many more years to come | Parson&Georgie

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

pre-85th

”You are never going to be a quiet kid, are you?”The cries are not as high pitched and long, but the constant mumbling and effort to try and form a simple word is what fills my ears every day.

”Say Pan Pan.”

”Dadda”

”Teddy”

Today she is twelve months old. Somehow, I have kept a little kid alive for nearly a whole year, I deserve a bigger crown than the ones the victors get. I have learnt that a year-old kid will be grateful for anything, so the morning is spent chewing wrapping paper and discarding the soft toys and new clothes that she has been so kindly given.

”No, you don’t eat those Georgie!” Her curiosity is going to send me into my second grave, I spend most of my time swiping in edibles from her grasp. Today is no different, wrapping paper is clearly tastier than what is in her breakfast bowl. ”You are going back into the high chair.” I pick up the little bundle, strapping her into the wooden handcrafted highchair that I haggled for at the market. The bundle quickly erupts into a volcano. The muchly missed screams return to my shattered ear drums. There is only one way to stop it, the binky, my best defence.

”No, you can sit there and be quiet!” I say, armed with the red binky in my hand. ”Bananas or binky.”

”No.”

”No….No? Say that again!” Oh fuck an actual word.

”NO!”

Her mumblings are no longer gargles, an actual word. Not dadda. Not Teddy. No. One year old and she already has an attitude.

”Banana!” I pick up the sliced fruit, the cries have settled but the crocodile tears are so clear on her face. I expect another explosion of Nos but that was just anticlimactic. ”Come on Georgie, You are gonna be a defiant girl. Stand up to all the shit you know and say no.” I am quick to look around the kitchen, to make sure no Ursa especially Teddy hears me swear in front of the kid. She is gonna hear them eventually anyway and I have won the bet that fuck would be her first word. She just better not show me up when I tell everyone else that she is speaking…a word. ”You going to say No for dadda when Uncle Teddy comes down?”

Silence. Just a scowling face when I choo choo manoeuvre the next banana slice into her mouth.

Georgie has kept me busy, busier than I have ever been over the past five years. Maybe the kid is a blessing in disguise, not a demon dumped on the doorstep. I am free from being District Six’s guinea pig, no longer shackled to the drug clinical trials because supposedly, seeing as I have already died once then why not die a couple more times? I am never going back to those facilities again; I have got a dependant now who I owe my life too. A cute one too!

I still have not told Angel. My excuse was the phone lines being cut when the bombings happened, but they have been back up and running for weeks now. What will he think? It has been five years since we were properly with each other, surely, I could not hold myself down for so long. Yeah maybe Aeryn Kight has not been the only one. Maybe I do not know how many there have been. I have not loved any of them. Just used for a relief of pressure. I have not been with Angel De Costa for five years, but his face is still the one who takes me to my dreams.

”No!”

The nearly toddler smashes her fists on the wooden highchair table, refusing the next serving of bananas.

”Yes! Keep saying it and I will get Uncle Ted!”

I have more than just Angel De Costa in my life now. A love not divided by a thousand-acre forest.

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

pre-86th

Georgie has been the terrible two for 8 hours, the candles have not been blown out yet and she is already running circles around me. So much walking and talking, my only break is bedtime and that is a fight to start too. Still, my life would have wasted away without her. Pushing beds around that damned hospital all day, it is not a life. It is not a life I want anymore. I can do so much better. I have kept a kid alive for two years. Shit, I can actually be responsible.

I endorsed the new mayor just a few days ago, and somehow, they won. Did a dead man’s word really have so much influence? I do not see Teddy playing with politics, damn anything but the portering. A lot of people would have to go crazy if they were going to vote for a Mayor Parson Cham but there must be some jobs in the office with my name on it. Anything to change my days of pushing the dying and the dead.

”Lets go for a walk Georgie.” Not that she has a choice anyway, there is too much energy in the little mite at 8 o’clock in the morning. I am twenty-four years old and I can already feel the wrinkles on my brow, I really do not wanna check for any greys. ”Jungle gym!” The only jungle gym nearby is a rust bucket with pointy edges and every hazard the how to train a baby book warned me against. I can remember it being rust bucket when I was five, nobody cares to maintain it. Maybe it something I can ask the new mayor to fix…

”Clothes Georgie, do you want some new clothes for your birthday?” The kid does not care for what I put her in, shorts, dresses and the woolliest of sweaters. The kid does not care. It was a battle to keep her in clothes a few months ago anyway. ”Candy candy!” I take the little mite’s hand and guide her out of the door. Both of us are wrapped up warm, the chill of fall is beginning to creep into my lungs. The viruses and colds will be quickly knocking on my door soon too, I hate this time of year. So long as I do not get pneumonia this time, the doctor has not called me for the vaccination yet…

I am just so glad the victor’s village is not a day’s walk to all the stores, dad’s house used to be miles from anywhere useful. I even had to trek to work every morning. I stop at the District Square, eyes on the desolate stage outside the justice building. Not that long ago the square was filled with voters, soon it will be filled with mourners. I have been on that stage filled with regret and no hope of coming home. What must it feel like to be on it as mayor?

Georgie tugs at my hand, moaning about something. I bend my knees, getting down to eye level of the little toddler. ”Hey Georgie, what do you want to be when you are big like daddy?” It s probably too big of a question for a two year old to answer There is nothing I really want to force on her as long as she is happy. ”Candy daddy.” Yeah maybe it is too soon to ask. She can be anything. Anything but a tribute. I will not let the Capitol take her; she will not be stupid to volunteer like me. I will make sure of it and being a porter will not help me.

”Come on, we can get candy after we get you a new winter coat.”

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

post 87th [during the victory tour]

There are no more one-word stubborn revolts. Instead, whole sentences of tantrums, terrible twos at three years old? Yeah, it never ended. It is not going to end, not until she is eighteen anyway. I have accepted little help; I cannot just pass her on to another pair of hands. Georgie is my commitment now. My burden that I brought into the world. My burden dumped on the doorstep. Over three years ago and I have not heard a word from her mom. That family has probably written Georgie out of the family tree, or her name was not even printed on it anyway.

Well, she is Cham. My Cham. She has her family here in the victor’s village. There are plenty of Ursa’s to share around. But not Garner.

I have gotten so used to walking out of the door and not having anyone to say good morning too. Having a whole little world just to share with a few close people. Not like my Pa’s house back in the middle of the hustle and bustle but now there are kids. Lots of kids. Kids louder than Georgie’s screams. Now Teddy is out of the house more, galivanting on a victory tour. I am happy for him, I see the scars the dead one’s leave behind on him year in and year out but please not this kid. At least he has his parents, hopefully he will stay over the road.

Maybe I need my own house, a place to call our home with Georgie. I have spent so many years since the eightieth in this house. Seven years. I have probably overstayed my welcome.

I need a job too. Oh, shit an actual job. Back on the twelve-hour grind. I should wait until Georgie starts school. Yeah, that is a conversation to have later…

”Eat your toast please Georgie.” Peanut butter and a strawberry jelly toast. What a spoilt little kid and she proceeds with the ever popular no, the first word in the vocabulary book. ”Well the choo choo train is coming!” I swoop up the toast that is cut into squares. We are sat in Teddy’s extravagant dining room for tonight’s supper. I may as well make the most of him being out of the house. ”Choo choo!” The square cut toast makes its way onto the tracks, heading towards the opened tunnel of Georgie’s mouth. Chomp. It is gone.

I never want to let any of this go. This is my life now and for the better. Nobody could ever change it but there is just one thing missing. One person missing. I know I cannot do this alone.