Dad/ Darryl's P.O.V

The amusement park is, well, amusing. Lots of happy faces. Good air, strangely, considering the packed nature of every fun spot. Diana wants to go on the carousel. We go on the carousel. Watching her squeal and laugh makes me squeal and laugh.

I'm not too sure about the ferris wheel, though. That looks dizzying, and Diana is no stranger to spontaneous vomits.

"Are you sure you -"

"I'm not afraid!" She hops in its direction before I can convince her otherwise. Sighing, I follow. She's strong, alright, but sometimes, she bluffs. I wonder who taught her that. Before she can fully commit to her plan, though, a toy stand distracts her. Redirecting routes, she squeals for me to come along.

She points to a small teddy bear, but the teenage shop guy points to a scoreboard. Next to it are AK-47s.

The fuck? ... Oh, they are fake!

Picking one up, I turn to find well arranged, colour coded balloons rotating.

"I shoot them?"

The shop guy nods. I fire. Diana jubilates a recipient popping sound.

"You might wanna close your ears, dear. And sit on one of the chairs beside - yea, there."

Diana obliges, unconcerned. The more there's a pop, the more I wonder the point.

Shooting all greens. Noise pollution. Not to mention, I'm the only one playing, so there's is some animousity for the game -

"Can you shift a bit, please?"

Since when was someone beside me? A lady, no less. From my peripheral vision, she seems to be olive skinned, Rolex-adorned, and honey-eyed. Her curls tell me she's mixed-race, while her fashion sense seems ... familiar.

Where have I seen those wide pants before?

She holds up the rifle, causing me to stop and actually look -

Oh, c'mon!

- at another patient who has pestered me for a child before. Unlike the Alma woman, she didn't expect me to fuck her, but she asked me to donate a sperm.

She can bear children. She was just shy to tell her partner that he was impotent. I told her to do so, and she walked out with a threat to return soon.

I have forgotten her name, so I groan. "You."

"Nope, I am not stalking you." She doesn't meet my gaze.

"Then, why -"

"You're gonna lose," she says. I turn back to the game, blood boiling. I don't want this nonsense invading my quality time with Diana.

"I'm a good shot, aren't I?"

Unresponsive, I make five consecutive shots without a miss. She whistles, and I scoff while the shop guy awards my daughter the teddy.

"Don't you want the biggest one?"

"Oo, yes -"

"Not you. Bruno?" The woman cuts off my daughter. Sure enough, a Bruno in the flesh of a boy about Diana's age appears on the next chair. He nods.

I squint.

"Nephew," the woman explains. I position myself, and she smirks at my challenge. The shop guy speeds things up. If he thinks this is cute, he's delusional. We are literally delivering silent cusses with every shot.

Unfortunately, she's fast. Fortunately, she's wasting bullets.

Long story short, I win. She bows in mock acceptance while the shop guy says, "Y'all shagged? -"

"That's very inappropriate. The toy." I snatch it from him. I hand it to Diana. I suggest we go home, but she points to the ferris wheel. Quelling my nerves, I agree.

One eye watches her. The other looks out for the woman in case she's stalking me. Unfortunately, my daughter isn't aware of the danger as she'd rather visit a scary house than listen to me.

And yes, running into such patients is dangerous.
As she guides me to the last game I'm letting us play, the woman bumps into us. I turn around instantly, only for Diana to say, "Hey, you can have Big Teddy."

Turning back, I watch my daughter hand her humongous toy to the woman's nephew. The nephew beams.

"Dad, we can go now." Diana returns to my grasp. In awe, I match the woman's expression.

*

*

The ride home turns weird. I don't know how to tell my daughter that maybe she shouldn't be so kind to that stranger. But oh well, I am proud of her no matter what.

As we reach home, my wife meets us at the gate, dressed in a black lace dress up to her thigh.

I don't say anything. I just drive past her into our house. And once I have parked, I take out stuff from the boot as if she doesn't exist. She has turned around, ticking Diana now. As the two head inside, I get a whif of a sweet perfume scent.

Miriam doesn't wear perfume often.

"Important?" I ask when she comes back out. Nodding, she helps me with a few bags. The boot runs empty except for an axe I bought not long ago upon my father's request - he sells logs.

I reach for it only for Miriam to chuckle. "Are you planning to use that?"

"For?"

"I don't know. Chopping me off?"

"Would you want that?" I cock a brow at her. She scoffs, and I lift it, smiling manically.

"Darryl, you're still weird after all these years."

"You encourage it."

"Hold on - let me take a picture."

"What?"

"What! You look cute. Here -" She pulls out her phone. With an eye roll, I obey her command for a good forty seconds, after which we are back to tired husband vs. wife. I ask where she's going. She hesitates and then overcompensates for her hesitation. Here's the summary: a resident did this, and that, and now there's a party.

"Ok. Don't be late-"

"Dad!"

Instantly, our heads shoot up. Diana runs towards us with a look of horror.

"Daddy, where is Minnie Teddy?!"

"Who- oh. Did you give it out to the boy, too?"

Her pigtails shake. I check the back seat with her, followed by the bags all while Miriam stands akimbo.

"Diana, calm down. Dad will get you another one."

"No!" She screams. "I promised to protect her, and I lost her! I even told Big Teddy and Bruno that they would come visit."

"Urrr, who?"

"It's another teddy bear. And I guess Bruno is the nephew -"

"Diana!" Miriam hauls her over her shoulder in a swift motion. Diana starts crying, but my wife holds her hand up as if to say she's got it handled.

Ten minutes later, Diana hasn't stopped crying. I stand outside her room because Miriam won't let me in, claiming I'll cave in to her whimps.

"That girl can be annoying." Miriam huffs out of there. I follow her into the living room, and she gathers her purse.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you already -"

"You need to stay," I say. "I'll go to the park to look for -"

"Great! I missed my ride!" She glares at me. I glare back, and she flails her arms. "Are you going to give me a lift or what?'

"I need you here."

"No, you need to be firm. I never thought I'd meet a person more dreadful than you, but guess what? You created one! And she's five. Five! Thirteen more years of this misery, and I'm -"

"Dad?" Diana appears out of nowhere. I shiver, hoping she didn't hear what her mother just said about her.

"Dad, are you going to look for -"

"No -"

"Yes." I contend Miriam.

Diana beams at me and then runs back to her room to re-emerge with a jumper.

"No, Diana, you can stay home with mum -"

"I'm not staying."

I sigh.  Miriam is not one to back down. What else to expect? "How about we all go to the amusement park, find the teddy, and then I drop you off at your party."

It takes her twenty minutes of screentime to agree.

*

*

Hence, we wind up at the amusement park just when it's closing. I beg the guard, and he directs us to a missing but found station. Diana prefers to join me than to sit with Miriam in the car. Honestly, after what Miriam said... let's just frame things nicely and say I'm happier with Diana by my side.

We find a lot of toys. None like Minnie Teddy.

"Dad?"

"What's that?"

"What? You found it?" I lift my head from a bag of pretty girl toys, only for her to point at the ugliest thing ever: butt cheeks out on the ferris wheel. I don't think. I cover Diana's eyes and scoop her away. I have never run so fast to the car. Even the guard sees me and us alarmed. After mumbling some excuse for Miriam to watch over her, I answer the guard's concerned gaze.

"There are people fucking on the ferris wheel, Sir."

"Which one?!"

"Come." I lead him to the toy station. Looking from the same window Diana did, we both gasp.

This is hazardous, to say the least. The couple is several feet away from the ground, yet the female is dangerously sitting on the handle, legs spread out for her partner. What's worse is her obvious teenage glow against the guy's grown ass.

"Should we call the police?"

"No..." The guard rolls his eyes. "Kids these days."

"If they fall off -"

The guard is gone before I finish. At least, he's going to stop them, I reckon. The couple flees just as I find Minnie Teddy. Stepping out, I catch sight of the female.

"Hey!" I yell after her. She stops. Turns. My heart hurts.

What is she?  Fifteen?

"You reported us, didn't you?" The girl utters. "Why don't you mind your business."

"You made it everyone's business -"

"No one is here."

"But people could have seen you from a mile away." I point out. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Urm, mister, fuck off."

"My daughter saw you. Do you know how -"

"Fuck off!" The girl turns around. I glare the back of her head only to say, "Did that man pit you up to this-"

"That man?" She rotates so fast, her long hair makes a whip sound. "Is my boyfriend."

"Looks more like an ugly English teacher."

"He teaches math."

"He's your teacher?!" My jaw drops.

"Boyfriend." She says it as if it alleviates the matter. I pull out my phone, and her eyes widen. Suddenly, she has the phone. Her eyes move fast, like a crazed explorer discovering technology before tossing it back to me and fleeing. The guard chases after her after swiftly telling me to go home.