Dating Father Time's Daughter (Book 1)

Chapter 3: When Lightning Strikes Twice

One of Pixie's favorite activities was people watching. For some reason, the idiosyncrasies of human life caused something to stir inside of her.

She sat alone on a freshly hickory-colored painted park bench. This wasn't a new spot for Pixie. Truthfully, she found herself at Central Park often. It served as the perfect location for her: a public place that permitted private thoughts.

Pixie inhaled the fresh air delivered from the cool breeze, smelled the sweet aroma of the magnolias blooming behind her, and most importantly, watched the assortment of humans in front of her.

She locked her eyes on a gray-haired middle aged man holding the tiny hands of a little girl. The man knelt down while the little girl did a brief pirouette. The two laughed as the man scooped up the little girl in his hands and nuzzled her while she hiccuped with laughter.

Pixie resisted the urge to keep watching and turned her sights towards the puffy clouds above.

"So that's how human fathers treat their daughters" mumbled Pixie.

***

Pixie leaned on her scythe and watched Father Time with sleepy eyes. He sat on his throne with an indifferent expression. Pixie had heard this speech a thousand times, but Father Time insisted on the reiteration of this speech because he felt it was timeless.

"The role of a Time Keeper is central and crucial to the maintaining of peace on earth. Our job is to protect Time. You see, Time is a fragile and endangered entity that is at risk of improper manipulation without our intervention" said Father Time.

"So, why do you keep Time locked up in Cronus' Chamber? Didn't you two used to be the best of friends? Oh, you should tell me what it's like to have close friends!" replied Pixie.

Father Time felt a spark of indignation kindle into a flame of exasperation. Pixie picked up on his irritation and batted her eyes at her father in a desperate attempt to douse his burning fury with her charm. Father Time clenched his scythe and fixed his gaze not at Pixie, but through her as he continued speaking,

"This life that has been chosen for us does not make room for things as frivolous as friendship. You are destined to take my place as the sole Time Keeper of the earth. That means that you are fated to sit on my throne for the next millennium," Father Time refocused his eyes on Pixie,

"All alone."

Pixie was used to the deterministic views of her father. Normally, she would pay him lip service and obediently adhere to his words. But not today. Pixie decided to push back on Father Time's bleak forecast of her future.

"I don't understand. You talk to Dexter and Freida. And what about Time? Even if you don't hang out with Time anymore, you two did used to be good friends. So there must be room for friendship in the life of a Time Keeper. Just because you pushed all of your friends away or locked them in chambers doesn't mean I'll do the same" said Pixie.

"Get out of my sight," said Father Time.

"Dad! You can't just cast me away every time I make a good point! Why can't you admit when you're wrong?" asked Pixie.

"Because I have the most important job on this planet! I can't be wrong. The day I'm wrong is the day time stops for everyone" replied Father Time.

"It's funny how you always want to remind me of the roles and responsibilities of a Time Keeper," started Pixie. "But, you need to know them the most. I don't know if you've realized it, but our job is to keep time. We are not Time. You keep Time. You are not Time."

***

Pixie shuddered at the remembrance of her words. Her father didn't speak to her for a year after that outburst. She had to train herself in that time, and she did a great job. In fact, Pixie was so efficient at training herself that she began to think that she didn't need her father to train her. Even more, she began to think she didn't need her father at all.

The carefree lives of the humans around Pixie tortured her. Why did she have to possibly spend the rest of her life alone, while others got to make friends, fall in love, and build long lasting relationships? There had to be an escape. There had to be an exit.

Pixie watched a woman choose between a pink and purple shade of lip gloss. She turned towards an outdoor dining establishment and watched a man drop his hot-dog on the ground only to receive a hamburger minutes later. She looked up at a birds nest. Pieces of twigs and sticks tumbled to the ground. A small sparrow flew next to her feet and collected some yarn left on the ground. Pixie saw the bird return to its nest and place the yarn where the twigs once were.

Irregular breaths crept out of Pixie's mouth. Her lips curved upward in a deliberate manner. Her eyes switched between the woman, the man, and the bird. Then she threw her head towards the sky.

"I could find a substitute. I could find someone else to take my place as Time Keeper..."

***

Father Time scowled at his daughter's impertinence. He hated how she could use pieces of his past to contradict him. Her insatiable thirst for knowledge about the world always impressed him. But, her same thirst for knowledge about his life irked him. So he refrained from opening up to her.

"I see no need to continue speaking with such a boorish child. Sometimes I seriously consider if it would be a good idea to replace you" said Father Time.

"You mean have another child?" said Pixie. Her words polished with disbelief.

"No. I mean find a substitute. I must have never told you, but there used to be a way to relinquish this responsibility..."

***

"But who could take my place?" asked Pixie.

***

Joe grabbed an empty Styrofoam cup and filled it with Pepsi. The soda machine was recently moved behind the Freedom Fries counter because too many customers asked for water cups and then proceed to fill them with Sprite. Joe even recalled a recent meeting where Mr. McDonald threatened to store the condiments behind the counter because the thought of people grabbing more than one ketchup packet for their large fries infuriated him.

While still battered and bruised Joe nevertheless clocked into work. The worker handbook stipulated that a recently hired employee had to work for a minimum of 90 days before requesting a day off for any reason. Joe was on day 79. Although, Mr. McDonald displayed a rare sign of compassion and relegated Joe to front register for the day.

While energized by his heroics from the other night, the first three hours of the evening shift quickly sapped what little optimism Joe had towards his future. Each "how may I help you," glance at his uniform in his reflection, and order to grab a mop and clean a spill, chipped away at his newfound castle of confidence. By the sixth hour, Joe reluctantly welcomed the return of his usual hopeless disposition.

He held the cup of soda in his hand, already feeling the wet condensation forming outside of the cup. What hurt Joe the most, was knowing that he'd probably never see the pink-haired girl again. He would never get to hear her express her gratitude.

"One small Pepsi" said Joe.

He looked down and was stunned. The pink-haired girl stood in front of him. No, the pink-haired girl blinded him with a gorgeous smile.

"Thanks. For the drink and for helping me out the other night" she said.

She leaned over the counter and took an eyeful of Joe's crooked name-tag.

"Joe! I'm Pixie," she said.

In three hours of work, Joe felt all of his optimism and confidence fade away. Then in the sixth hour, Joe felt them all rushing back.