Daddy's Job

Eric sure liked being in this, what was it called again? Oh yeah, the V.I.P section. He heard the shiny-headed bald man dressed up as a policeman call it the backstage. The fact that he was back here was utterly unfathomable to him.

Usually he would have to spend nights like these at his grandma and grandpa's house. They'd make him supper, tell him a story, he'd tuck grandpa in as he dozed off while watching the 9'o clock news. But tonight grandma and grandpa were going to a get-together across the street and they could not look after Eric so he was forced to go to work with his dad.

This place was even louder than lunchtime at his preschool, he thought to himself. People ran past him, by him and nearly knocked him over. It seemed like the whole city of New York was back here and to Eric, that very well seemed feasible. There were frantic men holding clipboards yelling at other frantic men who were carrying shiny lights. Eric held onto his sippy cup and took a sip while watching three scantily clad women walk by.

Things began to slow down backstage and soon Eric heard a loud noise coming from in front of the egg-white walls which encased him and these other people. It sounded a little bit like music, but it was much more agressive. It was as if the music was angry at him or something. He glanced at the man who was dressed up as a cop; he was having an interesting conversation with the scantily clad women. Eric decided to see what all the ruckus was for. He dropped his sippy cup and went off to investigate.

He strided toward the jet-black door with the gracefulness of a rhino suffering heat-stroke pushed off of his tippy-toes and reached up to the doorknob. It was the heaviest thing he had felt but he knew he had to open. He set down Norbert, his favorite teddy bear and used both his clammy hands to pry open the door. He danced around in triumphant victory, took one last look at the VIP area where one of the men who was holding lights beforehand was now drinking out of a tiny little sippy cup of his own, though this one foolishly had no top.

Eric walked down a dark and scary hallway. This was always how he imagined what walking alone in a scary forest would be like, although there were less trees. Suddenly, a light at the end of this hallway beckoned him, as did the rhythmic and animalistic noise. It grew in volume with each step he took until he was at the end of the hallway. What he saw (and heard) changed his life forever.

His dad was grwling into the microphone like an angry wolf and he was pointing at people in the crowd who he surely did not know. His dad had always told him to never do either of these things! He was saying some mean things to the audience and even swearing. Eric couldn't believe his ears. His dad was even sticking his tongue out at people! Eric gasped and held onto Norbert's paw as his father jumped on top of these poor innocent people and they pushed him back onto the stage, obviously frightened of his violent ways. THIS is what dad did for work? Eric pulled Norbert up on his shoulders and laughed because his dad was gonna be in big trouble once he told mom about what he was doing at work.