“Mmm, your kid before five in the morning” + parenthood (day 2)
He and Maddie both wake with a jolt, practically jumping into sitting up positions. A loud crash had brought them out of their sleep and they both look at each other in a panic, wondering if an intruder has broken in until they hear an equally loud, familiar giggle and they groan.
“I swear, she gets the insomnia from you,” Maddie huffs, “go make sure she didn’t break anything important.”
“Uh, me? Maybe we should decide with a game of rock paper scissors. And you know, I’m the one who has to be at work at 7:30 in the morning tomorrow. Your shift doesn’t start until--”
“Mmm, your kid before five in the morning.”
“When did we decide on that?” he snorts, turning to find his wife curled back up, closing her eyes and he knows this is a losing battle.
“Go make sure our daughter isn’t hurt, Howard. Be a good dad.”
“I hate you,” he chuckles, “and fine. But next time she knocks something over it’s your responsibility.
He groans again as he puts both feet on the ground, still in a sleep addled haze as he clumsily makes his way out of he and Maddie’s room and down the hall.
“Jee-Yun? Are you okay?”
“Daddy! You’re awake!” she says excitedly, and he can’t help but roll his eyes before pushing the door to Jee-Yun’s room open.
“Well, I woke up because I heard uh-- well, at least you didn’t break the light bulb when you knocked the lamp over.”
“It’s okay, daddy! I’m not hurt.”
“I’m glad you’re not hurt, Jee, but daddy needs to know how it happened and why you’re awake causing havoc at 3 in the morning.”
“I accidentally hit it with my teddy bear,” she says matter-of-factly, as if it explains everything.
“And uh, what were you doing with your teddy bear when that happened, sweetheart?”
“We were playing baseball without a ball!”
“Baseball without a... well, you have quite the imagination, Jee-Yun, and that’s a good thing, but maybe let’s not swing around our teddy bear’s anymore, okay?”
“And why not?”
“Because the crash woke mommy and daddy up.”
“Mommy’s awake, too?”
“No, no,” he backpedals, but he realizes he’s likely too late as Jee-Yun as already sprung herself towards the door, “she went right back to sleep. Let’s let mommy--”
“Mommy!” she giggles gleefully, “daddy said you were awake!”
“Maddie, I promise I tried!” he shouts down the hallway.
After a moment he hears a “not hard enough!” and he knows he’ll have a cranky wife in the morning, but hey, she’s both of their child no matter what the time is, even before 5 am.
