February 1, 1997,
My baby brother Prince is due any দিন now and the anticipation is driving dad crazy! He’s still shopping for some আরো supplies because he’s been so busy performing shows; he has not had time to. I don’t think he means to forget about me but, lately he does. Sometimes it’s good for me though, because I’m becoming আরো independent! Plus Grace gives me a lot of attention when dad is busy working অথবা preparing for the baby to come.
It was a half an ঘন্টা before my bedtime and dad was just getting back to our hotel room after his concert. He came into my bedroom and sat on the edge of my bed. He ব্যক্ত “I brought আপনি a cup instead of a bottle because আপনি don’t need baby bottles anymore! I asked “why?” He ব্যক্ত “because পরবর্তি মাস you’ll be three and you’ll have a baby brother to give your bottles to! I ব্যক্ত “I already let আপনি throw away my pacifiers; I don’t want to give up my bottles too! He sounded sympathetic and ব্যক্ত “listen; I know আপনি don’t want to but, drinking from a regular cup is not as bad as আপনি think it is!” I asked “can I just use my bottle for one আরো night daddy?” He sighed and ব্যক্ত “no, let’s just get this over with!”
When I realized I wasn’t going to get my way, I reluctantly took a drink from the cup. Grace walked in the room and ব্যক্ত “I’m glad to see that daddy threw away those baby bottles, it’s about time!” I ব্যক্ত something that pulled on dad’s heartstrings. I ব্যক্ত “you took away my pacifiers and my bottles; I hope there’s nothing else আপনি can take away from me!” He asked “aren’t আপনি glad আপনি don’t have to be three years old and still look like a baby because আপনি still used all that stuff?” I ব্যক্ত “yeah; I guess you’re right!” He kissed my forehead and ব্যক্ত “I can’t believe how big আপনি are getting!”
February 13, 1997,
When I woke up from my nap this afternoon, I was in a hospital room. I looked around and Debbie was laying in a hospital বিছানা with dad sitting পরবর্তি to her with something in his arms. I climbed off the chair that I was sitting in and once he saw me he smiled. I got onto his lap and he ব্যক্ত “this is your new baby brother Prince!” He moved the blanket away from the শিশুরা face and that was the first time I saw Prince! I leaned over and gave him a চুম্বন on the cheek. He didn’t look anything like what I expected him to; he was a lot cuter! Dad looked at the both of us and ব্যক্ত “now I have two beautiful angels!”
Debbie looked exhausted as she fought to keep her eyes open, dad ব্যক্ত “well; I think I’m going to take Alanna and Prince to the house so আপনি can get some much-needed rest!” She waved goodbye as we walked out of the room. Even though dad tried his best to keep Prince’s birth hidden; somehow it got out and the paparazzi had surrounded the hospital! The bodyguards had to carry me to the SUV because if I walked I would have gotten trampled. The flashes from their cameras were so bright that dad could not see where he was going. They even tried to ask me প্রশ্ন but, I had been taught from a very young age never to respond to them.
Once we had safely made it home, I unbuckled my car আসন and hopped out. I walked inside and dad shut the door behind us as he carried Prince in his car seat. I went into the living room and sat on the couch. Dad asked “do আপনি want to hold Prince?” I shook my head yes and he passed him to me. Dad ব্যক্ত “let me help আপনি hold his head up because if I don’t he will get hurt.” He helped me support his head and I ব্যক্ত “he is so cute daddy!” Dad smiled and ব্যক্ত “you’re so cute too!” I ব্যক্ত “okay; daddy I want to go in my playroom now and watch a movie! Will আপনি help me put a tape in the VCR?” He ব্যক্ত “I can’t sweetie; I have to feed Prince his bottle but, I’m sure if আপনি ask Grace she will help you!” He took Prince from me and Grace and I went into the playroom.
Grace sat down on the floor and asked “you know that আপনি have a whole bunch of new ডিজনি চলচ্চিত্র that আপনি got for বড়দিন right?” I ব্যক্ত “oh yeah; I forgot about those. What ones are new movies?” She grabbed a stack of five চলচ্চিত্র off the শীর্ষ of the big TV that was in the room and put them down in front of me. She ব্যক্ত “you have Toy story, the lion King two, the sword in the stone, the jungle book, and 101 Dalmatians.” I asked “have I seen any of these before?” She ব্যক্ত “no, I picked them out for আপনি because আপনি haven’t seen them yet!” I picked up the toy story case and asked “will আপনি watch this with me; since daddy’s busy with Prince?” She ব্যক্ত “yeah, it looks like daddy has things covered with Prince!”
I guess I am going to have to get used to not having my dad’s full attention when he is home! Ever since I’ve been born he has done his best to teach me everything in life that I learned this far. He’s realized that he can’t be there for every sneeze, crazy dance move, and to run around the hotel room and playing hide and seek আপনি with me. I don’t know how this week is going to go because dad is taking some time off to spend with the baby before he has to do some আরো concerts. He is happy though because he is bringing in so much cash so he won’t have to tour for a very long time.
February 25, 1997,
Grace left for a few days yesterday, so she could check on her sister. It’s been just dad, Prince, and I since she has been gone. Dad is starting to feel overwhelmed, but he’s trying his best to keep his cool. I don’t think I’m making it any easier on him though!
I had just gotten up from my nap and went into the living room in our hotel room. That’s when things started to get on dad’s nerves! He had just put Prince down for a nap in his ঢাক্নিযুক্ত বেতের দোলনা and went to go get me a snack. The সেকেন্ড he thought he was clear to leave the room; Prince started crying! He rushed to put some cheese doodles in a bowl and quickly passed it to me. He picked up Prince and tried to comfort him. Luckily he fell right back asleep but, I wasn’t going to let him relax দ্বারা any means.
I ব্যক্ত “daddy, I want to play light sabers with you!” He ব্যক্ত “okay; go get them and we will!” I ran to my bedroom and grabbed them. As we were play fighting with the light sabers I decided it would be funny if I poked in the eye… So I did! He jumped back and asked “why would আপনি do that? That hurt really bad! I chuckled as he washed his eyes with a washcloth and he ব্যক্ত sternly “it’s not funny Alanna, আপনি could have really hurt my eye!” I didn’t respond and he started to get irritated. He ব্যক্ত “you need to at least say sorry to me!” I ব্যক্ত “okay, okay, I’m sorry daddy!” He hugged me and ব্যক্ত “it’s all right; just don’t do it again!”
March 18, 1997,
Dad was just arriving back to our hotel room after his সঙ্গীতানুষ্ঠান and he was clearly exhausted. When he walked in the door Grace ব্যক্ত “it has been a long দিন Michael!” He asked “let me guess, Alanna isn’t behaving for you?” She ব্যক্ত “Yep” and picked up Prince. He ব্যক্ত “I’ll go talk to her in her room!”
He walked down to my room and sat পরবর্তি to me on the edge of my bed. I ব্যক্ত “hi daddy!” He asked “hi; how was your day?” He ব্যক্ত “Grace told me আপনি weren’t listening to her at all!” I ব্যক্ত “you ব্যক্ত আপনি are the boss, not her… So I don’t have to listen to her!” He ব্যক্ত “hey, you’ve got it all wrong! I am the boss but, when I’m not here she is in charge!” I ব্যক্ত “she can’t make me listen to her!” He ব্যক্ত “if I hear that আপনি are not listening to her and behaving, you’re going to be in trouble দ্বারা me! He asked “why are আপনি not being good when I’m working!” I ব্যক্ত “I just wish আপনি were here more, I miss the times when you’re at প্রথমপাতা with us all day!” আপনি could hear the sadness in his voice when he ব্যক্ত “I wish I could be here all the time but, I have to work!” I rested my head on his shoulder and asked “how much longer till we can go back প্রথমপাতা and stay there?” He ব্যক্ত “about a মাস and a half but, I promise আপনি after that I’m not touring for while!” I ব্যক্ত “okay, I just want to go back home!” He ব্যক্ত “I know; me too sweetheart!” He kissed me and ব্যক্ত “I want আপনি to go apologize to Grace for not behaving today!” I walked up to her and gave her a hug. She asked “what was that for?” I ব্যক্ত “I’m sorry for not being good and not listening to আপনি today!” She ব্যক্ত shocked “well, thank আপনি for saying you’re sorry!”
March 20, 1997,
The phone rang and dad picked it up. He was getting ready to perform a সঙ্গীতানুষ্ঠান in New Zealand and was wondering who could be calling him at this time. He ব্যক্ত “hello!” Grace ব্যক্ত “your daughter won’t go to sleep, I don’t know what else to do!” He ব্যক্ত “you’ve got to be kidding me; it’s almost 10 o’clock at night! Have one of the bodyguards bring her down here and আপনি stay with Prince.” She ব্যক্ত “okay; I’ll get her ready!” She had no idea what dad was up to but, she was so exhausted she was willing to try anything!
Grace ব্যক্ত “get your jacket; আপনি are going to see daddy!” Dad’s bodyguard Joe picked me up and ব্যক্ত “we will be back after the concert.” He took me out to the SUV and drove me to the সঙ্গীতানুষ্ঠান arena. When we walked inside he took me back stage and ব্যক্ত “wait here; I’m going to get your dad!” There was a mattress set up on the floor and a small TV with a remote. There was also a stack of VCR tapes near the TV. I was definitely wondering what was going on and wanted to know what was taking dad so long!
Dad opened the door to the room and he looked upset. He asked “why are আপনি not listening to Grace?” I didn’t have an answer for him and he made me feel guilty. He ব্যক্ত “you’re going to sleep here and I’m going to take আপনি back to the hotel after the প্রদর্শনী is done! আপনি can watch the movie until আপনি fall asleep but, I expect আপনি to be asleep when I come back here for the intermission!” He put a তারকা Wars movie in the VCR and ব্যক্ত “go to sleep… I mean it!” When he shut the door I could hear the screams of the অনুরাগী and was still amazed দ্বারা what he does! I want to do exactly what he does for a living when I grow up!
March 29, 1997,
Dad had Grace, Prince, and I go back প্রথমপাতা to Neverland while he finishes his last week of concerts. Grace told me he would be back প্রথমপাতা one week from today, so I’m just waiting for him to get here. It’s not the same not having him here. I’m not used to him not being around. There have been times when I call out dad’s name and then realize he’s not here!
I was up in my room playing and watching TV when I heard the front door shut. I didn’t pay much attention to it and continued to put my action figures into fighting poses. Grace yelled my name and ব্যক্ত “come down here, I have a surprise for you!” I walked downstairs and ব্যক্ত “yeah?” She stepped out of the way and dad was standing behind her. I ran to him and ব্যক্ত “my daddy!” He smiled as he bent down to pick me up and I asked “are we going to stay here for a long time now?” He kissed the শীর্ষ of my head and ব্যক্ত “yes, for a long time!”
After dad had gotten settled in at home, he went upstairs to check on me. He stood দ্বারা my doorway staring at me trying to moonwalk. I didn’t notice he was watching me and he ব্যক্ত “you’ll learn how to do that; it’s really hard trust me!” I ব্যক্ত “daddy; I want to be a singer and dancer when I grow up!” He thought about it for 5 min. and ব্যক্ত “you can do anything আপনি want to do when আপনি grow up but, promise me you’ll stay my little tomboy for as long as আপনি can!” I kissed him and ব্যক্ত “I প্রণয় আপনি daddy, besides; I like being a kid right now!” He ব্যক্ত “good” and smiled.
April 4, 1997,
I was playing outside and dad was watching me on the patio while he drank his iced tea. He got up from his chair and looked at something in the garage. He pulled a tarp off my bicycle and asked “do আপনি want me to take the training wheels off your bike for আপনি Alanna?” I ব্যক্ত “I don’t know how to ride my bike without them on though!” He ব্যক্ত “I’ll teach আপনি how after I take them off!” I was hesitant to say “okay” but I really wanted to have them taken off my bike. I was scared আরো than আপনি could imagine but, I tried not to let that প্রদর্শনী because normally I’m very ব্রেভ and fearless!
I watched him take the training wheels off and hoped that something would go wrong so I wouldn’t have to ride my bike. After he had taken them off he ব্যক্ত “alright; get on your bike!” I reluctantly got on to it and he pushed it to the middle of our long driveway. He ব্যক্ত “the gates closed and I’m not going to let আপনি get hurt so, you’re safe!” As soon as I started pedaling I ব্যক্ত “daddy I’m scared; don’t let go!” He ব্যক্ত “don’t worry I won’t let anything happen to you!” He saw my hands shaking as they held on the handlebars!
I started to get the hang of steering the bike and dad had to run to keep a hold of me. I started to laugh because when I looked back at him his pants had fallen down because he wasn’t wearing a belt! He let go of me and I was able to keep control of the bike দ্বারা myself. He blushed as he quickly hurried to pull up his pants because the Neverland staff was staring at his polka dotted boxers! I rode past him and ব্যক্ত “nice underwear daddy!” He shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
April 8, 1997,
I was just arriving at Neverland after spending the weekend at my grandma and grandpa’s house. I walked in the doorway and grandma followed behind me. She looked at dad and ব্যক্ত “she had fun!” They both laughed and grandma shut the door as she left.
At ডিনার dad sat down পরবর্তি to me and ব্যক্ত “did আপনি have fun when আপনি were with grandma this weekend?” I ব্যক্ত “yeah but; I missed আপনি a lot daddy!” He kissed my cheek and ব্যক্ত “I missed আপনি too AJ!” He took a bite of his খাবার and I asked “daddy what does damn it mean?” I thought he was going to start choking when he heard me say that because his eyes widened like I had never seen before! He struggled to say while forcing down his খাবার “where did আপনি hear that word?” I ব্যক্ত “grandpa was really mad and he was screaming it at grandma.” The look on his face was something I’ll never forget. He turned bright red and whispered “I can’t believe he was yelling at her in front of you!”
He got up from the টেবিল and grabbed the phone off the counter. He ব্যক্ত “Alanna, go to your room; okay!” He dialed grandma’s phone number and they talked:
Grandma: hello
Dad: hi mother; I need to talk to you!
Grandma: what’s wrong Michael?
Dad: why in the world was Joseph swearing and yelling in front of Alanna?
Grandma: I didn’t even know she was listening!
Dad: I’ll make it very clear to আপনি that I don’t want him screaming profanity at আপনি while my daughter is around, because of what he ব্যক্ত she just asked me what damn it means! It’s nothing against আপনি mother but I don’t want AJ around that stuff!
He hung up the phone and went upstairs. He walked in to my room and sat পরবর্তি to me on the floor. I looked at him and he ব্যক্ত “let’s talk about that word আপনি heard.” I asked “what does it mean?” He ব্যক্ত “well; that is a bad word… Only some grown-ups can use those words. Kids aren’t supposed to say those words!” I ব্যক্ত “okay; I won’t say that word anymore!” He ব্যক্ত “it’s okay that আপনি ব্যক্ত that word this time because আপনি didn’t know it was a bad word!”
May 21, 1997,
Dad was outside with me playing in the pool when he asked “do আপনি want me to teach আপনি how to swim without your life jacket?” I ব্যক্ত “no, I’ll drown!” He ব্যক্ত “you know I won’t let that happen AJ!” He took my life জ্যাকেট off and ব্যক্ত “don’t be scared!” He picked me up and placed me in the pool. I ব্যক্ত “I’m going to drown!!!” He laughed and ব্যক্ত “I am not going to let আপনি drown!!!” I walked up the steps and ব্যক্ত “please don’t make me daddy!” He ব্যক্ত “alright, but I hired a swim instructor to come tomorrow and teach you, so you’re not off the hook!!!”
July 17, 1997,
Dad was just walking in the door after finishing some last মিনিট work to get all the money he earned on the history tour. He looked around the room and asked “what’s going on here?” Grace ব্যক্ত “Alanna is driving me nuts!” He asked “what do আপনি mean? What is she doing?” She ব্যক্ত “well; to start off with she was so loud I couldn’t get Prince to sleep!” He said: “I’ll go talk to her!” She rolled her eyes as he walked up the stairs.
He walked into my room and ব্যক্ত “hi AJ.” I hugged him and ব্যক্ত “I missed you!” He ব্যক্ত “I’ve told আপনি so many times that আপনি need to be good when I’m not here and আপনি won’t listen!” I tried to say something and he cut me off. He ব্যক্ত “since I’m now working for a while Grace is going to go on vacation and I’m going to stay here with আপনি and your brother. I’m not going to let আপনি get away with this stuff, আপনি will be in trouble… No not just standing in the corner!” I asked confused “what do আপনি mean? He ব্যক্ত “I’m going to start taking your toys away and go to you’ll have to earn them back!” He sat down পরবর্তি to me on the floor and ব্যক্ত “no matter what I’ll always প্রণয় আপনি though… You’re my first baby and I don’t want আপনি to grow up too fast!”
He stood up and grabbed one of my action figures out of my toy box. I asked “where are আপনি going with that?” He ব্যক্ত “I told you, when আপনি don’t listen a toy gets taken away!” I looked at him shocked and couldn’t believe that he was actually following through with it!
July 20, 1997,
Dad walked through the front door and looked around for Grace, Prince and I. He went upstairs and could hear Grace say “we’re in here Michael!!!” He opened the door to the bathroom and Grace ব্যক্ত “I know আপনি need to go AJ!!!” He asked “let me guess; potty training isn’t getting any better?” She ব্যক্ত “listen; I need to go feed Prince….will আপনি stay here with her?” He sat down on the floor and ব্যক্ত “of course!!!” She took Prince downstairs shutting the bathroom door behind her.
Dad asked “what’s up?” I ব্যক্ত “I’m not going to go potty!!!” He ব্যক্ত “we aren’t going anywhere until আপনি go….I’m getting tired of changing those diapers.” I ব্যক্ত “I’m still not going to go!!!” He ব্যক্ত “that’s too bad because I bought আপনি something at the toy store.” I got excited and asked “is it the Spiderman web shooter daddy?” He took it out of the bag he was holding and ব্যক্ত “as a matter of fact it is!” I tried to grab it from him and he ব্যক্ত “if আপনি use the potty আপনি can have this!!!” I ব্যক্ত “but if I do I won’t be your baby anymore daddy.” He ব্যক্ত “I don’t know where আপনি came up with that!!! It doesn’t matter if you’re 3 years old অথবা 300 years old you’ll always be my baby!!!” I ব্যক্ত “pinky promise?” He stuck out his pinky finger and ব্যক্ত “pinky promise!” I looked at the toy and then looked at dad. He ব্যক্ত “all আপনি have to do is…….” He heard the noise of something tricking and he gasped. I smiled and he ব্যক্ত “GOOD JOB!!!”
A few মিনিট later we walked downstairs and Grace was still feeding Prince. I was carrying the web shooter and she asked “where did that come from?” Dad ব্যক্ত “let’s just say I don’t think she’ll be giving আপনি a hard time when it comes to the bathroom!” She ব্যক্ত “wait….she went? No way!!! But how in the world?” He laughed and ব্যক্ত “don’t প্রশ্ন the king; just accept it!!!
July 28, 1997,
Yesterday dad took me shopping because he was able to have the manager closed the store for the day. When we were in the store I saw a toy that I really wanted but; dad told me that I couldn’t have it because he had just bought me a toy last week. I threw myself on the ground and had the worst temper tantrum that dad had ever seen. He had never seen me this mad in my life. He was really embarrassed দ্বারা the way I was অভিনয় and we ended up having to leave because I kept trying to hit him.
Today dad had a behavioral specialist/therapist come over to the ranch to see if there was আরো to the way I am acting. He knows that it can’t be me just being the typical three-year-old and wants to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. She told him that after evaluating me that she had diagnosed me with oppositional defiance disorder. That means that I don’t think about something before I do it and that most of the time I get so caught up in my attitude that I don’t remember what I had done wrong. She also told him that there is not much she can do to help the situation and that dad is going to have to be patient but also very strict; especially as I get older because it’ll probably only get worse! All I remember dad saying is that he is committed to helping me deal with this and keeping me out of trouble.
August 12, 1997,
One of the bodyguards let Debbie into the house and she heard me trying to argue my way out of doing something. She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Dad ব্যক্ত “you know it’s not okay to call people names!” He knelt down in front of me and ব্যক্ত “all I’m asking আপনি to do is put your crayons back in their box so nobody steps on them.” I ব্যক্ত “I don’t care about the crayons আপনি stupid head!” He picked me up and ব্যক্ত “I told আপনি not to say that word anymore!” He put me in the corner of the living room and ব্যক্ত “you stay here until I come get আপনি because আপনি weren’t being nice!”
He sat down on the পালঙ্ক পরবর্তি to Debbie and ব্যক্ত “that’s her third timeout today and it’s not even noon.” She ব্যক্ত “well; I have some good news to tell you!” He asked “what?” She ব্যক্ত “I’m pregnant again!” He ব্যক্ত “oh my gosh… I’m going to have three kids!” I walked up to dad and he asked “what are আপনি doing out of the corner?” I ব্যক্ত “I have to go potty.” He ব্যক্ত “okay; but আপনি have to promise me not to say stupid anymore because it’s not nice and it hurts my feelings!” I ব্যক্ত “I’m sorry; I won’t say that anymore!” He ব্যক্ত “that’s okay; I don’t want to hear আপনি say that word again!”
While I was in the upstairs bathroom dad and Debbie talked. Debbie ব্যক্ত “I found out yesterday that I was pregnant!” Prince crawled up to dad and he picked him up. Dad looked at her and ব্যক্ত “it’s so unreal; my first baby is pretty much not a baby anymore and my সেকেন্ড baby is already seven months old!” Debbie looked at him as tears filled his eyes and she ব্যক্ত “look at it positively… You’re going to get to have a newborn that is totally dependent on আপনি again!” He ব্যক্ত as he rubbed his eyes “it’s not that!” She asked “what’s wrong then?” He ব্যক্ত “it hit me yesterday that Alanna isn’t a baby anymore! She hardly ever asks me for help; it’s been like that all week long! It went from her saying daddy I can’t do it দ্বারা myself to daddy leave me alone!” He got up and ব্যক্ত “I know she’s only three but; it hard to let my baby go!”
Debbie hugged him and ব্যক্ত “she going to grow up to do bigger and better things than the little milestones she’s reaching now! I know it’s hard but আপনি have to let it happen!” I came downstairs and walked up to dad. He knelt down and I hugged him. I whispered something in his ear and he ব্যক্ত “I’ll help you.” Debbie ব্যক্ত “I’ve got to head out now; I’ll call আপনি when I have my first ultrasound in a couple weeks so আপনি can come.” He kissed her on the cheek and ব্যক্ত “alright; I’ll see আপনি then.”
September 9, 1997,
Dad was just getting back to the ranch because he had gone shopping to get some বড়দিন gifts. He walked into the living room and Grace ব্যক্ত “listen; I can’t watch AJ anymore!” He looked irritated and asked “what; why?” She ব্যক্ত “because she will not listen to me! She thinks it’s funny when she doesn’t do what I ask her to do!” Dad ব্যক্ত “I don’t know what else আপনি want me to do; আপনি know she has oppositional defiance disorder!” Grace ব্যক্ত “I know she doesn’t really mean to be so disobedient but; I just can’t deal with her and Prince with Debbie having another baby soon on শীর্ষ of that!” He ব্যক্ত “I’ll make a deal with you; if I can get your to at least somewhat behave for আপনি when I’m not here will আপনি watch her again?” She ব্যক্ত “I don’t see how আপনি going to do that but; if আপনি can pull it off আরো power to you!” He ব্যক্ত “I don’t plan on going out on any big trips for it while so I won’t let her get away with being disrespectful to you!”
I came downstairs and dad gave me a look that I will probably never forget. I knew that in some way, shape অথবা form that I had done something wrong! He picked me up and put me on the couch. He sat down পরবর্তি to me and ব্যক্ত “I know that আপনি haven’t been behaving for Grace and I told আপনি that I’m not going to let আপনি act like this!” I ব্যক্ত “but daddy; I didn’t mean to!” He ব্যক্ত “I don’t want to hear it; just remember I’m here all দিন now so I hear and see everything that goes on in this house!”
He went upstairs and came back down carrying the pieces that go on শীর্ষ of my train table. He opened up the closet door and put them on the শীর্ষ shelf. I ব্যক্ত “no daddy; I প্রণয় my Thomas the trains!” He knelt down in front of me and ব্যক্ত “you’ll think twice পরবর্তি time before আপনি decide not to listen to Grace; won’t you?” I stomped my feet and he calmly ব্যক্ত “that’s enough!” Grace ব্যক্ত “welcome to my world Michael; this is what I deal with every day.” I tossed a couple of video tapes across the room and he ব্যক্ত “I ব্যক্ত that’s enough!” I looked at him as I reach for another tape to see if he would do anything and he asked “do আপনি want to watch TV in your room tonight?” I ব্যক্ত mad “yes!” He ব্যক্ত “you better not throw that because আপনি won’t be allowed to watch চলচ্চিত্র tonight!” I put the tape down and he ব্যক্ত “thank you; it’s time for bed!”
I walked up to dad and hugged him. He picked me up and asked “do আপনি want to watch কার্টুন on ডিজনি Junior অথবা watch a movie?” I ব্যক্ত “I want to watch Scooby Doo!” He ব্যক্ত “okay; go get your pajamas on and wait for me to get your toothbrush ready!” He put me down and for the first time in a long time I did what I was told.
December 25, 1997,
I woke up and walked down the hallway. I climbed onto dad’s বিছানা and jumped on him. He opened his eyes and ব্যক্ত “merry Christmas!!!” I ব্যক্ত “merry Christmas” and jumped on him again. He ব্যক্ত “okay; I’m going to get up.” He picked me up and ব্যক্ত “we can’t go downstairs until Prince is awake.” He carried me into Prince’s room and put me down. Prince was standing up in his ডাবা with his hair sticking out in all directions. Dad picked him up and grabbed me with his other arm.
Dad carried Prince and I down the steps and I could see the বড়দিন tree. He took us into the living room and put of us down. There were presents stacked all over the room and something with a blanket over the শীর্ষ of it. Dad asked “what’s under that blanket over there?” I walked up to it and there was a piece of paper taped to the blanket. I pulled it off and brought it over to dad. He ব্যক্ত “it looks like a letter from Santa Claus!” Now that I’m much older; I know that Santa Claus isn’t real, but dad tried to keep the magic alive for as long as possible while I was growing up.
He opened the letter and read it out loud. He ব্যক্ত “I hope আপনি like your বড়দিন presents and I know আপনি tried really hard to be good this year. You’ve grown so much since the last time I left presents under your বৃক্ষ and I’ve been watching আপনি from the North Pole. I do think that আপনি need to try harder at being a better listener. Every time আপনি don’t listen to daddy আপনি সরানো closer to the naughty list. I’ll be back to see আপনি and your brother পরবর্তি year. I can’t wait to see if the new baby is going to be a boy অথবা a girl!”
Dad ব্যক্ত “see Santa knows everything; so আপনি better be good!” I had a worried look on my face and ব্যক্ত “I will try harder!” I pulled the blanket off and underneath was the Jeep that I had been asking for all year! I got in and was about to put the key in when dad ব্যক্ত “yeah; that’s আরো of an outside toy!” I went over to a tall stack of presents and he ব্যক্ত “after we open all your gifts আপনি can play with your Jeep.”
After about eight hours of slowly opening each gift, grandma showed up. I was upstairs changing out of my pajamas because I had been wearing them all day. I came back downstairs wearing a pair of jeans and my new red তারকা Wars long-sleeved সোয়েটার with Anakin Skywalker and R2-D2 printed on the front. I walked into the রান্নাঘর where dad was talking to grandma and I sat down at the table. She ব্যক্ত “you know Joseph really want to come here with me. I don’t understand why আপনি don’t want him here!” He ব্যক্ত “now that Alanna is in the room I think we should stop this discussion!” She ব্যক্ত “you know I want to be here but; I’m going to go back to the house because I don’t him to have to be alone!”
Dad rolled his eyes as she shut the door and left without even getting to say hi to me. He came over with a few plates of খাবার and sat down পরবর্তি to me. As he was cutting my খাবার for me I ব্যক্ত “thank আপনি for all my presents!” He ব্যক্ত “you’re welcome sweetheart.” He looked around the room at all of my new toys sprawled out on the floor and ব্যক্ত “look at all these toys!!!” I ব্যক্ত “I got so much Spiderman, Thomas the train, and Scooby Doo stuff!!!” He ব্যক্ত “I think আপনি got আরো তারকা Wars stuff than anything else. I can’t believe আপনি got six different pairs of তারকা Wars pajamas!!!”
