The Little Decisions Series (Jai Courtney)

Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

"Honey!" Jai shouted from the living room, above a screeching Denzi. His neighbours were going to love this! "Honey?"

All she wanted was two minutes to use the bathroom. Was that too much to ask? Washing her hands, she wiped them against her shorts on her way to the living room.

"What is it, Booms?"

"Can you make this bullshit stop?" Jai grumbled, leaning against his crutches and scowling.

In the middle of the room, Denzi had practically every toy he owned thrown around, to top off the mess the little boy was laying in the middle of it all crying and screeching something about how he hated naps.

"Why is he throwing a fit?" She glanced at the man beside her.

"Don't accuse me." Jai shook his head, shifting his weight in hopes of it taking pressure off of his bad leg. "I was unloading the park bag and this happened." he jutted his chin in the direction of the scene.

"Denzi." She called sternly to no avil.

"Denzi." Jai echoed, his voice gruffer and louder than what she could muster.

"Da! No! No naps da!" Denzi wailed, throwing a mega block in the direction of the adults. "I not nap, Ooo!"

"Nobody said you have to nap, mate." Jai grumbled, hobbling a little closer.

They had spent the morning at the park, enjoying the first nice day they'd had in a week. Rare storms had blown in and the trio had been cooped up for almost three days, it was beginning to show. When they had left earlier that morning for the park, she had packed a bag and a blanket with the intentions of staying into the early afternoon.

A full morning of playing, followed by a picnic, Denzi would benefit greatly from such a thing. The child had been thrilled to run and play, not caring much about whether or not he was getting filthier by the minute, or that he had lost a shoe in the first two minutes.

Jai had spent most of his time on a park bench, his leg propped up and a new script in hand. His sunglasses perched on his face, allowed him to watch his son like a hawk while pretending to work. Never too far away, she had appointed herself the task of chasing Denzi around, making sure he didn't find any trouble or lose anything other than a shoe.

Their day at the park had came to a turn, when Denzi began to throw a tantrum. It started on top of a slide, he had bellowed several times, no doubt imitating the other children around him. The first time he shouted out for his "Mum!" Jai had grabbed his crutches and managed to go over.

She had gone to the car, wanting to grab a full water bottle, when Denzi had seemed to take notice his god-mother was missing in action. Calling out, he settled down and began to giggle, when Jai approached the slide. Asking him what he wanted.

"I luf ou, mate!" He chirped at his father before showing Jai how he could get down the slide on his own, a new development since their last visit together.

As Jai went back to the bench, taking his seat and getting comfortable, he waved at Denzi as the little boy climbed back up the short slide ladder, readying to slide down again.

"Mum! Mum! Mum!" Denzi bellowed at the top of his lungs. Rolling his eyes, Jai picked himself up - again, and hobbled over.

Asking his son what the issue was, Denzi ignored his only parent's concern and began fussing and crying, insisting that he needed his mum. Glancing around, Jai groaned, of course every person in the park had stopped to watch the rugged looking, obviously broken, stitched up man.

It hadn't taken long for her to notice the situation, how could anyone avoid it? Casually sauntering over to where her best friend looked like he wanted to crawl into the sand, she smiled and nudged his arm. Making a comment about how he got away lucky, this time. He could have been her and Dan, when Denzi loudly informed the entire park that he was in fact not with his mum and da.