Bedtime Stories
prompt: bedtime stories with Aunty Carli
***
// Aunty Carli! Henley bounces into the living room where Carli and Kelley are talking. Will you tell me a bedtime story? Please?!
// Of course, Kid O’Hara. Carli smiles at her goddaughter while Kelley eyes the young girl in pajamas, Are you ready for bed? Did you brush your teeth? Henley nods, flashing her pearly whites at both of the adults in front of her.
// A groan is heard from the kid’s bathroom followed by the pitter patter of small footsteps running down the hallway. Brynn, clad in a diaper alone, giggles as she runs into the living room, quickly joining her older sister. She instantly climbs onto Carli’s lap (for some reason, she shares a special bond with Carli in the same way that Henley takes a liking to Pinoe—sometimes, Hope and Kelley think they should switch godmother roles). Brynn bounces up and down as Carli tries to contain her, all while shouting, Aunty Car-wee! Aunty Car-wee! Me too, me too! Sto-wee for me too! Carli laughs at the toddler, but more so at a flustered Hope who appeared with an onesie in hand.
// Kelley smirks, Looks like we’ve got a runaway chipmunk here. Hope lets out a huff before walking over to Brynn and momentarily snatching her away from Carli to dress her. Hope looks absolutely bewildered, She’s so fast! I look away for literally one second and she’s gone! Buttoning the last button on Brynn’s onesie, she lets her daughter run back to Carli.
// Alright, girls, let’s get to bed. Carli stands up with Brynn in her arms following Henley into the girl’s bedroom. Hope and Kelley send her a look of gratitude. Hope plants herself down next to Kelley on the couch and they sit in silence, thankful for a rare moment alone.
// In the girl’s bedroom, Carli’s sitting on one of their play stools in between Henley’s bed and Brynn’s crib. Though Henley was significantly older than her younger sister, she had demanded that they share a room with her sissy. They were inseparable. Carli begins her all-time favorite bedtime story, So I was in Vancouver, just a day after the fourth of July…”
// Hope and Kelley can’t help but eavesdrop from the living room. Kelley lightheartedly groans,Does Carli know any other story besides that one? Hope gets comfortable, laying her head in Kelley’s lap. She jokes, I’m pretty sure the girls are the only ones who listen to her anymore. They hear Carli’s voice get louder with enthusiasm.
// And there I was with two- well, no, like four- Japanese players surrounding me. The ball’s at my feet and I just push past all these players and when I look up, I see the goalkeeper way off her line and I think to myself, ‘You can do it, Carli’ and I just close my eyes and kick the ball as hard as I could…
// Even though she’s heard this story hundreds of times before, Henley gasps loudly. Her eyes wide, she smiles, And it went innnn! Right?! You got the goal! Carli nods excitedly while Brynn copies her older sister’s excitement and claps her hands together, YAY!!! Hearing their daughter’s overly enthusiastic responses, Hope and Kelley just laugh to themselves.
// Carli continues, So after the goal, I ran allllll the way down the field back to your Mommy. I hugged her in celebration and I swear, she was so proud of me. She had tears streaming down her face, like full on sobbing and-
// CARLI!!! Hope groans loudly. Rolling her eyes, she removes herself from the couch and grudgingly makes her way to the girls’ bedroom to set the story straight once and for all.