Check 'em Out – Daniel 40

For back story go here: Story so far, and maybe this one.]

[Relevant back story links also within text.]

“So, we need to do two lovely pictures. One of a tree and one of a flower.”

“I can draw trees but not flowers.”

“OK so let’s draw a tree first.”

“But I can’t draw flowers.”

“Doesn’t matter. Do the tree and then...”

“Then I can’t do the flower.”

“Then we’ll try doing the flower and...”

“It won’t work. I can’t do it.”

“Just the tree...”

“But it won’t be right because of the flower...”

“Flowers can be little trees...”

“No they can’t, Daddy...”

“Sometimes if...”

“Daddy if they are it means I can’t do it.”

“Just do the tree...”

“But if the tree is just a big flower I can’t draw it because I can’t draw flowers.”

“Draw a lovely tree.”

“Ok I’ll try.”

“Good.”

“After biscuit time.”

Daniel sighed.

“I bet Mr Sparklehat would love to see your tree picture. And then we can have a biscuit.”

“He can floody well draw it his self,” said Daisy, crossing her arms. “While I have my biscuit.”

Daniel snapped to his feet and went to get the biscuits. It was half eleven or so in the morning and everything was going as well as could be expected. Joe Wicks was back but Daisy wasn’t keen on him any more, and to be honest Daniel didn’t mind. Not withstanding the body bloke’s new home, there was a horrendous sense of deja vu with all of this and getting back into Wicks, by Royal Appointment now, just made him feel he was trapped in a Groundhog Day of epic proportions.

So how to make things different and fun or something? The home schooling had potential. The school seemed to be more on the ball this time, or maybe they’d just got better at using the technology at their disposal to push activities to their dispersed classes. They’d split the day into subject areas and even encouraged everyone to take snacks and drinks when required – so Daisy required those quite often.

If he timed everything correctly he could just about free up fifteen minutes worth of email answering while Daisy explored the biscuit tin and tried not to let on about how damp the sofa had got because she hadn’t closed the lid on her water bottle properly. Occasionally Daniel got a phone call in edge ways but then something happened which shifted the very axis of the earth on which he stood and span. Daisy got bored with The Unicorns of the Sparkle Galaxy.

It was gradual at first. She was less bothered about taking the unicorns to bed with her or around the house wherever she went. Daniel kept picking up the multi-coloured mythological beast and taking it to Daisy who seemed happy to be reunited at first but gradually became less bothered. She took the toy with a grunt instead of a squeal of delight, and finally with just a sigh.

Daniel was in a near state of panic over what he could possibly do next. All the strategy had gone out of his day. Trinny and Adrian were there slogging their guts out trying to give Together... Apart some sort of relevancy and he was unable to do anything to help.

“The app needs a new direction,” he was muttering to Trinny as fast as he could.

“I need another biscuit!” Came Daisy’s voice.

“What about fantasy?” said Trinny. “Adrian reckons he can create a virtual world where everyone can meet. We create the map and the places and everything and then everyone can still meet up but virtually online. Where they’ll be Together... Apart.”

Daniel thought about this for a while – or rather for the short while he had.

“Sounds good,” he said, he hoped not too quickly.

They riffed for a while on the kind of locations which this virtual place might have and Daniel was so caught up in it he forgot the time. When he hung up he realised he’d been on the phone for half an hour and there had been no noise from Daisy.

Coming back into the sitting room he found his daughter glued to the television. On screen a tall, bearded, immaculately turned out man was putting a number of contestants through their paces. 

“Daisy, do you want..?” he said, before being aggressively hushed at.

“They need this to get more time,” she said.

Daisy had discovered Supermarket Sweep with Rylan Clark-Neal. She was enchanted by what she saw, by what had to happen, by how they did it and by Rylan himself. But perhaps the biggest thing was the idea that people could go into supermarkets.

“When this is all over,” said Daisy. “Can I go to a supermarket too?”

Daniel said he could – but felt it was only fair to note Rylan wouldn’t be there and she couldn’t run around at full pelt loading up her shopping trolley. Daisy said she’d be happy just to be there.