Teaching (Thomas, James and then Abby)
May. 16th, 2009 04:34 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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darker_londonThomas was feeling more than a little emotional over his recent traumatic dream, and his less recent traumatic captive experience and death. Most of the time he dealt with it just fine, but sometimes he just needed to be alone so he could think things through. Not that he was ever especially good about doing the logic thing. Which was why he tended to make his way outside to the backyard where he could dig in the earth. Gardening had always made sense to him, and even though he wasn't a monk anymore, it was more calming than a lot of pastimes were. Gardening was simple. If you planted a seed, and then took care to keep weeds out of it's way and saw that it got water and sunlight, it did the growing all by itself. All a gardener was, really, was an interventionist. And Thomas was quite adept at that.
There was something calming too, about contributing to the earth in a small way. So Thomas had gotten on his knees the previous day, and weeded the entire backyard, the gardens of which were quite extensive. He had cleared out the debris of winter, and gotten himself thoroughly filthy in the process. And now it was time to plant flowers and vegetables and to get even more dirty.
As Thomas was digging in the ground, little James made his way outside, closing the sliding door behind him because he was both polite and conscientious. "Daddy, what are you doing?" James asked, toddling over to where Thomas was digging.
To Thomas' credit, he didn't tell James to go away, even if this was technically supposed to be his alone time. Instead, he grinned fondly and he beckoned James over with a grubby finger. "I'm gardening. Did you just wake up?" James nodded, his eyes still on the small pile of dirt Thomas had created. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything?"
"No." James shook his head and then he let out a little shriek, pointing at something wriggling in the dirt. "DADDY! BABY SNAKE!"
Thomas blinked rapidly, and then his eyes quickly found what James was pointing at. When he realised there was no danger, he felt himself start to breathe again, though it hardly would have mattered if he hadn't. "Oh, James...that's not a snake, that's a worm."
"A what?" James gave Thomas a dubious look and he backed up several inches because he didn't know if a worm was any better than a baby snake.
It made sense that James would be afraid of snakes. He had spent the first two years of his life in a place where snakes were ever present and quite dangerous. And it also made sense he didn't know what a worm was, because in that same place, he had lived the life of the upper class. And that hardly involved gardening. It involved gardeners. Even if he had been living with a nanny, he had still been thoroughly ensconced in that life. "It's a worm. It can't hurt you, I promise. Here." Thomas leaned forward and he picked the worm up, lying it in his large palm. He held it out so James could watch it inch around.
"It's gross." James concluded. "Do they bite?"
"No." Thomas chuckled. "They don't bite. They help plants grow."
"How?" James asked, turning his big blue eyes on his father.
"I...you know what, I have absolutely no idea. I just know they do." Thomas deposited the worm safely back in the dirt and then he smiled at James again. "Have you ever planted a seed, James?"
"No. What do they do?" James stepped forward again, nearing his father's side so that he could peer into the hole Thomas had dug.
"If you plant a seed, and take care of it, a plant with grow. And the kind of plant depends on the kind of seed. I planted flower seeds over there." Thomas pointed across the yard. "I did that this morning, and in a few weeks, they'll be beautiful. Here I'm planting a garden, but someone else planted the seeds and they started to grow already. See?" Thomas took hold of a small plant that would one day sport tomatoes. "And because they planted it in this tiny pot, I could buy it and bring it home and give it a better place to grow. And in the fall there will be nice tomatoes to eat."
"Tomatoes?!" James looked mightily impressed.
Thomas grinned and he nodded. "Yes. And when I'm done making the garden, there will be pumpkin plants and squash and beans and carrots. And lettuce and radishes. I'm planting herbs for Spectredaddy too, because he likes using fresh ones when he cooks. Basil and thyme and rosemary. Do you want to help?"
"Can I!?"
"Of course you can. I'll show you how." James knelt beside Thomas and Thomas put the tomato plant in James' hands. Gently he guided the plant into the hole he had made and he showed James how to fill in the hole with dirt so the plant was protected and so the roots would take hold. They moved on to digging the holes, and as they did so, Thomas explained everything he was doing because he knew that despite James young age, he would take it all in. He explained how plants used roots and their leaves and sun and water. He explained how weeds were dangerous and that plants needed room to grow. When he was finished, they had planted five tomatoes and several of the squash plants. The pumpkins were lined up along the fence. The rest he would finish tomorrow.
"You're a fantastic little gardener." Thomas said, gazing fondly at his son, who was now quite as dirty as Thomas.
"Did you see!? I planted the pumpkin all by myself!"
"I did see." Thomas grinned and he kissed James hair. "My goodness you're filthy. Your Uncle Peter would have a fit if he could see you now."
"Filthy like a dinosaur! Rawr!" James reached out and he gently touched the leaves of one of the tomato plants. "And it will grow big and tall?"
Thomas nodded. "It will. We'll take care of it and it will give us good food to eat." Thomas sighed and he took the small boy into his arms. Thomas had never been afraid of a little dirt, and he wanted to hug James more than he wanted to do anything else. He buried his face in James' hair and he smiled into it when he felt James cling back. "You'll always be taken care of too, James. I promise. And you'll grow big and tall and strong."
"And you'll eat me?!" James squealed.
Thomas laughed and he pulled away a little bit so he could give James a comically evil look. "Well you do look awfully yummy. Maybe just a little nibble right now." Thomas leaned down and he proceeded to pretend to eat James' shoulder.
"Augh, noooo!" James squirmed around and Thomas laughed, picking up the squirming boy and throwing him over his shoulder. "Come on, Niblet. Bathtime." When Thomas turned to head into the house, he found his sister Abby, leaning against the house. Neither James nor himself had heard the door open. "Abs..."
"I was just watching. It was too cute to interrupt." She smiled at both of them and then she pointed at Thomas' shoes. "And you are taking those off before you set foot in my house!"
Thomas chuckled and he toed out of his shoes when he had reached the threshold of the house they shared. "Yes, ma'am! Tomorrow I can teach you to make a scarecrow out of Stuart's old monkrobes!"
Abby snorted and she followed Thomas and James inside, closing the door behind them. But not without giving one last glance at the garden James and Thomas had created together. Inside, she felt something ache, and she dismissed it quickly. There were more important things to do than long for the father she had never had.
There was something calming too, about contributing to the earth in a small way. So Thomas had gotten on his knees the previous day, and weeded the entire backyard, the gardens of which were quite extensive. He had cleared out the debris of winter, and gotten himself thoroughly filthy in the process. And now it was time to plant flowers and vegetables and to get even more dirty.
As Thomas was digging in the ground, little James made his way outside, closing the sliding door behind him because he was both polite and conscientious. "Daddy, what are you doing?" James asked, toddling over to where Thomas was digging.
To Thomas' credit, he didn't tell James to go away, even if this was technically supposed to be his alone time. Instead, he grinned fondly and he beckoned James over with a grubby finger. "I'm gardening. Did you just wake up?" James nodded, his eyes still on the small pile of dirt Thomas had created. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything?"
"No." James shook his head and then he let out a little shriek, pointing at something wriggling in the dirt. "DADDY! BABY SNAKE!"
Thomas blinked rapidly, and then his eyes quickly found what James was pointing at. When he realised there was no danger, he felt himself start to breathe again, though it hardly would have mattered if he hadn't. "Oh, James...that's not a snake, that's a worm."
"A what?" James gave Thomas a dubious look and he backed up several inches because he didn't know if a worm was any better than a baby snake.
It made sense that James would be afraid of snakes. He had spent the first two years of his life in a place where snakes were ever present and quite dangerous. And it also made sense he didn't know what a worm was, because in that same place, he had lived the life of the upper class. And that hardly involved gardening. It involved gardeners. Even if he had been living with a nanny, he had still been thoroughly ensconced in that life. "It's a worm. It can't hurt you, I promise. Here." Thomas leaned forward and he picked the worm up, lying it in his large palm. He held it out so James could watch it inch around.
"It's gross." James concluded. "Do they bite?"
"No." Thomas chuckled. "They don't bite. They help plants grow."
"How?" James asked, turning his big blue eyes on his father.
"I...you know what, I have absolutely no idea. I just know they do." Thomas deposited the worm safely back in the dirt and then he smiled at James again. "Have you ever planted a seed, James?"
"No. What do they do?" James stepped forward again, nearing his father's side so that he could peer into the hole Thomas had dug.
"If you plant a seed, and take care of it, a plant with grow. And the kind of plant depends on the kind of seed. I planted flower seeds over there." Thomas pointed across the yard. "I did that this morning, and in a few weeks, they'll be beautiful. Here I'm planting a garden, but someone else planted the seeds and they started to grow already. See?" Thomas took hold of a small plant that would one day sport tomatoes. "And because they planted it in this tiny pot, I could buy it and bring it home and give it a better place to grow. And in the fall there will be nice tomatoes to eat."
"Tomatoes?!" James looked mightily impressed.
Thomas grinned and he nodded. "Yes. And when I'm done making the garden, there will be pumpkin plants and squash and beans and carrots. And lettuce and radishes. I'm planting herbs for Spectredaddy too, because he likes using fresh ones when he cooks. Basil and thyme and rosemary. Do you want to help?"
"Can I!?"
"Of course you can. I'll show you how." James knelt beside Thomas and Thomas put the tomato plant in James' hands. Gently he guided the plant into the hole he had made and he showed James how to fill in the hole with dirt so the plant was protected and so the roots would take hold. They moved on to digging the holes, and as they did so, Thomas explained everything he was doing because he knew that despite James young age, he would take it all in. He explained how plants used roots and their leaves and sun and water. He explained how weeds were dangerous and that plants needed room to grow. When he was finished, they had planted five tomatoes and several of the squash plants. The pumpkins were lined up along the fence. The rest he would finish tomorrow.
"You're a fantastic little gardener." Thomas said, gazing fondly at his son, who was now quite as dirty as Thomas.
"Did you see!? I planted the pumpkin all by myself!"
"I did see." Thomas grinned and he kissed James hair. "My goodness you're filthy. Your Uncle Peter would have a fit if he could see you now."
"Filthy like a dinosaur! Rawr!" James reached out and he gently touched the leaves of one of the tomato plants. "And it will grow big and tall?"
Thomas nodded. "It will. We'll take care of it and it will give us good food to eat." Thomas sighed and he took the small boy into his arms. Thomas had never been afraid of a little dirt, and he wanted to hug James more than he wanted to do anything else. He buried his face in James' hair and he smiled into it when he felt James cling back. "You'll always be taken care of too, James. I promise. And you'll grow big and tall and strong."
"And you'll eat me?!" James squealed.
Thomas laughed and he pulled away a little bit so he could give James a comically evil look. "Well you do look awfully yummy. Maybe just a little nibble right now." Thomas leaned down and he proceeded to pretend to eat James' shoulder.
"Augh, noooo!" James squirmed around and Thomas laughed, picking up the squirming boy and throwing him over his shoulder. "Come on, Niblet. Bathtime." When Thomas turned to head into the house, he found his sister Abby, leaning against the house. Neither James nor himself had heard the door open. "Abs..."
"I was just watching. It was too cute to interrupt." She smiled at both of them and then she pointed at Thomas' shoes. "And you are taking those off before you set foot in my house!"
Thomas chuckled and he toed out of his shoes when he had reached the threshold of the house they shared. "Yes, ma'am! Tomorrow I can teach you to make a scarecrow out of Stuart's old monkrobes!"
Abby snorted and she followed Thomas and James inside, closing the door behind them. But not without giving one last glance at the garden James and Thomas had created together. Inside, she felt something ache, and she dismissed it quickly. There were more important things to do than long for the father she had never had.
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