Confused Dads & Dancing Flowers

“Hold still, Jessie,” said her mom. “I can’t fix your hair if you keep squirming.”

“But I’m so nervous and excited,” Jessie replied. “This is the first time I’ve ever been in a ballet fairy tale with costumes and everything.”

“Yes. Daddy and I are proud of you.”

“Where is Daddy?” Jessie asked. She peeked out the stage curtain at all the people who had come to see the play. Then she spotted her dad. He was sitting four rows back, bouncing her baby brother, Mikey, on his knee.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the music began. It was time for Jessie and her ballet classmates to dance out onto the stage. Jessie quickly got in line and gave her mom a little wave goodbye. The ballerinas moved out from behind the curtain one by one. When they got to the center of the stage, they turned and danced up on tiptoe.

Soon a fairy-tale character came out on the stage. The ballerinas all made a circle and danced around him. He was supposed to be the good prince, but Jessie knew he was really Olivia’s dad all dressed up. Jessie and Olivia were told not to look at each other or they might burst out giggling. Instead, Jessie looked out at the audience and tried to find her dad again.

Jessie noticed a man walking up the aisle to the back door. Who was leaving? Then she saw that her dad’s fourth-row seat was empty. Jessie gasped. “Oh no!”

“Shh!” Olivia hissed. Jessie couldn’t believe her dad was missing the ballet!

As the play went on, Jessie danced without thinking about what she was doing. She knew the ballet by heart, but she accidentally turned the wrong way and stepped on Olivia’s foot. Finally, the first two acts were over, and Jessie waited behind the curtain for her teacher to send them back on stage.

“Jessie,” Olivia whispered. “What’s wrong with you? My foot still hurts.”

“I’m sorry, but I saw my dad leaving,” Jessie whispered back. “I don’t know where he went or why he left before we even started.”

“Well, maybe he’s back now,” said Olivia hopefully.

Jessie peeked through the curtain again. She looked down at the fourth row and— yes! “He’s there!” she squealed.

“Shhh!”

“Oops, sorry,” Jessie whispered. “Daddy’s out there now. I’m going to make this last dance the best I ever did.” Then the teacher shooed all the girls back onto the stage to finish the play. This time, Jessie stayed focused and in time with the music and her classmates—and she didn’t step on anyone’s toes.

After the play was over and the people began to leave, Jessie and her mom went to find her dad and Mikey.

“Hey, Pumpkin!” Dad called. Jessie ran to him for a hug, but she screeched to a halt when she got near him.

“Ewww! What is that smell?”

“Oh, sorry. You can thank Mikey for that,” Dad replied.

“Oh my,” said Mom. “Did Mikey spit up again?”

“Yup,” Dad replied. “I was bouncing him on my knee, and we were having a great time when he ‘urppity-urpped’ all over my shirt.”

“That’s disgusting!” said Jessie as she got into the car.

On the drive home, Jessie asked her dad how he liked the play. “Well,” he replied, “I liked the parts I got to see when the king and queen were swimming through the swamp and when the butterflies attacked at the end—that was good.”

Jessie’s mouth fell open as she stared at her dad. “The what did WHAT?”

Mom laughed. “Did you go see a different play, Dear?” she asked Jessie’s dad. “I think you’re a little confused.”

“Sorry,” said Dad as he turned the car into the driveway. “I only saw a little bit before I had to take Mikey out. I totally missed the first part and the middle, so the end didn’t make any sense. Now I’ll never know what I missed.”

The family went into the house. Dad changed Mikey and put him to bed. Then after changing his own clothes, he went to the kitchen to join Jessie and her mom for a snack. “Ah, I smell better now. How about a hug from my fairy princess?”

Jessie laughed and gave her dad a big hug. “Guess what, Daddy! I’m going to tell you what happened in the play so you won’t have to wonder what you missed anymore.” Jessie stood up. She was still dressed in her ballet costume. “In the first part, there was a good prince who came to the enchanted forest. All the little flowers in the forest danced around him because he was so good.” Jessie did her little dance the same way she had done during the show.

“After that, the prince met the princess, and they fell in love.” Jessie twirled around and went up and down on her tiptoes. Mom and Dad smiled as they watched Jessie’s performance from the kitchen table.

“Then at the end,” Jessie explained, “you saw the part where the prince rescues the princess from the dark forest—not the swamp. And then we danced around them like flowers again—not attacking butterflies.” Jessie giggled. Then she twirled around the room and ended her dance with a bow.

Mom and Dad clapped. “Yay! Bravo!” they cheered.

“Nicely done, Sweetheart,” said Dad and gave Jessie another hug. “Now I understand the whole story.”

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