Broken lines, broken strings, broken threads, broken springs

[moneymatters]

Today was a day for getting stuff done. There'd been some repairs backed up, so here Scrooge was in the garage to take care of them. This day it was mostly the childrens' things; at the moment he was completing the gluing of one of their books back together. He slipped his finger down the binding and wiped up the excess, then carefully set it aside to dry.

The garage was open, letting in plenty of light (especially when you considered the sun reflecting off the shallow snow outside). Scrooge himself seemed unaffected by the winter cold that drifted in, to nobody's surprise. But he did make sure to put the book out of the way of any errant wind, just in case, and then reached for the next repair.

Comments

[moneymatters]

He paused at that, glancing up with a quirked eyebrow.

"Oh, you have?"

[rippleonthewater]

"Every once in a while. Since we both grew up as only children, we talked about having a big family someday. But it's always one of those things that sounds off into the far future, you know? Not anything that's happening any time soon."

There may have been the slightest trace of disappointment in her tone.

[moneymatters]

He did hear that note, though he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. At least not directly; there were always things to be said, as he gently laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Well, at least it's on the table, aye? And you two are both so capable, I know you'll find yourselves ready before too long."

[rippleonthewater]

Glancing at him, she smiled a bit and leaned into him. "I know...we've talked a lot about our future, but sometimes...I guess I get kind of impatient waiting for it, you know?"

[moneymatters]

"Have you talked to him about that part?"

[rippleonthewater]

"A little bit. But he's also been working pretty hard, and I don't want to add getting married to his list of things to stress over."

[moneymatters]

"Then perhaps make the idea less stressful. There's nothin' saying you two have to have a big, fancy wedding." He paused, drumming a finger on the tabletop. "In fact, as the father o' the bride I'd prefer it that way." He cleared his throat and continued quickly. "Maybe something small, a civil ceremony or even an elopement, like what Jinji and I did.

"Something more private, and certainly quicker, might help him ease intae it."

[rippleonthewater]

Glancing at Scrooge, she couldn't help a small giggle.

"As much as that might be nice, I don't think his mom would appreciate if we eloped."

[moneymatters]

He waved a hand. "So further do what Jinji and I did. Have a small wedding but a big reception."

[rippleonthewater]

"We'll see, Dad. Like I said, it's still kind of a far-off thing. He hasn't even proposed yet."

[moneymatters]

He glanced at her, turning a bit more her way. "He hasn't?" Didn't think he'd heard anything of the sort, but...

[rippleonthewater]

She shook her head. "Not yet. And again, we've talked about it, so marriage is something we both know we want. It's...just a matter of when."

[moneymatters]

"Well..." He tapped his beak in thought, then looked up. "What about the 'non-traditional' route?" At a look, he gestured toward her.

"You propose. There's nothing wrong with the woman doing it, you know!"

[rippleonthewater]

She giggled. "I thought about that too. And part of me kind of wants to, but..."

She blushed, playing a bit with her hair. "Part of me also doesn't mind traditional, at least in this case. I mean, being proposed to is something a lot of girls think about, and it'd just be...kinda of nice, you know?"

Then, she shrugged as she let her hands fall to her lap.

"But maybe if he takes too long, I'll go ahead and do it."

[moneymatters]

"Aye, I'm usually the first to go with tradition, you know that." He chuckled some, and gave her a light smile. "But it would also be a nice surprise for him, I'd think. And it'd certainly be one less thing for him to carry too, on top o' his work and whatever else: whether to propose to you, when, with what, and how much that ring might- well, cost."

Last word thrown like like the trash, of course.

[rippleonthewater]

She nodded. "That's true. Though a part of me also worries that me being the one to propose to him might make him feel bad. Like, he'd start thinking that if he couldn't propose, then he might worry about other little things that might stress him out even more."

She laughed softly. "I know it might be silly to think about, but..."

[moneymatters]

"No child, I don't think it's silly. But I do think you might be gettin' too caught up in the negatives and not enough in the positives. Aye, he could think of that, but he could also just be so o'er the moon it doesnae occur to him at all.

"It's even possible he's having similar thoughts from his end of things. I know I did when I first thought o' proposing to Jinji. Would it be perfect? Could it be perfect? What if she takes issue with the time it took?"

He chuckled softly with a light sigh at the end, and smiled at her. "What I found out is that those worries go away in the moment. It doesn't really matter who proposes, not when the two people love each other so much. It's about the proposal itself, and that it'll usher in the next stage of things, rather than who did it or where it happened."

[rippleonthewater]

Glancing at Scrooge, she nodded. "I guess that's true." Then she giggled softly. "With all the hang-ups I have, I guess I can see why it might be taking him so long to ask, though."

[moneymatters]

He laughed some through his nostrils, while he eased himself down from the stool to work on the plane.

"Honestly at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you two proposed to each other at the same time."

[rippleonthewater]

She giggled softly. "That would be entirely possible."

[moneymatters]

He chuckled some, then set about starting on the plane's repair. Pull this here, nail that there, glue the other thing...

"And don't be afraid to ask me for further advice either, or Jinji o'course. We want nothing other than to see you both happy, and this'd just be a step 'long that way."

[rippleonthewater]

She nodded. "I know...thanks, Dad."

[moneymatters]

He nodded and gave her a smile, before turning back to his work.

"So, would you like tae give me a hand with this?"

[rippleonthewater]

"Oh, sure..." Sitting up a bit more, she looked from him to the toys. "What should I do?"

[moneymatters]

"Here, just help me align this top wing." He moved to the other side of the plane, holding onto it and instructing her to mirror him. "It's a bit difficult wi'h just one person, but two will handle it just fine."