…The Other Half – Daniel 5

[For back story see lower numbers in archive]


“How did this happen?”

Daniel was holding the headphones, trying not to be too angry but also needing to convey that this wasn’t OK. 

“Are they trucked, daddy?” asked Daisy. “Are they completely trucked or just a little bit trucked? Are you trucked, Daddy, or a bit whisked off?”

“Daisy!” 

Daniel went into the kitchen, did a circuit of the room in an attempt to calm himself down (although the ruins of the microwave had compromised the effectiveness of this move now). He returned to the sitting room with a smile on his face, plastered over gritted teeth.

“Daddy needs to do a work call in the next five minutes,” he began, “and I wanted you to just watch something using these so I could talk without…. oh, what’s the use?”

He half threw the headphones across the room and slumped on the sofa. Daisy, despite everything cuddled in and he put his arm around her.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just – this is really quite difficult.”

“Mummy said you were doing really well last night,” assured Daisy.

“Yeah? Well, good for mummy,” said Daniel dismissively, although he was secretly flattered by this assessment.

“`So, if you watch the TV with the sound on low,” began Daniel, “then maybe I can still do my call and it will all be OK.”

This seemed to represent an acceptable way ahead. Together they flicked to the right channel on the TV, Daniel set up his computer on the dining table. Just as he was about to log on, Daisy came up to him and whispered.

“Can you be next to me, because it’s a scary one.”

If Daniel had thought the Kingdom of Sparkledom was always going to be a winner he was sadly mistaken. Having ploughed through three series, Daisy had reached the episode where Mr Sparklehat was in mild peril and needed the help of Paisley Pig to get out of Grey Jail. Unfortunately, Paisley Pig didn’t know this and was having a picnic with Hodge the mouse and Flynn the talking tea set.

Finally Daniel made the call, sat next to Daisy on the sofa, sharing the special protective pink blanket that had been on Daisy’s bed. He emphasised to her that she needed to be quiet at all times. Any noise and there would be no Krispies for lunch. She agreed to this. Armed with the spatula she rarely went anywhere without she settled to watch Sparkledom. Daniel opted out of the video element of this call. 

“Hi,” said the voice over his computer, “Hello, this is Sandra Dedbury.”

“Hi,” said Daniel “Look, first things first, I have my daughter on lockdown with me and it’s proving a little difficult…”

“Completely understand,” said Ms Dedbury, “How old is she?”

“Six,” said Daniel. “Sort of why I don’t want to put the video camera on – I’m er, I’m not really looking like I usually do for business.”

“No problem at all,” said Sandra. “You’re Daniel, right?”

“Sorry, yes, Daniel. My boss told me you’d be someone good to talk to about – stuff.”

“As long as it’s marketing stuff.”

“Yes, yes,” Daniel relaxed a little. “We’re – we’re trying to build some kind of presence, we have this app you see, it’s a new departure and we were…”

To Daniel’s dismay the TV went blank and Daisy hit his arm repeatedly with her spatula. 

“Hold on a second,” he said to Sandra.

“Don’t hit me!” he muttered to Daisy.

“I have to be quiet, remember?!” his daughter hissed back at him.

The opening titles of Kingdom of Spakledom restarted.

“Can you still hear me?” asked Daniel to Sandra.

“Yes – we can do this at another time if you’d like?”

“No, no,” said Daniel, “All good. It’s going to be the same whenever. I would give her the headphones but – she broke them, sometime, not sure how but…”

“Do you want me to have a chat with her first?” suggested Sandra. “That way she might watch Sparkledom without bothering you.”

“Ah, yeah, OK,” said Daniel.

For the next five minutes Sandra and Daisy shot the breeze like two old friends. At the end of it, sure enough, Daisy sat down to the Kingdom of Sparkledom without a sound.

“Do you have kids?” asked Daniel, “Sorry – we should be talking work, shouldn’t we, not…”

“It’s fine, and no I don’t,” said Sandra. 

“Wow,” said Daniel, “You’re a natural.”

“My – sister has kids,” said Sandra. “I see a lot – well, used to – see a lot of them. We get on well.”

By the end of the call Daniel felt he had a sound plan in place to move forward. Not only that but with Sandra on his side he reckoned it was actually practical and might even have a positive impact on the market.

He was also pleased to report to Sandra that Mr Sparklehat had escaped from his incarceration. Paisley Pig had not had his meal interrupted as the sudden intervention of Sparkle magic from a purple unicorn called Kevin (created through the sheer will power and singing skills of Sparklehat himself) made the jail turn to sparkle-dust and blow majestically away.

Daniel reflected how little this taught kids about the real world.

Sandra said her day had been made.