Lets Add Three

"I Need A Car Seat Or I'll Die!"

A/N: Prep yourselves...

Chapter 21

Marcia watches out the window from the backseat, she's content, she doesn't know where they're going but its fine. Shewishes she had her hatchimal to play with, she doesn't know how long the tripcould be. Her feet don't reach the floor, she watches them dangle for a momentbefore she realises something very important.
     "Mr Lewis I don't have a car seat!"
     "You don't need one, you're six."
     "Well Mommy says I'm not heavyenough to not have one yet. I need a car seat or I'll die!"
     "You won't die Marcia," he sighs.
     "You don't know that! I need a carseat, bestly my one that has Martians on it, you know Daddy picked it specialfor me cause he calls me Martian."
     "Well we can get you a new one thatI'll pick special for you," he tries not to let any anger seep into his words.
     "No thanks, we can go home and getmine, then we can go on the trip," she nods.
     "It'll be much quicker to go and buyone, there's a mall off the next exit."
     "But I like my car seat, it's blackwith red and green Martians on it, that's mine and Daddy's favourite colours.Daddy's is green like the trees and the grass and mines red like the lava thatburns them, but I'm only joking cause I like the funny face Daddy makes when Isay that," she giggles.
     Jeremy has to clench his jaw, he justneeds to rip that Band-Aid off, just get her to shut-up about him already. How does he disprovesomething she's believed wholeheartedly for her whole life so far, mind youthat's only six years and kids will believe anything you tell them.
     "Marcia, what makes your dad, yourdad?"
    "Cause I call him dad, that's hisname, except everyone else calls him Avi because that's his real real name."
     "I know that's his real name, butyou think Avi is your dad just because you call him dad?"
     Marcia frowns, "I'm confused MrLewis."
     "No, this is easy, you'll get it.For example, if you called me dad, would that make me your dad?"
     She shakes her head, "No, you're notmarried to my Mommy."
     "No, Marcia, people don't have to be marriedto have a baby."
     "Well yeah, I went to Mommy andDaddy's wedding. I don't really remember it though, but there's pictures. If wego home I can show you!" She is very excited.
     "I don't want to see those pictures,"he sighs, finally pulling off at the exit to the mall. "I need you to reallyconcentrate when I tell you this next bit, okay?"
     She nods, "Okay."
     "A while ago your Mommy and I dated-"
     "How long ago?"
     "We would have broken up just over six yearsago," he says glancing at Marcia in the rear view mirror.
     "Oh I'm six!"
     "Yeah you are. Marcia I'm your dad,your real dad."
     "Um... no," she shakes her head."
     "It might be hard to believe, but it'strue," he smiles a little as they pull into the parking lot and come to a stop.
     "Well I don't live with you... so,"she shrugs. He doesn't know whether she doesn't care or doesn't understand, she'svery preoccupied looking out the window now.
     "You could live with me Marcia, wecould make that happen."
"No thank you, I like living withMommy and Daddy and Aurei and Bella and Giselle and even Olaf," she unbucklesher seatbelt. "It's getting dark, I need to get to go home so Daddy can sing memy song before bed. You know he write it special for me?"
     Jeremy wants to yell, to tell her tostop calling that man her dad, but he doesn't. "Did he?"
     "Oh yeah, but I share it with thetrip-a-lits," she nods. "Cause I love them and I'm their big sister."
     "Mmm hmm," he says as a response. "Soyour... dad is good to you?"
     "He's the best! He's my favourite!"She grins.
     "You're favourite what?"
     "Person in the whole wide world, butdon't tell Mommy cause I love her lots too."
     "So your dad sings to you and picksout a seat and he's your favourite?"
     "Yeah he does so many stuffs for me,he sharpens my colour pencils, and lets me play Barbie rock climb on his back,and he even eats my vege-itibles when I get too full even though he hates themtoo! But Daddy's the best cook, so he saves us from Mommy trying. And nextweekend he's gonna take me to Grandma-Grandpa's ranch and teach me to ride ahorse!" She is getting more and more excited. "And even the time I told Daddy Iwouldn't give him a kiss if he didn't cut off his beard, so he did and he didn'tlook like Daddy anymore and I didn't like it and wouldn't go near him until hegrew it back," she takes a deep breath.
     "He actually shaved?" Jeremy askswith surprise.
     "Yeah, Mommy didn't like it either."
     "But he did that for you?"
     Marcia nods, "Daddy would do anythingfor me, he always says that."
     Jeremy runs a frustrated hand downhis face as he turns to the window. Avi isn't a bad guy, and he knows that, buthe wants to believe that he is so badly, but he's not, Marcia is proof of that.This little girl thinks the world of him, that man that Jeremy hated for solong. The worst thing is that Jeremy hated him so much because he thought thatAvi would try and steal Kirstie away, but he never did. No, Avi started datingKirstie after Jeremy was well out of the picture and it's his own fault he'sout of it, it's his own fault that he's not going to be a part of this child'slife.
     Avi is a good Dad and Kirstie is agood Mom and Jeremy can't do this. He starts the car back up.    

A/N: I got kind of emotional with this one, damn you Marcia, making me feel stuff DX

Also, you all totally called it with Jeremy taking her, am I too predictable?

What do you think was Marcia's best 'Dad' memory of Avi?

Hannah :)