The Adventures of Jackie - The Perfect Day

I posted a brief story on Feb. 15, The Adventures of Tedesco, with the main character based on my boy. Not wanting my daughter to feel slighted I counter here with a second story. This one with the character based on my daughter.


The Adventures of Jackie - The Perfect Day


Jackie awakened one warm sunny Saturday morning. Lying in her pink bed with the overstuffed pillows, dolls, and stuffed animals she was barely visible from amongst the adorable clutter. She was only five but had successfully explained to her parents that she slept best when all her animals and dolls were in bed with her.

Looking around her sun splashed room she saw her neatly piled boxes of games and climbed down from her bed. Wearing her favorite pink pajamas with snowmen she opened her Monster Madness game and set it up. With the pieces assembled on the board she began the game and played the part of both players. She spun the arrow, moved each game piece, and selected the appropriately colored monster from the board as determined by where the arrow landed. It was a close game, but she won! Putting the game and all its pieces back in the box she returned the game to the pile.

Everyone else was still was asleep. Stepping around her good dog who had been sleeping just outside her door, she entered her big brother’s room. Tedesco, eight years old, was still asleep. Jackie flicked his ear lightly and he brushed at his ear. Smiling she did it again. Again he brushed at his ear. Finally on the fourth flick he woke up laughing, “Jackie, what are you doing?”

“It’s Saturday, sleepy head, what are you doing sleeping in?”

Anxious to be enveloped in the pleasures of the weekend the kids went into their parents’ room and jumped on the bed. Groggy, but familiar with the usual Saturday morning antics, mommy and daddy were not alarmed nor angry.

Going downstairs as a team and settling up for breakfast mom and dad realized that they didn’t have any breakfast foods.

“Sorry guys, it was such a busy week that we didn’t have time to go to the grocery store. We don’t have any strong food,” said dad apologetically. “You’ll have to eat cookies for breakfast. Oh, and Jackie, I’ll also get you two big scoops of cake frosting.” She preferred her cake frosting without the bothersome cake to get in the way.

“Yum yum yummy,” accepting her breakfast plate.

“I’ll pour you some lemonade,” mommy added.

It was such a lovely day they decided to go for a walk to the park. “Jackie, would you like to ride my shoulders,” asked daddy as they left the house. She accepted gladly.

What wonderful luck. It turned out that several ponies from My Little Pony were having a picnic. Seeing their friend, they came by to say hello. The ponies and Jackie were classmates in first grade.

“Hi, Jackie, want to play with us,” the ponies asked her.

“Mommy, is it OK if I play with the ponies,” she asked.

“Of course, stay where we can see you girls. Nice seeing you at the park, ponies,” said mommy.

The ponies took turns giving Jackie a ride around the park. Then they played at the playground with Tedesco.

It was almost noon so Jackie said good bye to the ponies and she walked home with her family.

“It’s my turn to carry Jackie,” said mommy. Jackie relented.

The kids washed their hands and prepared for lunch and a video. It was Jackie’s turn to choose the video and she chose the animated movie Monster House. She likes scary things.

“Hey, guys, we should have gone to the store after breakfast. We still don’t have any strong food. You’ll have to eat ice cream cones for lunch. Would that be OK,” asked daddy. “Tedesco, you can have the mint-chocolate chip and Jackie can have a vanilla cone. If you’re still hungry eat a few lollipops until you’re full.”

That afternoon everyone played board games. Candyland - Jackie got the Frostine card every game, Chutes & Ladders - Tedesco kept landing on the chutes. Dino-opoly, Hullabaloo, and Balloon Lagoon, or Balloon Galloon as Jackie called it. She won every game. Unstoppable.

When the family finally made an outing to the grocery store mommy and daddy forgot the shopping list on the refrigerator. They asked Jackie if she remembered what was on the list.

With the bags filled with candy, gum, juice boxes, chocolates, fruit roll ups, assorted colorful boxes of sugar cereal, and soda pop they drove home. Her parents didn’t realize their mistake until they got home. Checking their grocery list it turns out they didn’t get anything they needed. Jackie and her brother dined that evening on milk shakes with sprinkles and a big bowl of marshmallows.

After dinner they rode their bicycles in the back yard and didn’t fall down even once. Then they worked on their coloring books. They stayed in the lines and didn’t break any crayons.

At 8:00 the kids brushed their teeth and went to bed without any fuss. Mommy and daddy had forgotten to give baths.

With her dog just outside her bedroom door Jackie went to sleep. You could barely see her through all the dolls, stuffed animals, and overstuffed pillows.


-klem
2/18/2009