Unfinished Lesson

TEENIE WEENIE

 

Here comes my daddy! He looks tired until he sees me. I run to him and am swept up in his arms. Oh, what a big crunchy hug he gives me. Up on his shoulders I go, squirming, calling for help. Mommy comes running in to save me. Daddy twists me, makes me do a somersault and land on my feet. Once in a while I miss and he makes a funny face at me . That gives him time to go upstairs, take off his shoes, his tie and his leather belt. The belt he hangs on the bathroom room door knob. He keeps it there just in case I get snooty, won't help Momma with the dishes. He thinks that belt scares me but it doesn't because he loves me a lot and won't ever hurt me.

 

Daddy never complains about Mommy's cooking but I do and get a dirty look from him and a little pepper on my tongue. Before I even try to swallow it, Daddy hands me a glass of water and warns me not to complain or there will be hotter pepper, maybe the red kind, the next time. Actually I think I would rather have more pepper than smell Daddy's stinky pipe. Instead of telling him how bad his meerschaum smells, I hand him a big ashtray and a cold bottle of beer, wait for him and Momma to go in the living room to listen to Jack Benny on our new big radio while I cut Winnie Winkle paper dresses out of my fun book.
Daddy tells me to go in the other room because my scissors makes too much noise.

 

It's lonely in the kitchen and I just don't know what to do by myself. Daddy and Momma laugh and then I hear them sing the whole ending song, 'I'd love to spend each Sunday with you.' We can't see the audience but hear them clap and clap. I clap too because Daddy is going to bring me a glass of cold chocolate milk and some kind of cookie, then maybe tell me a story before I go to bed.

 

Instead of a story he tells me to sit on his lap. He wants to draw for me. There isn't much room on that lap of his because, as Momma says, he drinks too much beer. First he lets me take off his heavy work shoes and of course, he shakes both of them until some pennies fall on the floor. I get to keep all I can find and save them in my yellow jar that looks like a chef. Daddy has a little green book that has drawings on the first few pages. They aren't very good drawings but Daddy explains that they are eggs, strange eggs and there are others that have little tails. The ones with tails swim after the egg ones and when they catch the eggs, sometimes babies hatch. Well, he laughs and I keep quiet, until I ask, 'What kind of babies? Chickens? Fish?'

 

Daddy really guffaws out loud, calls Momma to tell her what I said.
I don't think my question is funny at all. Well, I get so mad, I jump right off of Daddy's lap, stamp my foot and go to bed.

 

He never finishes his story and I have to wait a long time to find out for myself how the babies got there.