“You can’t get me off the sofa! You can’t get me off the sofa!” This strange teasing chant came from the Sayles household, interspersed with fits of giggles. Inside the house in the cul-de-sac, Lily Sayles was laying defiantly on the living room couch, daring the children that were climbing on her. “You can’t get me off the sofa!”
“Yeah we can!” Tyler shouted before he pushed against her shoulder with all his might, which wasn’t much. His sister Miranda had wedged herself between the back of the couch and their Aunt Lily, and was laughing in spite of herself.
Tim Sayles suddenly found himself witness to this odd scene as her rounded the hallway into the living room. He stood perplexed before grinning at his immovable sister and asking, “New game?”
The kids groaned in disappointment as Lily sat up, a little embarrassed. “I guess it is!”
Tyler climbed down the couch cushions and ran towards his father, first wrapping himself around his leg then attempting to climb up. “Dad, we almost did it!”
Tim lifted his son up in one swift movement and held him, asking with exaggerated amazement, “Oh, wow! Really?”
“We really didn’t.” Miranda sniffed matter-of-factly, preening her black hair.
“Yeah we did, Mirandaaa!” Tyler whined from Tim’s arms. “Didn’t we Aunt Lily?”
Lily shrugged as she rose from the couch. “Well…”
“Hey, Doodle.” Tim bopped Tyler’s nose, changing the subject before a diplomatic disaster could occur. “You excited for your first day of Babbling Brook? Got’cher nice new clothes on?”
Tyler tugged at his shirt with a thin little paw and grinned toothily. “Mmmyeah…”
“Got’cher inhaler?”
“Uh-huh…” Tyler wriggled in anticipation.
“Got’cherrr...tickle armor?”
“My what?”
“Aha! Didn’t think so!” Tim shouted before tickling Tyler, send the boy into a fit of squealing high pitched laughter. After a quick glance at the time though, Tim stopped and put his son back down.
“Aww, Daaad…” Tyler groaned before following his father dutifully towards the door.
“We gotta go Tyler. Don’t want to be late now, do we?” Tim said as he opened the door. Tyler sped through the door without warning and trotted towards the car in the driveway.
“Can I go in the front seat? Pleeease?” Tyler asked, though he was already tugging on the handle of the locked door.
“No way, buster. And you know why not.” Tim stepped out of the door but peeked in the house again to have a few words with his sister before he left. “We shouldn’t be long. Miranda honey, promise to be behave for Aunt Lily?”
“Okay.” Miranda said flatly, cleaning her glasses.
Tim looked back at the car and saw Tyler’s leg planted firmly on top one of the car’s tires. “Tyler Garret Sayles, don’t you dare climb on that car!”
---
The car ride was boring for Tyler, who grown tired of kicking the back of the front seat and was now wrapped up in his own little world. He was unusually quiet as he rubbed his shoes together and picked his nose. Tim drove calmly as they neared Babbling Brook, although the dark circles around his eyes spoke of another late shift at the hospital. Tyler was too young to notice these things. He had his own concerns.
“...Dad?” He said in a small voice, lacking his usual enthusiasm.
“What’s up, Doodle?” Tim asked, his eyes fixed cautiously on the road.
“Um...what if the other kids there are mean and make fun of me?” Tyler asked, abandoning his nose and fiddling with his shoes.
Tim frowned from the front seat. “No way, bud. What gave you that idea?”
“Miranda was sayin’ how weird kids get bullied at school and how the other day a girl spit in another girl’s face and pulled her hair and stuff.” Tyler explained breathlessly.
Tim assured him, “Aw, don’t you worry about that. She’s in middle school, and you’re going to preschool.” Since they were now at a red light, he turned back to look at his anxious son, comforting him with his gaze. “And besides I asked her parents about it and I know for a fact that Leandra will be there, and as long as you have friends you’ll be alright, right?”
Tyler perked up, relieved that someone he knew would be going to Babbling Brook too. “Leandra’s gonna be there?”
“Yup!” Tim said, turning his attention back to driving, thinking to himself that he should have a talk with Miranda as well. “And I bet that other girl too...what’s her name? Starts with a ‘P’?”
“Paisley?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Paisley.”
Tyler peered out the window as their destination came into view. “She’d make a good pirate…”
“Recruiting already, captain? Yarrr!” Tim did his best pirate impression as he pulled up to the school.
Tyler crossed his arms as his father got out of the car and let the boy out. “Well, not ever’body gets to be on my crew.” As he climbed out of the car, he saw Leandra and Paisley hanging out with some other kids. He wasn’t sure if he’d seen them before or not. Tyler looked up at his dad again, excited.
Tim ruffled his son’s red curls, exactly like his own, and encouraged him. “Go say hi, Doodle. I’ll pick you up later, okay?”
“Mkay.” Tyler hugged his dad before trotting towards the gaggle of children. As he approached, he waved at the girls. “Hi Leandra! Hi Paisley!” He looked at the other kids and said, “Hi, I’m Tyler. You can call me Garret though.”
