Welcome to the 21st Century. Again.
[ It's all because of this. ]
It was afternoon, when Joseph came into the kitchen for a snack, that he noticed Ana's legs swinging cheerfully from the edge of one of the tall chairs around the island. Tarah stood next to her, guiding the little girl's hands as she sat in front of a small laptop.
"Where'd that come from?" Joseph asked, confused by the sudden appearance of modern technology, especially in front of his daughter.
"Lilith decided we should not be entirely cut off," Tarah answered with a smirk. "And lo, that I discovered a most welcome use of this advent of communication."
"And that would be?" Joseph asked, suddenly wary.
"Auntie Tarah put you in an auction!" Ana said brightly.
"You, what?" Joseph exclaimed, turning the screen to face him. There, in black and white, was Tarah's entry for him in a charity bachelor auction. He read through it, his shock turning to a disapproving scowl.
"Seventy-five dollars?" he demanded. "Because I'm 'damaged'? Give me that..."
He set about furiously typing and clicking, while both Tarah and Ana suppressed giggles at his outrage. Satisfied, he turned the screen back to face them, now displaying the highest bid of $500 he had just placed. Ana crossed her arms in protest.
"Daddy, that's no fair!" she said, until an idea hit her. Eyes trained studiously on the keyboard, she typed in three numbers, before clicking "submit" under the approving watch of Tarah.
"Wait, what did you just do?" Joseph asked, quickly turning the screen back to see his bid topped - by one dollar.
"And where are you going to get the money for that?" he said.
"Auntie Lilith," Ana said very matter-of-factly.
Joseph sighed, leaning on one elbow against the countertop. "Sweetie, remember how we talked about Auntie Lilith's money not being... well, strictly legal?"
"But it looks real," Ana pointed out. "And she doesn't get in trouble."
"Well, no," Joseph allowed. "But that doesn't mean it's okay."
"The young messiah does have a valid point," Tarah added. "You cannot hold her to a double standard, simply because you are embarrassed."
Joseph sighed, giving Tarah his best "You really aren't helping" look. She simply offered a calm smile in return.
"It also ensures that you have a night with your daughter," she continued. "Unless I have severely misunderstood, that would be a welcome occasion, would it not?"
"Alright, fine," Joseph conceded, shutting the lid of the computer before tucking it under his arm and turning to his daughter. "But you're grounded for a week."
He looked at Ana's crestfallen face, feeling bad for a moment, before realizing that he was just doing his job as a father. The Internet just wasn't a place for an eight year old future savior of the world.
It was afternoon, when Joseph came into the kitchen for a snack, that he noticed Ana's legs swinging cheerfully from the edge of one of the tall chairs around the island. Tarah stood next to her, guiding the little girl's hands as she sat in front of a small laptop.
"Where'd that come from?" Joseph asked, confused by the sudden appearance of modern technology, especially in front of his daughter.
"Lilith decided we should not be entirely cut off," Tarah answered with a smirk. "And lo, that I discovered a most welcome use of this advent of communication."
"And that would be?" Joseph asked, suddenly wary.
"Auntie Tarah put you in an auction!" Ana said brightly.
"You, what?" Joseph exclaimed, turning the screen to face him. There, in black and white, was Tarah's entry for him in a charity bachelor auction. He read through it, his shock turning to a disapproving scowl.
"Seventy-five dollars?" he demanded. "Because I'm 'damaged'? Give me that..."
He set about furiously typing and clicking, while both Tarah and Ana suppressed giggles at his outrage. Satisfied, he turned the screen back to face them, now displaying the highest bid of $500 he had just placed. Ana crossed her arms in protest.
"Daddy, that's no fair!" she said, until an idea hit her. Eyes trained studiously on the keyboard, she typed in three numbers, before clicking "submit" under the approving watch of Tarah.
"Wait, what did you just do?" Joseph asked, quickly turning the screen back to see his bid topped - by one dollar.
"And where are you going to get the money for that?" he said.
"Auntie Lilith," Ana said very matter-of-factly.
Joseph sighed, leaning on one elbow against the countertop. "Sweetie, remember how we talked about Auntie Lilith's money not being... well, strictly legal?"
"But it looks real," Ana pointed out. "And she doesn't get in trouble."
"Well, no," Joseph allowed. "But that doesn't mean it's okay."
"The young messiah does have a valid point," Tarah added. "You cannot hold her to a double standard, simply because you are embarrassed."
Joseph sighed, giving Tarah his best "You really aren't helping" look. She simply offered a calm smile in return.
"It also ensures that you have a night with your daughter," she continued. "Unless I have severely misunderstood, that would be a welcome occasion, would it not?"
"Alright, fine," Joseph conceded, shutting the lid of the computer before tucking it under his arm and turning to his daughter. "But you're grounded for a week."
He looked at Ana's crestfallen face, feeling bad for a moment, before realizing that he was just doing his job as a father. The Internet just wasn't a place for an eight year old future savior of the world.