Daddies of the Castle

by Adaline Raine

  Addi shyly hugged him goodbye and bounced a little. She was so excited!

  “My Uncle James asked me to give you his card and to call him when you’re ready for me to go home. Or if there are any issues. He also wanted me to tell you…” Cindy blushed furiously and whispered, “that you have permission to discipline me if you need to. But you won’t need to! I’m gonna be good as gold!”

  Daddy smiled and patted her head. “I’m sure you and Penny will both be the definition of good behavior. Let’s change into our swimming attire and head to the pool.”

  Addi loved the suit that Star had picked out for her. It was black with big red cherries and had a mid-thigh skirt. It was the cutest! She was definitely asking Mommy to find her something similar for next summer. Mommy’s suit was similar, but a high-waisted two piece. Addi thought it was hilarious that while her and Mommy’s suits were more modest than the 21st century standard, Daddy’s trunks were much shorter than he was accustomed to. Cindy came out of the bathroom in a perfect little sailor dress made of swimsuit material. She even had a little blue and white naval cap.

  “Everyone looks adorable!” Mommy exclaimed. “We definitely need to take pictures.”

  The girls groaned, but posed good-naturedly while Mommy took several pictures, and then Cindy took pictures of the Cleaver family.

  “Now can we go to the pool? Please? I’m ready for the water slides!” Addi begged.

  “Yes, now we can go to the pool.” Daddy led everyone to the Littles’ Pool. It was a Littles’ utopia, with a splash pad and a water slide.

  Addi grabbed Cindy’s hand, and off they ran.

  “First one to the top of the slide is a rotten egg!”

  “Girls, no running! Play safe, please.” Mommy shook her head and sat down on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water to watch the wild girls. Daddy sat slightly behind her and rubbed her shoulders.

  Addi made it to the ladder first, and an attendant stopped Cindy from climbing up after her.

  “Sorry, miss. Only one rider at a time.”

  Addi laughed and stuck her tongue out. “Rotten egg!” She climbed the ladder as quickly as she could and slid down with a loud, “Whee!”

  Once Addi had cleared the landing area, the attendant allowed Cindy to go.

  Cindy screamed just as loudly and laughed after coming back up out of the water.

  Around and around they went, taking turns whooshing down the slide.

  Eventually, Addi got bored of going the normal way. “Hey Cindy, I dare you to go backwards this time!”

  Cindy giggled, raced up the slide, and slid down on her tummy, head first.

  When she came out of the water, the attendant blew his whistle. “Please slide down on your bottom or your back.”

  Cindy rolled her eyes, but nodded.

  Addi went up the slide and slid down on her back, head first.

  The attendant again blew his whistle and this time sounded slightly exasperated as he spoke. “On your bottom or your back feet first , please.”

  Daddy walked over to find out what the issue was. Once the attendant explained, he looked at both girls sternly. “You heard the rules. I expect them to be obeyed.”

  “Yes Sir,” they chimed in unison.

  They decided to try the spray ground.

  “Oooh! Water guns!” Addi found a pair of water guns attached to the ground and turned one to spray at Cindy, but accidentally hit a Daddy and his Baby.

  “Sorry!” She giggled.

  Cindy grabbed the other one and sprayed the same couple.

  The Baby started crying.

  “Oh hush, you’re fine,” Cindy shouted as she turned to spray Addi again.

  “Seriously, it’s just water. If you didn’t wanna get wet, you shouldn’t have come to the pool,” Addi added.

  “Penny and Cindy! Get your little bottoms over here, right now!” Daddy yelled in his firmest voice.

  Both girls immediately dropped their water guns, mumbled an apology to the Baby and his Daddy, and walked sheepishly over to Mommy and Daddy.

  “Yeah, Daddy?” Addi asked, trying to sound innocent.

  “You know what. You were both being foolish and rude. You may sit on the edge for fifteen minutes and think about your behavior.”

  The girls obeyed without complaint, but Addi felt like it was the longest fifteen minutes of her life.

  After their time was up, Daddy called both of them to his side. “Did you think about why you were in time out?”

  Cindy nodded. “Yes, Mr. Cleaver. We were mean to that Baby.”

  “That’s correct. Penny?”

  “Yeah, we weren’t being careful and were kinda mean when we made him cry. We should probably tell him we’re sorry for real.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Mommy chimed in.

  The girls held hands and walked over to the couple.

  “Excuse us, but we wanted to say we’re really sorry that we were so rude,” Addi said.

  “Yeah little guy, we shouldn’t have made fun of you for crying. I don’t like it when people spray water at me if I’m not playing, either.”

  The other Daddy hugged them both and told them they were completely forgiven.

  They skipped back over to the slide and played nicely together until it was time to leave.

  Chapter 8

  A ddi twirled in front of the mirror for the twentieth time in the last few minutes. Her lilac dress looked and felt like it was made exactly for her. It was ankle length, and when she spun, the skirt flowed out like a rippling cloud. The Greek toga-style top made her feel like a princess. Star had done her hair half up in a braided bun and the rest down in ringlets. They’d all decided on flats. The last thing she needed was to break her neck.

  Daddy scowled. “You look past Disney channel and right into Gossip Girl . Where’s my Little girl?”

  Mommy slapped his shoulder. “Oh stop it, she deserves to be a princess for a night.” Hugging Addi, she said, “Honey, you look amazing. I’m so excited for you.”

  Addi kissed her cheek. “I’ve never felt so beautiful.”

  Just then, a knock came at the door.

  Addi smoothed her dress and looked in the mirror one last time as Daddy answered the door.

  “Hello, Damien.” Daddy ushered him into the room.

  “Wow. You look amazing, Penny.” Damien gawked.

  Addi blushed. “Thanks. You look amazing too! I love how Star made your tux exactly match my dress.”

  He pulled out a white rose and put it in her hair. “Star thought you’d like that better than a traditional corsage.”

  “I definitely do!” She looked in the mirror again and smiled. “I love it, Damien, thank you!”

  “Okay, it’s time for pictures!” Mommy pulled out her phone and clapped.

  They started with traditional prom photos, but by the time Mommy finally felt she had enough pictures, they’d resorted to crossed eyes, sticking their tongues out, and pretending to vampire bite each other.

  “Fine!” Mommy said with a laugh. “You can go. Just give me hugs, and have fun!”

  Daddy kissed the top of Addi’s head and shook Damien’s hand again. “Have her home by curfew, young man. And remember, ‘nothing untoward’. Those were your words.”

  Damien looked him straight in the eye. “Yes, sir.”

  Offering Addi his arm, he walked her down to the dining room.

  The specials for that evening were Teriyaki Salmon and Shrimp Scampi. Addi happily had some of both.

  “So, what do you do when you’re not at the Castle?” she asked Damien after they’d both been served.

  “I’m a third year law student at Cornell. My Uncle and I have a long-distance relationship, so we try to get together several times a year. I want to be a federal prosecutor someday. What about you?”

  “Well, before I became a full-time Little, I worked at a ski lodge in Switzerland. But now, I don’t do a lot. I’m supposed to start online college courses soon. Ou
r family likes to travel, so I don’t want to be tied down to a classroom. I think I’d like to be a preschool teacher.”

  “So you can try to keep them from screwing up their lives before they get to me?”

  Addi laughed. “Yeah, pretty much. You mentioned before that here, you’re kind of a switch. Do you date or play with anyone at home?”

  He shrugged. “Some, but nothing serious. I am really busy with my studies, and when I did visit some local munches in my limited free time, there wasn’t really anyone who caught my interest. Honestly, I’ve felt a little bit of prejudice from the groups I’ve visited. There seems to be a belief that if you’re male and identify in a submissive role, especially Little or Middle, then you must be a bit of a Sissy. For women, it seems to be a bit easier to cross roles. I’m not certain why. I enjoy submitting to my Uncle and being allowed to let go a bit, but I also enjoy taking the more dominant role.”

  “I’m sorry you’ve faced that. If it’s any consolation, you come across quite dominant in school,” she replied with a shy smile.

  “I don’t want to be irritating, but I do take my role as a prefect very seriously. Honestly, my attendance at the school is to fulfill my Toppier fantasies rather than the younger ones. When I attended school the first time around, I was on the scrawnier side, and no one took me seriously. I appreciate being allowed to have a redo.”

  “I think we all do. I think that’s why we’re all here. We either had crappy childhoods and we’re trying to replace that, or great ones and we didn’t get to enjoy it long enough. Either way, we are all getting a chance at a do over.”

  He nodded in agreement and glanced at his watch. “Oh! I’ve been enjoying talking with you so much, I didn’t realize how late it’s gotten. The dance started fifteen minutes ago. Are you ready to head over?”

  “I sure am, although I’m not sure I’ll be able to dance. I’m so full, I might just roll across the dance floor.”

  He laughed and helped her out of her seat.

  They held hands as they walked out to the garden. It was lovely in the evening air. The stars in the sky seemed to shine extra brightly just for their affair. There were lanterns hanging all over and papier-mâché butterflies placed carefully amongst the bushes. Tables were set up, overflowing with desserts and, just as Master Emerson had promised, a fully stocked—albeit non-alcoholic—bar was set up directly across from a perfectly polished wooden dance floor.

  “Oh, look! One of the tables has jackets and shawls. They think of everything here!” Addi noted.

  “Are you cold?” Damien asked accommodatingly.

  She nodded. “Mmmhmm, just a little chilly. It’s so hard to gauge in October what the weather’s going to be like from one second to the next.”

  Damien went and grabbed her a thick black shawl; it was the softest article of clothing she’d ever held in her life. He helped her drape it over her shoulders.

  “Would you like a drink?” he queried.

  “No, thank you. I’m so full from dinner. I would like to dance, though, I mean, if you’re in the mood.”

  He led her over to the dance floor. There was a live band playing swing music. She was grateful it was a dance she actually knew.

  His hand on her back felt warm and comforting. She kind of hoped they’d do a slow dance so she could enjoy it some more. Her feelings confused her, but she tried not to feel guilty. Antonio and Natalie had told her this was a safe place to explore.

  After the first dance ended and everyone clapped, she noticed Cindy and snort giggled. Cindy looked ravishing in a hot Marilyn Monroe number, with her blonde curls done just right and long, fake eyelashes. It wasn’t her looks that were causing Addi’s response, it was the two boys giving Cindy puppy dog eyes and following her every move. One had punch in his hands, and the other, a cup of mousse. Cindy was soaking it up, and completely ignoring both of them.

  Addi waved at her, and Cindy waltzed onto the dance floor. “Hey, you two, how’s it going? Wow, Penny, you look gorgeous!”

  Addi twirled around and giggled. “Thanks. I feel like a fairy princess. Speaking of amazing, hubba hubba! You look like you stepped right out of the history books.”

  Cindy twirled as well. “I know. I feel like I should go sing Happy Birthday to the president.”

  The band started up with another swing number, and Damien grabbed Addi’s hand and swung her around. Cindy directed Boy Toy One to give the punch to Boy Toy Two and began dancing with him. Addi was pretty sure Damien would never put up with that sort of treatment.

  The music melded into a slower, more bluesy song, and Addi leaned her head against Damien’s chest. She could hear his heartbeat as they swayed back and forth.

  Before she was ready, the music stopped, and she had to return to the land of the living. This time when Damien offered to get her a drink, she took him up on it. A virgin spiced-apple martini sounded divine.

  They stood off to the side to enjoy their drinks. Damien offered her a sip of his caramel pumpkin cocktail. She wasn’t sure which drink was better. Wanting more of both, she held onto his drink and sipped back and forth between the two.

  “You’ll have to get another, I’ve commandeered this one,” she teased him with a wink.

  He laughed heartily. “Well, since this is a first date and all, I’ll let you get away with that.”

  They stood side by side, watching the other students milling about, their costumes ranging everywhere from formal ball gown to Shirley Temple style with bloomers. The boys tended towards tuxedos and suits, but some were in little sailor suits that reminded Addi of Cindy’s bathing suit. Everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives.

  A group started a conga line and Addi dragged Damien into it.

  “This is the most fun I’ve had, like ever! Why weren’t parties in Utah this fun?” she shouted.

  “I don’t think parties in high school were ever this fun anywhere. We were all so worried about growing up and fitting in, but now we can just be ourselves,” Damien yelled back.

  Addi grinned and danced her heart out. What Damien said made total sense; after the last ten months with Mommy and Daddy, this was the freest she had ever felt in her life. No one was telling her she needed to grow up or wasn’t good enough. There were no expectations laid on her that she didn’t agree to, at least peripherally. She loved her life.

  As the dance came to a close, Damien leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Thank you for a perfect evening.”

  She accepted the kiss and kissed him back just as gently, but again wondered if she was doing something wrong. “Thank you, as well. Like I said, I’ve never had such an amazing time. I really appreciate you asking me and being such a kind date. Thank you.”

  They stood listening to the last remnants of music, returned the shawl, and went back inside to get Addi home before the stroke of midnight.

  Chapter 9

  A ddi bounced up and down in her seat between Mommy and Daddy. She was eagerly waiting for the ponies to start their chariot race. She’d made a sign that said ‘Greystone’ in rainbow letters and couldn’t wait to wave it for him.

  Mommy pulled her into her lap. “We missed you last night. I’m so glad you had a good time. How are you feeling about Damien’s kiss this morning?”

  Addi mellowed. “I don’t know. I felt like a princess all night, and it made me feel really good inside. But I never want you or Daddy to think I’m cheating on you, or want something more. You guys are my everything.”

  “Addi, it’s okay. We are not offended in the least. And, babygirl, we aren’t going to be able to meet your every single need and desire every single second of every single day. If you said you wanted to leave us to go be with Damien, we’d be hurt, for sure, but a prom fantasy kind of has to end with a kiss from the quarterback—or in your case, the prefect.”

  Addi giggled and hugged Mommy’s neck. “Thank you. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Mommy rubbed her back for a long mome
nt.

  “Hey, it looks like everyone’s lining up.” Daddy tapped them on the shoulders.

  Addi jumped up and leaned over the rail. “Come on, Greystone! You can do it!”

  The gun fired and off they went!

  Addi waved her sign and yelled at the top of her lungs. “Greystone! Greystone! Miss Amy! Greystone!”

  In the first lap, Greystone was in third, and Addi was worried he wasn’t going to make it, but slowly he gained until he was a whole head in front of the second place pony.

  “You did it! You won!” Addi pushed past all of the spectators and ran down to the finish line. She threw her arms around Greystone and hugged him tightly. Then she gave him a cube of sugar she’d stowed away in her pocket. “I’m so proud of you!”

  Daddy and Mommy raced after her, poised to scold, but Miss Amy hopped off the cart with a laugh. “I’m so glad we met you, little Penny. You’re good luck for us. And your zeal for life is contagious. I think in my next book, the little heroine will be named Penny, after you, is that all right?”

  Addi nodded enthusiastically. “You’ll have to get my address from the people here so you can send me a copy when it’s done!”

  “Penny! Don’t be presumptuous,” Daddy scolded.

  But again, Miss Amy just laughed. “Why of course I’ll send you a copy. You need to proofread it and make sure everything is acceptable.”

  After Greystone and Miss Amy were done with their duties as winners, they joined Addi and her family for a picnic lunch.

  The rest of their day was spent in family activities. They were just so happy to all be together. That night, after leaving her personal contact info with the office in case Miss Amy or Cindy… or Damien wanted to keep in touch, Addi went to sleep, wistful that they had to leave the next day, but excited to get back to normal at home.

  It had been the best week of Addi’s life, and she hoped they could come back soon.

  The End