RP: Violet's First Bad Word
Date: 28 July 2005
Characters: Violet Davis, Marcus Flint
Location: The River
Status: Private
Summary: Marcus gets a shock.
Completion: Complete
“Slag!” Violet yelled excitedly as she pointed at a woman and a dog walking near the river. “Slag, slag, slag…”
Marcus did a double take as he looked at his daughter before he pulled her off the path to sit on a bench near the waterside. He tried not to look too upset as he sat his daughter down and kneeled in front of her. Glancing at her, he could see that she didn’t understand what she’d done but she knew that something was wrong.
“You shouldn’t use that word.” He put his hands on her arms as he tried to keep his voice hovering between stern and forgiving. Tears started to well up in his four-year old daughter’s eyes but he resisted the urge to hug her and make it better. He was really crap at this. He didn’t know if he should be the one talking to her about cursing but she was his daughter and he needed to handle the situation.
Violet shook her head and cast her blue eyes to the ground. Marcus felt terrible but he remained firm as he continued. “Where did you learn that word, Violet?”
Tears started to roll off her cheeks to drop on the ground but she looked up at him and said hesitantly. “A man said it when I was walking with Mommy.”
“Did he say it to Mommy?” Marcus asked, feeling his anger build at the thought. He and Tracey may not agree on everything but they were Violet’s parents and he was protective of her.
Violet shook her head before she hiccupped. “No, he was talking about a pretty girl like Mommy. She didn’t hear him.” She took a deep, gulping breath as she said, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
She reached out and wrapped her arms around Marcus’ neck, hugging him fiercely. He returned her hug and smoothed his large hand through her hair before he said quietly, “Just don’t say that again. Nice people don’t even think that about other people.”
His anger faded when she pulled away and he saw a smile cross her tear-stained features. Chuckling, Marcus was about to pick her up when Violet asked tentatively. “What does it mean, Daddy?”
He winced at her question. The thought wandered through his mind about how he should explain to Violet that a slag was basically a whore who slept around and how little you’d need to think about a woman to say that about them. Still, he knew he had to answer her question. With a reluctant sigh, he said, “It’s just a bad word. It’s used against girls to make them feel really bad about themselves.”
“Like when Mommy calls you a jerk?”
“Worse than that.” Marcus smiled. “It’s like saying a girl likes too many boys.”
“I like Ben and Liam.” Violet replied quickly, tears welling up in her eyes again.
“It’s not like that. It’s about grown up girls mostly.” He sputtered, trying to grab a handle on the situation again and feeling his rage building again at the man who’d used the word around his daughter.
“Is Mommy one?”
“No, Mommy is mommy and she’s wonderful.” He said decisively as he picked Violet up and sat her on the bench before plopping down next to her.
“Is Padma?”
“No and why do you get to call her Padma?” Marcus chuckled and then craned his neck down to look at her.
“She said I could.” Violet giggled at him and touched his nose.
“I can’t even call her that.” He stood and picked Violet up, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiping off her tears. He cleaned off the rest of her face and got her to blow her nose before he put the now disgusting rag back in his pocket.
Marcus started to walk with Violet in his arms. She looked over at him again and bit her bottom lip before she said quietly, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s okay, love.” He bent over and scooped up a rock before he said, “You know what to do.”
She looked at him cautiously before she leaned forward, close to the rock and whispered. “Slag.”.
Marcus smiled before he threw the rock into the river and watched it splash. He ruffled Violet’s hair and said, “Now the turtle king has that word and you can’t use it again.”
“Do you ever use it, Daddy?”
“I have and I should stop, right?” He replied quietly, thinking about how this was something else he needed to watch about when it came to being a father. Violet gave him her best stern look and he smiled at her. Bending over, he picked up another rock and whispered the word before he tossed it into the river. He leaned over and kissed Violet on the cheek. “Now, the turtle king has my word too. Am I forgiven?”
Violet’s features lit up and she hugged him. “Yes. But you promise.”
“I know and I’m going to try to keep my promise.” Marcus kissed the top of her head and began to walk back toward Copper Towers while he thought about how to explain this to Tracey. Smiling, he looked at Violet and added, “But if I don’t, you need to remind me because I don’t want to get on the bad side of the turtle king.”
Characters: Violet Davis, Marcus Flint
Location: The River
Status: Private
Summary: Marcus gets a shock.
Completion: Complete
“Slag!” Violet yelled excitedly as she pointed at a woman and a dog walking near the river. “Slag, slag, slag…”
Marcus did a double take as he looked at his daughter before he pulled her off the path to sit on a bench near the waterside. He tried not to look too upset as he sat his daughter down and kneeled in front of her. Glancing at her, he could see that she didn’t understand what she’d done but she knew that something was wrong.
“You shouldn’t use that word.” He put his hands on her arms as he tried to keep his voice hovering between stern and forgiving. Tears started to well up in his four-year old daughter’s eyes but he resisted the urge to hug her and make it better. He was really crap at this. He didn’t know if he should be the one talking to her about cursing but she was his daughter and he needed to handle the situation.
Violet shook her head and cast her blue eyes to the ground. Marcus felt terrible but he remained firm as he continued. “Where did you learn that word, Violet?”
Tears started to roll off her cheeks to drop on the ground but she looked up at him and said hesitantly. “A man said it when I was walking with Mommy.”
“Did he say it to Mommy?” Marcus asked, feeling his anger build at the thought. He and Tracey may not agree on everything but they were Violet’s parents and he was protective of her.
Violet shook her head before she hiccupped. “No, he was talking about a pretty girl like Mommy. She didn’t hear him.” She took a deep, gulping breath as she said, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
She reached out and wrapped her arms around Marcus’ neck, hugging him fiercely. He returned her hug and smoothed his large hand through her hair before he said quietly, “Just don’t say that again. Nice people don’t even think that about other people.”
His anger faded when she pulled away and he saw a smile cross her tear-stained features. Chuckling, Marcus was about to pick her up when Violet asked tentatively. “What does it mean, Daddy?”
He winced at her question. The thought wandered through his mind about how he should explain to Violet that a slag was basically a whore who slept around and how little you’d need to think about a woman to say that about them. Still, he knew he had to answer her question. With a reluctant sigh, he said, “It’s just a bad word. It’s used against girls to make them feel really bad about themselves.”
“Like when Mommy calls you a jerk?”
“Worse than that.” Marcus smiled. “It’s like saying a girl likes too many boys.”
“I like Ben and Liam.” Violet replied quickly, tears welling up in her eyes again.
“It’s not like that. It’s about grown up girls mostly.” He sputtered, trying to grab a handle on the situation again and feeling his rage building again at the man who’d used the word around his daughter.
“Is Mommy one?”
“No, Mommy is mommy and she’s wonderful.” He said decisively as he picked Violet up and sat her on the bench before plopping down next to her.
“Is Padma?”
“No and why do you get to call her Padma?” Marcus chuckled and then craned his neck down to look at her.
“She said I could.” Violet giggled at him and touched his nose.
“I can’t even call her that.” He stood and picked Violet up, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiping off her tears. He cleaned off the rest of her face and got her to blow her nose before he put the now disgusting rag back in his pocket.
Marcus started to walk with Violet in his arms. She looked over at him again and bit her bottom lip before she said quietly, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s okay, love.” He bent over and scooped up a rock before he said, “You know what to do.”
She looked at him cautiously before she leaned forward, close to the rock and whispered. “Slag.”.
Marcus smiled before he threw the rock into the river and watched it splash. He ruffled Violet’s hair and said, “Now the turtle king has that word and you can’t use it again.”
“Do you ever use it, Daddy?”
“I have and I should stop, right?” He replied quietly, thinking about how this was something else he needed to watch about when it came to being a father. Violet gave him her best stern look and he smiled at her. Bending over, he picked up another rock and whispered the word before he tossed it into the river. He leaned over and kissed Violet on the cheek. “Now, the turtle king has my word too. Am I forgiven?”
Violet’s features lit up and she hugged him. “Yes. But you promise.”
“I know and I’m going to try to keep my promise.” Marcus kissed the top of her head and began to walk back toward Copper Towers while he thought about how to explain this to Tracey. Smiling, he looked at Violet and added, “But if I don’t, you need to remind me because I don’t want to get on the bad side of the turtle king.”