Daddy Duties

Day 3 - Show Jumping

'Feel free to take a walkthrough of the course.'
Dave thought not. He watched as some of the contestants in the far distance actually wade through the lake's waters in order to get their spacings for their horse. Dave's boots were far too expensive to take them through some SeaLand adventure. No telling what was even in that lake. He wasn't going to find out. 
He finished wiping Birgitta down with a towel to make sure she shined like a polished mirror. He bet he'd be able to see his reflection is it weren't for all of her hair. She was a nice horse. Nice horses shined like diamonds. Dave was in the zone. Not that he ever had to worry about Birgitta. She was a mare of her word. Confident, talented, regal. Just like Dave liked his horses to be. It was a shame she'd have to smell like a lagoon but he'd be sure to clean her off immediately. She need not smell like a fish pond either. 
Dave smiled, it was going to be a lovely morning.
"Dadddyyyyyyyy~" a high pitched voice shrieked in the distance.
Dave's peace was broken. His 'daddy ears' picked up the tone and recognized the "distress". He sighed and looked behind him to see Abigail, covered in sand, soaking wet, and crying her eyes out. 
Oh, his poor regal Princess of a daughter. He stepped over to her, not wanting her to get Birgitta filthy, "Miss Abigail. What on Earth did you do to yourself?"
She wiped some of her tears away, "I didn't do anything! Chris pushed me!" She sobbed some more.
Dave glared where his teenaged son should have been sorting tack and of course he wasn't there. That would mean actually doing what he was told. God forbid a teenager do what his parent instructed him to do. He glanced back to Birgitta, standing perfectly still. She'd have to wait for a moment longer. He had "dad duties"  to perform which by the customs of this planet, were supposed to come first. Why he owed these little brats anything was beyond him. "Okay, sweetheart. Let's get you dried off and then I'll find your brother and give him an earful, okay?"
Abigail sniffed, drying her tears, nodding. 
Dave wrapped the towel he had been using on Birgitta around her shoulders and took her little hand. No way in hell was he picking up the little lake monster. She was gross! He led her to the back of the truck and hoisted her up on the tailgate, "Now, you sit here while daddy finds your brother."
"Daddy!" another high pitched shriek from right below him. It made Dave jump as he felt something grab his leg. He also recognized that voice. Daniel, his youngest. Oh god, why did his leg feel wet too? Dave dared not to look down but he had to. It was a 'dad duty'. Yep...there was another pond monster, clinging to his leg. DID THESE MONSTERS KNOW NO BOUNDS!? Dave gently pried the three-year old off his leg, "Daniel, my boy, why are you wet too!?"
Daniel giggled and scooped up some sand to share with his daddy. 
Dave pushed his hands down to make him drop the sand, "Daniel, good lord, have some decency. Daddy's here to compete, not make sand castles, okay? Daniel, where's Christopher?"
Abigail swung her feet and kicked Dave in the butt which made Daniel giggle loudly again. Abigail giggled and did it again. They were giggling pond monsters. Dave straightened up, "Miss Abigail-"
Abigail smiled, "Chris said that if you're lucky, you might come in fifth! Daddy, can't you try harder than that?"
Dave's eye twitched as he forced calm, "Oh, how generous of your brother. That's an improvement from last, I suppose. How kind." He looked around wildly to find the teenager he needed to have a word with. Fifth? Where was the encouragement in that!?
"Yo, dad. Over here. Are your eyes that bad already?" Chris said in a snotty tone, leaned up on the truck. 
Abigail hopped from the truck's tailgate and flung the towel to the ground. Dave tried to catch it before it was completely ruined...well, he was pitching that towel before they got home. Gross. "Uh, Chris-"
"Chris! You meany!" Abigail bent down, scooped a handful of sand up and hurled it at Chris. Sand flew through the air in a sparkling mist in the morning sunlight. 
Chris jumped out of the way and was bending over to return fire. 
Abigail shrieked and ran behind Dave. 
Chris stopped mid-throw as Dave held his hands up, "Don't you dare!" His insides had frozen over in fear that he was about to become a pond monster before the day even started. 
Daniel didn't get the memo as he waddled over to Dave and dumped a generous handful of sand down his boot, giggling away. 
Dave closed his eyes in retreat. He gave up. The three of them sprinted off, hurling sand at each other like lunatics. Dave dumped his boot and changed out of his gross, smelly breeches. He tacked Birgitta up and got the hell out of there before the little monsters pushed him into the water. He was going to need this ride more than ever.
(882 word count)