As I’ve mentioned, some of the humorous scenes in my books are based on real life experiences with my children. However, on occasion, I’ve attributed the incident to a child other than the actual perpetrator for the purpose of the storyline. The below scene is one such situation. In reality, my oldest son was the muralist, not his little sister, but the story is equally believable either way:
I opened the door to Sheree’s room and peered inside. She sat on her bed, crayon in hand and guilty expression on her face. The wall adjacent to her bed had been turned into a giant crayon mural.
“Sheree! You know better. Don’t ever color on that wall again,” I commanded as I wagged my finger at her. “You’ve lost the privilege of chocolate dipping and earned a time-out.” I slammed the door and stomped away.
…After setting the finished strawberries on a platter, I grabbed some cleaning supplies and walked down the hallway to help Sheree clean the wall before she was released from her temporary prison. I hoped she’d contemplated the inappropriateness of her behavior and learned a lesson. I swung the door wide open, prepared to bestow forgiveness on my errant child. However, I was momentarily stunned by the view. The crayon mural had spawned a twin on the adjoining wall. I was speechless. I couldn’t believe my darling daughter had openly defied my direct order. I took a deep breath to calm myself before I spoke.
“Sheree, I don’t understand. I told you not to color on the walls,” I said through clenched jaws and gritted teeth.
Sheree looked up at me with confusion evident in her eyes. “You told me not to color on that wall. I didn’t color on that wall—I colored on the other wall,” she explained innocently.
John had silently sidled up behind me during the exchange. When he burst out laughing, I gave him the evil eye.
“She’s definitely her mother’s daughter, splitting hairs and finding loopholes already.”
I handed John the cleaning supplies and turned on my heels. Removing the crayon scribbles could be a father-daughter activity. It was fair retribution for his snide remark.
