"Papa."
"What, Honey." I took a big gulp.
"I've told you about that."
Lately she has taken after her Nana. She scolds me on my health. I truly don't believe I need the lectures as I'm a fine specimen of a man.
"About what, Honey, my tea drinking?"
She walks around so that she has a face forward attacking position. She places her little hands on her hips and reinforces her 'look.' I expect her next move to be the foot stomp on the tile attack...
"Papa, you don't drink enough water and I've told you to quit drinking so much tea." Like that.
"Little Bit, I drink a half gallon of water a day." Her, blink-blink, with those pretty drop dead brown eyes.
Then, "I don't see you drink water."
"Trust me, Sweetheart, I do, really."
Let's face it, sweet ice tea is the table wine of the South. I tell her such. She doesn't buy it.
I change my tactics. "Why do you want me to drink so much water, I love tea."
She changes her approach too. She walks over and hugs me. I wait and put my tea glass aside and hold her.
"Cause, Papa, I love you." I hear Sweet Wife sneak up behind us, quiet. I know she's waiting on the out come of this chastising my heart has given me.
Me, "I love you too, Honey, but what is it with this water campaign you and Nana have with me?"
Little Bit, "You 'member when you got sick last week when you cutted the grass?"
"Yes, I was just dehydrated, Honey, Nothing to worry yourself over."
"But Papa, what if the next time you don't get better and we can't wake you up and you goes in the hospital and the nurses and doctors don't fix you and then I won't ever have you again and then I won't be ables to come and see you and then I'll be all lonely and cry and I won't ever have a Papa again."
Just like that, fast and breathless and now the tears were flowing and I felt like crap. Behind me, slightly out of sight, I heard Sweet Wife, sigh.
I bent and looked Little Bit in the eye and said, "I'll drink more water, Honey, I promise."
In return, Little Bit wiped her nose on my shirt and said, "Pour out the tea, Papa."
I did.
Stephen
