Twentieth Lotus

[spandexisyouth]

Fred? I will be late getting to the Yard today. Please let me know when you read this so I can ink it out. I am sick and Bell is threatening to tie me to the bed if I go to work, so I have to wait until he has------- [There's a streak of ink as the journal is taken away from him.]

[The entry continues in Bell's handwriting.] Actually, Fred, Youth

Comments

[lotus_bloomed]

Dad, is everything okay?

[spandexisyouth]

I am fine!

[lotus_bloomed]

Are you certain you are not sick? If you are not feeling good it is important that you rest until you are feeling better!

[spandexisyouth]

Exercise is the answer to being sick, so I should get out.

[lotus_bloomed]

I am not certain that is how it works, Dad. You would make me stay in bed if I were sick.

[spandexisyouth]

Because your body is still growing.

[lotus_bloomed]

Oh.

Why is Bell trying to make you stay, then?

[spandexisyouth]

Because [there are pentaps] he thinks it is better for me.

[lotus_bloomed]

Maybe if you rest for one day then he will be okay with you going to work tomorrow?

[spandexisyouth]

Because if I give in one day then he will expect me to give in more!

[lotus_bloomed]

But if you rest for one day then you will be feeling better so he will have no reason to try and keep you in bed!

[spandexisyouth]

But if I rest for a day and I feel worse I have lost a day and I will be stuck losing another!

[lotus_bloomed]

But if you feel worse that means that you need the rest that much more!

[spandexisyouth]

But then I am trapped for a while resting. I do not like resting.

[lotus_bloomed]

I do not either, but I do not want you to get very sick, Dad. I would miss you very much if something bad happened to you. [The pen hesitates, then, because he figures as big a guilt-trip as possible is good when it comes to keeping his dad safe-] I am certain that Bell would miss you too. So please rest?

[spandexisyouth]

But [The writing stops. He can't fight that. He's completely certain he's not about to die, that it's nothing near that, but the thought of hurting both of them is more than he can fight.]

One day.