Charlie Burghard (charlieburghard) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2009-09-18 20:10:00 |
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Entry tags: | charlie |
Thursday: 1/18/08
Who: Charlie and Maggie (his niece)
When: Thursday morning
Where: random hallway
What: a chat
Charlie felt like shit when the alarm on his cell phone went off. He groaned as he lifted his head from the back of his desk chair and tried to sit up straight. Sleeping sitting up was hell on the body, even an immortal body like his own. He really should have asked to sleep at a friend's place last night, but that would require him explaining why he couldn't sleep in his own fucking apartment.. and he really didn't want to go down that path. Instead, he had camped out in his office, too ashamed to face Davia after cheating on her. But now it was morning, and Maggie would be returning any minute, and Charlie had to pick her up and get her off to her first tutoring session of the day.
His goddaughter had stayed with her parents the night before, since Charlie had learned his lesson about having Davia look after his niece while he went off to play with other women. Not that Charlie had told Davia he had made plans with Ava, but he got the feeling she knew. He tried to shake off those thoughts as he tugged on his jacket and grabbed a bag of blood from the mini fridge in his office. Maggie was good at reading her uncle, and he needed to get his head on straight before going to meet her.
Because he couldn't go outside during daylight hours, Charlie waited in the grand foyer of the school. Just minutes after his arrival there, the front door swung open, and Maggie came running inside. Her mother knew Charlie was waiting, so she didn't escort the little girl in, but rather dropped her off at the curb after getting a text from Charlie. It was their normal routine, though Charlie wasn't himself, but he did a good job pretending he was.
Maggie flew into her uncle's outstretched arms and gave him a big hug and lots of kisses as he lifted her up in the air. "Magpie!" he declared. She gave him a few more smooches for good measure and beamed at him. She was the sunshine in his life, the one person who mattered most to him in the whole world. "Mommy said you'd make me breakfast," she stated plainly. "Oh she did? I think that's asking a bit much. Maybe I'm not in the mood to cook today." Maggie pouted and then gave him a super tight hug around the neck, "Please!" she begged, giving him a few more kisses on the cheek. "Hmm... well... since you asked SO nice and give the very best kisses in the world... I suppose I could make you French toast." That earned Charlie even more kisses as he carried his niece through the halls, pausing to put her up on his shoulders at one point.
"So did you stay up past your bedtime and need some extra winks? Because you usually eat breakfast with your daddy." Charlie bounced Maggie as he walked. She did a little drum beat on the top of his head, then she rested her chin on it. "Me and daddy watched Star Wars last night!" she declared proudly. "Oh yeah? I used to watch that with your dad all the time when we were younger. I bet you don't know who his favorite character is." Maggie sat up and thwacked him on the scull, "Not true! He likes R2-D2!" Charlie chuckled and gave a nod.
They were about half way to the apartment when Maggie realized something wasn't quite right about Charlie. "Uncle Charlie, you were wearing this shirt last night. Mommy says grownups are supposed to take showers everyday, because they get stinky faster." She sniffed Charlie's hair, "And you smell weird." Charlie's gait faltered just slightly. "Your mom is right... but I don't stink." Maggie wiggled around on his shoulders, indicating she wanted down. Charlie set her on her feet and took hold of her hand.
"I didn't say you stink... you smell weird." She sniffed him again. "Davia wears yummy perfume, she lets me try it sometimes... and you usually smell like it." Charlie paused, not sure what to say, because he didn't want to lie to his niece, he never lied to her. "I didn't sleep with Davia last night." Maggie was a child, so sleeping with someone was simply sleeping, and she knew Charlie and Davia shared a bed. "Why didn't you sleep with her? You told daddy you didn't have to work last night." Charlie picked Maggie up again and rested her on his hip. "Well, I went to the music studio to record some songs. I stayed late, and I didn't go back to the apartment. I slept in my office instead... and now I'm here with you." Maggie gave Charlie a confused look. "Why'd you sleep in your office?" Charlie glanced at her, guilt etched on his face. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, thinking carefully about his next words. "Maggie... Davia and I both love you very much... and that's never going to change. She's always going to be your friend too... but she might not always live with us." Maggie frowned and looked into Charlie's eyes. It broke his heart. He continued, "Don't be sad, Magpie." Maggie rested her cheek on Charlie's shoulder, and he squeezed her tight. "We'll talk more about this later, okay? Let's get you some breakfast now, and then you've got to meet up with your tutor." Maggie wanted to ask more, but she nodded slowly, accepting Charlie's promise to discuss it later. He walked them into the apartment, setting her down at the kitchen table, and attempting to focus enough to not burn himself while making her breakfast. It was a conversation for later, but it was going to take him time to figure out exactly what to say... not just to Maggie, but to Davia as well.