality, very enjoyable. The children, for children, were very well behaved. In fact, they clung to Relena like the plague. It was always ?Relena, push me on the swings,? or ?Rel, help me up the slide,? or ?Miss Relena, I need to go pee.?
And for all that it?s worth, she handled these situations with more patience and kindness that I could ever scrounge up. This was a completely different girl from the Relena I see often. Still quiet and reserved, but in contrast to these children, she seemed very motherly. On the other hand, at school, she was on equal terms as everyone else. She never seemed as? as special in school.
We had managed to visit an ice cream store, a dollar store, and wandered around the local marina before finally settling into one last park. This time, though, it had a shaded playground, some fountains and statues. A nice way to end a day off, I guess.
?The kids look tired.? Relena laughed a little as little toddler curled up against her.
?Yeah?? the sight made me smile. She stroked the boy?s head lovingly as she continued to read her book. I was sitting on her other side, the little Katrina girl leaning against me. The baby was asleep in his stroller, one child sleeping in the little crack between Relena and I, against the tree. A little boy had made himself comfortable in the wagon, having thrown his shoes over the side and covered in the blankets that were there.
Three kids still played in the sandbox. I cringed a little at the dirt they were getting all over themselves, but at least they had the decency not to try and eat any.
We sat in about five minute?s silence before Relena piped up.
?Heero.? My eyes darted from the kids in the sandbox to the older girl beside me. She had put down her novel and was looking at me straight on.
?What?? A hand went up to my face, thinking that there was something that had gotten stuck there during the day.
?What are you planning to do after today?? Oh, so that?s what she was thinking.
?I don?t know, why??
?Because I?m worried about you!? I was taken a bit aback by that. It?s not that I expected her not to, but I didn?t expect her to just outright say it. ?I- Heero, I??
Just? Just something about her expression really threw me off. She seemed so conflicted.
?Relena?? The two of us turned our heads and looked at the three kids standing over us. I suppose we both realized it at the same time, the fact that we were only inches from each other?s faces, because the two of us jumped back at the same time.
?Yes, Keisha?? She turned to the little girl in the middle.
?We want to go home now; we?re tired?? She yawned, loudly.
?Of course, but I think We?re going to have to clean you three up.? Relena smiled and picked up the boy leaning against her. She moved him to lie across my legs and grinned at me. ?Stay here and take care of the kids. I need to get these three changed.? Not that I had a choice in the first place?
?Relena? We got it all over our clothes.? The older of the two boys pouted, scratching at his shirt.
?Yes, I see that? and in your diaper too, Jackson?? that was when I noticed the youngest of them all, a little three-year-old boy, was half picking, half slapping his lower backside. The boy gave Relena a practiced pout and nodded.
?Okay, okay, one minute I have to see if we have any more diapers? right, let?s go you three.? Before I knew it, I was watching the four of them make their way to the public washrooms.
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?Relena, I think your boyfriend?s dead.? Something poked my face.
?Keisha? first, he?s asleep, and second, he?s not my boyfriend. Where did you learn that??
?Daddy and you were talking about your boyfriend, weren?t you??
?Oh no no no? he said he bet I had a boyfriend.?
?What?s betting??
?Never mind that. Keisha, you can push the stroller, I have to try and arrange these three into the wagon?
?Okay!? My eyes opened slowly as I saw Relena rearranging the kid in the wagon to give space for two others. She then lifted the kid on my legs and arranged him with the little guy in the wagon.
?Can you two sit up nice and straight in the wagon for me?? There were two simultaneous ?yup!?s in response.
?That?s six out of the eight, now what?? Relena jumped at my voice. I could see her forcing herself to stay composed and even out her breathing. She then gave me a friendly glare, silently telling me never to do that again.
?I was thinking Katrina could help Keisha push the stroller, and then one of us can carry the last one.?
?I?ll carry him.? I wiped my eyes of sleep right after I said that, so I didn?t see her expression. I did see her smile after though.
?Thanks! Come on, you can freshen up in the bathrooms over there. I?ll wake up Katrina?? I smiled at her and walked off.
Five minutes later I was standing outside the public washrooms, trying to balance the sleeping boy on my left shoulder. Relena, obviously, was holding my hands, positioning them in the right place.
?And don?t worry; he has a diaper so he won?t be wetting himself on you.? Whoa, she didn?t tell me about that. ?And thanks again.? She smiled and placed a hand on my arm. For a moment, I thought she was going to kiss my cheek or something but instead she just picked up the wagon handle and walked off.
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?Goodbye you two!? Relena grinned and waved as the last two children rode away. As they drove out of sight, Relena turned to me and leaned her head against my shoulder. ?I can?t believe my parents have to drive so many people home??
?I?m getting too old for this.?
?Relena, you?re seventeen.? She smiled faintly, then closed her eyes and fell against me. ?Hey? err?? I dropped my back and caught her before she slid. Is it really possible to be that exhausted?
Then again, she had been taking care of those kids for seven hours already...
?Alright already, I?ll help you to your room?? I shook her slightly to make her wake up. She was able to stay awake long enough to get past the front door, but that was about it.
Relena?s house was a simple one; small, black roof, white bricks, and two floors; the basement and main floor. I managed to find hers; luckily it was right across from the living room, which was what the front door gave way to. We stumbled through her door and I could keep her up long enough to get her upper body onto the bed.
She had to have woken up, at least a little, when we both bounced on the bed. I flipped over, huffing. I still had to get the rest of her on the bed?
?Heero??? I looked over and saw her moving up by herself, tucking in her legs so she would fit on the bed.
?Relena? Something wrong?? Here eyes were half closed, but she could still see me. She smiled and threw an arm around me.
?Sorry? sorry about that.? I started to tell her it was no problem when she tightened her hold and leaned into me. My head hazed over, slightly from being tired, slightly from having her so close to me.. and her breath? I could feel her breath on my neck. It was sending shivers up and down my body.
?Re- Relena?? I couldn?t do this, not while I was in love with her?
?We?re home!? I sat up straight, my heart pumping in my chest. I couldn?t let her parents catch us like this? as much as I wanted to stay there with her.
So I removed her shoes and closed the door on the way out. I met face to glaring face with Relena?s father. I could tell already; he really disapproved of me.
?Oh, you must be? Heero??
?Yes.? I bowed a little. ?I guess I?ll be going now?? Making my way through the living room, I noticed how sparsely decorated her house was. The walls were completely white, with the exceptions of some handprints from the kids. Then there were the random pictures scattered all over.
?Hey, Heero?? Her mother walked up behind me as I was setting her shoes on the mat. I turned around at the smaller figure? she was about the same size as Relena. ?Where do you live? I?ll drive you home.?
Talk about shame. I didn?t even look her in the eye as I told her I would be alright by myself. The sun hadn?t set yet so it was still okay to walk? somewhere.
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hee hee I love kids ^^ Well, chapter two of my uploads, one more chapter today! Thanks to Lady Casper for Beta-ing!
First Chapter
Previous Chapter
Next Chapter
Part 2
Chapter 6
The day was still bright and the afternoon heat hadn?t faded when I found myself in a random park. I recognized it a little, but I was still too busy thinking about what I was going to do about a place to stay or income. I could always stay over at one of the guys? houses, but something about that seemed? unappealing.
?Oh, no, come on, this way.?
That voice? it seemed oddly familiar? but no, there were the sounds of giggling children. She was probably just a housewife bringing her kids to the park?
?Hey, Jacob! You?re going to spill your ice cream.? Her tone made me smile a little, inwardly. The kids giggled some more. I stood up, thinking I could get going before I was questioned.
?Hey, Mister! You want some cookie?? A little dark-haired girl was looking up at me, a crumbled cookie in her outstretched hand. I could feel the surprise on my face; I could?ve sworn they were still quite the ways off.
?Katrina! Don?t bother that man! You understand how rude that is? And look at you; you?ve made quite a mess of yourself with those cookies.?
There was no mistake now. It was Relena, in a peachy sleeveless shirt and some loose jeans. Her hair was in a loose, messy bun as she bent over the little girl and wiped her mouth clean, smiling the whole time at the child.
?Sorry Miss Relena...? the girl, Katrina, said in a sugar-sweet, sing-song voice. She gave Relena some puppy eyes and, in turn Relena tapped her nose once and sent her off to play with the other children.
?Sorry about that? Heero?? I was actually busy counting the children that ran past us to play on the equipment, and the ones that stayed on or around the wagon to eat their treats when she said that.
There were eight in total.
?Heero?? I snapped my eyes back at her. She was looking at me, and then the bag slung over my back, then back at me again. ?What?s this all about??
I looked at her and regretted the words I was about to say. ?Over the break, I dropped out of school.?
?What?? she yelled out loud. It made me wince and the little children turn and stare. She noticed this and dismissed them again to play while she had a little talk to me.
?Why would you do that?? I don?t understand why, but I couldn?t describe her expression to be anything but frantic.
?I didn?t see what else I could learn from school. I mean, I?m not learning anything new now.? She was exasperated, truly and completely. Her shoulders slumped as she leaned her head back and sighed loudly. ?Relena, it?s not that big of a deal.?
There was a pause as I watched her calm herself down, one breath at a time. She then looked at me, eye to eye.
?Then what is that bag you have over your shoulder?? I froze up. What was I going to tell her that wouldn?t make her point at me and say ?I told you so??
?My mother kicked me out.? I managed, after a little silence.
Relena sighed again, taking my wrist and guiding me to a nearby tree. The sun in the afternoon was hot, so the shade was very much welcome. She then took out her own bag and started calling the children over, one by one, to adjust their hats and apply sun screen on them.
She never spoke a word to me as she worked. I watched quietly, watching her move the shaded baby carriage under the tree and settled the child into her lap.
?Uh, Relena?? She looked up at me, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. I couldn?t keep my eyes off of the baby, though. How naturally she held the boy, and how easily he settled into her arms. I then remembered she?d been taking care of children since she was about eight.
?Is there something you want to talk to me about??
She thought for a moment, staring at the boy, sucking at his bottle. She looked out at the children, watching them calmly.
?To be honest, I don?t think there?s anything else I can say, Heero. What happens now is your choice,? she sighed, softly this time, ?however, if you don?t mind, Heero.?
?What is it??
?Do you want to stay with me today?? I blinked. At her house?
?Wh- what? I don?t understand?? She regarded me quietly and gave a short, kind giggle. I suppose I was a little flustered at the thought of living with her at her house and everything?
?I mean help me baby-sit today. My parents? friends came over and I?m in charge of the younger children. Zechs went home to play video games with the older children an hour ago.?
That explained why not one of the kids here looked to be over six years old.
?Sure, but? how long are you taking care of them for?? I looked over at her, expecting a smile, or something, but instead she was watching the kids again.
She glanced at a watch I guessed to be her little brother?s, since she didn?t own one. ?It?s about three? so another four hours.?
Could I survive for four hours with eight children? More importantly, could I survive for four hours working with Relena?
My mind wandered off, thinking of all the possibilities. I?d hate to say it, but her overly-imaginative mind was starting to rub off on me.
?But first,? she snapped me out of my reverie with a healthy, cool, helping of sunscreen, ?you?ll need it.? She smiled and went back to watching the children. I could only stare at her for a moment before moving to cover myself with the sunscreen. Her hands maneuvered to apply what was left on her hand onto her arms without moving the baby too much. It was rather admirable, considering I couldn?t hold kids in the first place?
It wasn?t long before my mind found its way back to what I was thinking before?
And it took even less time to come to question? if my head was coming up with all these rather absurd situations? what was she thinking?
This is, if she had even the slightest interest in me. Wishful thinking, Heero?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next three hours were? in all reality, very enjoyable. The children, for children, were very well behaved. In fact, they clung to Relena like the plague. It was always ?Relena, push me on the swings,? or ?Rel, help me up the slide,? or ?Miss Relena, I need to go pee.?
And for all that it?s worth, she handled these situations with more patience and kindness that I could ever scrounge up. This was a completely different girl from the Relena I see often. Still quiet and reserved, but in contrast to these children, she seemed very motherly. On the other hand, at school, she was on equal terms as everyone else. She never seemed as? as special in school.
We had managed to visit an ice cream store, a dollar store, and wandered around the local marina before finally settling into one last park. This time, though, it had a shaded playground, some fountains and statues. A nice way to end a day off, I guess.
?The kids look tired.? Relena laughed a little as little toddler curled up against her.
?Yeah?? the sight made me smile. She stroked the boy?s head lovingly as she continued to read her book. I was sitting on her other side, the little Katrina girl leaning against me. The baby was asleep in his stroller, one child sleeping in the little crack between Relena and I, against the tree. A little boy had made himself comfortable in the wagon, having thrown his shoes over the side and covered in the blankets that were there.
Three kids still played in the sandbox. I cringed a little at the dirt they were getting all over themselves, but at least they had the decency not to try and eat any.
We sat in about five minute?s silence before Relena piped up.
?Heero.? My eyes darted from the kids in the sandbox to the older girl beside me. She had put down her novel and was looking at me straight on.
?What?? A hand went up to my face, thinking that there was something that had gotten stuck there during the day.
?What are you planning to do after today?? Oh, so that?s what she was thinking.
?I don?t know, why??
?Because I?m worried about you!? I was taken a bit aback by that. It?s not that I expected her not to, but I didn?t expect her to just outright say it. ?I- Heero, I??
Just? Just something about her expression really threw me off. She seemed so conflicted.
?Relena?? The two of us turned our heads and looked at the three kids standing over us. I suppose we both realized it at the same time, the fact that we were only inches from each other?s faces, because the two of us jumped back at the same time.
?Yes, Keisha?? She turned to the little girl in the middle.
?We want to go home now; we?re tired?? She yawned, loudly.
?Of course, but I think We?re going to have to clean you three up.? Relena smiled and picked up the boy leaning against her. She moved him to lie across my legs and grinned at me. ?Stay here and take care of the kids. I need to get these three changed.? Not that I had a choice in the first place?
?Relena? We got it all over our clothes.? The older of the two boys pouted, scratching at his shirt.
?Yes, I see that? and in your diaper too, Jackson?? that was when I noticed the youngest of them all, a little three-year-old boy, was half picking, half slapping his lower backside. The boy gave Relena a practiced pout and nodded.
?Okay, okay, one minute I have to see if we have any more diapers? right, let?s go you three.? Before I knew it, I was watching the four of them make their way to the public washrooms.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
?Relena, I think your boyfriend?s dead.? Something poked my face.
?Keisha? first, he?s asleep, and second, he?s not my boyfriend. Where did you learn that??
?Daddy and you were talking about your boyfriend, weren?t you??
?Oh no no no? he said he bet I had a boyfriend.?
?What?s betting??
?Never mind that. Keisha, you can push the stroller, I have to try and arrange these three into the wagon?
?Okay!? My eyes opened slowly as I saw Relena rearranging the kid in the wagon to give space for two others. She then lifted the kid on my legs and arranged him with the little guy in the wagon.
?Can you two sit up nice and straight in the wagon for me?? There were two simultaneous ?yup!?s in response.
?That?s six out of the eight, now what?? Relena jumped at my voice. I could see her forcing herself to stay composed and even out her breathing. She then gave me a friendly glare, silently telling me never to do that again.
?I was thinking Katrina could help Keisha push the stroller, and then one of us can carry the last one.?
?I?ll carry him.? I wiped my eyes of sleep right after I said that, so I didn?t see her expression. I did see her smile after though.
?Thanks! Come on, you can freshen up in the bathrooms over there. I?ll wake up Katrina?? I smiled at her and walked off.
Five minutes later I was standing outside the public washrooms, trying to balance the sleeping boy on my left shoulder. Relena, obviously, was holding my hands, positioning them in the right place.
?And don?t worry; he has a diaper so he won?t be wetting himself on you.? Whoa, she didn?t tell me about that. ?And thanks again.? She smiled and placed a hand on my arm. For a moment, I thought she was going to kiss my cheek or something but instead she just picked up the wagon handle and walked off.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
?Goodbye you two!? Relena grinned and waved as the last two children rode away. As they drove out of sight, Relena turned to me and leaned her head against my shoulder. ?I can?t believe my parents have to drive so many people home??
?I?m getting too old for this.?
?Relena, you?re seventeen.? She smiled faintly, then closed her eyes and fell against me. ?Hey? err?? I dropped my back and caught her before she slid. Is it really possible to be that exhausted?
Then again, she had been taking care of those kids for seven hours already...
?Alright already, I?ll help you to your room?? I shook her slightly to make her wake up. She was able to stay awake long enough to get past the front door, but that was about it.
Relena?s house was a simple one; small, black roof, white bricks, and two floors; the basement and main floor. I managed to find hers; luckily it was right across from the living room, which was what the front door gave way to. We stumbled through her door and I could keep her up long enough to get her upper body onto the bed.
She had to have woken up, at least a little, when we both bounced on the bed. I flipped over, huffing. I still had to get the rest of her on the bed?
?Heero??? I looked over and saw her moving up by herself, tucking in her legs so she would fit on the bed.
?Relena? Something wrong?? Here eyes were half closed, but she could still see me. She smiled and threw an arm around me.
?Sorry? sorry about that.? I started to tell her it was no problem when she tightened her hold and leaned into me. My head hazed over, slightly from being tired, slightly from having her so close to me.. and her breath? I could feel her breath on my neck. It was sending shivers up and down my body.
?Re- Relena?? I couldn?t do this, not while I was in love with her?
?We?re home!? I sat up straight, my heart pumping in my chest. I couldn?t let her parents catch us like this? as much as I wanted to stay there with her.
So I removed her shoes and closed the door on the way out. I met face to glaring face with Relena?s father. I could tell already; he really disapproved of me.
?Oh, you must be? Heero??
?Yes.? I bowed a little. ?I guess I?ll be going now?? Making my way through the living room, I noticed how sparsely decorated her house was. The walls were completely white, with the exceptions of some handprints from the kids. Then there were the random pictures scattered all over.
?Hey, Heero?? Her mother walked up behind me as I was setting her shoes on the mat. I turned around at the smaller figure? she was about the same size as Relena. ?Where do you live? I?ll drive you home.?
Talk about shame. I didn?t even look her in the eye as I told her I would be alright by myself. The sun hadn?t set yet so it was still okay to walk? somewhere.
~~~~~~
hee hee I love kids ^^ Well, chapter two of my uploads, one more chapter today! Thanks to Lady Casper for Beta-ing!
First Chapter
Previous Chapter
Next Chapter