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mistymidnight

Author’s Notes: Yay for feedback!

            More suggestions from gidgetgirl…again with the don’t-read-if-you-don’t-like-spoilers, though it’s nothing truly major in this case, just some cute Mommy/Tara moments.

            Sorry it took so long to get around to it, but…yes, akissofdawn, the disclaimer in Chapter One was a nod to that line in “Laundry”…which is on my favorite stories list, by the way. I couldn’t resist…it’s such a great line! Kudos!

            To anyone who wants to see a picture and floor plan of the house where Tara and Mommy are staying, go here: MsoNormal>            Once again, thanks for all the feedback. One more review and “Nonsense” will surpass my most-reviewed fic so far—Sands of Time, which has twelve chapters and 31 reviews total.

            Tara rolled over in bed. A bed that wasn’t hers. For a second she couldn’t remember what she was doing there, in that unfamiliar bed, but then it came back to her. She and Mommy were on vacation.

            On vacation. It seemed so strange to use that phrase and really mean it. Usually when she or Mommy said “On vacation”, they were referring to the fact that there was no school for summer. Usually this was used in context with Donny, because Tara was only in preschool and therefore hadn’t had many chances to say that she was “on vacation”. But now she was, and for real, too.

            Tara opened her eyes and immediately squeezed them shut again against the bright sunlight coming in the window. It was still early, maybe seven o’ clock, but Tara’s window faced the east.

            She just laid there for a moment, covered in the thick pink comforter and the rustling sheets, feeling the sun shine on her face and make it warm. Then she turned her back to the window and opened her eyes again. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the morning sunshine, she got out of bed and went to wake up Mommy.

            It turned out she didn’t have to, for when she opened her bedroom door, the first thing she saw was Mommy making homemade French toast at the stove.

            “Morning, Tara-bear,” Mommy said, taking a break from cooking to lean down and give Tara a kiss on the forehead. “How did you sleep?”

            “Good,” Tara said, hugging her mother and then moving across the kitchen to the counter, where she hoisted herself up onto one of the tall chairs there. “What about you?”

            “Very well, thank you,” Mommy said, flipping two slices of French toast onto a plate. She turned off the stove burner and picked up two plates, the one she’d just topped with French toast and another that already had two slices on it. “Eat up,” she said. “We’re going down to the lake.”

            “Yay!” Tara yelled, her mouth full of French toast already.

            “Tara,” Mommy said warningly, “be careful. I don’t want you choking on that French toast.”

            “Ahwo,” Tara assured her, mouth still full.

            “Tara.”

            Tara swallowed and picked up her glass of orange juice. “Sorry,” she said, setting the glass down on the counter.

            “It’s okay, Tara. I just don’t want to spend my vacation saving you from choking. In fact, I don’t want choking involved in any way whatsoever.”

            “Okay,” Tara agreed, finishing off her first piece of toast. She pushed her plate away. “I’m full.”

            “Okay,” said her mother. “Throw it outside for the bids.”

            Tara opened the glass door that led out onto the deck and heaved the bread as far away into the woods as she could. It flew through the air for about ten feet and then dropped to the ground. Tara, satisfied with the length of her throw, turned around and went back inside.

            “I’m gonna go put on my bathing suit,” she said to Mommy.

            “Okay,” Mommy said. “Don’t forget to grab sunscreen.”

            Tara nodded and went to change. When she came back, Mommy was just finishing cleaning up from breakfast.

            “Do you have the sunscreen?” Mommy asked.

            Tara nodded and held it out. Mommy squirted some into the palm of her hand and rubbed it on Tara’s back and shoulders. This was difficult, because Tara could hardly keep still. She was very excited about going to the lake—the only ‘swimming’ she’d ever really done in her life was wading through the warm, slow-moving brook near the house. Sure, it had a tendency to get scummy in the hot summer months, but she and Bethie and Donny (sometimes even Bethie and Donny’s friends) would always have fun down at the brook, splashing around and looking for frogs. Well, Bethie and her friends never looked for frogs. They were too scared. Tara liked frogs, but always had to look for them by herself, because Donny and his friends didn’t want any girls tagging along, especially not Donny’s kid sister.

            When Mommy had finish rubbing sunscreen on Tara and had changed into her own bathing suit and grabbed some towels, she and Tara set off down the hill to cross the road and head for the lake.

.

.

            Tara fell in love with the lake the second she saw it. It was still and serene, gently lapping the shore and making a fwipp, fwipp sound as it did. The sand on the beach felt soft but well-packed beneath Tara’s feet, and when she stepped on the very wet sand near the water’s edge, it made a sort of slurping noise.

            Mommy set down the towels and then stood up tall, breathing in the cool summer air. Then she said, “Okay, Tara, go ahead, but don’t go in any deeper than here.” She gestured to a spot about midway up Tara’s torso.

            “Okay,” Tara agreed happily, and dashed into the water. She slowed down when it was about knee-deep, and then began walking, the resistance of the water making it hard to go any faster.

            “How is it?” Mommy called out after her.

            “C-cold!” Tara shouted, rubbing her arms, delighted at the goosebumps covering it.

            Mommy laughed, then ran in after her, splashing.

            “Mommy!” Tara screeched, splashing water back at her. She cupped her hand and ran it through the water as she spun around in a circle, soaking Mommy with a splash of tidal-wave proportions.

            “Oh, Tara-bear, you’re gonna pay for that,” Mommy teased, then picked Tara up. “Hold you nose,” she instructed, and Tara complied. “One, two…three!” Mommy shouted, and tossed Tara into the lake. Tara disappeared underwater, then bobbed back up to the surface. Doggy-paddling over to Mommy, she cried, “Do it again, Mommy! DO it again!”

            Mommy laughed and picked her up, repeating the game over and over until her arms were tired.

.

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            Well, there it is. Hope you liked! I nominated it at the Shadows and Dust Fanficion Awards, hopefully it has a shot at winning (even though it’s a work in progress).

            Well, let me know what you think!

mistymidnight