Playdate!

Posted on Wed 25th Sep, 2019 @ 5:50pm by Commander Jasmine Collins-Keller & Lieutenant JG Artyom Mikhailov

983 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Pushkin Park, Deck 28
Timeline: MD 7, 1630

"I ready, Daddy!" Arabella hollered from her bedroom.

With a groan, Anthony rolled up to a sitting position and scrubbed his hands down his face. 15-minute naps weren't enough these days. "I'll be right there, Punkin."

Getting up, he stretched and then headed to her bedroom to see what she thought was required for a playdate. At the door of her room, he stared for a few seconds and then started to laugh. "Oh, my little angel, you are so funny!" He sat down on her bed and said, "Now tell me why each one of these is useful, because I think this might be a little too much for both of us to carry."

"Silly Daddy, the wagon does the carrying!"

"Uh, good point, but what about the rest of this stuff?" he asked.

"Well, the water wings are jus' in case of there's water, and the ...." Anthony listened attentively to each item's purpose, occasionally pulling one out with a shake of his head and placing it on the bed. In the end, they did take the wagon, her blankie, the stuffed unicorn (Cedric) and three books ... as well as the water wings.

Pushkin Park would never be the same after today's meeting, Anthony was sure.

Elsewhere, Artyom was still trying to wrangle a few things together in anticipation of this 'play date' that had been organized some time ago but he'd forgotten about until his PaDD reminded him of the event this morning. A very excited Matthew was tailing close behind, jabbering extensively on all of the things he'd want to do once he was with his friends again. The notion of Matthew having friends or being so excited to see them again made Artyom smile, as he was glad that an alternative to growing up alone on some alien worlds had materialized.

"Uh huh. Yeah. I see." Was all that Artyom could say in response to the exciting conversation that Matthew was having with his father, even though Artyom was having an issue singling out all of those mumbled-syllabus. He turned again, finding the last item that he thought they'd need before kneeling down to Matthew who was still babbling on. "Ok buddy, are you ready to go?"

"I go! Daddy goes. And I go. And I see friends. And friends and I play. Daddy only watches!" The last comment seemed more like a directive than an observation, so Artyom nodded in agreement.

At just nineteen months, Lani was the youngest of the three little rascals that would be enjoying each other's company today and, although she was advanced in her age group, she was still quite a bit beyond the other toddlers, and Jasmine couldn't help but worry. One on one, children tended to play at the same pace, but add a third child and most likely the littlest would struggle to keep up.

Lani had her favorite toys and Jasmine was glad to pack them. A few minutes later, with Oscar in tow, the pair head out to Pushkin Park on Deck 28.

Anthony knelt down beside Arabella and looked into her eyes, hands on her shoulders. "Remember the other two are a little smaller and younger, so you play gently, alright?"

Bella nodded her head vigorously. "I bes careful, I pwomise. Can we do the swing now?"

"May we," her father corrected automatically, standing and looking around for the others. "Let's hang out here until the others arrive. Oh, wait, I see one of them now."

"I waiting, Daddy," his daughter said, reaching up to hold his little finger.

Spying her friend, Lani struggled to escape the restraints on the stroller and immediately grew irritated when this proved futile. "Out, mommy!"

"We're almost there Leilani, but you have to keep still until we get there." Jasmine was firm with her daughter, but did push the stroller a little faster. When Oscar saw the other child, he ran off, tail wagging toward her which managed to escalate Lani's disapproval. Jasmine tried not to be frustrated as she hurried in the direction of her coworker.

"Oh my goodness, she's in a mood today." Jasmine sighed. "There you go." She kissed her daughter's nose as she set her down on the ground and watched her toddle off with her friend. "Keep an eye on them, Oscar."

"He's a good babysitter, then?" McCabe smiled at his boss, after watching to see that Arabella was gentle and easy with the younger girl. "It's just the excitement of getting together. Bella has been practically jumping out of her skin. You should have seen the things she wanted to bring!"

"He's a good everything dog." She smiled. "He was involved in the rescue when the tram derailed. He's been bred to feel emotions, trained to guard and to be a wonderful pet." She would never leave Lani with only Oscar but she trusted him to watch over her always. "And he adores children."

A young girl -- too old to be considered a toddler, but not yet old enough for school -- came over to the trio. "May I pet your dog?" she asked the oldest girl, Bella. The stranger had steel-blue eyes with an epicanthic fold, and messy black hair. She was holding out her hand, hopefully.

"Not my dog," Arabella shook her head. Pointing to the younger girl, she said, "Leli's dog. I think it's okay, right Leli?" Bella nodded her head to encourage Leilani to say yes. The girl looked like fun, and she wanted a chance to play with her.

Lani watched her friend nod up and down and made her head do the same. She had no ideas why she was nodding, but it seemed fun. She squealed with laughter as the young girl petted Oscar and made his tail bump all over like he did at home when daddy had treats.

More play to come!

 

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