All characters are of consenting age.
*****
It was a sad time for me. I had been born in that house, grown up there, eighteen years of memories in one building. Now we had to move because of daddy's new job. I tried to tell myself that wherever we went I would make the best of it, find new friends, meet new boys, but I still had a tear in my eye as I packed up my bedroom in to large cardboard boxes.
"Lily-pet," daddy walked in to my bedroom, smiling as he called me his pet name that he knew I hated, "Your mom is going to the store, do you want anything?"
I shook my head, not making eye contact with him, I knew if he saw the tears welling up he would go all over the top about 'cheer up, it's a new start!' and 'it's going to be great!'. I didn't need that right now.
"Okay," he went back down the stairs, whistling to himself. I swear he should have been a life coach, instead of an architect, always positive and happy, always knew what was best and worst of all he was usually right about most things. He never had been very good at understanding his daughter though. He found 'girlie' things awkward and so left most of that up to mom.
Looking out of the window I saw mom head off to the shops and dad come back inside. I slunk down on to my bed, grabbing my big old stuffed bear that I had slept with since I was about ten. Mr. Tedson (I had named him at ten and not cared that it wasn't a very creative name) and I had secrets that would never be told to anyone else. I hugged him to me and buried my face in his old soft fur.
"You taking that old thing with you?" daddy's voice made me jump. "Hey are you crying?"
He walked in to my room and awkwardly stood over the bed, trying to look all sympathetic and concerned. Seriously, it just came across as awkward. But his effort to try made me smile a little.
"Daddy," I told him, "You are shit at compassion, but you really are good at making me feel sorry for you due to the fact that you are so shit at it."
"Honey that sentence made no sense to me whatsoever,"he grinned at me, "but at least I got you smiling. You sad about leaving still?" he sat down on the bed next to me. "You know we are going to be so much happier in the new place. I am going to be working less hours and earning more money. And that," he said pointedly, "means that I get to spend more time with my kids and also spend more money on them, spoiling them rotten and loving it. Hey, I could even buy you a new bear!" he grabbed Mr. Tedson off me and looked at the bear's worn old face. I snatched him back.
"Leave him alone!" I pouted at daddy, and hugged my teddy bear to my chest.
"Lily, do you really still need a teddy bear?" daddy laughed at my childishness regarding my old bear. "You are 18 now."
"I don't care," I told him, sticking my tongue out. "I still have all my Barbie dolls too, and Ken dolls and I'm not getting rid of them."
"Maybe it's time you grew up a bit," daddy teased, slapping my shin.
"These toys taught me way more that you ever did." I told him in a jokingly nasty voice.
"Oh yeah," he laughed out loud, almost patronising. "What exactly have they taught you.?"