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“Good morning, Vic.” Daddy was sitting across the table, a newspaper separating us. “How did you sleep?”
I swallowed the knot in my throat to prepare my response. I was nervous. The images from last night were still in my mind and I was trying hard to ignore the ache growing in my pelvis.
“I slept well.” I responded weakly.
Daddy peeked over his paper with a stern gaze.
“Thanks for asking, Dad.”
He smiled and resumed reading.
The interaction prompted my mother to turn around with an eyebrow raised.
“You two seem to be suddenly getting along fine. Did something happen overnight?” She laughed while my eyes widened.
I struggled to regain my composure and twisted anxiously in my chair. Was it time to go to work yet? I didn't want to spend much more time with the two of them in the same room. My mother set out the rest of our food and I chewed slowly, deliberately, pretending to be lost in thoughts of school rather than thoughts of hot sex covered in syrup and strawberries.
“When do you work today?”
“Noon.”
I sipped my juice nonchalantly.
“That sounds nice. I remember working weekends as a waitress and working all day. I got up with the sun and worked until it was nearly down.”
I twirled my pancakes. This was painful. Mom was about to go into another memory rant and I didn't have the patience to pay attention. I stood to clear my plate and washed it in the sink.
“You know, I think I'll change and head out early. They might need some help sorting books this morning. We had a pretty busy Saturday.” I wanted my sudden desire to leave to seem like a normal occurrence.
The excuse seemed to work just fine as my mother shrugged and Daddy nodded without looking up. He hadn't really looked at me much at all this morning. He'd spent his time mostly staring at the paper or looking up at my mother while she was talking. Was he ignoring me? I shook the thought from my head and went to my room to pull on khaki pants and a blue button down. I slipped into my black flats and gathered everything I'd need for work.
The only thing missing was my keys.
Panic swept over me and I swung around to look for them. They weren't on my desk like they usually were. It was then I recalled that Daddy had taken them the night before. A mixture of emotions gathered in my gut as I calmly composed myself to get ready to ask for them. I wasn't a child anymore. I didn't have to be afraid. As I headed to the door, I noticed them on the nightstand. Daddy must have placed them there when he poked his head in last night. I smiled and picked them up, rolling them over in my hands while looking at them fondly before leaving my room. I waved my goodbyes as I quickly retreated out the front door and into the fresh morning air.
Work didn't provide too much more of a comfort from home. Every page was a testament to my frustration. Home was distracting me which made it intensely difficult to focus on anything else. I nearly shelved several books incorrectly and kicked myself about a dozen times for small mistakes that I could have caught if I wasn't completely wrapped up in a fantasy. One of my co-workers, who was also a good friend, noticed my lack of concentration today.
“Hey, Vic. You alright? Something seems off.” It was Brad. He was a sweet guy with an unhealthy paranormal obsession. He frequently checked out anything dealing with the supernatural or with strange myths.
“I'm fine,” I responded with a carefree wave of my hand. “It's just a lazy Sunday.”
That seemed to be my typical response to most things that were distracting. “It's just a lazy day.” It didn't make sen
se, but people accepted it as fact, especially if you said it in the correct tone. I'd never say this to my boss which was why I was trying to shape up my attitude before she came poking her pointy nose around to see what we were accomplishing for the day.
“You know, we're all going out for dinner later. Do you want to come along?” Brad asked while shifting from one foot to the other.
“I'm not sure. I still have a paper to write before packing up my car to go back to my dorm tonight.” I examined a book that didn't exactly need examination.
“That's a shame.” He paused when Lillian approached.
“Yeah, that is a shame.” She chimed in. “Wait, what's a shame?”
I giggled. “Brad was saying you guys were all going out for dinner later and he was inviting me.”
“You're right. That is a shame.”
Brad playfully pushed Lillian's arm and she stuck her tongue out.
