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To Be a Kid Again
By: G. Barton
Parker sat across from her lover and stared at him. She didn't know why she loved him sometimes but she just did. She watched him play with his food like a three year old. He glanced up and saw her staring.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing." She shook her head.
"No. What is it?" He put his fork down and reached over to take her hand. "Something is bothering you."
"Well..." She took a deep a breath and continued. "Since you mention it. There is something I have been wondering."
"What?" He grabbed his folk and spoon and began hitting them together, making a noise.
Parker clutched his hands to make him stop. "Now that you brought it up. I was wondering if you were ever going to grow up." Their eyes locked.
"What do you mean?" He put a pea in his spoon and began to flip it across the room.
"This." She took the spoon away from him like an angry mother would do with her child. She placed the spoon back down but this time out of his reach.
He still had a funny look on his face like he didn't understand what she was talking about.
"The childish games." She finished.
"I can't help it if I was never able to play like a normal child when I was growing up."
Parker's head fell into her hand. She began shaking it again.
Jarod placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry if I embarrass you."
Parker looked up into his brown eyes and took a another deep breath. She started to say something when Jarod said. "I tell you what, I will grow up if you do me a favor."
"What?"
"You have to be a kid for a day." He smiled.
"What? You..."
"It is a fair trade." He grinned from ear to ear.
"Ok. Fine. I'll do it." She replied as one eyebrow raised slightly over her eye. She couldn't believe she just agreed to this.
"This is going to be fun." Jarod's smile got bigger.
"I can't believe this." She spoke under her breath. "When do I start this?" She questioned as she looked back at the pretender who was playing with his food again.
"Now." He motioned for the waiter to bring the check.
******
Jarod took her hand as he lead her into arcade. "What do you want to do first?" He looked around.
"I don't care." She mumbled.
"Ok." He walked over to the pinball machines. "Nay." He turned to the Pac-man game. "Nay. That one." He pointed to the motorcycle game.
"No!" She raised her voice.
"Yes." He shook his head.
"I'm. Not. Getting. On. The. Motorcycle."
"Yes you are." Jarod drug her over there. "Get on."
"Jarod, this is stupid."
"Then leave me alone about my childish games."
Looking eye level with him, she got on the motorcycle. "What do I do?"
"Drive it. Just don't hit anything." Jarod slipped the money in the slot and watched her go. "You have to lean into it." He kept telling her what to do.
"Would you leave me alone!"
"Ok." He watched as the wall got closer and closer. He wanted to say something but she just yelled at him every time he opened his mouth.
"Damn." She spat.
"I knew you were going to do that." He couldn't help himself.
She gave him a 'go to hell' look.
"Why don't we try something else?" He took her hand and lead her off in another direction.
After they played hockey, skeet ball, and some shooting games, Jarod walked by a game with the little animals popped up and you hit them.
"Why don't you try this one?" He stopped by the machine. He placed the money into the slot and watched as the animals popped up. She grabbed the hammer and hit everyone one of them. "I think you just found your game." He joked.
"That was easy. I pretended the animals were you." She laughed.
Jarod's smiled turned to a frown.
"I'm kidding." She hit his shoulder.
"I think we've played every game in here."
"Now what?" She turned to face him.
"We move on to something else."
They left the arcade and walked down to the other end of the street. Jarod's eyes opened wide when he saw the toy store. Parker saw the same thing. "NO!" She screamed.
"Oh yeah." He ran to the door. "Coming?" He waited for her.
Parker rolled her eyes before she followed him in.
Jarod grabbed everything toy that made noise and pushed the buttons to it. "Parker, try this one!" He yelled from the other end of the aisle.
"Shh." Parker tried to calm him down. She didn't want to draw attention to them in the store.
"Look at this." He picked a toy gun and started to make shooting noises.
She grabbed the gun and placed it on the shelf next to her. She turned to see what he was doing next when she couldn't found him. But it didn't take her long to locate him again. She just followed the growling noises on the next aisle. He was playing with a couple of dinosaurs. She watched as he made them attack each other and the scooby doo doll next to them.
"Jarod, it's late what do you say we call it a night." She was hoping to get him out of the toy store and anywhere else.
He stopped what he was doing. "Wait, you are suppose to be playing with the toys."
She made her way toward him. "I tell you what...."
He took the toy train and sat it down. He eyed it as it went in circles and bellowed smoke.
"Jarod!" She cupped his face into her hand. "I'm sorry."
"Mmm." His eyes were focused on the train.
"I give up."
"Ok. Whatever." He got loose from her and bent down to pick up the train. He placed it back on the shelf and turned to find her gone. "Parker." He called out.
He went down every aisle. He caught her going out the door. He raced down the street to catch up with her. "Parker, wait!"
She stopped, giving him time to reach her.
"I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"I said I was sorry for trying to make you grow up."
"Ok. I have an idea. I promise to be more grown up when we go out if you promise to let me be a kid sometimes." He leaned in to kiss her.
"I'll think about it."
He whispered something in her ear.
"Deal." She smiled.
Jarod took her hand into his. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked back to the car.
"Jarod."
"Mmm?" He kissed her hand.
"I have to admit I did have fun at the arcade."
"I told you."
He opened the car door for her. She sat down in the seat. After he shut the door, he moved around to his side of the car and slid in.
"I love you, Parker." He gave her one last kiss before they drove off.
The End
By: G. Barton
Parker sat across from her lover and stared at him. She didn't know why she loved him sometimes but she just did. She watched him play with his food like a three year old. He glanced up and saw her staring.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing." She shook her head.
"No. What is it?" He put his fork down and reached over to take her hand. "Something is bothering you."
"Well..." She took a deep a breath and continued. "Since you mention it. There is something I have been wondering."
"What?" He grabbed his folk and spoon and began hitting them together, making a noise.
Parker clutched his hands to make him stop. "Now that you brought it up. I was wondering if you were ever going to grow up." Their eyes locked.
"What do you mean?" He put a pea in his spoon and began to flip it across the room.
"This." She took the spoon away from him like an angry mother would do with her child. She placed the spoon back down but this time out of his reach.
He still had a funny look on his face like he didn't understand what she was talking about.
"The childish games." She finished.
"I can't help it if I was never able to play like a normal child when I was growing up."
Parker's head fell into her hand. She began shaking it again.
Jarod placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry if I embarrass you."
Parker looked up into his brown eyes and took a another deep breath. She started to say something when Jarod said. "I tell you what, I will grow up if you do me a favor."
"What?"
"You have to be a kid for a day." He smiled.
"What? You..."
"It is a fair trade." He grinned from ear to ear.
"Ok. Fine. I'll do it." She replied as one eyebrow raised slightly over her eye. She couldn't believe she just agreed to this.
"This is going to be fun." Jarod's smile got bigger.
"I can't believe this." She spoke under her breath. "When do I start this?" She questioned as she looked back at the pretender who was playing with his food again.
"Now." He motioned for the waiter to bring the check.
******
Jarod took her hand as he lead her into arcade. "What do you want to do first?" He looked around.
"I don't care." She mumbled.
"Ok." He walked over to the pinball machines. "Nay." He turned to the Pac-man game. "Nay. That one." He pointed to the motorcycle game.
"No!" She raised her voice.
"Yes." He shook his head.
"I'm. Not. Getting. On. The. Motorcycle."
"Yes you are." Jarod drug her over there. "Get on."
"Jarod, this is stupid."
"Then leave me alone about my childish games."
Looking eye level with him, she got on the motorcycle. "What do I do?"
"Drive it. Just don't hit anything." Jarod slipped the money in the slot and watched her go. "You have to lean into it." He kept telling her what to do.
"Would you leave me alone!"
"Ok." He watched as the wall got closer and closer. He wanted to say something but she just yelled at him every time he opened his mouth.
"Damn." She spat.
"I knew you were going to do that." He couldn't help himself.
She gave him a 'go to hell' look.
"Why don't we try something else?" He took her hand and lead her off in another direction.
After they played hockey, skeet ball, and some shooting games, Jarod walked by a game with the little animals popped up and you hit them.
"Why don't you try this one?" He stopped by the machine. He placed the money into the slot and watched as the animals popped up. She grabbed the hammer and hit everyone one of them. "I think you just found your game." He joked.
"That was easy. I pretended the animals were you." She laughed.
Jarod's smiled turned to a frown.
"I'm kidding." She hit his shoulder.
"I think we've played every game in here."
"Now what?" She turned to face him.
"We move on to something else."
They left the arcade and walked down to the other end of the street. Jarod's eyes opened wide when he saw the toy store. Parker saw the same thing. "NO!" She screamed.
"Oh yeah." He ran to the door. "Coming?" He waited for her.
Parker rolled her eyes before she followed him in.
Jarod grabbed everything toy that made noise and pushed the buttons to it. "Parker, try this one!" He yelled from the other end of the aisle.
"Shh." Parker tried to calm him down. She didn't want to draw attention to them in the store.
"Look at this." He picked a toy gun and started to make shooting noises.
She grabbed the gun and placed it on the shelf next to her. She turned to see what he was doing next when she couldn't found him. But it didn't take her long to locate him again. She just followed the growling noises on the next aisle. He was playing with a couple of dinosaurs. She watched as he made them attack each other and the scooby doo doll next to them.
"Jarod, it's late what do you say we call it a night." She was hoping to get him out of the toy store and anywhere else.
He stopped what he was doing. "Wait, you are suppose to be playing with the toys."
She made her way toward him. "I tell you what...."
He took the toy train and sat it down. He eyed it as it went in circles and bellowed smoke.
"Jarod!" She cupped his face into her hand. "I'm sorry."
"Mmm." His eyes were focused on the train.
"I give up."
"Ok. Whatever." He got loose from her and bent down to pick up the train. He placed it back on the shelf and turned to find her gone. "Parker." He called out.
He went down every aisle. He caught her going out the door. He raced down the street to catch up with her. "Parker, wait!"
She stopped, giving him time to reach her.
"I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"I said I was sorry for trying to make you grow up."
"Ok. I have an idea. I promise to be more grown up when we go out if you promise to let me be a kid sometimes." He leaned in to kiss her.
"I'll think about it."
He whispered something in her ear.
"Deal." She smiled.
Jarod took her hand into his. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked back to the car.
"Jarod."
"Mmm?" He kissed her hand.
"I have to admit I did have fun at the arcade."
"I told you."
He opened the car door for her. She sat down in the seat. After he shut the door, he moved around to his side of the car and slid in.
"I love you, Parker." He gave her one last kiss before they drove off.
The End
