The world’s smallest glass of milk!

ROSA AND JULIA OUT FOR THEIR SUNDAY MORNING SWIM.

Rosa yawned.

“Time to go to bed young lady?” asked George who closed the book he was reading to her. Rosa yawned again and lay her head on her father’s shoulder.

“Yes daddy, I think so. I feel very tired.”

“Well, you’ve had a very busy day, haven’t you?”

Rosa nodded and closed her eyes. “Yes daddy, but you know what the best part of the day was?”

George smiled. He had an idea, but he had to ask. “What was the best part of the day?”

“Right now, daddy, when you read me a chapter from Little Women. The book is much better than the movie though.”

“Yes, that’s generally the rule,” and with that, he turned his head slightly and gave Rosa a kiss. “Ok,” George put the book down and got ready to carry his youngest daughter off to bed. Rosa would then say her prayers after which George would give her a kiss followed Sybil, who would tuck her in, turn off the light and close the door behind her. It was a well worn routine, filled with emotion for George and not a moment too soon for Sybil, who once they closed the bedroom door, could reconnect over a glass of port and a single malt scotch whisky.

“Wait daddy,” Rosa said quietly.

“Why what’s the matter?”

“You’ve forgotten something very important.”

“Yes you have daddy dear,” added Sybil who watched the scene unfold, as she did very night, from her rocking chair, a gift from her grandmother upon their wedding.

“Oh dear, how silly of me,” and with that he slid out from under Rosa and walked into the kitchen where Julie was poring over a recipe book, deciding what to make for dinner the following night. “Why don’t you bookmark it on your iPad, Julia?” George asked as he looked in the cabinets.

“First of all daddy, I like recipe books because unlike webpages they don’t go dark and secondly, what are you looking for?”

“A glass for Rosa’s milk.”

“Well, they’re all in the dish washer because someone forgot to run it this morning.”

“Well, sorry. I was busy preparing tomorrow’s sermon,” replied George still looking around for something to put Rosa’s milk in.

“How about this?” asked Julia pushing a glass container towards him. George picked it up and was going to ask a question, but Julia beat him to it. “It’s all we have. So, either use that or ask Rosa to cup her wings, pour milk into them and see if she can lap it up like Melody.”

“Ha, that’s funny and then what? Put Rosa’s wings in the microwave for 10 seconds? I somehow don’t think that will work out well. I’ll take this,” and with that, he took the small glass container filled it with milk and put it in the microwave to take the chill off of it. As that was heating, he looked around for some cookies. “Don’t tell me we don’t have any cookies, Julia.”

“Yes, daddy, we do. You don’t spend enough time in the kitchen, so you forget where everything is.”

“Yes I do,” answered George a little indignantly, “I do this every night.”

“No daddy, you don’t. I do it and bring it out to you so Rosa thinks you did it. In the cabinet up there are the cookies.” George grinned sheepishly and retrieved two cookies and put the container back. “One cookie, daddy. Rosa only has one cookie, and with that amount of milk, maybe half a cookie.”

“No, I’m not going to starve her,” he replied extracting the glass container of milk from the microwave and walking into the living room with it in one hand and a cookie in the other. “Here you go young lady,” he said handing her the glass of milk and putting the cookie on the table.

Rosa lifted the glass to her beak. “Wow daddy! The world’s smallest glass of milk!”

“George,” said Sybil rather loudly, “do I have to do everything? You can’t give Rosa milk in something that small.”

“That’s all there is because I forgot to run the dishwasher this morning.”

Sybil was about to stop rocking and get up from her chair, but upon hearing her husband’s explanation she began to rock again. “Well, that will teach you to run the dishwasher when you’re supposed to, and as for the cookie,” Sybil continued. “It must be on a plate. Where were you brought up? Oh, never mind, scrap that question. No wonder my parents never liked you.”

George rolled his eyes and sat next to Rosa. “It’s ok daddy. But please remember the next time to run the dish washer. It’s difficult drinking out of a glass so small.”

“I promise,” replied George believing he had been chastised enough for one day.

Maybe it was Timmy’s turn. “I’ve decided, mummy and daddy, that because I’m 13 and a full grown man, I don’t want to be called Timmy anymore.”

“Timothy?” asked George hoping he could win one for the day.

“No daddy, just Tim. Timmy sounds childish.”

“You’re not a grown man,” replied Rosa putting the little glass bowl down near the cookie and picking that up. “Usually,” she continued, “I would have a sip of milk and then a bite of cookie and then a sip of milk.”

“All right, young lady. I get the picture. Next time I’ll make sure I run the dishwasher.”

Timmy began to laugh when he saw the size of the glass container Rosa had been drinking from. “That looks like a glass test tube, daddy. Where did you get that from?”

“No, it’s not a test tube, Timmy.”

“Tim,” interrupted Timmy.

“Timmy,” continued George, “I know what a test tube looks like.” He looked at Sybil, “is that a test tube?” he asked her.

Sybil continued rocking, but the evil smile on her face grew larger. She just shrugged her shoulders. George picked it and ran into the kitchen.

“This isn’t one of Timmy’s….”

“Tim!” shouted Timmy from the other room.

“This isn’t one of Timmy’s test tubes is it.”

“I don’t know,” replied Julia underlining a sentence in her recipe book. “It was on the counter, so I told you to take it.”

George panicked. He came flying out of the kitchen into the living room. “No dad, relax. It’s not one of my test tubes, but I had you worried for a second. It’s something Julia uses to mix her spices in.”

George was going to go back into the kitchen to confront Julia, but decided it wasn’t worth it. “Would you like some more milk young lady, so you can do your bite sip routine?”

“Yes daddy, yes please,” and with that George picked up the little bowl and went back into the kitchen. He filled it with milk without saying another word to Julia. Heated it up for 5 seconds and left with it. Julia grinned. She loved getting one over on her dad. He was so gullible.

“Here you go young lady,” he said handing her the glass bowl.

“Thank you, daddy, you’re the best,” she replied and Sybil sank lower in her rocking chair. She was hoping that George’s miscue would be an opportunity for Rosa to switch allegiances to her, but it wasn’t to be. Rosa put down the world’s smallest glass and got up from the sofa. She raised he wings so her father could pick her up and carry her into the bedroom.

“Nothing changes does it, Timmy?”

“Tim,” said Timmy. Sybil rolled her eyes and followed her husband and Rosa into her bedroom.