Learning to Fall

The front door burst open the minute I pulled my black BMW into the driveway, my little girl sprinting out towards me with her brother trying his best to keep up with her but being no match for Ella’s speed.

I quickly opened my car door out and stepped out, only moments before Ella came crashing into my legs, wrapping her small arms around them.

“Daddy!” Ella cried, her normally perfectly blond hair now in a messy pony tail with pieces flying everywhere. “Where were you, where’s Sophia, is she okay? Is Frank okay?”

“Dada!” Logan exclaimed, taking his sisters lead in becoming very upset about Frank and Sophia’s disappearance. “Me want Fank.”

I knelt down to my children’s level, wrapping an arm around each of them and drawing them close.

“I went and found Frank, he is fine, Sophia is fine. There was just a little bit of a misunderstanding, which is why he left quickly,” I told them. Ella seemed to understand, as she was nodding her head, and Logan was giving me his usual wide eyed look which told me he had no idea what was going on but wanted to be a part of it anyway.

“Was Frank angry at you, daddy?” Ella asked me, her blue eyes still red from crying.

I winced. “He was a little. He thought he heard me say some things that I really didn’t say. Once I told him what happened he was completely fine though, he just felt a little bit silly. He say’s sorry for leaving the party so quickly, Ella.”

Ella gave a shrug, acting like it was no big deal when in reality I knew her whole world had come crashing down the minute Sophia had been dragged from the party. “It’s okay, I was a little bit sad that he and Sophia left, they were the most fun at the party,” Ella paused for a moment. “I didn’t even get to go on the bouncy castle.”

“Me either,” Logan agreed, even though he had very much been on the spacewalk before with Mikey, Frank and I.

I kissed Ella’s cheek. “How about we go right now then?”

Ella gave me a confused look. “But daddy, its dark,” she said to me.

“I know, but we could get some flashlights and turn on the back lights. I’m sure it will be fine, what’s the worst that could happen? If we fall over, at least we land on something soft!”

My son clapped his hands together, showing his obvious enthusiasm at the idea. I suspected it was partly due to him having meant to be in bed quite some time ago and ‘staying up’ was still somewhat thrilling for him.

“Me want to go jumping at night, daddy,” he told me, nodding his head seriously at the same time.

I smiled. “What do you think, El?”

Ella considered it for a moment before giving a shrug. I took this to be a yes and scooped both of my children up into my arms.

“Come my pretties, let us jump at night,” I rasped, making my way towards the side of the house that would lead us into the back yard. I carried my two kids all the way into our backyard, remnants of Ella’s party strewn across the once perfectly manicured lawn. I set Ella and Logan down carefully on the back porch and ducked inside the house quickly to turn on the back light. Once the lawn was lit up, I grabbed two Barbie flashlights and returned to my children.

“Here, one for each,” I said to them, handing them each a flashlight. “Now let us go bounce!”
Logan and Ella each let out impressive squeals and immediately ran for the spacewalk. I followed quickly after them, just in time to help Logan scramble up the slippery plastic and inside the fun house. It was dark inside, the porch light only illuminating it a little and the kid’s flashlights doing the rest. I noticed Logan cowered a little closer to me then usual, while Ella ran off and bounced away.

“Come on, Logi,” I said, grabbing my son’s small hand and pulling him into the middle. He gave a few experimental bounces before deciding that bouncing at night was not nearly as scary as he thought and he would be able to run around like normal.

Ella shone her light in all of the shadows, as if she was checking to ensure there were no bad guys lurking in the corners.

“Can we play chasy’s?” Ella asked.

I leant down and poked her in the arm. “You’re it!”

Ella let out a squeal and instantly ran for me, but I was too quick for her and scrambled out of her way.

“Can’t catch me!” I cried, running for another corner. Ella glared at me and instead turned her attention to Logan, who saw the predatory look in her eyes and started getting away from her as fast as his short legs would carry him. He wasn’t quick enough though, and Ella poked him square in the chest.

“You’re it now, Logan!” Ella shrieked, before running away from him. Logan stood still for a moment, before stomping his foot on the ground.

“Me no want to be it!” He exclaimed, an angry look on his face.

I sighed, knowing this would be the end of our short lived game. “Logan, you just chase daddy and catch him.”

Logan frowned at me. “No! Me don’t want to be it. I don’t like this game.”

“Lo-gan,” Ella whined.

Logan sat down on the bouncy floor, arms and legs folded, signaling the game really was over as his participation was necessary.

“Gerard?” A voice suddenly pierced through the air and the sound of high heels clicking on the patio came towards us. “Are you and the children out here?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes dear,” I replied.

“Well, come inside now, its time for dinner,” Miranda continued. “And I don’t think you should be on that contraption at night, it’s very doubtful that could be described as safe.”

“Coming.” I walked over to grumpy Logan and scooped him easily off the ground. I quickly escorted him out of the spacewalk, followed by Ella who seemed a bit sad at her bouncing experience being cut short.

“I hope mommy doesn’t have any more of her friends inside,” I said to my daughter.

“Especially not with their mean kids,” Ella added, agreeing with me.

The sound of fake laughter filtered out the open glass French doors and into the backyard.
Ella and I looked at each other, simultaneously wincing.

“Look’s like we’re out of luck tonight, El.”

---

I glared at my computer, wondering where on earth the last ace was hiding. I had been playing solitaire for the last hour, becoming increasingly frustrated when the cards were not dealt as I would have preferred.

“Working hard as always, boss?” Quinn teased, coming up becoming me and looking over my shoulder.

“You bet your sweet ass I am, someone around here has to,” I replied, moving a seven of spades to rest upon the eight of hearts.

Quinn let out a laugh. “Of course, you’re the hardest working man around.”

“Damn straight.”

“And the best father too.”

I nodded. “The best.”

“And so good looking. I mean, even I would tap that.”

I turned around, narrowing my eyes at Quinn suspiciously.

“Have I mentioned how nice, and generous and caring you are? Because I should have,” Quinn added, his eyes going round with sincerity.

“What do you want?” I finally asked, crossing my arms and staring him down.

“Can I have this weekend off?” He asked meekly.

“Why?”

“My band, we’re playing on Saturday night for the first time in ages and I need the time to prepare,” Quinn told me, now attempting puppy dog eyes which looked much better when they were on my two year old son.

I waved a hand in the air. “Fine, whatever, I don’t mind. I’ll just get Mikey to cover your shift. Just don’t come back a rock star and quit your job.”

Quinn clapped his hands together excitedly and wrapped his arms around me. “Yes! Thanks boss, I love you!” He kissed my cheek. “And I’m not going anywhere, lord knows how you’d find another me.”

I wiped away the salvia he had left on my cheek. “Yes a lazy, cheeky, sometimes highly annoying, flamboyantly gay male who perves on any man that comes in the store. How irreplaceable.”

Quinn quickly planted another kiss on my cheek, before skipping away. “You know you love me Gerardy!”

“Like a headache, Quinny.”

Quinn giggled, picked up the shirts he was putting away after several customers trying them on, and walked away, swinging his hips as he went. I laughed and shook my head, going back to my computer and clicking out of solitaire and deciding to instead do some real work.
I instead opened up the online catalogue I could order clothes from and started browsing all of the different new shirts there was on offer.

“Gerard,” Quinn sung.

“Quinn,” I sung back, not looking up from the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus shirt on my screen.

“I’ve got a special delivery for you, Gerardy.”

I finally looked up from my computer to see Quinn carrying a very confused Frank across my shop floor.

“Quinn!” I exclaimed, hurrying out from behind the counter. “Put Frank down now!”

Quinn shook his head stubbornly as he reached me, still holding Frank as he would a baby and stuck out his face, tilting his head so his left side faced me.

“Not until you sign for it,” he told me. I frowned at him, not sure what he wanted me to do until he somehow managed to get an arm over Frank and point to a spot on his cheek.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh for god sake-“

“Sign,” Quinn stressed.

I sighed and reluctantly leaned over Frank, planting a quick kiss on Quinn’s cheek.

“You’re crazy,” I told the blonde man, who shrugged in response.

He dumped Frank on the floor at my feet. “Here’s your package, don’t use it all at once.”
I immediately offered Frank my hand to help him up. “I am really sorry about him, he is completely mad,” I said to him, watching Quinn’s retreating figure and shooting him a glare. Frank grasped my hand and I quickly pulled him up, wrapping him in a tight hug as I did so.

“It’s definitely okay,” Frank replied, giving a smile. “It was pretty weird when he just picked me up, but he was pretty weird the last time I saw him too, so it wasn’t completely unexpected.”

“Well, I am still pretty sorry.”

Frank let go of me and waved a hand airily. “Forget it, it’s totally fine. Having a busy day today?”

I looked around the half filled shop. “It’s been okay, it kind of goes up and down. What brings you here anyway? Not that it isn’t lovely to see you.”

Frank’s eyes lit up, as he remembered his reason for visiting the store.

“Sophia and I were talking the other day, and we realized it really must have sucked for Ella to have us run out on her party so early. I remember you telling me she was so eager to have Sophia there, and it wasn’t fair that she was hardly there at all,” Frank said.

“Well, it wasn’t really your fault,” I interrupted, hoping he wasn’t feeling guilty for the misunderstanding.

“So we want to do something to make it up!” He finished, pretending he hadn’t heard me.
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued as to what he had planned.

“And just what were you thinking of doing?”

Frank narrowed his eyes at me for a moment as he obviously contemplated whether to tell me or not. “It’s a surprise,” he finally said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“A good surprise?”

Frank opened his mouth in mock shock and placed his hands on his hips. “Would you expect anything less?”

“Of course not,” I said with a smile, reaching out to pinch his cheeks like an elder lady would to a baby.

“So, are you free tomorrow?”

I considered this for a moment before realizing it was the weekend, and I had Saturday off work. “Yes, Miranda is having a ‘girl’s day’ since she gets so little time to herself to have fun these days.”

“Great!” Frank exclaimed, slowly taking steps backwards towards the door. “We’ll be at your house at nine then!”

I gave him a wave as he finally reached the doors and grasped behind him for the handle, briefly wondering what he had planned.

“We’ll be waiting!” I called after him, as a smile made it's way nice and cozy on my face for the rest of the day.