by Dann
“Daddy…sing the song…” Amelia asked, tugging both on her fathers heart strings, and arm.
“Well,” Darren mumbled, rubbing his hand over his scruffy chin, scratching his twelve o clock shadow.
“I don’t know why you want him to sing that…he was never a Major General Emmy.” Abe snapped, setting the shovel down to wipe his brow.
“He was too a general, and I bet he was the best one I bet! ” Amelia insisted, small fists tight at her side.
“Is there even a difference between a Major and a General?” Harry, who was deeper in the dug foundation that would one day home a flock of Dodo for the farm, mused.
“I bet Daddy was both! I bet he was!” Amelia wondered, now lost in thought, her tiny nose crinkled. Darren huffed, suppressing a smile.
“Yer both being quite generous…naw I was always a working man.” Darren tousled Emmys hair.
“Speaking of work…we just had lunch Abe.”
Abraham groaned. “Why can’t we just have Aunt Eyrn dig the hole! It’d be faster!” the youth moaned, giving a half hearted effort at turning more soil.
“Greater the effort, the better the glory, that’s why.” Darren nodded.
“What’s that mean?” Abe whispered to Harry.
“Mean’s shut yer trap and quit belly aching?”
“….”
“Sides, if I wanted it done wrong…I’d ask ‘er.”
“Daddy…sing the song!” Emmy pleaded. Darren sighed.
“Kid, yer lucky you’re so dang cute, right?”
“So what one was you! A Major or a General…or both? Imma ask Miss Rixie next time I see her and she’ll tell me!”
Darren shook his head, ran his arm over his brow and heaved the young child up onto his shoulder. “Neither…and well… I guess both? Look sweet, it’s complicated, okay? Now, onto the main event, I ain;t singing nothing.”
A fit of giggles erupted from the small child as she clung to her fathers arm. “Please?” She whimpered, employing perhaps the most effective weapon of all, the sad gaze of a daughter.
Darren sighed. “any of you tell Twat and yer out of the will…capiche?” Emmy nodded gleefully. “The things I do for you kid…” Darren cleared his throat
And with that, Darren began to sing the famous song “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General.” As he sang, the children gathered around him, listening to the lyrics and giggling at the funny parts. Darren’s voice was a little rough, but he sang with gusto, belting out each line with enthusiasm. For a few moments, the children forgot about the hot sun and the hard work of digging the foundation for the Dodo farm. They were lost in the magic of the song, and the joy of being together as a family.
As Darren finished the last line of the song, the children burst into applause, clapping and cheering for their father.
Darren grinned, feeling a warm sense of pride and happiness. “Alright, alright, that’s enough of that,” he said, chuckling as he lowered Emmy back to the ground. “Back to work, you lot!” The children groaned and grumbled, but they picked up their shovels and got back to work, their spirits lifted by the memory of their father’s singing.