{"id":352,"date":"2014-01-17T14:15:13","date_gmt":"2014-01-17T20:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/?p=352"},"modified":"2014-01-17T14:28:09","modified_gmt":"2014-01-17T20:28:09","slug":"the-last-bedtime-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/2014\/01\/17\/the-last-bedtime-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Bedtime Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<style><!--\n\/* Font Definitions *\/\n@font-face\n\t{font-family:\"\uff2d\uff33 \u660e\u671d\";\n\tmso-font-charset:78;\n\tmso-generic-font-family:auto;\n\tmso-font-pitch:variable;\n\tmso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}\n@font-face\n\t{font-family:\"Cambria Math\";\n\tpanose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;\n\tmso-font-charset:0;\n\tmso-generic-font-family:auto;\n\tmso-font-pitch:variable;\n\tmso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}\n \/* Style Definitions *\/\np.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal\n\t{mso-style-unhide:no;\n\tmso-style-qformat:yes;\n\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\n\tmargin-top:0in;\n\tmargin-right:0in;\n\tmargin-bottom:10.0pt;\n\tmargin-left:0in;\n\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n\tfont-size:12.0pt;\n\tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-fareast-font-family:\"\uff2d\uff33 \u660e\u671d\";\n\tmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;\n\tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;\n\tmso-fareast-language:JA;}\n.MsoChpDefault\n\t{mso-style-type:export-only;\n\tmso-default-props:yes;\n\tmso-fareast-font-family:\"\uff2d\uff33 \u660e\u671d\";\n\tmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;\n\tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;\n\tmso-fareast-language:JA;}\n.MsoPapDefault\n\t{mso-style-type:export-only;\n\tmargin-bottom:10.0pt;}\n@page WordSection1\n\t{size:8.5in 11.0in;\n\tmargin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;\n\tmso-header-margin:.5in;\n\tmso-footer-margin:.5in;\n\tmso-paper-source:0;}\ndiv.WordSection1\n\t{page:WordSection1;}\n--><\/style>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to read today,\u201d Claire said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cIt\u2019s all right, I\u2019ll read to you,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cNo, no one will read today,\u201d she said and looked to the short bookcase that sat under the window by her toddler bed. \u201cI\u2019m too tired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cMe too, so good night then,\u201d I said and stood up from the armchair in the corner. I leaned over her and kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cI\u2019m going to rest a little on the sofa, and read on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cBut I don\u2019t want you to leave, can\u2019t I sit on your lap? Like when I was little?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cOh, of course you can. You said you didn\u2019t want to do that anymore, you know, that thing about being a big girl and all,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cToday, I want to,\u201d she said and sat on my lap. Her feet hanged over my knees half way through my shins, and her head rested on my shoulder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">I need to update her furniture. A nine year old shouldn\u2019t be sleeping in a crib converted into a toddler bed anymore. Tomorrow, I thought as I hugged her tight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cDo you want to look at illustrations?\u201d I asked. She loved doing that until only a couple of years ago. Did I just blink my eyes?<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cSure, let\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cPick one,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/whitebunny.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-354\" alt=\"whitebunny\" src=\"http:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/whitebunny-256x300.jpg\" width=\"256\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/whitebunny-256x300.jpg 256w, https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/whitebunny.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/a>\u201cThe bunny book, I love this one. Oh look at that soft white fluffiness,\u201d I smiled. \u201cTell me a story for that picture, may you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cOh, all right. Once upon a time there was a white bunny that lived in a hole by a big fir tree. He loved leaping around the forest and eating lettuce. The end,\u201d she told in a quick pace, a very quick pace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cThat doesn\u2019t count at all,\u201d I boxed her ear gently and she laughed, that defenseless hearty laugh that invites me irresistibly to laugh with her, and spreads a delicious warmth that spreads from my heart to my fingers and toes, and reaches the back of my nape all at once.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cMom, you\u2019re squishing me,\u201d she wiggles her shoulders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cAm I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cYour turn,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20.0pt;\">\u201c<\/span><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">The white bunny leaped such long distances hunting for the softest lettuces, that could only be found in the tender patches of the farms by the edge of the forest, that by the time he came back to his cozy nest the sun was about to set.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">His mama cleaned his fur gently and held him on her furry lap. He snuggled against her softness and she told him it was time to go to sleep. Then she touched his little mouth and said, \u201cThis little mouth is so tired of eating lettuce, and drinking water from the spring by the boysenberry bushes, and talking all day long, it\u2019s time to be very silent and rest.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">The white bunny smiled, but didn\u2019t say a word.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">Then mama touched his nose and said, \u201cThis little nose smelled so many lovely scents of berries, and flowers, and all the fresh smells of spring, it now must be content with the smells of home.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">The white bunny took a deep breath and exhaled slowly relaxing his little body against mama\u2019s chest.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">Then mama folded his ears over his eyes and said, \u201cThese little eyes saw so much adventure today they should stay close all night long to be ready for more tomorrow.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">The white bunny sighted and fell asleep. Mama gently placed him on his bed covered with fresh grass and kissed him goodnight. The end.<\/i><span style=\"font-size: 20.0pt;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cSeriously mom, SERIOUSLY?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cDo you expect me to fall asleep now, just like the bunny? P-LEASE. I\u2019m a big girl. Remember? BIG.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;\"><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"><span style=\"mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: .15pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textfill-type: gradient; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shadetype: linear; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-angle: 5400000; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-fscaled: no; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-stoplist: '0 \\#A54200 9 100000 shade=20000 satm=200000\\,78000 \\#FF8C19 9 100000 tint=90000 shade=89000 satm=220000\\,100000 \\#FFF1E9 9 100000 tint=12000 satm=255000'; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 65.0%; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 5.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.4pt; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 5400000; mso-effects-shadow-align: none; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 0%; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-360 aligncenter\" alt=\"Slide1\" src=\"http:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide11-300x225.jpg\" width=\"180\" height=\"135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide11-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide11.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u00a0She stood up, took her copy of Harry Potter from the shelf and sat on her bed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cYou decided to read, now?\u201d I asked<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cI need to read something real to recover from all that baby stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cSince when is Harry Potter <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">something real<\/i>?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cSince he\u2019s eleven and not a silly baby bunny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cBut you told me the beginning of the story yourself,\u201d I nearly stammered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">\u201cI was being sarcastic. You can leave now. Enjoy your book on the sofa mom, good night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-359 aligncenter\" alt=\"Slide1\" src=\"http:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide1-300x225.jpg\" width=\"180\" height=\"135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Slide1.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0<\/span>\u201cOf course, good night then. Have a good read.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">No more babies in the house. Oh well, at least she\u2019s reading above her grade level.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\">I came back an hour later to check on her and found her fast asleep, hugging her stuffed bunny. I folded its soft white ears over its pink eyes and kissed them both good night.<\/p>\n<style><!--\n\/* Font Definitions *\/\n@font-face\n\t{font-family:\"\uff2d\uff33 \u660e\u671d\";\n\tmso-font-charset:78;\n\tmso-generic-font-family:auto;\n\tmso-font-pitch:variable;\n\tmso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}\n@font-face\n\t{font-family:\"Cambria Math\";\n\tpanose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;\n\tmso-font-charset:0;\n\tmso-generic-font-family:auto;\n\tmso-font-pitch:variable;\n\tmso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}\n@font-face\n\t{font-family:Cambria;\n\tpanose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;\n\tmso-font-charset:0;\n\tmso-generic-font-family:auto;\n\tmso-font-pitch:variable;\n\tmso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}\n \/* Style Definitions *\/\np.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal\n\t{mso-style-unhide:no;\n\tmso-style-qformat:yes;\n\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\n\tmargin-top:0in;\n\tmargin-right:0in;\n\tmargin-bottom:10.0pt;\n\tmargin-left:0in;\n\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n\tfont-size:12.0pt;\n\tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-fareast-font-family:\"\uff2d\uff33 \u660e\u671d\";\n\tmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;\n\tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;\n\tmso-fareast-language:JA;}\n.MsoChpDefault\n\t{mso-style-type:export-only;\n\tmso-default-props:yes;\n\tmso-fareast-font-family:\"\uff2d\uff33 \u660e\u671d\";\n\tmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;\n\tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;\n\tmso-fareast-language:JA;}\n.MsoPapDefault\n\t{mso-style-type:export-only;\n\tmargin-bottom:10.0pt;}\n@page WordSection1\n\t{size:8.5in 11.0in;\n\tmargin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;\n\tmso-header-margin:.5in;\n\tmso-footer-margin:.5in;\n\tmso-paper-source:0;}\ndiv.WordSection1\n\t{page:WordSection1;}\n--><\/style>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><span style=\"font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;\">I\u2019ve been through this with both my daughters, and as happy as I am too see them growing stronger and more independent every day, I miss our bedtime stories so very much.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><span style=\"font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .5in;\"><span style=\"font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to read today,\u201d Claire said. \u201cIt\u2019s all right, I\u2019ll read to you,\u201d I said. \u201cNo, no one will read today,\u201d she said and looked to the short bookcase that sat under the window by her toddler bed. \u201cI\u2019m too tired.\u201d \u201cMe too, so good night then,\u201d I said and stood up from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pearlsfromclaire","tag-last-bed-time-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":365,"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions\/365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adrigomes.com\/literaryexchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}