Ficlet: Enthusiastic Parents

[badly_knitted]

 


Title: Enthusiastic Parents
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: OFC Mrs Hughes, Jack, Ianto, Meriel.
Rating: G
Word Count: 608
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: The headmistress of Meriel’s school has never encountered more enthusiastic parents than Captain and Mr Harkness-Jones.
Written For: My Mini Summer Bingo Prompt ‘Summer Fair’ at fffc.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
 
 


 
Out of all the parents of children enrolled in her junior school, Mrs Hughes, the headmistress, had no doubt that Captain and Mr Harkness-Jones must qualify as the most enthusiastic participants in all of the school’s activities. Every parent-teacher night they’d be among the first there, eager to discuss their daughter’s achievements with her teachers.

 
Every concert or play Meriel was in, no matter how small a role she had, they’d be there in the audience, right in the front row if at all possible, applauding, cheering, filming her on their phones, looking like they might burst with pride, and the same was true of sports day. Whether their little girl came first, last, or somewhere in between, they’d be waiting at the finish line of all her races to congratulate her, or simply to hug her and praise her for trying her very best. If only more parents could be like them, thought Mrs Hughes. They were so encouraging and supportive, and they always had time for their daughter, yet despite the way they clearly doted on her, she wasn’t at all spoiled.

 
Meriel was a charming, friendly, and well-adjusted child, always willing to help the other children if they were struggling with something. She said her daddies had explained to her how important it was to help others, because not everyone was as lucky as she was. It was rare to find a child her age so willing to share her toys and snacks, and she was always ready to stand up for the smaller children, fearless and determined in the face of bullies.

 
Being so involved in their daughter’s life, the Harkness-Joneses were among the first to volunteer to help out with any fundraising events the school arranged, which could be a bit of a mixed blessing. Mr Harkness-Jones was an organisational genius, sorting everyone out so that anything he was involved in ran like clockwork. It was a shame the same couldn’t be said for his husband.
 

Captain Harkness-Jones was as charming as his daughter, but he could be a bit over-enthusiastic at times; when he got his teeth into a project he tended to get a bit carried away. He always had the best of intentions; it was just that his ideas didn’t always work out the way he intended them to. In some respects, he was rather like an overgrown child himself, equal parts exasperating and amusing. Nevertheless, Mrs Hughes would never think of refusing any help the couple offered; she understood and accepted that they came as a package deal, and anyway, despite sometimes being a bit of a disaster, the Captain had a good heart and he threw himself cheerfully into everything he did.

 
This year’s summer fair was the biggest they’d ever had, with a car boot sale, various stalls, pony rides and a merry-go-round for the kids, and a country dancing exhibition by some of the school’s pupils. Unfortunately, on the eve of the fair, one of the dancers broke his ankle and had to drop out, leaving young Meriel without a partner.
 

True to form, the Captain decided that wouldn’t do at all; Meriel had practiced so hard, and had been so looking forward to taking part! He couldn’t bear to see his little girl standing sadly off to the side watching all her classmates having fun, so much to everyone’s amusement, he happily took the boy’s place as his daughter’s dance partner, despite being twice the height of the other dancers. It had to said though, he put on a most entertaining performance, beaming in delight as he skipped and twirled. He never missed a step!
 

 
 
The End