George Geef

❛ Daaad… ❜ Max groaned as his head fell back in a dramatic motion. Of course his father had to turn it into something all parent-y and teach-y. ❛ No one wants to be responsible, that’s not fun. I want to be like the fun, cool dude who is friends with them, not the mom that cuts the crust on their sandwiches off. ❜ 

“Hey, there is nothing wrong with the mom who cuts the crust on the sandwiches off. That is one of the sweetest things a mom can do for a kid, you know?” Damn, he missed his mom. He sighed softly. “Max...I know you’re just babysitting and you’re hopefully a very long way off from being a parent but, if there is anything I could teach you it’s that...when you have kids of your own someday, you’ll learn that, you don’t get to be the cool friend. And you hear more ‘I hate yous’ and ‘You’ve ruined my lifes’ than you can count. But...it’s a good thing. Because it means you’re doing it right. Because it’s not about being liked. It’s about keeping them safe and healthy and alive and meeting their basic needs.” 

“It does.” She agreed. She was glad that she was there too. Not that she really would be anywhere else. “Me too.” She said. “Let’s go and have a good time.” She smiled, thinking she wouldn’t need a jacket or anything given how nice it was outside. 

As they set out on their way, George slid his hand into hers. "So, how have things been lately? Have you talked to your sisters at all?" He knew that the Saltwater sisters didn’t have the most perfect relationship, but he also knew Attina loved her sisters dearly.

“That sounds great.” She said, with a smile. “I definitely like the idea of being able to pick out whatever we want.” Customization was always nice. “Yeah, we can definitely head out now.” Attina said, the smile still on her features. “I’m glad that you thought of this.”

“It helps.” He knew all too well that sometimes it was better to have choices. Raising a kid taught him that. He couldn’t help but return the smile. “I am too. And I’m glad you’re here.”

“You really don’t have to explain. I understand that things come up. I mean, that’s life.” She said, with a soft smile. “We both have busy lives sometimes.” She added, the smile not leaving her features. It was late. But Attina wasn’t tired and like he said they’d had to reschedule last week. So she was definitely eager to make tonight work. “I don’t have any other plans. That sounds lovely.”

“Then, it’s a date. There’s this great little deli off of 33rd Street. We can go and pick out whatever we want and take it out to the park.” That way they could customize the picnic to their liking. “If you’re ready now, we can head out?”

“So, I know it’s short notice, and I’m sorry. But, I had to work a double shift. And I feel horrible that I had to reschedule on you last week. I was hoping we could grab that rain check tonight, if you’re up for it. I know it’s late, but if you don’t have any other plans, we could do a moonlit picnic? There’s a nice spot in the park.”

“Yeah, I know. Doesn’t make me feel any better when I have to do it though. Sometimes they just piss me off so bad that I go overboard and punish them more than they deserve, I think. In the long run that will help though, right? Teaches them discipline and that things don’t always go like they want. Life lessons and all.” Donald rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know. I hope they realize that. I think they rebel because they’ve had so much loss in their life and so much trauma. I feel bad not treating them like porcelain dolls but I just get so angry. It’s really hard not to scream at them.” He sighed. “I don’t want to think about them leaving. I know it’s inevitable but…I won’t be able to protect them if they’re gone. Dewey’s talking about moving across the country for school. I’m just not ready to let them go.”

“It never gets easier.” He wished it did. He then let out a sigh. “Believe me, I know how you feel. The idea that someday Max might want to leave New York makes me crazy. But...if I’ve learned anything it’s that...the tighter you hold on, the harder they fight to get away.” Sometimes George wished there was some kind of magical force that could keep them kids forever. “It’s one of those hard parts of being a parent. You want them to just stay little forever, and yet...another part of you wants them to grow up, but just hopes that you’ve done enough to teach them so that they grow up to make wise choices.”

“Dude, I’m just fucking winging it. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. Like, I grounded Huey right? I don’t even know if that was the right thing to do. I think it was but maybe I was too harsh? I really don’t know.”

“That’s the hard part.” George said, speaking from experience. “Believe me, disciplining Max was...well for me, it was the worst part. I hated it. It always made me doubt everything. But, at some point, you realize that you’re all they have, Donald, and if you don’t set ground rules, then they’re not going to learn anything.” He told him. “Were you too harsh? Maybe. Maybe you weren’t. But, you’re the adult. Huey’s the child. Seventeen or not, he’s a child. And he needs to realize that. Actions have consequences, good and bad. And that’s one of the most valuable lessons you can teach them. Because they’re gonna be out there soon on their own, and you’re not gonna be able to protect them. And they’re gonna have to face much harsher consequences in the real world than just being grounded. They need to realize that.”

❛ I don’t get it, you know? I babysit a group of kids like once and suddenly everyone at work is calling me Mom. Do I give off a ‘can I speak to your manager’ vibe, you think? ❜ 

“Look at it this way, son. It means you come off as responsible, and that’s a good thing, right?” He assured his son. “Not everyone would be trusted to watch a group of kids.”

“I don’t know how you do it. I had enough trouble raising one teenager by myself. And you’re raising three.” He shook his head. “I wish there was a guide, a handbook on parenting, you know? Like, this is the easy way.” Of course, he knew no such thing existed.

It had been a long day of rehearsals and Vixey was glad to have a bit of a break. She loved working hard and she would do anything for her role. But, she did like to take a walk around the city from time to time, and get some fresh air and just think about things. She’d stopped and gotten some hot tea to sooth her voice after having used it all day and was currently walking through the park. It was chilly out. But, she was bundled up and her tea was keeping her warm. She found a bench on her travels and found someone sitting on it already. “Is it alright if it sit?” She asked.

“I think some find it really easy though. I’d like to learn from those people.” She said, with a shrug of her shoulders. “ She smiled softly at what he wanted to do. It sounded absolutely lovely. “That sounds wonderful. I think you should definitely do that, someday.”

She wondered what they’d had a blow out over. But she knew it wasn’t her business and so she wasn’t going to ask. She looked at him and offered a gentle nod of her head. “You’re right. I just have to give them time. I’m just not always the best at patience.” She admitted, with a shrug. “At least, not when it comes to my sisters.” She corrected. “So what are some of your hopes and dreams?”

“I wish all my sisters felt that way.” She said, softly. She was trying to make it up to some of them. But she had to actually make the effort and she was nervous to try with some of the more stubborn ones. “I’m glad that you have people like that in your life.”

“It was really hard. But, it was a long time ago.” She commented, softly. “I wasn’t always there when they needed me. But, I’m trying to make up for it now.” She sipped her coffee for a moment. “Oh wow, that’s wonderful.”

She let it go at that not wanting to press it any further. How many sisters did she have? Did she really want to scare this guy off on the first date?” I have six sisters.” She said, with a smile.  

The waitress returned with her cup of coffee and Attina took the cup of coffee and gestured towards George. She didn’t know if he wanted anything to drink. They could also order a little something to eat obviously. But she had just wanted something to warm up first. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to try something new.” She commented, blowing on the hot coffee for a moment, before she added cream and sugar to it. “I’m sorry about Max’s mother. That must’ve been terrible.” She meant that he had lost her when Max was so young, obviously. “I can understand Max being everything to you and I would never want to get in the way of that bond that you have with him. I’m just looking to enhance someone’s life and be a part of it, honestly. I mean, I have many sisters and I consider them to be very important to me probably much in the same way you consider Max to be important to you.” He had lost Max’s mother and she had lost her mother. They could connect on that level.