Short Story Sundays: "Cinderella"

I have titled this short story the same as the Steven Curtis Chapman song that I used to inspire it. It involves one of the same charries from "Apologetics and Cookies", but is not from her POV.

Without further ado, I give you:

Cinderella

"Dad, come on!" says my starry-eyed daughter, tugging at my hand. "Dance with me!"

"Oh, Ruby, I've had a long day messing with car engines," I answer, sighing. "I need to rest before I finish that paperwork for your mother, too."

"Oh, please, please, please Daddy! Just one song!"

I smile a bit at her enthusiasm and give in, letting her pull me to my feet. "Oh, all right. One song."

She smiles and twirls over the deep brown rug to the CD player to put in a disc. "Yay!"

The quiet strains of music fill the living as she slips her tiny hands into mine and lets me waltz her around the living room, taking two steps for every one of mine.

As the song ends and another begins, I stop the player, then scoop Ruby up and tickle her. "All right, my little gem. Time for bed."

"Can I have a cookie first?" she asks, her eyes as wide and innocent as those of a begging puppy's.

I laugh. "Oh, all right. But you let me tell Mommy, okay?"

"Okay!" she answers, skipping off towards the kitchen to raid the cookie jar.

I chuckle and follow her to insure the amount of cookies that disappears into her fast little jaws aren't more than I've authorized.

Once the cookie is gone and brushing her teeth has somehow gotten the front of my shirt soaking wet, Ruby turns from the mirror and smiles at me. "Can I have a pony-back ride?"

"Don't you mean a piggy-back ride?" I ask, smiling back at her as I crouch down to let her climb on from her little stepstool.

"No, I mean a pony-back ride. Pigs aren't pretty!" she answers, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Okay then," I answer, making sure she is secure on my back before I straighten and as her 'worthy steed' carry her off to her room and bed.

As I tuck the sheets about her, she glances towards her skylight and asks, "Daddy, can we pray God makes the sad clouds cheer up so they'll stop crying and go away? I miss the happy stars."

I chuckle and stroke her curly aubrn hair. "All right, my dear Ruby. We can pray that."

"Okay Daddy!" She snuggles down in her covers and is asleep before I finish praying.

I smile and rise in a careful manner, so as to not wake her, then walk to her doorway. After turning on her little star projector night light, I cast a last look back at her tiny form and then shut off the light.

~*~

"The homeschooler's prom is in six months, dear," says my wife, Faith, as Ruby comes into the kitchen and sets one of her favorite astronomy books on the table.

"I know!" she answers, turning to me with a smile. "Dad, would you please help me practice dancing? Please Dad? Cody Tanner asked me if I would go with him and I know you approve of him!"

I laugh a little. "You can dance just fine, Ruby, I've seen you! You don't need your old dad to teach you anything."

"Oh, hush Robert! Dance with the girl, for goodness sakes!" scolds Faith, throwing a dishtowel at me.

I catch it and throw it back at her, grinning as it catches her in the face. "I don't- Hey!"

Ruby catches my right hand commences pulling at me with all her stubborn teenage might. "Come on, Dad!"

Faith grins and tosses the dishtowel aside, coming over and grabbing my other hand. "Come on, old man!"

"No fair!" I protest, laughing even as they pull me up and into the living room. "Two against one!"

"Oh hush," answers Faith, turning on the same worn CD that Ruby has danced to since she was a little girl. "She's growing up! You better take what God is gifting you while it's still here!"

I smile and take Ruby's no-longer tiny hands in mine as the familiar strains of soft music fill the room and we begain to waltz.

Faith looks on and the happy smile on her face and the contented, distant look on Ruby's is enough to make my tiredness and anxiety due to work fall away.

When the song ends and we release hands, Ruby comes down to Earth again and smiles. "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, daughter," I answer, then hug her tight.

~*~

"And graduating summa cum laude with a Master's Degree in both Mathamatics and Apologetics, and with an honorary PhD in astronomy, we have Miss Ruby Leavitt from Tennessee!"

I clap with the rest of the crowd as Ruby steps forward, shakes hands with and thanks the platform staff, then accepts the diplomas with shining eyes and a huge smile.

"That's our girl!" whispers Faith to me, wiping away tears.

I nod and watch as she leaves the stage to wait for her peers, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt and forcing myself to listen to the lists of other students' awards.

When the ceremony is over, all the graduates gather together outside the Graduation Hall and give three cheers, all tossing their caps up to the clear blue sky at the last, "Hooray!"

"Mom! Dad! I did it!" exclaims Ruby, breaking away from her peers and coming over to us with her new treasures. "I got my PhD!"

"Good for you, honey!" says Faith as she takes the awards from Ruby to look at them. "Praise God!"

I grab Ruby's hands and squeeze them, then pull her into a bear hug. "Great work, my dear. You're the best, right after God and your mom."

"Thanks Dad," she answers, pulling away and smiling at me. "God helped me a lot."

"I'm sure he did," I answer as Cody Tanner walks over.

"Um, may I?" he asks, smiling at Ruby and then glancing at me. "Some of the higher graduating students are going out to dinner to celebrate."

"Of course," I answer, smiling at him.

"We can take care of the awards until you're through, Ruby," Faith adds, also smiling.

"Okay! Thanks Mom and Dad!" says Ruby, smiling. "Are you ready to go, Cody?"

Cody nods to me and like a gentleman, offers her his arm.

She grins happily and slips her arm through his, walking away with him towards his black, hand-me-down Toyota Corolla.

Only after she and Cody have driven away along with another student do I let my own tears fall.

"She's grown up so fast," I say, swallowing hard and trying to balance my unsteady tone again. "Seems like just yesterday she still needed supervision at the cookie jar and now she's got a PhD."

"She says she wants to teach others and she's in the Lord's hands now, Robert," answers Faith, smiling at me as we walk along the campus paths to the parking lot. "He'll guide her path."

"I believe so," I answer, climbing in the driver's seat of our car. "I believe so."