FicWad

Chapter Nine

#16 It's Never Too Early To Start Thinking About Your Child's Future

Let me roll you through my train of thought. When Maddie gave me the stupid father book I'll admit I never intended to read it. I believe everything I could gain from it would be minimal from what I could easily gain from watching Daddy Daycare. But I did end up opening the book sometime that week and somehow I found myself to number sixteen: It's Never Too Early To Start Thinking About Your Child's Future which got me thinking. What was my child going to turn out to be? A lawyer? A teacher? An astronaut? A musician like me? Now the idea of my child turning out to be like me got my head whirling. Me, now, and my career now could affect the baby in every way. What kind of lifestyle am I living that I am gone more than I am home. These thoughts got me thinking about my band and just how important the guys were to me and the support they've shown which led me back to Maddie. Maddie hadn't even met the guys before. She had to at least meet them before we left for the summer. So this had gotten me to Maddie's front door that Saturday afternoon. I intended to stop by, ask casually if she wanted to come to band practice with me and in the process introduce her to the guys. When I got home number sixteen was getting crossed off the list.

A slight pounding was evident in my chest as I gave my first rap on Maddie's door. I felt the need to rehearse my lines as if this whole conversation would come straight out of a play. I would say my part she would respond and it would be over with. Complete with the applause at the end of the scene. Yeah, that's how it would go.

I moved my hand up to give my second knock of the hour when the door moved away suddenly. I stared at the girl in front of me that stole many of Maddie's features and realized at once it wasn't Maddie. I glanced quickly at the door seeing if for some reason because of my thoughts I had gotten the wrong apartment, but no it clearly read 207. It was Maddie's.

"Um…hi," I said awkwardly still looking up at the towering girl in front of me. She had what looked like a normal frown upon her face and a glare in her eye. Her blonde hair unlike Maddie's hung only to her shoulders and was shining clear with age and wear. "Is Maddie here?" I asked cautiously. Something about her eyes told me I was over-stepping some sort of boundary.

She gave a long sigh and glanced at me once up and down. "Yeah, she's here," she said.

I gave a small smile trying to calm her uptight stature. It didn't work. "Um…can I talk to her?" I asked seeing her still staring at me and not moving from the door.

She gave another enormous sigh as if what she was doing was some sort of chore and looked over to what I knew to be the kitchen. "Maddie," she called loudly making her whole stature tremble. I heard Maddie's weak 'coming' respond somewhere from within the apartment soon afterwards. I smiled more out of relief than pure happiness, and I saw the tower move aside in front of me to finally let me through the door. I walked in quickly, afraid if I lingered for a moment in her pathway I would be bulldozed over like a small tree. The girl still stared right at me as she slammed the door behind me and moved away to the living room.

"Patrick."

I gave a small start at the sound of my name. I had been so eye traumatized by the tower that I forgot Maddie was even here. I turned quickly to see she had emerged from the hallway. She was standing there in nothing more than grey sweats and a t-shirt that read South Dakota: Great Faces Great Places to accompany a picture of Mt. Rushmore. Her long blonde hair I had grown to love hung loosely in a pony tail and she bore no signs of make up or jewelry. All in all, she looked like a mess.

She smiled at me none the less and moved over to the kitchen. I followed like a lost puppy as she pulled out some milk and poured it in a glass. I was about to start my rambling and well thought out speech when I was interrupted by Maddie.

"Oh Patrick," she said putting the milk back in the fridge. "This is Josie."

I turned to my side where Maddie was looking and saw that the tower had moved from the living room. She still glared at me with her icy eyes, but surprisingly stuck out a hand for retrieval. I took it slowly. Maybe too slowly because now the building was looking at me like I was slow.

"She is just getting settled in," Maddie said interrupting our greeting.

The tower made a weird grunt as a reply.

"Josie maybe you could give us a minute," Maddie said addressing her. I gave a relieved smile and looked at Maddie with gratitude.

Josie on the other hand gave an 'alright' as a reply and disappeared into the hallway.

"She just got here a little bit ago," Maddie explained taking a sip of her milk.

It finally registered into me what Maddie was talking about. She was saying this tower…Josie was going to live with her!?!? "So…so Josie's going to live with you?" I asked seeing Maddie furrow her eyebrow at my question.

"Yeah," she said quite slowly. "I told you my sister was going to move in with me at dinner at the beginning of the week."

Shit! That's what she had been talking about. Wait…her sister. There was no way these two were related. Well they actually did look a lot alike in small features, but really they seemed nothing alike.

"I told you Patrick," Maddie continued in my silence. "That I would need someone here when I was pregnant to help out, and since you can't exactly be around Josie was more than happy to step in."

Yeah those sighs and frowns showed happiness.

"Weren't you listening?"

I looked at Maddie and saw a very mother like disapproval settle on her face. No, I hadn't been listening, but I couldn't say that.

"I just forgot," I lied quickly seeing her expression move from disapproval to disappointment. She knew I hadn't been listening. Damn, I need to work on my lying skills…or start listening.

Maddie gave a sigh that resembled Josie's and emptied her glass.

Good job Patrick now she's mad at you. Quick, make her laugh. Make this better. "I was listening though when you told me how good I looked," I said quickly.

Maddie turned back to me with a smile creeping on her lips. "Patrick," she said letting the smile escape.

I smiled too, glad I had done something right.

She continued to look at me as she came around the counter to take a seat by me. "So what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked.

I let my smile falter realizing she was asking why I was there. "Well…," I said shuffling in my seat. "I just came by to ask if you would like to come to band practice with me." She gave a sort of quizzed look so I continued. "I mean you haven't met the guys yet and I think this would be a good opportunity."

She smiled a little at me and answered. "I guess…I mean Josie doesn't need me that much."

I smiled too and grabbed her hand. "Great! Let's go!"

Maddie gave a laugh as she was tugged out of her seat by me. "Hang on, let me change first," she said pulling back.

I sighed and let her go. "Okay, but make it snappy. Rock stars like me do have to practice." I heard Maddie give a soft 'psh' as she disappeared into the hallway. I smiled and took a seat to wait.