Page 8 of A Little Christmas! 4: Song
“Sounds like a story there.”
“I was the sound engineer for Shriveled Rose.”
“Damn, seriously? Holy shit! That was one of Song’s all-time favorite bands. I hate that he never got to see them live before the accident, but he did get to see the remaining members perform at Rocktoberfest with Tattered Angel, Bleeding Dawn,and Wild Child. Not only were we both blown away but seeing the way the guys in the other bands took care of the members of Shriveled Rose and performed tribute songs with them while shortening their sets was seriously touching. I was in tears, and that’s a rare thing for me, and Song was bawling his eyes out.”
“I have plenty of video footage dating back to the early days of the band that I’d be happy to show him, if he’s interested.”
“No ifs, he will lose his fuckin’ mind when you tell him that.”
“I forgot to ask you about sugar,” Cooper blurted, feeling his cheeks heat up when they both looked his way. “We don’t allow Zachy any after eight. Does Song have a cutoff time for when we should refrain from giving him any?”
“Eight is perfect,” Solo replied. “Just in case you were wondering, he doesn’t regress far enough to use a diaper or a pull-up, but if he starts squirming in the middle of a movie or activity, it’s always good to prompt him to go to the bathroom before he has to sprint to avoid an accident.”
“Good to know. Thank you for sharing that; we’ll keep an eye out,” Gage said. “Something tells me that he and Zachy are already becoming fast friends with many more playdates in their future. Zachy has a playground in the backyard and a little fort, though it’s gotten a bit too cold for him to spend much time out there. Come spring though, look out; he’s rarely indoors when the weather is nice.”
“Song is the same way. He loves being outside and exploring new places, especially if there is anything artsy about them.”
“He’s a creative soul, just like Zachy,” Cooper said. “I think they’ll be good for one another.”
“I believe you’re right,” Solo replied as she finished her coffee. “Thank you again for having him over.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Cooper said.
“I’d better get a move on, but I’ll see you at nine. Let me give you my number before I go, just in case you need to get ahold ofme early. Song has a spare set of clothes in his backpack just in case he needs them.”
“Perfect,” Gage said as he passed over his phone so she could enter her information in his contacts.
A little ping followed as he shot her a text, sharing his number so they’d be able to communicate, then they saw her to the door and headed down the hall to check on Zachy and Song. Not that they’d been worried about how well they would play together. The noise factor alone, from the toy drum and guitar they’d picked up earlier in the week, was accompanied by their wailing and screeching as they rocked out to the nonsense songs they created.
There's a bear in a bush.
And he’s gonna get some honey.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz
The bees all swarm.
Yum yum yum yum
Honey all gone.
Chaotic, exuberant, and punctuated with giggles and laughter. They were clearly having a good time and needed no interference from the Daddy Patrol to make sure things were going right.
“Just look at those smiles,” Gage said as they backed out of the doorway and headed back down the hall. “Anyone trying to dim them needs to have his head knocked off.”
“Is that what you threatened to do to Brekken?”
“I used my words and not the profane ones this time,” Gage replied. “Hank, on the other hand, gave him an earful that turned the air blue, but the only threat either of us leveled was to have a conversation with Donovan if it happened again. I doubt he’ll be any happier to learn about his attitude, and he’s got the power to put a stop to it permanently if Brekken didn’t catch a clue after me and Hank went off on him.”
“Did he give any reason at all for making Song quit playing?”
“Just that he couldn’t deal with any more of the noise, especially once one of the littles grabbed a pair of cymbals while another found one of those electronic saxophone toys.”
“He should have just taken his ass to the library if he wanted quiet,” Cooper grumbled. “Or stayed home. The playroom is never quiet.”
“No shit. I don’t think it was just the noise he was pissed about, but that’s his issue, not anyone else’s. Those toys are there for a reason, and if a bunch of littles want to play them together, then they should be allowed to do so to their heart’s content.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.”