Moose and Floppy

Later at home, you took the letter off of your nightstand and stared at it, the hope you felt earlier was replaced by fear once again. You wanted to believe your dad was a good man after all but you had long since given up on your dad turning into the nice guy you always wished for.

His words rang in your, he called you his daughter. No one around that he would have to pretend to be nice. He did it without hesitation. You wiped your eye and turned tore into the envelope when the door opened. "Hey." Tom sat on the bed next to you. "You weren't going to read it without me were you?"

"I didn't think you wanted me too."

He shook his head, "I wouldn't, but if you feel you need to I wanna be here for you."

"In case it goes wrong?"

Again he shook his head, "In case I'm wrong and it's good news. If you don't want me to be here I understand."

"No. I do." Tom took your hand in his and kissed it softly.

"Then I'm here."

You slid the letter out of the envelope slowly. You smirked at the opening line; "Dear...your sister tells me you go by Kara, so I will try to remember that. I'm not great with words as you know so this won't be a long letter. Your mother throwing you out was not my doing and I would never have allowed it if I knew. You're my child. I won't lie and claim to understand what you're going through but no matter the changes you go through you are my" the letter S was scribbled out before the letter continued, "daughter." It was clear he was trying and it refilled you with that same hope again. "I would like us to meet for lunch so we can speak in person. I know your mother cut off your phone without telling me and you might have forgotten my number so..." He had written out his number and signed the note with, "Love always, your dad. Ps, Kyle says he misses you."

Finishing the letter you folded it back up and held it to your heart. "Guess I was wrong after all?" You nodded silently before throwing your arms around him. "I'm glad." You held him for so long your relief and exhaustion gave way to sleep and perhaps the first time in a long time your sleep was restful.

The following Saturday you met your father, with Tom, at a cafe just across the street from the mall. "I'm very glad you called." He said when he met you at your table. He wasn't sure what to do but you could tell what he wanted, so to help him out you did it instead. You hugged him tightly. Something you never thought you would do unprompted.

"I liked your letter." Was all you could think to say. After a moment you felt his arms around you as he gently squeezed you.

After you broke your hug he shook Tom's hand. "Tom, right?"

"Yes, sir."

He looked to you and smiled, "Good manners, I like that. You wanna, uh-" He motioned for the chairs.

"Sure."

You three sat and sat in silence for several minutes. "I'm sorry, of all the conversations I imagined having with you this one wasn't even on the list."

"I know, me either."

"I thought you were supposed to know since you were little?"

"Some don't."

He nodded trying to absorb this new information. "So I take it you're her boyfriend?" He was examining Tom so he missed the smile across your face.

"I am."

"And she's been living with you?"

"With me and my mom."

"Does she..." He stopped unsure how to continue and looked to his new daughter. "How's she treating you." Not really what he wanted to ask but still an important question.

"She's..nice." Tom turned away from you both to hide his smirk only making it more obvious. "Well, she is to me. She took someone in she met once off the street so that's pretty nice, other than the fact she doesn't let me and Tom sleep in the same bet and constantly tries to sing-"

"Off key."

"She's okay."

"She doesn't let you sleep in the same bed, huh?" Your eyes widened as you realized that may not be something a father wants to know or should know. "I like her." It felt odd but it made you happy he was worried about you the same way he was Erin.

"I think you would."

He started rubbing his hands together again. "I-" Before he could finish Kyle ran up to you and jumped into your lap.

"Kara!"

"Kyle." You squeezed him back as he clung to you, threatening to strangle you.

"Sorry, he got away from me." Erin panted out of breath having chased after Kyle.

"You are like ridiculously out of shape." Tom laughed before catching your dad's eye and stopping.

"Ugh I know, but we can't all play basketball every day now can we." You could hear Erin but you no longer cared. You were lost in the moment of pure normalcy.

"Did you ask her yet?" Kyle twisted around to face your dad.

"Ask me what?"

"I was about to bring it up."

"Bring what up?"

"I was going to ask you about coming home."

"Home?" You felt everything you wanted for so long within your grasp, the life Norman Rockwell would paint about, but a single question **** you back. "What about...mom?" It felt wrong to call her that after everything.

Dad looked away, you were not used to him being this type of person, for so long he was a hard ass but something, "Momma's gone." Kyle spoke up finally climbing down into his own seat.

"Cause of me?" The sound faded away like someone had dunked your head underwater all of a sudden. You suddenly stood up from the table and bolted for the mall across the street. Luckily there were no cars as you didn't even bother to look both ways as you ran across the street as fast as your legs could carry you. The most prevalent thought in your mind was how no matter what they were going to say you broke up your family.

You ran through one of the many doors in the mall's entrance and through the food court, weaving in and out of the crowd. Every person you bumped into only made you feel worse. You only stopped running as you bumped into someone and knocked them down. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine." You pulled him to his feet. Marvin, of course, it would be him. "I know I'm tough but a guy can only take so much."

"Marvin? What are you doing here?"

"I had to get out of the house, my mom is all in hysterics about the fight." The silence was painful as you walked awkwardly through the crowded mall. "You look nice."

"Thanks." It was the first time Marvin complimented your appearance...ever. When you were a guy you just didn't mention how a guy looked unless you wanted to be mocked for the next month. "Your sling looks nice too."

"Thanks. Doc says I have to wear it for a week to be safe."

"Does your shoulder still hurt?"

"Only when people slam into me."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"You people seriously need to learn when I'm joking."

"Well hell if there was ever a photo contest for what a poker face is you would win!" You laughed loudly.

"What? I am clearly smiling, see." Marvin stopped you with the same stoic face he always wore before breaking into a real smile.

"Damn it, Marvin!" You slugged him in his good previously uninjured shoulder.

"Hey! I only have one of those."

"Then you ought to learn about women and our scorn!" You frog him one last time playfully before you both fall silent again.

"So you never told me what you were doing here." He finally spoke after you bought him a soda and realized you would have to open it for him.

"You never told me how you hurt your shoulder, guess we're even."

His usually stone face softened for a moment before he leaned against pillar holding up the walkway above. "I kicked Rick's ass. Your turn."

"No way, I know that's not all. If that was it everyone on the team would be carrying you down the hall like a king or something. Billy wouldn't shut up about it. So spill."

"You really don't want to know."

You rolled your eyes, "Look, don't pull the guy card on me. I grew up as one okay?"

"I kicked Rick's ass."

"Because? Use your words."

"Because he was making fun of you."

"He's been doing that since seventh grade."

"Not like this. You know, You remember how it gets in the locker room."

"Of course."

"Well, Rick was being his usual self and I told him to stop and we got into it and I broke his nose and he shoved me and I fell over the bench and his buddies tried to stomp me and it kind of ended in a bit of a brawl for about a minute."

"But why?"

"He was talking shit about you."

Mr.Fields was right, you had to consider everything you knew about Marvin. He never escalated anything into a fight, words or not. "Oh, come off it!" You snapped, you certainly weren't as tactful as Mr.Fields. "I've known you for years and you never threw the first punch in all that time. What's the real reason."

He sighed heavily and fought to meet your gaze before relenting. "I walked in and he was talking with his buddies about a plan to jump you during prom. I told them they'd have to go through me first. He clocked me and I broke his nose and his friends got me to the ground and started stomping on me until the guys showed up and saved my ass. Mr.Fields said his friends were being suspended and Rick was assaulting another student. Think he said it was like his tenth this mo-" Without thinking you pulled him into you and hugged him tightly. He hissed as you squeezed his shoulder too tight.

"Sorry. Everyone get's hurt because of me."

"I'm okay, really." He held his shoulder gently while you leaned against the drink machine.

"Not just you. My mom and dad are getting a divorce."

"Cause she threw you out?"

"Seems to be. They were fine before then."

He nodded and you waited for the response you knew was coming, "That sucks." Well not that, though it was expected too. "Good." You had expected him to tell you it wasn't your fault. That's what everyone says to divorced kids. "Why would he want to stay with someone like that?" You had to smile and you wanted to hug him again, but for his health you resisted. Sometimes you wondered what it was like in Marvin's brain, he seemed to know exactly what was right. Or at least what he believed was right and didn't waver.

"Don't ever change, Marv." Since you couldn't hug him you did the next best thing and kissed his cheek softly.

"I don't plan too."

"You know, if I were any other guy I might forget you only have one arm." Tom found you at the worst possible time.

"Tom, it's not what it looks like." You tried desperately to come up with an explanation that didn't sound stupid and failed.

"Oh please, this isn't a crappy after-school special or some CW melodrama. I know you and Marvin. For one, you're just a terrible liar."

"...I don't really know how to respond to that." Is it good to fail at something if that something is bad?

"Well, most importantly is I trust you."

"Cause I'm a terrible liar?"

Tom took your hand in his, "Nah, cause you're a good person. Otherwise, I wouldn't be with you."

"I'm not a good person. I'm really not. If I were my family would still be together and Marvin's shoulder wouldn't be around his knees." Marvin and Tom both raised an eyebrow and checked to make sure Marvin's shoulder was still in place. It was. "You know what I mean. It wouldn't have happened."

"He had it comin' either way," Tom said.

"If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else," Marvin added. "Rick's an ass." Tom nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna let your dad know you're safe and sound."

"Definitely not sound, but okay." You started walking along as your two boys kept up with you. Marvin was a great friend but you never considered you could be emotionally open with him because, well, because he was a guy. And yet again you were ruining Tom's day by using him. You acted like a complete idiot running out into traffic, oh god what if Kyle chased after you? No, Tom would have told you right away. So good, you just ruined his life by being the reason the only mom he ever knew was gone. And dad, you destroyed his marriage. Twenty years down the drain cause of you. And now Marvin too got hurt literally because of you. Rick..well you didn't feel bad about Rick getting his ass kicked. You wish you could have joined in on that.

You stopped in front of a store window and watched the people inside milling about, not really paying attention to anyone around you, when slowly a stuffed moose galloped across the window. It danced about waiting for you to smile. When you didn't his friend floppy eared dog bounced up next to him and the pair started dancing together. Floppy was a much better dancer as he started break dancing. Moose became jealous and shoved floppy, floppy shoved back until they started slamming into each other repeatedly in their silent fight. Eventually, the fighting gave way to a very strange makeout session between the two animals.

You broke out in a smile as you rolled your eyes at the two dorks opposite the window. Tom and Marvin stood and bowed, then floppy and moose bowed to you, then each other, then Tom and Marvin. "You guys are dorks!" You informed the boys as you went inside.