Drabbles 56-64
Prompts 56-64 (the picture prompts). Ida over ten years
Picnic basket
"When was the last time you really stepped out under the sun anyway?"
Ida smiled weakly at her siblings. "I don't remember, really."
"Yeah, point exactly," Patricia said smartly as she set down the picnic basket. She picked up the Frisbee. "Come on, Nicolai, let's go!"
As her brother and her sister ran off down the hill, Ida found a place to sit. The day was warm and bright and the air over the meadow was clean and pure, but she still could not quite banish the heaviness in her body.
"Someday though," she thought, looking at her dirty sneakers.
Sticks at a beach
"Face it you two, those branches aren't going to support you!"
Marce only smiled defiantly while Ida shook her head. "Watch us!" she challenged. Ida had not been eating, while Marce barely weighed anything. Surely they could make a sort of seat from the trees stuck into the sandy beach.
Anton rolled his eyes as he watched the two girls settle in the crooks of the branches. "You guys are nuts."
"Go find a rock to sit on," Marce shot back.
"But not too far away," Ida blurted out before turning red. Sometimes that old crush of hers liked resurfacing.
Chair amid the lavender
As Ida opened the book, she motioned for Ethan to come nearer. "See, wouldn't that be nice to go to one day?"
Ethan turned up his lip at the photo of a field of lavender. "Where on Earth is that?"
"Someplace in Europe, I think."
"Too expensive."
"It's just nice to think about," Ida retorted. Really, why did she bother sharing her plans with him? Why did she even make plans with him in the picture anyway?
She shook her head as she continued to browse through the book. She'd get there one day, even if it wasn't with Ethan.
Lighthouse
"I meant Lifehouse, not lighthouse!"
Ida turned red as the rest of the group began laughing. "The words sound alike!" she said petulantly. She grabbed the headphones that Tato was holding out. "So we're making a skit to this song?"
"Go listen to it," Mark said.
She sat down and twiddled her thumbs, all the while trying to make sense of the lyrics depicting a love so encompassing. Once upon a time, it had been easier to believe in such a thing, before the world came crashing down. Once again, she prayed for the scars on her wrist to fade.
A handful of strawberries
The first thing Ida noticed was the bag lying on her kitchen table. "Mark! Where did you get these?" she called.
"Straight from Baguio," Mark replied from the washroom. He emerged a moment later, soaked up to his elbows and carrying Nina. "Sorry, she needed a bath. Little girl is getting everywhere."
"Mark, you were so cut out to be a dad," Ida said affectionately as she set down her things. "I'll wash the strawberries and get the cream out."
"You aren't going to try to bake?"
"No. You've been good all week, I may as well treat you now."
Fireworks at a park
"Nina, look at the fireworks!" Ida whispered in the little girl's ear as they sat on the grass. The toddler's eyes went wide as she watched the spectacle play out across the sky, streaking red, purple, green, and yellow across the dark night.
"Can she see that far?" Mark asked as he came back with some ice cream cones.
"Maybe," Ida shrugged, letting him sit behind her so she could lean against his shoulder. It was an odd way to spend her graduation dinner with her fiance and their adopted daughter, but she couldn't have asked for a better evening.
Children playing in a fountain
"I wish I'd been allowed to do that when I was a kid," Ida mused as she watched Nina splash about with Lorna and Teresa, Layla's daughters. "My parents were a bit strict," she told her friend.
"Well you don't have to be," Layla advised. "Kids don't die from getting a little dirty now and then."
Ida nodded pensively, unconsciously bringing a hand to her middle. "I wonder how I'll manage with another baby," she whispered.
Layla glanced knowingly at her. "Does Mark know yet?"
"I told him last night," she said, thinking already about a child with hazel eyes.
Sunburst through the palms
It was a terribly hot summer, worse than any that either Ida or Mark could remember. "At least you can walk around shirtless, I can't," Ida muttered as she fanned herself with the neckline of her dress.
"It's not much of a difference," Mark grumbled. He glanced at Nina and Tara, who were napping restlessly. "Maybe we should take them swimming to cool off?"
"Not till Tara's heat rash heals up," Ida thought, feeling sorry again that her little daughter was afflicted with this skin trouble.
"It's not your fault, Ida," Mark said.
Ida sighed, wishing she could believe him.
Man by a fan
"You'd better not be drying your hair out so you can go pollwatching."
Mark gave Ida a sheepish look. "They need volunteers."
"And what of me? You're going to leave me here with the girls, to worry about you?" she shot back. "What if those goons come in with guns?"
"Someone has to safeguard the vote. You told me I have to give a damn about things," he replied hotly.
"Now is different!" she seethed. Why did he have to get idealistic all of a sudden?
Mark put down the towel. "I'll cut out if they bring weapons."
"You'd better."
Picnic basket
"When was the last time you really stepped out under the sun anyway?"
Ida smiled weakly at her siblings. "I don't remember, really."
"Yeah, point exactly," Patricia said smartly as she set down the picnic basket. She picked up the Frisbee. "Come on, Nicolai, let's go!"
As her brother and her sister ran off down the hill, Ida found a place to sit. The day was warm and bright and the air over the meadow was clean and pure, but she still could not quite banish the heaviness in her body.
"Someday though," she thought, looking at her dirty sneakers.
Sticks at a beach
"Face it you two, those branches aren't going to support you!"
Marce only smiled defiantly while Ida shook her head. "Watch us!" she challenged. Ida had not been eating, while Marce barely weighed anything. Surely they could make a sort of seat from the trees stuck into the sandy beach.
Anton rolled his eyes as he watched the two girls settle in the crooks of the branches. "You guys are nuts."
"Go find a rock to sit on," Marce shot back.
"But not too far away," Ida blurted out before turning red. Sometimes that old crush of hers liked resurfacing.
Chair amid the lavender
As Ida opened the book, she motioned for Ethan to come nearer. "See, wouldn't that be nice to go to one day?"
Ethan turned up his lip at the photo of a field of lavender. "Where on Earth is that?"
"Someplace in Europe, I think."
"Too expensive."
"It's just nice to think about," Ida retorted. Really, why did she bother sharing her plans with him? Why did she even make plans with him in the picture anyway?
She shook her head as she continued to browse through the book. She'd get there one day, even if it wasn't with Ethan.
Lighthouse
"I meant Lifehouse, not lighthouse!"
Ida turned red as the rest of the group began laughing. "The words sound alike!" she said petulantly. She grabbed the headphones that Tato was holding out. "So we're making a skit to this song?"
"Go listen to it," Mark said.
She sat down and twiddled her thumbs, all the while trying to make sense of the lyrics depicting a love so encompassing. Once upon a time, it had been easier to believe in such a thing, before the world came crashing down. Once again, she prayed for the scars on her wrist to fade.
A handful of strawberries
The first thing Ida noticed was the bag lying on her kitchen table. "Mark! Where did you get these?" she called.
"Straight from Baguio," Mark replied from the washroom. He emerged a moment later, soaked up to his elbows and carrying Nina. "Sorry, she needed a bath. Little girl is getting everywhere."
"Mark, you were so cut out to be a dad," Ida said affectionately as she set down her things. "I'll wash the strawberries and get the cream out."
"You aren't going to try to bake?"
"No. You've been good all week, I may as well treat you now."
Fireworks at a park
"Nina, look at the fireworks!" Ida whispered in the little girl's ear as they sat on the grass. The toddler's eyes went wide as she watched the spectacle play out across the sky, streaking red, purple, green, and yellow across the dark night.
"Can she see that far?" Mark asked as he came back with some ice cream cones.
"Maybe," Ida shrugged, letting him sit behind her so she could lean against his shoulder. It was an odd way to spend her graduation dinner with her fiance and their adopted daughter, but she couldn't have asked for a better evening.
Children playing in a fountain
"I wish I'd been allowed to do that when I was a kid," Ida mused as she watched Nina splash about with Lorna and Teresa, Layla's daughters. "My parents were a bit strict," she told her friend.
"Well you don't have to be," Layla advised. "Kids don't die from getting a little dirty now and then."
Ida nodded pensively, unconsciously bringing a hand to her middle. "I wonder how I'll manage with another baby," she whispered.
Layla glanced knowingly at her. "Does Mark know yet?"
"I told him last night," she said, thinking already about a child with hazel eyes.
Sunburst through the palms
It was a terribly hot summer, worse than any that either Ida or Mark could remember. "At least you can walk around shirtless, I can't," Ida muttered as she fanned herself with the neckline of her dress.
"It's not much of a difference," Mark grumbled. He glanced at Nina and Tara, who were napping restlessly. "Maybe we should take them swimming to cool off?"
"Not till Tara's heat rash heals up," Ida thought, feeling sorry again that her little daughter was afflicted with this skin trouble.
"It's not your fault, Ida," Mark said.
Ida sighed, wishing she could believe him.
Man by a fan
"You'd better not be drying your hair out so you can go pollwatching."
Mark gave Ida a sheepish look. "They need volunteers."
"And what of me? You're going to leave me here with the girls, to worry about you?" she shot back. "What if those goons come in with guns?"
"Someone has to safeguard the vote. You told me I have to give a damn about things," he replied hotly.
"Now is different!" she seethed. Why did he have to get idealistic all of a sudden?
Mark put down the towel. "I'll cut out if they bring weapons."
"You'd better."