What You Could Have Won – Daniel 46

 

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

[Relevant back story links also within text.] 

"Do you think we're giving you too much work, not enough work or just about the right amount?" asked Mrs Chistlehurst on the phone.

Daniel couldn't resist picking her up on this. "Well, of course strictly speaking it isn't me who's actually doing the work, is it?" he asked, nearly instantly regretting it.

"I do realise that," she said in a bored and not very impressed way. "I apologise if I'm not being completely accurate in what I'm saying only you're not the only person I've had this conversation with today and to be honest, were it not for all these forms I'm filling in while I do it they would all blur into one."

"I'm, erm, sorry," muttered Daniel, suitably told off and remembering why he left school as soon as he could. "I think you're giving Daisy just the right amount of work."

"Have there been any activities that you haven't been able to do because of lack of equipment?"

Daniel ranged his thoughts over the past week and the months before that. There wasn't really anything that they hadn't done because of equipment, but there was plenty of stuff that hadn't happened because of lack of commitment and willingness. If Daisy moaned about something Daniel would try and sell it to her a different way. If she fought too much he really didn't have the energy to make it happen. Over time, he thought, her commitment had stayed the same while his willingness had slowly dissipated. The path to the television or some other screen was way too familiar and easy now.

With the catch-up call over, and the promise of 'real school' whenever the real school understood exactly what that would mean, Daniel joined Daisy on the sofa. Her viewing habits could have gone one of two ways, he thought. First, she could have just binged on anything and everything with Rylan in it. Instead she'd gone for the quiz angle. Never mind Supermarket Sweep she was now devouring quiz shows new and old. Some were directed at her age group, others were directed at an older age group from years gone by. Quite how she'd found Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? and the amazingly retro Bullseye he had no idea. There were some strange algorithms going on beneath the surface of the remote control to be sure.

"We're you ever on a quiz?" asked Daisy.

"No, no. Not on TV," said Daniel.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well," said Daniel, struggling to put into words the reasons why he's missed this particularly crucial part of life experience. "Not everyone gets to go on a TV quiz. Sometimes you have to show that you're clever enough, and sometimes it's just if you're lucky."

"Like snakes and ladders, then," observed Daisy, somewhat mystifying her father. "When you win you say you're just lucky but when I win you say I'm clever."

Daniel left this where it was and phoned Trinny.

"We need a new plan," she said. "Several new plans. I think we can survive but we need to be clear and work it out. What's our USP and what do people still want from us?"

"People will always want to be together," said Daniel. "Surely we're just going to ride the crest of the wave of people being able to get together again?"

There was a pause while this sank in at the other end of the conversation. "We're going to need to do better than that," said Trinny. "We don't have a thing - you know, like Grindr has a thing and, you know the other ones and their things."

"What about specialising in long distance relationships?" asked Daniel, the idea popping into his head unbidden, as most of his brilliant ideas did. Unless, of course, someone else suggested them. "You fall in love, you find out you have to live apart so you turn to Together... Apart to keep you together even though you're... Apart."

"Like it," said Trinny. "Actually like it a lot. Can you sort some promo stuff on that and we'll try and make it fly? Like what kind of resources do you need to keep the flame burning? How do you communicate with each other and everything? What’s the best gift to buy your loved one when they’re far away? Think sponsor angle.”

“Always,” said Daniel. “Always the sponsor angle.”

He hung up as Daisy came in to find she’d drunk the last of the chocolate milk. This time she wasn’t too upset though, buoyed up instead by a bright future.

“I’m going to be on a quiz show,” she said with confidence. “What do you want me to win for you? A holiday or a motor boat?”