divine strength ;

Me and my three bears? That has weird gay porno connotations for me, no thanks. Well I’m glad you’ve found where your true loyalties lie, or I might have had to warn them, no more diamond shaped, LSD-laced cookies at the meet for you. Anyway, yeah, ‘course I’m paying. Let’s go.

Well, whatever floats your boat. And I’m glad you decided to volunteer to break the news because between you and me, dude, under their do-good-to-all, “let’s sing to the animals until we pass out” exteriors, I’m pretty sure they’re cold-blooded killers. In that case, am I allowed to order the most expensive thing on the menu? Allon-sy!

“I’ll get you the pamphlet later. It has all the information on there.” He told her, smiling. “A charming fable.” He laughed. “You should just make one of those Instagrams or a blog where you keep people updated on everything happening with your child. I’m sure tons of people would follow you.”

“Thanking you kindly” Astrid replied, a sing-song inflection in her voice. “Yes, a very charming fable. Like my good pal, Aesop” She frowned at his advice, however light-hearted it was, chewing the inside of her lip, a little disheartened at his insight. “I guess I could” She answered quietly. “Here I was thinking I could be ‘Writes The Next Grimm Brothers Fairytale’ girl’”.

astrid-lennox

Alright, alright, alright, McConaughey is in full swing…I know you know what’s the dealeo but a surprise is a surprise, take those folds off and give me the Cadet initial thought… scouts honor honest now…

Wow, uh, is this the same one they used in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”? I’m kidding. Well, you know what they say, the proof’s in the pudding. I can’t actually tell if it’s liveable and or not infested with ghosts unless I explore. Are you going to give your oldest and most honest friend in the world the grand tour or not?

“That’s true. No one needs friends who think cheese is a topping, anyway.” He laughed. He watched her scoot closer and felt his smile widen. “Uh, good – good.” He chuckled nervously. “I have a few paintings in a gallery in the city and my, uh, my work is doing good. What about you?”

“You do? That’s wonderful! Well, where are they showing? I need to see them” She matched his smile in brightness, casually bouncing her legs off the edge of the bench. “Oh you know, the usual. I’ve been working on some things     here, there and everywhere. I’ve actually thought about branching out of my comfort zone into something more kid-friendly. Maybe write a charming fable or two? I mean, if celebrities can do it then I could try and give it a shot, right?”. 

To Ethan,

Your Mama made a promise, 5 years in and you’re on my team now. Starting you off right with some hand me downs. What I learned with. Always knew keeping them all these years would pay off. Happy 5th birthday, Pops.

don’t worry, we’ve got the new stuff too. ;)

Love you forever and ever and ever and ever and so on and so on.

» INSTAGRAM: astridwarriorqueen uploaded a photo:

Here you are, Ethan, playing one of zackhollingsworth‘s favourite games - ‘Squishy Face’. I still cannot believe I let him do that to you. Five years on and I am still overcome with the same incomparable joy I felt when I held you in my arms for the very first time. Ever since then you have been the only 'little' man in my life and you have filled it with love, light and laughter. Thank you for letting me be your momma. Happy Birthday! Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! 

» 1253 LIKES, 103 COMMENTS:

At the sound of her voice, George smiled nervously at her, finishing his current slice in one big gulp. He watched her layer the cheese and take a bite. When he was about to point out the fact that she had already given him her “cheese is not a topping” dispute, she was already moving on to her next train of thought. George looked away and then back at her. “They don’t all wind up being my friends. Sometimes people take the box and run.” He joked, though it had happened to him once before. 

“I can see how that could be a problem” Chuckling obnoxiously, Astrid’s smile grew wider as she nudged George’s shoulder. “Maybe they were part of the ‘cheese is a topping’ minority?” She added. “In any case, you don’t want to be making those type of friends, Georgey”. Watching the other passers-by and deciding to stick around, she scooted in closer, unhooking her bag from her shoulder. “So what’s new with you?”.

It is your lucky day…because I do have snake. Also tetris. So I consider this to be a win/win situation. I’ll even throw in a cup of tea or coffee to make it worth your while, whichever is your poison. Out of curiosity, what happened when your drunk girlfriends phones didn’t have snake on them? Did you “accidentally” lose them.

Wow, talk about being a renaissance man. Just promise me you won't cry when you watch me wipe your high scores off the table though, using decidedly crass names too. Mainly because it's the only time I get to use my potty mouth. I’ll take a masala chai with a little bit of lemon please. I, uh, can’t remember. Funny how that happens, isn't it? I mean, they certainly didn’t end up in my 'only for emergencies' drawer for the rest of the semester, that’s for sure.

George sat on a bench in the park, watching people run by in their gym outfits or children with kites. He opened the small pizza box and took out a slice, biting into it despite the fact that it was still too hot. “Hmm.” He looked over when he realized someone had sat down next to him, “Do you want some? It’s just cheese. No toppings. Unless you’re one of those weird people that consider cheese an actual topping. No judgement. Just cheese.” 

“Thanks. Don’t mind if I do” Astrid smiled, her face lighting up as she sat down beside him. Taking a slice, she twisted the stringy length of cheese into a thick, cheesy loop around her finger before eating it altogether. “And you should know by now that I'm not one of those weird people who thinks cheese is a topping. More like a delicious glue that all the other toppings cling to, you know?" Realizing he probably heard her familiar debate before, Astrid stopped her train of thought and started again. "So, do you make all your friends this way, Georgey?” She asked after finishing off her first mouthful.

Thank you so much. I really, really owe you one. Gosh, who’s this handsome little fellow?

Oh, uh, yeah, just this box. I’m…a light packer.

Let’s just leave it at a cup of coffee or food. Yeah, food is always a pretty easy way into my good graces. Oh, this is my son, Ethan. Say hi, bud      Hi.

You mean by going in and seeing if I’m right? Obviously, so that’s what we’re doing. –Interesting way of taking that. You sure know how to make yourself feel better, huh?

Oh wow, nothing gets past you, does it? I could have very easily been taking you to your doom under the guise of doing something mildly entertaining, well, for you. Yes, I do and funnily enough, it works every time.