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“Art?” Poppit looked over to the Lust Barrier 5000 to see her husband lying in his separate bed. “Are you awake?”
“I wish I wasn’t,” Art said as he got up from the bed and stretched his body. “What is it?”
“We need to talk… about Christina,” Poppit got up from hers to approach him.
“Not this again,” Art tried to return to his bed, but Poppit grabbed his arm. “What is it this time?”
“Look, I appreciate that you’re willing to spend some time with her,” Poppit let go to cross her arms.
“And you should be,” Art nodded his head.
“But I’m starting to worry about you. Every time I see Christina, I see you… watching over her and everyone that comes around her like a hawk.”
“It’s wrong for a father to make sure his daughter is doing alright?”
“That’s not what I said. But no, it’s not wrong. I just think you’re taking it a bit too far.”
“And how so?” Art crossed his arms.
“It’s like when I’m near her vicinity for only a few minutes, I can feel your eyes burning into my skull.”
“If only,” Art mumbled.
“What?”
“Hmm?”
“Ugh…” Poppit started to pace around the room. “And it’s not even me that’s feeling this way, Nurse Pulla said you kept looking at her with resentment when she was treating Christina in the hospital. When you took her to the dress store, Ms. Cottonwell had to put you aside because you kept taking over in what she could wear. Do you just not want other women in her presence?”
“That’s ridiculous, Poppit, I gave Reverend Craftson a few glares,” Art rolled his eyes. “I also don’t trust Principal Fauxer with her, Ms. Saramics, Coach Motion, the Drawitts, Dr. Landscape-”
“What I’m saying is it should never get to that point, Art!” Poppit stopped in her tracks. “It was cute. It was adorable that you kept her by your side, but when can she hang out with her friends outside of school? When am I going to spend more time with her? She’s my daughter too, you know!”
“I’m too sober for this conversation,” Art groaned as he tried to walk out the door, but Poppit blocked it with her body.
“You know what I think?”
“Oh, goodie, a woman ‘thinking.’”
“I think you’re punishing me… for sleeping with someone else,” Poppit could feel the soreness in her throat. “And now, I can’t even be with my own child because of you.”
“No, Poppit, Block is your punishment for that,” Art’s tone was harsher, almost sadistic this time. “Taking Christina away from you is just the extra lashing to grow on.”
Poppit’s eyes were filled with disturbance… no one should have said a line like that with such malicious intent. Was this even her husband she was talking to? She couldn’t help but freeze and let her guard down, making Art easily push her away from the door.
“So, don’t blame me for your mistake,” he chuckled as he opened the door. “Instead, thank me for taking her off your and this town’s hands.”
As Art closed the door behind him, he saw Christina standing in front of it with an unfamiliar teddy bear in her hands.
“Oh hi, honey!” Art said, pointing at her then the bear. “How long you’ve been standing there? And I haven’t seen that one before, where’d you get it from?”
“I was actually pacing around the house, but I stood here for about a minute,” Christina shrugged, holding up the bear. “And Grandma gave me this one while I was at school! She said she tried to mail it to you three times already, but it always get sent back to her.”
“I was hoping she would get the hint by now,” Art said under his breath.
“Sir?”
“Ah, nothing, talking to myself,” Art said as he approached Christina and squat down to her level, softly pinching her cheek. “Had trouble sleeping?”
“Just a little, I tried praying, but I guess the effects are taking a minute to set in… is everything okay with you and Mom? I heard her yelling.”
“Oh, Christina, don’t worry about us; it’s an inevitable squabble between couples.”
“Okay,” Christina smiled, but Art slowly took her teddy bear. “What are you going to do?”
“Since your grandmother went through so much trouble bringing this bear to us, I want to treasure it for safe keeping,” Art winked at her. “Plus, don’t you think I gave you enough teddy bears? This is your eighth one.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Christina looked unsure for a bit as Art directed her upstairs.
“Come on, let’s go back to bed. And I can keep Grandma’s teddy bear in my study.”
“Okay, Daddy!” Christina happily followed.
As the two went up, Art looked at the bear with a malevolent expression: it did look like it was a good target practice.