Fic: Uncle Charlie
title: Uncle Charlie
rating: PG
summary: Jack's nervous about meeting Charlie
a/n: this is for Specimen, which is supposed to be an anecdote about an interesting character. omg this one needs some WORK. It kinda doesn't work for the prompt at all, or at the very least just barely. I'm not sure it even works outside the prompt... it's kind of silly and not very well thought out. and yeah, I used the name Charlie again. but only because it's more common a name than Dominic is. and, it's got kind of a crap ending. *headdesk* it's embarrassing, really.
Jack didn’t look at his father during the entire first half of their four-hour journey. He stared resolutely out the car window, or down at his Game Boy, or at his muddy shoes instead. His father, Bill, sighed and tried repeatedly to engage him in conversation, or get Jack to sing along with the radio, but after the first hour, he gave up and fell silent as well.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Jack?” Bill asked hopefully.
“What if I don’t like him?”
“Uncle Charlie?” Bill chuckled. “You’ll like him.”
“But he’s not my real uncle, is he? Not like Auntie Maggie’s your sister, and Uncle James is Mom’s brother.”
“No, but he’s my best friend.”
“Then how come you never see him? How come I’ve never met him?”
“You have, though, Jack,” Bill insisted. “You just don’t remember. He came to see you right after you were born. Uncle Charlie was the first person besides me and your mom to hold you, did you know that?”
“I don’t remember him. What’s he like?”
“He sung you to sleep when you were a baby, Jack. He watched you while your mom and I went out to a grown-up movie, do you remember that? Charlie said that you were the most well-mannered boy he’d ever played with, but I think he lied.”
Jack giggled and clamped his hand over his mouth immediately. “Maybe,” he mumbled.
“Do you remember him at all?” Bill asked curiously. “It’s been a few years…”
“No,” Jack replied, shaking his head. “How do you know I’ll like him?”
“Well,” Bill began. “He likes games. And he likes to finger-paint and draw, and he likes to run around outside. And he built a treehouse in his backyard for you and his two nieces when they visit. Those are all things you like, right? Oh, and he likes to sing, even though he’s not nearly as good at it as me. Don’t tell him I said that, by the way,” Bill added quickly, winking at his son.
“I promise,” Jack said earnestly.
“And… Charlie likes kids a lot; he used to be a teacher. He’s practically a big kid himself. You’ll have fun with him, I promise.”
“But I don’t want to stay with him,” Jack insisted with a petulant whine.
Bill sighed. “It’s only for a few days, Jack.”
“I want to go with you and Mom to Hawaii. Did you know there’s volcanoes there? We learned that in school.”
“You know, you can ask Uncle Charlie to tell you about volcanoes if you want. He’s been to Hawaii too, and he knows about that kind of stuff.”
“What does he know about volcanoes?” Jack asked, trying not to seem as excited as he obviously was.
“He knows all sorts of things. You’ll have to ask him when we get there. Ask him to tell you about the underwater volcano he saw.”
“He saw an underwater volcano?” Jack squealed.
“He did. And he took pictures, I think.”
“Can I see?”
Bill grinned and nodded. Jack seemed satisfied for the moment and fell silent. Bill didn’t interrupt the quiet until he turned the car into Charlie’s neighborhood, pointing out the community playground and then, finally, Charlie’s yellow-painted house. Charlie had a blue pick-up parked in the driveway, and the garage door was open. Charlie was inside, half-obscured by the darkness.
Bill pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out. He winked at Jack, but didn’t insist that Jack follow him just yet. Jack watched the two grown-ups greet each other with laughs and a fierce hug. Charlie then looked over Bill’s shoulder and caught Jack’s eye.
“Hey, Jack,” Charlie said, crouching down in front of the boy once he’d emerged from the car. “You remember me?”
Jack shook his head slightly.
“He’s a bit nervous,” Bill murmured, ruffling Jack’s hair. “Jack, why don’t you ask Uncle Charlie about those volcanoes?”
Jack glared at his father, then glanced suspiciously back at Charlie. “Dad said you’ve seen volcanoes.”
“I have,” Charlie answered simply.
“Well… What was it like?”
“It was… hot.”
Jack wrinkled his brow. “That can’t be it! Tell me about it!”
Charlie winked at Bill and took Jack’s hand. “C’mon inside. We’ll have lunch and I’ll show you some pictures.”
Bill followed them a few steps behind, watching with amazement as Charlie slowly began to draw Jack out of his shell. In an hour, maybe less, he would have Jack completely absorbed in something, giving Bill an easy exit. It was one of those things Charlie had always been good at.
rating: PG
summary: Jack's nervous about meeting Charlie
a/n: this is for Specimen, which is supposed to be an anecdote about an interesting character. omg this one needs some WORK. It kinda doesn't work for the prompt at all, or at the very least just barely. I'm not sure it even works outside the prompt... it's kind of silly and not very well thought out. and yeah, I used the name Charlie again. but only because it's more common a name than Dominic is. and, it's got kind of a crap ending. *headdesk* it's embarrassing, really.
Jack didn’t look at his father during the entire first half of their four-hour journey. He stared resolutely out the car window, or down at his Game Boy, or at his muddy shoes instead. His father, Bill, sighed and tried repeatedly to engage him in conversation, or get Jack to sing along with the radio, but after the first hour, he gave up and fell silent as well.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Jack?” Bill asked hopefully.
“What if I don’t like him?”
“Uncle Charlie?” Bill chuckled. “You’ll like him.”
“But he’s not my real uncle, is he? Not like Auntie Maggie’s your sister, and Uncle James is Mom’s brother.”
“No, but he’s my best friend.”
“Then how come you never see him? How come I’ve never met him?”
“You have, though, Jack,” Bill insisted. “You just don’t remember. He came to see you right after you were born. Uncle Charlie was the first person besides me and your mom to hold you, did you know that?”
“I don’t remember him. What’s he like?”
“He sung you to sleep when you were a baby, Jack. He watched you while your mom and I went out to a grown-up movie, do you remember that? Charlie said that you were the most well-mannered boy he’d ever played with, but I think he lied.”
Jack giggled and clamped his hand over his mouth immediately. “Maybe,” he mumbled.
“Do you remember him at all?” Bill asked curiously. “It’s been a few years…”
“No,” Jack replied, shaking his head. “How do you know I’ll like him?”
“Well,” Bill began. “He likes games. And he likes to finger-paint and draw, and he likes to run around outside. And he built a treehouse in his backyard for you and his two nieces when they visit. Those are all things you like, right? Oh, and he likes to sing, even though he’s not nearly as good at it as me. Don’t tell him I said that, by the way,” Bill added quickly, winking at his son.
“I promise,” Jack said earnestly.
“And… Charlie likes kids a lot; he used to be a teacher. He’s practically a big kid himself. You’ll have fun with him, I promise.”
“But I don’t want to stay with him,” Jack insisted with a petulant whine.
Bill sighed. “It’s only for a few days, Jack.”
“I want to go with you and Mom to Hawaii. Did you know there’s volcanoes there? We learned that in school.”
“You know, you can ask Uncle Charlie to tell you about volcanoes if you want. He’s been to Hawaii too, and he knows about that kind of stuff.”
“What does he know about volcanoes?” Jack asked, trying not to seem as excited as he obviously was.
“He knows all sorts of things. You’ll have to ask him when we get there. Ask him to tell you about the underwater volcano he saw.”
“He saw an underwater volcano?” Jack squealed.
“He did. And he took pictures, I think.”
“Can I see?”
Bill grinned and nodded. Jack seemed satisfied for the moment and fell silent. Bill didn’t interrupt the quiet until he turned the car into Charlie’s neighborhood, pointing out the community playground and then, finally, Charlie’s yellow-painted house. Charlie had a blue pick-up parked in the driveway, and the garage door was open. Charlie was inside, half-obscured by the darkness.
Bill pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out. He winked at Jack, but didn’t insist that Jack follow him just yet. Jack watched the two grown-ups greet each other with laughs and a fierce hug. Charlie then looked over Bill’s shoulder and caught Jack’s eye.
“Hey, Jack,” Charlie said, crouching down in front of the boy once he’d emerged from the car. “You remember me?”
Jack shook his head slightly.
“He’s a bit nervous,” Bill murmured, ruffling Jack’s hair. “Jack, why don’t you ask Uncle Charlie about those volcanoes?”
Jack glared at his father, then glanced suspiciously back at Charlie. “Dad said you’ve seen volcanoes.”
“I have,” Charlie answered simply.
“Well… What was it like?”
“It was… hot.”
Jack wrinkled his brow. “That can’t be it! Tell me about it!”
Charlie winked at Bill and took Jack’s hand. “C’mon inside. We’ll have lunch and I’ll show you some pictures.”
Bill followed them a few steps behind, watching with amazement as Charlie slowly began to draw Jack out of his shell. In an hour, maybe less, he would have Jack completely absorbed in something, giving Bill an easy exit. It was one of those things Charlie had always been good at.