Sending out roots, and 'the PTA mom AU' part 1/?
Richard was just sitting down to pancakes when his cell rang. By the sound of the ringtone, it was Heather. Across the kitchen, he met Tim’s gaze and grimaced. If she was calling this early in the morning, it couldn’t be anything good.
“I need you to take Katie to school,” she told him without so much as a ‘hello.’
“Good morning to you, too, sunshine.”
Heather wasn’t amused. “Can you come get her, or not?” she growled. “I’ve got an emergency meeting with a client, and her school’s in the opposite direction.”
Katie’s school wasn’t exactly on Richard’s daily route, either, but it was the first day of second grade. If her mom was gonna break promises to pull the “working woman” routine, he wasn’t going to have his baby girl riding the bus alone.
“I’ll get my keys.”
She hung up on him right after that, the cranky bitch. Heather had never been a morning person. With a sigh, Richard shoveled the pancakes into his mouth in a few quick bites, then washed it down with his glass of o.j.. By the time he pushed back from the table, Tim was there beside him holding his car keys, jacket, and a Ziplock baggie containing some smaller, mouse-eared pancakes.
“Give my regards to Heather,” he said with a smile, and kissed the spot of syrup his napkin had missed from the corner of Richard’s mouth.
~*~
Heather answered the door fifteen minutes later--traffic had been on Richard’s side--and simply turned and walked back into the apartment, leaving Richard to let himself in and shut the door.
“Hi Daddy,” Katie greeted him solemnly, still in her jammies and slippers, her hair pulled back in a severe-looking French braid. Heather had been unable to force the girl’s cowlick into submission, however, he noticed with a feeling of malicious vindication.
“She can’t decide what to wear,” Heather informed him with exasperation as she returned from the back bedroom, her purse in one hand and her travel mug in the other. As if this was somehow his fault. “She sure didn’t get her indecisiveness from me.” Ah, there is was.
“Be good,” she told Katie, handing her five dollars for lunch and placing a hand atop her head fondly on her way out the door. “Make sure your bozo of a father remembers to lock up when you guys leave.” Heather purposely avoided looking at him as she said this, and Richard had to shove his hands into his pockets to resist the urge to throttle her. Katie must have seen the familiar expression on his face, because she giggled before running from the room.
“Have a great day at work! Oh, and Tim says ‘hi’!” the redhead called after her in a forcefully cheerful voice as his ex wife slammed the door.
Katie, it seemed, couldn’t choose between the two outfits Heather had laid out for her. With a grimace of sympathy, Richard surveyed his little girl’s options: dull and duller.
“Your mom has no imagination,” he finally decided. Katie nodded in agreement as she munched her Mickey pancakes.
Rummaging through the seven year-old’s closet, towards the back he found the dress he and Tim had helped her pick out for her last birthday. Heather disliked it with a passion--she thought it was too loud and gaudy and girly. It was perfect.
“How ‘bout this one?” he suggested, and Katie pulled a pout.
“Mommy said it’s only for special occasions.”
“First day of second grade’s pretty special, isn’t it?” Richard insisted.
By the time they left the apartment, Katie was in slightly lopsided pigtails and her favorite dress, complete with mis-matched socks of her own choosing. Her father grinned fiercely at the picture she made. This would definitely be worth Heather’s pissed-off phone call later.
~*~
“Hi,” the tall redhead declared, thrusting out his hand once he’d pushed his way through the crowd of other parents. Quite a few of the mothers shot him interested glances, but he didn’t even seem to notice. “I’m Richard Shaw, Katie’s dad.”
“Nice to meet you,” Katie’s new teacher returned with a grin, and shook the offered hand. His grip was strong, Richard noted. “My name’s Goku Tateishi. It’s a bit hard for the kids for pronounce, though, so I just go by Mr. Goku.”
“Well, Mr. Goku,” Richard nodded amicably, “I just thought I’d give you a heads-up. Katie’s a good girl, but she can be a handful at times. I don’t expect ya to look the other way if she’s terrorizing any of the other kids, but, uh, don’t be too hard on her, huh?”
He looked so earnest as he said this, the brunet could tell he really loved his daughter. Goku knew a little about all his new students, but Katie Sanso-Shaw’s last teacher had told him all about her.
It was a common story: parents divorced when she was young, with a strict mother who wasn’t around much and a well-meaning but overly indulgent father, it was a recipe for brats. Katie didn’t like to take any direction she couldn’t agree with, and with a high-powered lawyer for a mother, even the teachers and administrators were afraid to push. Goku had been assigned as Katie’s second grade teacher as much for his reputation for getting through to ‘trouble cases’ as the fact that he was one of the few male teachers employed by the school. He guessed they hoped a more authoritative male influence would help.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he told the other man with a wink, and Mr. Shaw visibly relaxed.
“Hey, that’s great,” the redhead thanked him with a relieved smile. “I try to stay actively involved in what’s going on with Katie at school and get to know her teachers pretty well, seeing as my ex doesn’t make the effort.” He snorted, and Goku was fairly certain of where Katie’s father would place responsibility for her behavioral problems. Of course, with divorced parents, each adult always blamed the other.
“Anyway, the office has my number in Katie’s contact information,” Richard told him with a shrug. “If Katie’s being a pain in the a--uh, neck, or for any reason at all, really, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
Goku wasn’t sure what it was, but he got a good feeling from Katie’s dad. And it was always nice to meet a parent who sincerely wanted to be involved in their child’s education.
“It’s a deal,” he told Richard with a wide smile.
~*~
‘Handful’ was putting it mildly.
Katie insisted on writing her name in illegible, signature-style handwriting. She ignored his requests if he didn't say "Excuse me" or "Please." She tricked other children into giving her their desserts at lunchtime, and threatened to beat up the boys who tried teasing her. Somehow, Goku didn't doubt she'd manage it. And yet, she always managed to word the threats in such a way that violence was only vaguely implied, and Goku did promise Richard a little good-willed leniency.
The final straw however, came only two weeks into the new semester, when Goku caught her with a candy cigarette dangling from her lips and a weathered deck of Hello Kitty playing cards in her hands. She was explaining the rules of poker to a small group of interested classmates, and judging by the assortment of dolls and pudding cups collected on the lunch table, the stakes were going to be high.
~*~
Erm. I still object to Xpyne's choice of Gojyo's first name, for reasons which I'm sure must be pretty obvious if you think about it for a minute--haha--but she made a convincing argument when it came to setting Sanzo up to have his own special nickname for him.
“I need you to take Katie to school,” she told him without so much as a ‘hello.’
“Good morning to you, too, sunshine.”
Heather wasn’t amused. “Can you come get her, or not?” she growled. “I’ve got an emergency meeting with a client, and her school’s in the opposite direction.”
Katie’s school wasn’t exactly on Richard’s daily route, either, but it was the first day of second grade. If her mom was gonna break promises to pull the “working woman” routine, he wasn’t going to have his baby girl riding the bus alone.
“I’ll get my keys.”
She hung up on him right after that, the cranky bitch. Heather had never been a morning person. With a sigh, Richard shoveled the pancakes into his mouth in a few quick bites, then washed it down with his glass of o.j.. By the time he pushed back from the table, Tim was there beside him holding his car keys, jacket, and a Ziplock baggie containing some smaller, mouse-eared pancakes.
“Give my regards to Heather,” he said with a smile, and kissed the spot of syrup his napkin had missed from the corner of Richard’s mouth.
~*~
Heather answered the door fifteen minutes later--traffic had been on Richard’s side--and simply turned and walked back into the apartment, leaving Richard to let himself in and shut the door.
“Hi Daddy,” Katie greeted him solemnly, still in her jammies and slippers, her hair pulled back in a severe-looking French braid. Heather had been unable to force the girl’s cowlick into submission, however, he noticed with a feeling of malicious vindication.
“She can’t decide what to wear,” Heather informed him with exasperation as she returned from the back bedroom, her purse in one hand and her travel mug in the other. As if this was somehow his fault. “She sure didn’t get her indecisiveness from me.” Ah, there is was.
“Be good,” she told Katie, handing her five dollars for lunch and placing a hand atop her head fondly on her way out the door. “Make sure your bozo of a father remembers to lock up when you guys leave.” Heather purposely avoided looking at him as she said this, and Richard had to shove his hands into his pockets to resist the urge to throttle her. Katie must have seen the familiar expression on his face, because she giggled before running from the room.
“Have a great day at work! Oh, and Tim says ‘hi’!” the redhead called after her in a forcefully cheerful voice as his ex wife slammed the door.
Katie, it seemed, couldn’t choose between the two outfits Heather had laid out for her. With a grimace of sympathy, Richard surveyed his little girl’s options: dull and duller.
“Your mom has no imagination,” he finally decided. Katie nodded in agreement as she munched her Mickey pancakes.
Rummaging through the seven year-old’s closet, towards the back he found the dress he and Tim had helped her pick out for her last birthday. Heather disliked it with a passion--she thought it was too loud and gaudy and girly. It was perfect.
“How ‘bout this one?” he suggested, and Katie pulled a pout.
“Mommy said it’s only for special occasions.”
“First day of second grade’s pretty special, isn’t it?” Richard insisted.
By the time they left the apartment, Katie was in slightly lopsided pigtails and her favorite dress, complete with mis-matched socks of her own choosing. Her father grinned fiercely at the picture she made. This would definitely be worth Heather’s pissed-off phone call later.
~*~
“Hi,” the tall redhead declared, thrusting out his hand once he’d pushed his way through the crowd of other parents. Quite a few of the mothers shot him interested glances, but he didn’t even seem to notice. “I’m Richard Shaw, Katie’s dad.”
“Nice to meet you,” Katie’s new teacher returned with a grin, and shook the offered hand. His grip was strong, Richard noted. “My name’s Goku Tateishi. It’s a bit hard for the kids for pronounce, though, so I just go by Mr. Goku.”
“Well, Mr. Goku,” Richard nodded amicably, “I just thought I’d give you a heads-up. Katie’s a good girl, but she can be a handful at times. I don’t expect ya to look the other way if she’s terrorizing any of the other kids, but, uh, don’t be too hard on her, huh?”
He looked so earnest as he said this, the brunet could tell he really loved his daughter. Goku knew a little about all his new students, but Katie Sanso-Shaw’s last teacher had told him all about her.
It was a common story: parents divorced when she was young, with a strict mother who wasn’t around much and a well-meaning but overly indulgent father, it was a recipe for brats. Katie didn’t like to take any direction she couldn’t agree with, and with a high-powered lawyer for a mother, even the teachers and administrators were afraid to push. Goku had been assigned as Katie’s second grade teacher as much for his reputation for getting through to ‘trouble cases’ as the fact that he was one of the few male teachers employed by the school. He guessed they hoped a more authoritative male influence would help.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he told the other man with a wink, and Mr. Shaw visibly relaxed.
“Hey, that’s great,” the redhead thanked him with a relieved smile. “I try to stay actively involved in what’s going on with Katie at school and get to know her teachers pretty well, seeing as my ex doesn’t make the effort.” He snorted, and Goku was fairly certain of where Katie’s father would place responsibility for her behavioral problems. Of course, with divorced parents, each adult always blamed the other.
“Anyway, the office has my number in Katie’s contact information,” Richard told him with a shrug. “If Katie’s being a pain in the a--uh, neck, or for any reason at all, really, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
Goku wasn’t sure what it was, but he got a good feeling from Katie’s dad. And it was always nice to meet a parent who sincerely wanted to be involved in their child’s education.
“It’s a deal,” he told Richard with a wide smile.
~*~
‘Handful’ was putting it mildly.
Katie insisted on writing her name in illegible, signature-style handwriting. She ignored his requests if he didn't say "Excuse me" or "Please." She tricked other children into giving her their desserts at lunchtime, and threatened to beat up the boys who tried teasing her. Somehow, Goku didn't doubt she'd manage it. And yet, she always managed to word the threats in such a way that violence was only vaguely implied, and Goku did promise Richard a little good-willed leniency.
The final straw however, came only two weeks into the new semester, when Goku caught her with a candy cigarette dangling from her lips and a weathered deck of Hello Kitty playing cards in her hands. She was explaining the rules of poker to a small group of interested classmates, and judging by the assortment of dolls and pudding cups collected on the lunch table, the stakes were going to be high.
~*~
Erm. I still object to Xpyne's choice of Gojyo's first name, for reasons which I'm sure must be pretty obvious if you think about it for a minute--haha--but she made a convincing argument when it came to setting Sanzo up to have his own special nickname for him.