A Handful of Pixie Dust (Sequel to The Art of Survival), chapter 3
"That's it, Pixie Dust," Tre encouraged. "I think you've almost got it." Nia smiled up broadly at Tre then turned back to her rhythm.
Bethan leant back against the wall and smiled as her daughter tried to keep a simple rhythm on one of Tre's drum kits. She was sat on his lap, clutching two sticks tightly with concentration etched on her face as Tre held her around the stomach, occasionally dodging a stray stick when Nia got over-excited about her playing.
"Woah!" Tre exclaimed as he dodged another airborne stick. He pushed himself off the stool, picking Nia up as he did and turned her so he could look at her. "You, little lady, are dangerous," he told her, picking the drum stick up from the floor. "You'll make a great drummer!" he added, giving it to her.
"Really?" Nia asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Yeah!" Tre answered, setting her down on the stool again. "You're insane! That's the key thing about being a drummer." He ran his hand over Nia's head with a smile. "Now why don't you practise while I go attack your mummy?"
"Be gentle. She needs to get me home." Nia told him before turning back to her beloved rhythm.
Tre laughed as he crossed the room to Bethan. He took one look at her semi-clouded expression and knew something was on her mind. He ran a hand down her arm. "You OK?"
"Yeah," Bethan replied absently. "Just a million things on my mind and not enough time to think about them all."
"Why don't you tell me over a beer?" Tre asked.
Bethan smiled. "You know I can't drink. I'm driving."
"One won't harm you!" Tre insisted. "Come on. You can tell Uncle Tre what's on your mind."
Bethan took a quick glance at Nia and nodded. "OK." she said following Tre out of the room. As they left they passed Frankito who was heading towards Nia's hammering.
"Where you heading, dude?" Tre asked, rushing a hand through his son's hair to mess it up.
"To see my little girlfriend." Frankito replied confidently.
"Yeah!" Tre exclaimed, holding out his hand to his son. "Give me some skin!" Frankito high-fived his father then continued walking down the hallway to where Nia was. Tre watched him affectionately. "That's my son, all right. Nine years old and already got a taste for women."
"Yeah, he's definitely your son." Bethan said, shaking her head with a little laugh.
"Watch it, Mrs!" Tre warned. "Or I will have to attack."
"Promise?" Bethan teased before walking down the hallway to the kitchen. She sat at the counter and watched Tre follow her into the room. "Where's this beer then?"
Tre shook his head dramatically. "You women are so demanding." he complained, going to the fridge.
"Yeah and you love us for it." Bethan retorted as Tre turned around with two beers in his hand.
"Yeah, I do." Tre replied, handing Bethan a beer. He sat down beside her. "Now what's on your mind, Mummy?"
Bethan took a gulp of beer. "It's just my mum. Again." she explained.
"Oh no. Not the wicked witch of the west," Tre said, taking a swig of his beer. "What did she do now?"
Bethan groaned inwardly. "Just saying that Nia needs a father figure in her life."
"What do you mean? She's got us!" Tre exclaimed, putting his beer down.
"I know that," Bethan told him. "But she won't accept it. She reckons all you do is drink and smoke weed."
"No fucking way!" Tre argued. "Maybe when we were younger and a bit more stupid but not so much now! I mean, we cut loose every now and again but not all the time. We got kids. We gotta look after them, you know?"
"I tried telling her that but she won't listen." Bethan pouted. She took a violent gulp of her beer and set it down. "I told her she was being judgemental and that she didn't even know you but all I got was that 'They're a bad influence on my granddaughter. '"
"Fuck!" Tre exclaimed, trying his hardest to restrain himself. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt Nia. I love that kid."
Bethan shook her head. "Considering she didn't want me to keep my baby, this concern is a bit too late. I told her that too."
"Serious?" Tre asked with a high-pitched laugh. "You go, Pixie!"
Bethan smiled weakly at his reaction before she took a deep drink from the bottle and sighed. Tre looked across at Bethan and put a hand on top of hers. "Hey, you ain't taking her seriously, are ya?" he asked gently.
"No," Bethan replied with a heavy heart. "No, it's just it hurt, you know? She even accused me of neglecting Nia by being in college."
"You're kidding? What a bitch!"
"I know. I'm only doing this to help Nia, to give her more. I would never neglect my baby. I love her so much."
"Hey. You don't have to justify yourself to me." Tre assured, squeezing Bethan's hand. "Just forget what that prejudiced bitch has to say."
"Yeah, I know. I know," Bethan sighed. "I'll try."
Tre placed his arm around Bethan. "It doesn't matter. It's all lies." He kissed the top of her head. "Come on, let's go and check on our little drummer girl."
Bethan downed the rest of her drink. "And Frankito before he takes advantage of my baby. He is your son after all."
Bethan leant back against the wall and smiled as her daughter tried to keep a simple rhythm on one of Tre's drum kits. She was sat on his lap, clutching two sticks tightly with concentration etched on her face as Tre held her around the stomach, occasionally dodging a stray stick when Nia got over-excited about her playing.
"Woah!" Tre exclaimed as he dodged another airborne stick. He pushed himself off the stool, picking Nia up as he did and turned her so he could look at her. "You, little lady, are dangerous," he told her, picking the drum stick up from the floor. "You'll make a great drummer!" he added, giving it to her.
"Really?" Nia asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Yeah!" Tre answered, setting her down on the stool again. "You're insane! That's the key thing about being a drummer." He ran his hand over Nia's head with a smile. "Now why don't you practise while I go attack your mummy?"
"Be gentle. She needs to get me home." Nia told him before turning back to her beloved rhythm.
Tre laughed as he crossed the room to Bethan. He took one look at her semi-clouded expression and knew something was on her mind. He ran a hand down her arm. "You OK?"
"Yeah," Bethan replied absently. "Just a million things on my mind and not enough time to think about them all."
"Why don't you tell me over a beer?" Tre asked.
Bethan smiled. "You know I can't drink. I'm driving."
"One won't harm you!" Tre insisted. "Come on. You can tell Uncle Tre what's on your mind."
Bethan took a quick glance at Nia and nodded. "OK." she said following Tre out of the room. As they left they passed Frankito who was heading towards Nia's hammering.
"Where you heading, dude?" Tre asked, rushing a hand through his son's hair to mess it up.
"To see my little girlfriend." Frankito replied confidently.
"Yeah!" Tre exclaimed, holding out his hand to his son. "Give me some skin!" Frankito high-fived his father then continued walking down the hallway to where Nia was. Tre watched him affectionately. "That's my son, all right. Nine years old and already got a taste for women."
"Yeah, he's definitely your son." Bethan said, shaking her head with a little laugh.
"Watch it, Mrs!" Tre warned. "Or I will have to attack."
"Promise?" Bethan teased before walking down the hallway to the kitchen. She sat at the counter and watched Tre follow her into the room. "Where's this beer then?"
Tre shook his head dramatically. "You women are so demanding." he complained, going to the fridge.
"Yeah and you love us for it." Bethan retorted as Tre turned around with two beers in his hand.
"Yeah, I do." Tre replied, handing Bethan a beer. He sat down beside her. "Now what's on your mind, Mummy?"
Bethan took a gulp of beer. "It's just my mum. Again." she explained.
"Oh no. Not the wicked witch of the west," Tre said, taking a swig of his beer. "What did she do now?"
Bethan groaned inwardly. "Just saying that Nia needs a father figure in her life."
"What do you mean? She's got us!" Tre exclaimed, putting his beer down.
"I know that," Bethan told him. "But she won't accept it. She reckons all you do is drink and smoke weed."
"No fucking way!" Tre argued. "Maybe when we were younger and a bit more stupid but not so much now! I mean, we cut loose every now and again but not all the time. We got kids. We gotta look after them, you know?"
"I tried telling her that but she won't listen." Bethan pouted. She took a violent gulp of her beer and set it down. "I told her she was being judgemental and that she didn't even know you but all I got was that 'They're a bad influence on my granddaughter. '"
"Fuck!" Tre exclaimed, trying his hardest to restrain himself. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt Nia. I love that kid."
Bethan shook her head. "Considering she didn't want me to keep my baby, this concern is a bit too late. I told her that too."
"Serious?" Tre asked with a high-pitched laugh. "You go, Pixie!"
Bethan smiled weakly at his reaction before she took a deep drink from the bottle and sighed. Tre looked across at Bethan and put a hand on top of hers. "Hey, you ain't taking her seriously, are ya?" he asked gently.
"No," Bethan replied with a heavy heart. "No, it's just it hurt, you know? She even accused me of neglecting Nia by being in college."
"You're kidding? What a bitch!"
"I know. I'm only doing this to help Nia, to give her more. I would never neglect my baby. I love her so much."
"Hey. You don't have to justify yourself to me." Tre assured, squeezing Bethan's hand. "Just forget what that prejudiced bitch has to say."
"Yeah, I know. I know," Bethan sighed. "I'll try."
Tre placed his arm around Bethan. "It doesn't matter. It's all lies." He kissed the top of her head. "Come on, let's go and check on our little drummer girl."
Bethan downed the rest of her drink. "And Frankito before he takes advantage of my baby. He is your son after all."
