"Are you sure he won't poke his eye out?" Marie asked as she watched her son.
"He will be fine," replied her wife, Elle, without looking up from her computer.
"You aren't even looking." Marie's voice carried an anxious edge to it. Her anxiety was also working its way out of her through her biting on her thumbnail.
The anxious edge did the trick though and Elle stopped working and looked at her. "He is having fun, try not to worry so much."
"Oh right, I'll just turn off my worrying switch. That always works," huffed Marie. How could Elle be so flippant about their son? He could hurt himself.
"They're just paper clips, my love. It's not like he's playing with knives or even scissors. And he's having fun, just look. Maybe that will help flick that switch." Elle came up to Marie slowly and gently turned her to look at their son, Morgan.
Morgan was happily giggling in the corner of Elle's office with a massive pile of paperclips. They weren't the kind that were just metal, Morgan had said he found those boring. Elle managed to find a stash of the ones that are covered in colored plastic which Morgan liked a lot more and Marie liked because they were a little less scratchy.
Elle felt Marie relax as they gazed at their transfixed son who was figuring out how to loop the paper clips together into a chain. His face seemed to get a little concerned when he found a bent one and Marie almost ran to him, but Elle held her tight. "Just wait a minute, let him play with it."
Morgan quickly discovered that if one could be bent, the rest could be bent. His concern quickly vanished and he began to bend many of the paper clips, seeing how the newly bent ones could link together. He delighted in the brand new shapes that he was able to make and soon began making some kind of structure that could stand on its own.
"See my love? He's having a great time. He will be okay." Elle guided Marie to face her again. "Now, I need to get back to work and you have to get ready to host that open house. We're going to be okay. Okay?"
Marie hesitantly nodded. "But you'll be sure he's okay?"
"Marie, you don't need to tell me to watch our son."
"I know, I'm sorry. It's just..."
Elle nodded knowingly, "It's your first day back at work. I get it. It was nice having us all home together for a while, but we agreed that we needed your income again. That's how we'll best take care of him."
"You're right. Thanks for dealing with my paranoia."
"Always."
***
"Hey, how did the open house go?" asked Elle from her desk as Marie walked in. But when Elle looked up at Marie, she knew how it went. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"It will be okay. I guess I'm just rusty."
"Or the house sucks," Elle said.
Marie quirked a smile, "Or the house sucks."
"I have something that will cheer you up though."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Let me just grab it." Elle got up from her desk and then went and crouched under an end table. Marie wasn't quite sure what was going on but then saw Elle emerge with a mass of paper clips, wrapped together in a blob. "Morgan says it's a doggy."
Marie felt her eyes well up. "It's a very sweet doggy."
"Come here, honey." Elle put the doggy down on the end table and wrapped her wife in her arms. "You can tell him how much you like it when he wakes up from his nap. Just don't tell him we're getting a dog."
"You don't have to tell me."
(Prompt by me)
Photo by liz west
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paperclip_special.jpg
"He will be fine," replied her wife, Elle, without looking up from her computer.
"You aren't even looking." Marie's voice carried an anxious edge to it. Her anxiety was also working its way out of her through her biting on her thumbnail.
The anxious edge did the trick though and Elle stopped working and looked at her. "He is having fun, try not to worry so much."
"Oh right, I'll just turn off my worrying switch. That always works," huffed Marie. How could Elle be so flippant about their son? He could hurt himself.
"They're just paper clips, my love. It's not like he's playing with knives or even scissors. And he's having fun, just look. Maybe that will help flick that switch." Elle came up to Marie slowly and gently turned her to look at their son, Morgan.
Morgan was happily giggling in the corner of Elle's office with a massive pile of paperclips. They weren't the kind that were just metal, Morgan had said he found those boring. Elle managed to find a stash of the ones that are covered in colored plastic which Morgan liked a lot more and Marie liked because they were a little less scratchy.
Elle felt Marie relax as they gazed at their transfixed son who was figuring out how to loop the paper clips together into a chain. His face seemed to get a little concerned when he found a bent one and Marie almost ran to him, but Elle held her tight. "Just wait a minute, let him play with it."
Morgan quickly discovered that if one could be bent, the rest could be bent. His concern quickly vanished and he began to bend many of the paper clips, seeing how the newly bent ones could link together. He delighted in the brand new shapes that he was able to make and soon began making some kind of structure that could stand on its own.
"See my love? He's having a great time. He will be okay." Elle guided Marie to face her again. "Now, I need to get back to work and you have to get ready to host that open house. We're going to be okay. Okay?"
Marie hesitantly nodded. "But you'll be sure he's okay?"
"Marie, you don't need to tell me to watch our son."
"I know, I'm sorry. It's just..."
Elle nodded knowingly, "It's your first day back at work. I get it. It was nice having us all home together for a while, but we agreed that we needed your income again. That's how we'll best take care of him."
"You're right. Thanks for dealing with my paranoia."
"Always."
***
"Hey, how did the open house go?" asked Elle from her desk as Marie walked in. But when Elle looked up at Marie, she knew how it went. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"It will be okay. I guess I'm just rusty."
"Or the house sucks," Elle said.
Marie quirked a smile, "Or the house sucks."
"I have something that will cheer you up though."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Let me just grab it." Elle got up from her desk and then went and crouched under an end table. Marie wasn't quite sure what was going on but then saw Elle emerge with a mass of paper clips, wrapped together in a blob. "Morgan says it's a doggy."
Marie felt her eyes well up. "It's a very sweet doggy."
"Come here, honey." Elle put the doggy down on the end table and wrapped her wife in her arms. "You can tell him how much you like it when he wakes up from his nap. Just don't tell him we're getting a dog."
"You don't have to tell me."
(Prompt by me)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paperclip_special.jpg
Comments
Post a Comment