Saro's Album

FOR A REWARD

Saro was jumping up and down in excitement as Sanji opened the box on the dining table. Saro stretched himself as far as he could to see but finally decided to get up on the table.

Sanji: (calmly) "Saro do you want to get a 'Bad Boy', for doing naughty things?"

The chibi's excited face turned pale in fear.

Saro: (fearfully) "M-Mama there is a bad boy one also?"

Sanji: (matter of fact tone) "Course there is." (As he lifted the lid of the box and started tearing the cellophane wrap)

Sanji noticed that the chibi had become stiff like a rod. His sparkly green eyes trembling in fear and his face had lost colour.

Sanji: (smiling, tousles Saro's hair) "You can watch. Today you won't be getting a 'Bad Boy' stamp but remember not to sit on the table again. Ok?"

Saro looked at Sanji for a moment with a confused expression. The child became immensely happy the very next moment.

He got down on all fours and excitedly peered over the items Sanji was placing on the table from out of the shopping bag.

Zoro came into the room at this moment. He had just changed and freshened up after returning from work. He was late as usual. However, ever since that phone call Sanji had not asked him anything about his whereabouts or why he was late. In fact he tried to restrict conversing with Zoro to a bare minimum and even avoided eye contact as far as possible.

Sanji's thoughts:

"I know this can't go on."

"I just want to kick the jerk and ask him straight why he had to lie to me."

"But if he can't tell me the reason and has to resort to lying I'm not sure I want to know."

"I don't want to suspect him."

"I want to believe in him, for Saro .... for all three of us!"

"But I can't stop these negative thoughts from creeping in."

"But I don't want to hear another lie."

"It hurts even more....."

Saro: (excitedly pointing at a paper) "Mama I want this!"

Sanji: "Huh. Oh sure Saro! You can have that."

It was a reward stamp chart for kids. A picture of a white duck was there on the chart and on its body there was a 3*3 grid having nine empty boxes for the stamps.

Sanji took a marker and wrote 'SARO' in block letters in the place for name and handed the paper to Saro while patting his tiny head and smiling.

Saro took the paper in his tiny paws tenderly. He looked at it with sparkly eyes as though it were a chest of treasures.

Saro inspected the chart for a few moments and came up to Sanji again.

Saro: (meekly) "Mama, I finished eating all my pepu today, so can I get one now? Peasssss!"

( Saro"s Language Dictionary:

Pepu – green pepper (Saro's most hated vegetable)

Peassss – pleaseeeee)

Sanji: (fake sternly) "Only if you promise to eat your cherry tomatoes too!" (Cherry tomatoes - Second in Saro's list of least favourite vegetables)

Saro's forehead became overcast with blue lines of fear.

The chibi thought for a moment. He then puffed up his snow white cheeks and pouted his pink lips but eventually nodded his little head in agreement.

Sanji : (smiling internally) "Good boy!"

Sanji took one of the self ink stampers and put a stamp in the first box.

Saro: (excitedly) "Mama what is this for?"

Sanji: (smiling) "It's a stamp for 'Good Job'!"

Saro ran to his Papa who was sitting on the sofa and started showing him the chart.

Meanwhile Sanji served Zoro's dinner on the table. (Sanji and Saro had eaten earlier as Zoro was late for the nth time)

After arranging the plates, Sanji was about to clear the stamps and charts from the table when Zoro came up from behind. Sanji turned around and was so shocked by Zoro's proximity that he nearly lost his foot.

The blonde man supported himself by holding onto the table behind him with one hand while with the other he clasped his husband's tshirt.

When he didn't feel an impact, Sanji slowly opened his eyes to find two strong hands keeping him steady by holding him on either side of his waist. Sanji blushed and let go of his own hand.

The hands holding him also let go. Instead one outstretched palm presented itself before Sanji's eyes.

Zoro: (serious tone) "Give me one too."

Sanji blinked twice while two ahoge cropped up. He took a stamper from the box and put a 'Good Job' Stamp on Zoro's palm.

Zoro: (confused, eyes became like tiny beads while looking at his palm) "Give me that paper you gave to Saro. I also want one!" (Sudden outburst)

Sanji calmly took out another paper from the bag and wrote 'MARIMO' on it with a marker. He then handed it to Zoro.

Zoro: (happy for a moment and then expression changed to anger) "Oi Eyebrows! This has way more boxes than Saro's one. (The chart Sanji had given Zoro had thirty boxes in it.)

Sanji: (calmly packing up the things back into the bag) "Well you're way more bigger than Saro."

Sanji: (turning around to face Zoro) "Ganbare!" (After patting Zoro on the shoulder, Sanji calmly walked away.)