WM 47.5.D
Prompt picture.
“Papa! Papa!”
She looked up to see her son standing down on the shoreline, the water lapping at his feet, splashing across his clothes to darken them. “Papa!”
“Would it kill you to respond, love?”
“I don’t have time. My research-”
“Will be there in ten minutes. You’re missing his childhood, he’ll be at school before you know it and your research will be able to have all your time.”
“Papa! Look! Papa!”
Her husband pulled his glasses off his nose and looked out the window down to the beach. “It’s just shells again. It’s always shells.”
“He likes shells. He just wants some attention. He’s still a baby.”
“So go down and play with him. I can’t concentrate with him yelling.”
“PAPA!”
“For gods’ sake, Chandra, he doesn’t want me. Listen to him, he wants you. He wants some time with his father. It’s not about the shells. It’s about you.”
Chandra looked between his son and his wife.
“Ten minutes, love. He only wants some time. He loves you.”
She smiled as he stood up and took off his sandals, and walked out the gate, down to the beach. Her son looked up at him with a brilliant smile, pointing down. “Look, papa, they’re hell-ix-eses.”
“Helixes,” she heard Chandra correct, crouching down next to him. “They are, aren’t they. Just like helixes.”
“Papa! Papa!”
She looked up to see her son standing down on the shoreline, the water lapping at his feet, splashing across his clothes to darken them. “Papa!”
“Would it kill you to respond, love?”
“I don’t have time. My research-”
“Will be there in ten minutes. You’re missing his childhood, he’ll be at school before you know it and your research will be able to have all your time.”
“Papa! Look! Papa!”
Her husband pulled his glasses off his nose and looked out the window down to the beach. “It’s just shells again. It’s always shells.”
“He likes shells. He just wants some attention. He’s still a baby.”
“So go down and play with him. I can’t concentrate with him yelling.”
“PAPA!”
“For gods’ sake, Chandra, he doesn’t want me. Listen to him, he wants you. He wants some time with his father. It’s not about the shells. It’s about you.”
Chandra looked between his son and his wife.
“Ten minutes, love. He only wants some time. He loves you.”
She smiled as he stood up and took off his sandals, and walked out the gate, down to the beach. Her son looked up at him with a brilliant smile, pointing down. “Look, papa, they’re hell-ix-eses.”
“Helixes,” she heard Chandra correct, crouching down next to him. “They are, aren’t they. Just like helixes.”