Growing Up Won't Bring Us Down

Johnny Seward was woken up to the loud sound of drums across the hall. He groaned, forcing his eyes open against the intense glare of the sun through his window. He turned his head to look at his clock that sat on the end table next to his bed. 7:10. He groaned again, turning onto his stomach and covering his ears with a pillow.

“Damnit Marco,” Johnny sighed. He tossed the pillow across the room before climbing out of bed in defeat. He straightened up his pajama pants before walking to his room’s door. He pulled it open to be assaulted with the louder sound of drums. He cringed and glared when he saw Marco’s widely opened door. Now she was just being mean. He walked to the doorway and yelled her name over the drums that sat in the corner of the room.

Marco’s head snapped up and she grinned widely. “Morning Dad.”

Only a week after the trial Marco had picked up calling him Dad. The first time she did his coffee flew from his mouth. He was used to it now, still smiling faintly when she called him that. “Do you know what time it is right now?”

“Ass kicking time?” Marco asked with forged innocence. Johnny ran a hand through his black and blond hair with a sigh. That was Marco’s doing. He had been nice and decided to trust her to dye his hair back to black a few weeks ago. Well, she found putting black spots all over his head more amusing. He had been too lazy to properly fix it though.

“Five more minutes then call a break, okay? My head’s killing me.”

“Okay Dad.” As soon as Johnny shut the door the drums kicked in again, though this time it was much softer. Johnny walked down the steps, making an automatic left into the kitchen. About a year and a half ago Johnny had moved to save themselves some more problems from a certain, mindless ex. They now literally lived three houses down from Jimmy. Johnny was now worrying that he might have made a stupid move.

He grabbed his freshly brewed cup of coffee and walked to the other side of the stairs were the living room sat. As soon as you walked in you were in the living room now. He sat on the couch that rested against the wall of the stairs and took a sip of his hot, caffeinated drink. He placed it on the coffee table before picking up the remote to flip through channels. Just as he did a ‘thud’ was heard as a body dropped in the spot next to him. He didn’t jump or make a sound, he was used to it by now.

“Why do you always have to do that now?” Johnny was referring to jumping over the railing on the stairs to land on the couch. Marco simply grinned, leaning back in the couch with her feet on the coffee table.

“Well Jimmy showed me and - ”

“That's the problem. Of all your ‘uncles’ - ” Johnny used his fingers as air quotes around the word ‘uncles’ - “You just had to pick Jimmy to want to be just like. Why couldn’t you pick Matt or something?”

“So you want me to grow biceps the size of an elephant’s foot?” Marco asked, picking up one of her slim arms and bending her forearm to make a right angle. She held her left arm with a space of about four inches between her thumb and forefinger, holding it to the top of her skin. She raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at her father. He rolled his eyes, stopping the television set on a rerun of Spongebob Squarepants.

“Always so dramatic,” Johnny remarked as he picked up his coffee cup, taking a sip of the dark brown drink. Marco was too mesmerized by the cartoon to continue with the conversation.

Suddenly Marco cried out at the top of her lungs with the yellow sponge, “F is for friends who do stuff together!”

Like clockwork the front door slammed open, Jimmy walking it. It was almost as if they had this whole thing planned. Since it was Marco and Jimmy, Johnny wasn’t too sure it wasn’t. “U is for you and me!”

Marco jumped onto the couch with her arms outstretched towards Jimmy, the older man in a similar stance a foot away. Together they exclaimed, “N is anywhere and anytime at all, down here in the deep blue sea!”

Johnny rolled his eyes as Marco jumped forward, Jimmy catching her in his long and lanky arms. “Uncle Jimmy!”

“Markie!” The man spun her in a few, quick circles before returning her to the floor. Now Marco reached half way up his chest, five foot solid. She had a growth spurt, but the doctor was pretty sure that was it for a while. “Hey Johnny.”

“Hey man,” Johnny replied, simply nodding his head. Jimmy sat on the couch, Marco plopping down on his lap. “What are you doing over so early? I didn’t know you knew what this time of day was.”

“Well Rain woke me up on the way to work, I couldn’t sleep, I knew Marco would be up, and I wanted to go to the park. I knew Marco would be willing to go with me, right?” Jimmy stared up with puppy eyes at the teen who was temporarily taller than himself. Marco’s eyes instantly copied his as she turned to stare at Johnny who was trying not to laugh.

“Can I?” Marco whined, dragging out the ‘I’. Johnny pretended to think before exploding in laughter as Marco’s pouting face deepened. He could almost never say no to this girl.

“Fine. But you should probably change first.” Marco looked down at her pajamas which consisted of a tank and short shorts. She nodded, climbing off of Jimmy’s lap.

“I’ll be back in five!” Marco called as she dashed up the stairs. Moments later both adults heard her door slam shut. Jimmy chuckled, catching the attention of the bassist.

“You know Johnny, I usually don’t say stuff like this, but you did a good job raising her.” Johnny smiled softly, going back to staring at the TV, not sure what the yellow sponge and his pink starfish friend were talking about anymore.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you guys plus Tayler and the girls.” It was true, the guys and girls had to save his ass a few times. Johnny had worried multiple times in the middle of the night that Marco wouldn’t wake in the morning because he was doing something wrong. So far she was still waking.

“But you did pretty well on your part. Minus the time you left her alone with a paintball gun.” The two shook their heads at the memory.

Marco was a few months short of being twelve. Johnny had been given a paintball gun for his birthday and had left it sitting on the coffee table. When he went for a shower Marco decided to experiment since she was unsure of what it did. When Johnny came back down the walls, furniture, and Marco’s skin was stained with red paint. It was fun explaining to her teachers why half her face was red for a week.

It lapsed back into a comfortable silence between the two friends. After five more minutes the sound of fabric sliding against wood was heard. The men looked up to see Marco slide down the railing above their heads. She jumped off at the end, gracefully landing on her feet. Jimmy and Johnny began to clap as she bowed mockingly.

“Thank-you, thank-you. No really, thank-you.” Marco continued to say this even after they stopped clapping. The two rolled their eyes as Jimmy stood to his feet.

“Ready to go?” Marco nodded with a grin. “Got your phone?”

“Yes sir.” She stepped around Jimmy to walk over to Johnny. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, giving him a quick hug around the shoulders. “Love you Daddy. See you later.”

“Love you too hun. Have fun. And Jimmy?”

The older man paused on the balls of his feet, craning his neck to see Johnny. “Yeah?”

“Bring her back in one piece and unharmed.” Jimmy grinned, saluting him.

“Aye, aye captain.” With that the two left the house, Marco shutting the door once she stepped outside. Johnny picked up the remote, flipping the TV to a recorded episode of Family Guy. As the beginning theme started Johnny smiled and rested back in his couch. Time for some good, old fashioned Johnny time.