11The Bear
The alarm went off and Brian threw himself into the shower to wake up before racing to get to Drew’s soccer game. There would be no extra sleep for the bear today. The park was only two miles from the house, and he got there just as the teams were taking the field, waving to Drew as his son assumed his position on defense.
He found Jen and the girls sitting on a blanket on the sideline and plopped himself down.
“Grrrrrrr!” growled Sara.
“Grrrrrr!” he growled back. Brian grabbed her and held her upside down over his head. She started to playfully scream. Kyra, sensing her sister needed some help, toddled over to them and started punching Brian, shouting, “Bad Bear!”
Brian put Sara down, gave Kyra a kiss on the head, and then leaned over to kiss Jen.
“A good night?” she asked.
“It was. Good money and learned a few things,” he responded. “So, I have a question for you. It might seem weird, but answer honestly.”
“Okay.”
“What’s my brand?”
“What do you mean? Like, what brands do you use?”
“No. I mean, if I am known for one thing and only one thing, the way Volvo is known for safety, what would it be? What word best describes my brand?”
Jen thought for a moment.
“Well, you are a good father. You are kind. Patient, most of the time. You are caring. You have a temper, though. Sometimes you can be a jerk. You leave the seat up a lot. One word? Really?”
“Yes, one word.”
“That’s hard.”
Sara ran across the blanket full steam into Brian’s back, knocking him forward. At four ...
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