‹ Prequel: I Promise
Swing Life Away
1/1
"Max could you watch Brian for a little bit?" Lis called up the stairs, "I need to go shopping for Mel's baby shower present."
"Why wouldn't I?" I grinned from the stairway.
Lis smiled up at me, "He's being a little silly today. Are you sure you want to?"
Smirking, I sat on the stair railing and slid down the steps, stopping right in front of my wife.
"Max, don't do that! You're twenty-five years old! That, and Brian will start copying you!"
"Go get your present for Melanie's baby shower, Lissa." I put my hands on her gray cardigan covered shoulders and kissed the top of her forehead.
"I don't mind watching our son. Besides, he always does what I say anyway."
Lis smacked my arm, "Only because you give him candy every other day!"
"Bribes are a beautiful thing, my beautiful wife."
"Jerk." She pecked my lips before turning around to the front door. "Don't do anything stupid. I don't want anything to happen to my four-year-old or my twenty-five-year-old."
I watched Lissa'a chocolate brown curls sway behind her as I closed the door behind her. Now, I had to find my son. I ran a hand through my hair. This would be hard.
"Daddy!" Or not.
"Look what Daisy doing!" The toddler ran into the kitchen, his bare feet pattering on hardwood flooring. Oh, Lord, I thought as I followed Brian. The dog always got into anything and everything her four paws could carry her to.
"Daisy, no! Down!"
Brian giggled as I shooed the Labrador retriever away from the trash. Garbage covered the kitchen floor as Daisy tried to find something worth eating. I cleaned it all up and began to walk towards our living room. I browsed through the DVDs on the shelf.
"Wanna watch a movie, bud?"
Brian nodded, so I put Madagascar since we hadn't watched it in a while. About half way through the movie, the toddler fell into a deep sleep. I smiled down at him and placed a throw over his little body before going into our little office/ music room.
Our house was small, but it fit our tiny family. I bought it right after Brian was born and Lissa's and my wedding. We couldn't have both a music room and an office, so one wall had desks, shelves, and a computer, while the other had Lissa's keyboard and my guitars. I had four acoustic and two electric.
I pick up the one I called Onyx. It wasn't completely black, but I felt that the name suited it. I strummed some random chords on the strings to make sure it was tuned. I just laid on the carpet with the guitar laying on my torso, strumming random notes and riffs.
I didn't know how long I was doing that for. I was so zoned out, just strumming on the guitar, I didn't notice anything else until I heard feet pattering in the hallway. I propped myself up a little bit on the wall just as Brian toddled over to me. He sat in front of the guitar and rubbed his eyes.
"Daddy play?"
"Yeah. Do you want to try playing the guitar too?" I smiled down at him.
Brian grinned and placed one tiny hand on the fret board and a finger on the strings. "Like this, Daddy?"
I used a finger to move his little fingers around a bit, "Now gently pluck this string." I pointed to the 'G' string. Brian giggled as the note came out slightly out of tune. It made my smile grow. My son was so adorable.
"Daddy play now!"
"Okay, okay," I ruffled the boy's hair and sat up, leaning against the wall. Moving the guitar, I started strumming 'Swing Life Away' by Rise Against. I closed my eyes and imagined that Lissa was with me as I played. We had made this our song. I could just hear her singing the chorus as I was finishing the chords.
"We live on front porches and swing life away.
We get by just fine here on minimum wage.
If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end.
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand.
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away."
I opened my eyes to see the brown haired, chocolate-eyed girl I fell in love with sitting adjacent from me with Brian in her lap.
"Lissa," I breathed, placing the guitar on the ground beside me, "When did you get back?"
She grinned, leaning over to peck me on the check, "A few seconds ago. I love coming home to you two like this."
"I love it when you come home period."
"Me too."
"Me three!" Brian yelled.
Lissa and I both laughed at him. I wish moments like this would never have to end.
"Why wouldn't I?" I grinned from the stairway.
Lis smiled up at me, "He's being a little silly today. Are you sure you want to?"
Smirking, I sat on the stair railing and slid down the steps, stopping right in front of my wife.
"Max, don't do that! You're twenty-five years old! That, and Brian will start copying you!"
"Go get your present for Melanie's baby shower, Lissa." I put my hands on her gray cardigan covered shoulders and kissed the top of her forehead.
"I don't mind watching our son. Besides, he always does what I say anyway."
Lis smacked my arm, "Only because you give him candy every other day!"
"Bribes are a beautiful thing, my beautiful wife."
"Jerk." She pecked my lips before turning around to the front door. "Don't do anything stupid. I don't want anything to happen to my four-year-old or my twenty-five-year-old."
I watched Lissa'a chocolate brown curls sway behind her as I closed the door behind her. Now, I had to find my son. I ran a hand through my hair. This would be hard.
"Daddy!" Or not.
"Look what Daisy doing!" The toddler ran into the kitchen, his bare feet pattering on hardwood flooring. Oh, Lord, I thought as I followed Brian. The dog always got into anything and everything her four paws could carry her to.
"Daisy, no! Down!"
Brian giggled as I shooed the Labrador retriever away from the trash. Garbage covered the kitchen floor as Daisy tried to find something worth eating. I cleaned it all up and began to walk towards our living room. I browsed through the DVDs on the shelf.
"Wanna watch a movie, bud?"
Brian nodded, so I put Madagascar since we hadn't watched it in a while. About half way through the movie, the toddler fell into a deep sleep. I smiled down at him and placed a throw over his little body before going into our little office/ music room.
Our house was small, but it fit our tiny family. I bought it right after Brian was born and Lissa's and my wedding. We couldn't have both a music room and an office, so one wall had desks, shelves, and a computer, while the other had Lissa's keyboard and my guitars. I had four acoustic and two electric.
I pick up the one I called Onyx. It wasn't completely black, but I felt that the name suited it. I strummed some random chords on the strings to make sure it was tuned. I just laid on the carpet with the guitar laying on my torso, strumming random notes and riffs.
I didn't know how long I was doing that for. I was so zoned out, just strumming on the guitar, I didn't notice anything else until I heard feet pattering in the hallway. I propped myself up a little bit on the wall just as Brian toddled over to me. He sat in front of the guitar and rubbed his eyes.
"Daddy play?"
"Yeah. Do you want to try playing the guitar too?" I smiled down at him.
Brian grinned and placed one tiny hand on the fret board and a finger on the strings. "Like this, Daddy?"
I used a finger to move his little fingers around a bit, "Now gently pluck this string." I pointed to the 'G' string. Brian giggled as the note came out slightly out of tune. It made my smile grow. My son was so adorable.
"Daddy play now!"
"Okay, okay," I ruffled the boy's hair and sat up, leaning against the wall. Moving the guitar, I started strumming 'Swing Life Away' by Rise Against. I closed my eyes and imagined that Lissa was with me as I played. We had made this our song. I could just hear her singing the chorus as I was finishing the chords.
"We live on front porches and swing life away.
We get by just fine here on minimum wage.
If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end.
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand.
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away."
I opened my eyes to see the brown haired, chocolate-eyed girl I fell in love with sitting adjacent from me with Brian in her lap.
"Lissa," I breathed, placing the guitar on the ground beside me, "When did you get back?"
She grinned, leaning over to peck me on the check, "A few seconds ago. I love coming home to you two like this."
"I love it when you come home period."
"Me too."
"Me three!" Brian yelled.
Lissa and I both laughed at him. I wish moments like this would never have to end.