The Chautauqua Kids and The Fuddy Duddy Daddy

Pancake heard his Dad calling from the foot of the stairs, “Richard Austin. Lita Gail. It is time to get up!” Richard (known to just about everyone in Jackson Point as Pancake) groaned and covered his head with his baseball comforter. He loved it. Grandma and Grandpa gave it to him for Christmas. Somehow it made him feel better today, but he was not exactly sure why he needed to feel better. Pancake just knew that he was sleepy and not ready to get up. As usual, lots of thoughts started to roll around in his head. Richard was always thinking. “I wish Dad would not call everyone by their full name,” Richard thought. “He even calls Mom by hers--Carolina Mary. Everyone else calls her Carol.” Then he remembered what was wrong. It was Mom! Mom was gone. His heart sank. She left that morning on an early flight to visit his grandparents. Grandpa was having an operation, and Mom went to help Grandma. Pancake felt sick to his stomach. He missed Mom already, and he had not even had his breakfast yet. About then Richard’s sister Skippy came bouncing into his room in her usual good mood that never failed to make Richard mad. Skippy’s real name was Lita Gail. Pancake wished Skippy were not so cheerful in the mornings. He wished she would leave him alone. Especially today! “Skip,” he said, “it is gonna be terrible around here without Mom for a whole week, and I do not need you makin’ it worse.” It seemed as though nothing ever bothered Skippy. She was not even sad about Mom leaving. “Are you OK Pancake?” Skippy asked. “Sure, I am fine, but I wish Mom was here. Dad is so serious all the time. We are going to have a lousy week. It will be awful with Dad in charge,” Pancake complained. “Sounds like you are whining again to me,” said Skippy. “Why don’t you hurry up and come down to breakfast. Dad’s making your favorite—pancakes!” Skippy left the room singing as usual. That is why Mom nicknamed her Skippy, Pancake thought to himself. Lita Gail was always happy, and she skipped everywhere. At least that is what it seemed like to him. Richard liked the nicknames Mom gave them. She called him Pancake because that was his favorite food, and no matter how many he ate, he never tired of pancakes. Richard was thinking about Mom and how she sometimes called Dad by a nickname. She said Dad’s friends called him “Cotton” when he was a boy. She said Dad liked it. Pancake did not think he did. “Richard Austin Maxwell. Get down here now!” said Pancake’s dad in a loud I-mean-business voice. Pancake had his own secret nickname for Dad. As Richard dressed hurriedly for school, he thought about it again. What would Mom and Skippy think if they knew what he really wanted Dad’s nickname to be? Fuddy Duddy Daddy!