Memories

Memories

Summary: After Shenzi turns 16, her father Friar Tuck reminisces about the times when she was only a baby.

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Friar Tuck’s POV

I couldn’t believe it; just a month ago, my daughter Shenzi had turned 16 years old, and she was put into the girls’ basketball team at her school. She occasionally practices her skills with a basketball she received as a game prize from the yearly, local county fair with a basketball hoop out in our backyard.

She’s growing so fast, I can hardly keep up. She’s the spitting image of her biological mother, Maya. Except she inherited her eye colors from her biological father.

She was currently up in her bedroom, getting ready for her first day of school after summer break. It seemed like it was only yesterday when I carried her everywhere we went, even when she was able to walk by herself.

But now, she’s more independent, not to mention more social, and is actually dating one of her babyhood friends; Bobby Zimmeruski. Plus, Roxy Zimmeruski, who now goes as Roxanne, and Maxie Goof, who goes as Max, are dating as well.

And one thing that’s really changed is; Publicly, she hides her left eye with her bangs, because two girls had the nerve to make fun of her, because her left eye is blue, while the right is green. I comforted her after hearing her crying in her room alone after that, and the next time she went out of the house after that, she had her left eye covered.

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to when she was really little. When she was never alone when out of the house, and nobody can hurt her physically or emotionally without having to deal with me. It tears me apart to see her hurt and crying; now and when she was little. I prefer seeing her happy and smiling over seeing her hurt by a long shot.

I couldn’t help but think about when she was just a baby. I remember the first time I fed her solid food.

*

Shenzi was sitting on the living room floor, playing with one of her baby toys. She was wearing a black t-shirt with white horizontal pinstripes that tied in the front that we received from George Goof on her 1st birthday, showing a little bit of her slightly pudgy tummy, a white diaper, white socks with a black and white striped Mary-Jane design, and a black and white striped bow in her hair, which stopped just above her shoulders.

She giggled and thumped her legs on the floor when her toy played music from the speaker, as I watched her play. She had the cutest little laugh I’ve ever heard.

When I heard her little stomach growl from hunger, I lifted her up and set her in her high chair as she giggled happily and kicked her legs.

“Are you hungry, sweetheart?” I smiled as I ruffled her black hair, and she giggled again, gazing up at me with those large, blue and green eyes. It had been a while since she had a haircut, so her shorter bangs hung just above her green eye in a fringe. I swear, she’s just the cutest and most precious little girl in the world.

I filled her favorite bowl with mashed potatoes and heated them in the microwave, so they were warm, but not too hot; I didn’t want to burn her mouth. I then set the bowl along with a little spoon on the highchair’s tray. She just blankly stared at them, then at me with those innocent eyes. I scooped up a little bit of the mashed potatoes in the spoon and held them up to her face. But she just continued staring.

“Come on Shen, you’ll love it,” I smiled at her. Then she ate up the small amount of potatoes on the spoon. But she grimaced and wrinkled her little nose in disgust. “Hmmm,” I tried to think of a way to make them more appealing for her.

After coming up with an idea, I grabbed a bag of shredded cheese out of the fridge.

“Want to try this, Shenzi?” I asked her as I added some of it in her potatoes. After I offered a spoonful of it, she ate it up, and thankfully, smiled at the taste. “You like that?” I smiled at her, and she responded with giggles. So I fed her the entire bowl; Slowly, so that she wouldn’t get hiccups. Thankfully, she never got any hiccups, but she did burp once.

*

That one moment seemed like it happened just yesterday. But nope; it was like, 15 to 16 years ago. And now, she can cook meals by herself! I had taught her how to who knows how long ago. As I mentioned earlier, she’s growing up fast.

Before long, she might move out of the house, get her own job, get married, and maybe have children of her own. Her sister Frankie had already moved out when she turned 16.

I’m really positive that she and Bobby will stay together, they have a good chemistry, and get married. I think Bobby would make a good father if they have children. That reminds me of another moment in Shenzi’s babyhood.

*

2-year-old Shenzi was on the floor in the living room, having a tickle fight with her new sister, 2 ½-year-old Frankie. Their adorable squeals and giggles filled the room as me and Felicia watched them, smiling.

Shenzi was in a black dress with a white diamond print on the skirt, a black and white bow in her hair, her favorite white and black ruffle socks, and black Mary Jane shoes.

Frankie was in a blue sleeveless romper with a white flower on one strap, light blue ruffle socks, black Mary Jane shoes with a pom-pom at the toes, and her hair in two ponytails with dark blue bows.

Later that day in the kitchen, they were sitting in their highchairs next to each other, as Felicia started cooking dinner, and I watched them. We were going to have some steak, mashed potatoes, and broccoli, while the girls were just having mashed potatoes; I made a mental note to add shredded cheese in Shenzi’s.

After she laid the bowls on the highchairs’ trays, and when she went back to get the rest of the food for us, and when I went to get the cheese, we heard it.

“Daddy!” We froze in our tracks, and turned back at the girls, where they were just casually sitting in their chairs.

“Was that you, Frankie?” Felicia asked our blonde daughter, but she shook her head.

“Daddy!” We heard it again, and we realized; it was Shenzi!

“Was that you, Shenzi?” I asked her, to be sure that we weren’t hearing things. But we weren’t.

“Daddy!” She said it again! She was smiling, giggling and kicking her little legs happily as Frankie gazed at her.

“You said Daddy!” I couldn’t help myself when I lifted Shenzi up and hugged her a bit firmly, as she giggled happily again. When Frankie said it, I made a big deal out of it too. I kissed her little forehead as I set her back in her highchair, as she held her arms up.

Later that night, I set Shenzi on her back face-up in her bed after changing her into her favorite Batman pajamas, but keeping her socks on. Frankie was already in bed, soundly asleep.

“Good night, princess,” I smiled at her as I kissed her forehead. When I was at the doorway, I heard her little voice.

“Daddy!” She said, this time saying it quieter, and sitting up.

“Yes, sweetheart?” I asked her. She answered by putting a hand on her tiny lips, then throwing it out, making a tiny little smooch noise, as if she was blowing a little kiss. I thought my heart was going to melt. “Good night,” I chuckled in amusement as I walked out, leaving the door open.

*

I don’t think I’ll ever forget those moments; they’re such precious memories. Although they’re not as precious as Shenzi and Frankie. The year before, I was almost scared to death.

Shenzi had developed anorexia; she was told that she was too fat, and she took it to mind, and practically stopped eating. But thankfully, her friends at her school and Bobby convinced her that she was fine the way she was, so she stopped “dieting,” and started eating regularly again.

I remember her and Frankie’s first day of attending kindergarten together after preschool.

*

5-year-old Shenzi and 5 ½-year-old Frankie were excited about their first day of kindergarten. Me and Felicia had taken them shopping for school clothes. We also decided to enroll Shenzi in Peewee Basketball, and Frankie in Peewee Baseball.

For the first day, Shenzi picked out a reversible petticoat skirt in black, another Juicy Girl shirt, black lace-up boots, and a black faux leather backpack. Frankie chose a reversible petticoat skirt like Shenzi’s, but in lilac, a white T-shirt with turquoise lace on the front in a tank top style, silver lace-up boots, a Lalaloopsy backpack, and two hot pink ribbon bow ponytail bands.

Me and Felicia were driving them to the school, and were going to walk them to their classroom. After we came into the classroom, we met their teacher, Ms. Martin; thankfully, she was really nice to the kids.

After having our goodbyes, and telling the girls to obey the teacher and such, we departed. Thankfully, as said by Shenzi and Frankie after they came home, they had a great first day.

*

“Dad!” I was snapped out of my thoughts when I saw Shenzi standing in front of me. “Are you okay?” She asked. I couldn’t help but internally jump when suddenly, she was 5’6 ½”. Her hair, which had black and turquoise blue wavy extensions clipped in, was now shorter, stopping right below her shoulders.

She was wearing a black tank top, a black petticoat skirt that she adored after receiving it on her 16th birthday, a black and blue plaid, short-sleeved, hooded, cropped jacket, black, white, and teal blue citrus hoop earrings, a teal blue bow on her long bangs’ hairline, black and turquoise socks with octopus tentacles, and 3 ½ inch black heels, which she appeared to be wobbling around in a bit. On her back, she was carrying her black and white Yin-Yang backpack that she received on her 1st day of high school.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” I assured her as she smiled sweetly.

“That’s good,” She tried to steady herself, “Um, do you think these shoes work for me?” She asked sheepishly. They explained her sudden expansion in height; at least they weren’t like those dreadful high heels I’ve seen Santana wear when she and her family come visit. I’ve seen some heels on her feet that were twice as tall as Shenzi’s are; maybe three times!

“They look great,” I assured her, as she smiled in relief.

“That’s a relief,” She giggled, grabbing her house key, which resembled a black and white electric guitar, which she had been teaching herself how to play. “Well, I’ve gotta get to school; Bye!” She waved as she stumbled out the door to the bus stop.