Pinky Promise

Chapter 5

Becker pulled up onto the pavement before the gate that led to the caravan. There was some music playing but he wasn't really listening to the words but thought that he might have heard the tune before. He watched as the cars drove past towards the same direction they'd be heading in, never thinking he'd be a part of the school run traffic.

He was on the verge of going to knock on the door before he saw two figures walk up the path towards him. Becker got out of the pickup, opening the back door ready for his passengers.

"Morning!" He beamed.

"Becker!" Fern let go of her father's hand and came running towards the gate and started to climb over, even though the bag on her back looked like it wanted to pull her back towards the floor.

"You excited?"

"Sort of, will you be there?" She asked, standing at one of the last metal bars waiting for him to get into position. When he did, arms waiting, she jumped towards him and he spun to pop her into the dinosaur car seat that waited for her.

"No, I won't be there, but I might be able to come and pick you up later on. That okay?"

"Pinky promise?" Fern pressed, trying to shuffle her bag off her shoulders as she got ready for the seatbelt to be pulled across her body.

"Oooft. I guess I can. We have been quite quiet recently." Becker offered his little finger to finalise their agreement.

At that he saw Connor skulk towards the front of the car, checking for traffic before jumping in.

"I didn't know you could iron." Becker joked as he closed Fern's door behind him and moved towards the driver's seat, waiting for a reply.

"Neither did I." Connor smiled glancing a smile towards him.

There wasn't a crease to be seen in Fern's school uniform, shades of navy and blue as neat as they could be. Even the bow in her hair aligned perfectly with her crown but Becker didn't really think anything of it, Connor could ace anything if he put his mind to it.

Fern enjoyed the music that played through the car, head bobbing along to the singing and she even started to memorise the words to some of the choruses of the more popular songs. Becker made sure all of his windows were closed whenever she was with him, hoping it blocked out most of the noise for any passers-by as she hadn't quite managed to perfect the notes yet. Not that he'd ever tell her.

"Will there be songs at school?" She asked, trying to find Becker's eyes in the rear-view mirror.

"Sometimes."

"Okay."

Becker sat in the car as he watched the two head towards the school gates after he got to say a quick goodbye. Connor had pulled his sleeves into his palms but still held his daughter's hand. He knelt in front of her as they reached a group of busy parents and kids and pressed a long kiss on her forehead.

From the man that walked through the anomaly months ago, he really had adapted to suit the modern world that had carried on without him. Fern was true to her namesake, hardy and resilient. The kid feared nothing at all, apart from spending time away from her father.

At some point he'd stopped watching them, leaving them to their farewells and eyes distracted by other goings-on around him. He was interrupted by the door opening quickly and almost slamming shut.

"Sorry," Connor mumbled, using his sleeves to dab at his nose now.

"You okay?" Becker asked before pressing the clutch to the floor, the engine purring alive in response.