Pastel Pencils for a birthday present
“Dad!” Yolanda is yelling from the top of he lungs: “I want pastel pencils for my birthday! My birthday is next week and I want pastel pencils”. “Sure honey, pastel pencils it is.”
Chris is Yolandas dad and he is a busy cartoonist for the Flat out Newspaper. It is one of the few papers that still employ a cartoonist. So Chris is very busy most of the times. El is his boss and he puts a lot of pressure on Chris to get the best work done and in time. The ‘in time’ is always tight. Chris works a lot at night when Yolanda is sleeping. At least it is nice and quiet. No one is calling him either in the middle of the night. This is Chris time and that’s when he works best.
Now Yolanda has a birthday coming up. She turns 13, a teenager. ‘I want this and I want that, I don’t like anything and don’t talk to me’. Chris doesn’t get much help from anyone either. It’s only him and Yolanda. But why this is so is a long story. There is no time for that now. Because Chris is working on a big cartoon and he needs to focus. But he also has to get Yolanda the present she wants. As he is working along he mumbles under his breath, “Pastel pencils, pastel pencils, pencils…”
The days go on and the big birthday is drawing closer. Don’t worry, Chris didn’t forget. “Wasted angles, crested fennel, nesting Wendril…”
He goes to the shop and wants to buy the present for Yolanda, but he soon realises that ‘tested stencils’ didn’t make sense at all. Has he forgotten what Yolanda wants for her birthday? it’s not ‘listed sandal’. Nor is it ‘glased restings’. He is there in a shop and he can’t remember. There is no point just being anything. Yolanda is very specific and he is worried that if he doesn’t get her what she wants, she will be upset. That’s not what he wants.
The birthday is tomorrow and he hasn’t got her present yet. He’s working through the night on a tight deadline. The cartoon has to be delivered to his boss in the morning. While drawing, drinking coffee and trying to remember what to buy his daughter for her birthday, Chris falls asleep on his desk.
In the morning he gets woken by Yolanda: “Dad, I have to go to school!” With that he’s up and 5 minutes later they are on their way. He drops her off at school and goes straight to his work. It’s after 9 already. He still has to finish his work. He can do that at work in his office. All he has to do is get past El Pencils office without being seen.
Chris’s left eyebrow goes up. He mumbles again: “…get past El Pencils office…” He stands ion front of his boss’ office and yells: “Past El Pencils office! PASTEL PENCILS!!!” “What?” is the reply from his boss. Chris opens the door to his boss’ office and yells: Thank you boss. Here is the work.” He kisses him on the forehead. “I’m off for the day” and leaves. El sitting in his leather chair, stunned of what just happened, but Chris is already gone.
That evening is great. Yolanda got the biggest set of Pastel Pencils. She is stoked. Dad remembered for the first time. The next day Chris also receives a present. A promotion.
Smiles all ’round.
The end
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