Fan Fiction
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Sugar and Spice ~ Chapter 8
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Friday, February 13, evening
Kennard residence
The three Kennards sat at their dinner table, each parent at an end facing one another with Tina on the side of the table between them. The parents kept glancing worriedly at their daughter, whose head was down as she pushed food around on her plate.
Bill Kennard looked at his wife with a raised eyebrow and a tilt of his head slightly towards his child.
Dotty Kennard looked back at him. A small shoulder shrug and a tiny head shake conveyed her reply that she had no idea what was behind Tina’s behavior.
The parents kept eye contact, each urging the other to ask their daughter what was wrong.
Finally, Dotty spoke. “Pumpkin, are you not feeling well?”
“I’m fine Mommy,” Tina replied without looking up.
“Tina, look at your mother when she speaks to you,” Bill instructed.
Tina slowly looked up.
“Are you sick?”
“No Mommy.”
“But you’re not eating anything.”
“I’m not hungry.”
‘You always like chicken parmigiana.”
“I’m just not hungry.”
Dotty eyes pleaded with her husband for some help.
Bill asked, “Are you upset about something, pumpkin?”
Tina quickly looked down.
The parents again looked at one another, silently asking the other to take the next step.
Dotty spoke this time, “You can always talk to us. About anything. You know that, right?”
“Yes Mommy.”
“Good, because it’s true.”
“May I be excused?” Tina asked, looking back and forth at her worried parents.
“Sure sweetie,” Dotty replied. “I’ll keep a plate warm for you in case you change your mind. You might be hungry later,”
After Tina had left the room and climbed the stairs to her bedroom, her parents spoke.
“What is bothering her, Bill?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it is an affair of the heart.”
“Don’t be silly. She’s seven.”
He shrugged.
Dotty was silent for a few moments while she thought. She then asked, “How do you know?”
“Father’s instinct.”
~~
Porter residence
“How is your pot roast?” Melvin Porter asked his younger daughter.
“Good.”
“Mrs. Washington doesn’t usually make Brussels sprouts, does she?”
“No.”
“I prefer her green beans with almonds. Which of her vegetables are your favorites?”
“I like them all.”
The man chuckled. “Well, I remember that when you were a baby, you threw a plate of peas at your nanny. So, you’ve never liked peas.”
“I do now.”
“Well, that’s good. Vegetables are good for you and you’ll eat more of them if you enjoy them. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes.”
Melvin Porter was out of patience. He had watched his younger daughter play with her food for the entire meal. Worse, she had given monosyllabic answers to every question he had asked to draw her into conversation.
Kit had been watching the exchanges and could see their father’s anger bubbling to the surface. She was pissed at Bette for breaking the dinner table routine. The long-established protocol was that Bette and their father conducted all conversation, since discussions between Kit and her father could be volatile. Annoyed as she was, though, she wanted to shield the younger girl from the storm about to explode.
“Daddy,” Kit spoke, “I think we should have a dinner once a week of all vegetables. Maybe with a little tofu or tempeh. It would be healthier, you know?”
Melvin looked at Kit, surprised. That she had interjected, violating their unspoken dinner conversation truce, made him aware that his growing anger must have become very obvious. He sighed and collected his thoughts.
“That is an excellent suggestion, Katie. I will discuss it with Mrs. Washington, along with adding more fish to our diet.”
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Bette, caught in her own disappointment, didn’t notice.
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Awww, the poor things. You’ll find a way for them to meet on the 14th, right? PPS!
Geez, I already told you I watched the video, lay off already. Did you listen to the song I recommended to clear the palate? Huh? Huh? And as far as peas go, I’ll eat ’em if I have to, but they’re not my favorite. OK, so we’ve got a couple of mopey kids and a Romeo & Juliet reference. Does this mean the kids drink poison in the next chapter? Man, that ain’t too fluffy.
Just caught up. =) I’ve been holding off on reading this story cause I had a million and one things to do during the past weeks and I didn’t want to breeze through the words like an ADD person on crack. But now that my sched’s free, I’ll be following this one religiously. =) You know I love fluff. And I happen to love your brand of fluff very much.
“Fluff, thy name is spumoni” LOL it was heartbreaking and cute…can’t wait for the balcony scene LOL
Aww, it was Friday the 13th. Damn the bad luck Spumonious.
Young love + miss opportunities = fluff + angst. I know you keep telling us fluff…but a little sad on this one. C’mon, let’s make some smiley faces get all sugar-ed up with your fans on this awesome “Aunt Jemima sweet syrup” of a story!
I am not a fan of peas either. I would spit them out as a child and still will pick them out of whatever food I eating. Like soup, stir fry, you name it, if it has peas in it they get picked out.
Oh My, our girls little hearts are breaking, this is so sad.
Poor kids.Great story.PPS
I watched the video! And I am a true believer in the triumph of love. I do believe “love is the star to every wandering bark”.(Shakespeare’s Sonnet CXVI). And do hope that our girls will find a way to communicate their feelings!
If only Bette could have asked the teacher to let her go for a moment and she would be right back in the last chapter but, alas, that is not the way the story goes. Can hardly wait to see how you write the rest of the story. After all, they are babies and they won’t be hurting themselves over this. And no, you have not disappointed us at all. You’ve shown us that love knows no age and boundary and that it can recognize itself in any millenium, it knows no preference that society may offer. And when it is destined and fate has written it so, so it shall be. Thanks for posting.
I so feel for them! Love it. Poor DarlingS!
Aww Spumoni, It has been the chase glances and light conversations that thus far have been the contact between these gals. Now, the missed opportunity of Valentine’s day has affected them greatly.It wsa awesome to read how in tune Bill was with Tina while Melvin was oblivious to Bette’s emotions.I hope that school comes quickly and these gals can engine a meeting soon.Many thanks for this amazing and fluffy adventure.Your Loyal Fan.
Oh, they’ve both lost their appetite. Wish they could watch that super sweet bunny commercial so they would feel better. I like everything about “Romeo & Juliet” except for the ending. This is a fluffy story, not a star-crossed lovers’ tale in grade school, right? My heart aches a little for the little girls but I thank you, Spumoni, for the entertainment and distraction from real life stuff. Hugs and cheers. :)
It’s 100 degrees outside (and before noon) so I’m all about the fluffy indoor activities today… delightful fluff, Spumoni! Thank you =)