"Where the hell have you been?" He asked her when they were in the living room. She was seated adjacent to him, hands tucked between the clothes she had changed into. His voice was menacing tonight, and the crooked wrinkles on his face made him look more ferocious. But the voice. If it had hands, they would have chocked the truth out of her in an instant. The one teenagers feared and hated at the same time. Ethan who was in the kitchen preparing dinner never bothered to contribute to the conversation.
"I was out!" she answered, rolling her eyes.
"Where? With who?"
"My friends."
"Stop lying to me young lady!" The father voice was bitter and cold.
"I'M NOT LYING!"
"Look, all I'm trying is just to be a perfect dad here Ingrid. I mean look at the time? And you're a girl. I cannot have anything bad happen to you and feel at peace."
"Why do you care? Why do you dad? If you really care then you wouldn't have left us!"
Sure enough, Ingrid was hurt that her father had abandoned them sometime back when they needed him most. Paul wouldn't want to bring up that conversation at any time because he knew it ended in tears for all the parties involved. That was a story for another day.
"Ingrid, look..." Paul started to calm her calm her down.
She yelled, her voice rising in pitch as she spoke. "Whatever happens to me that's my life? Stop interfering with it! You had a chance to be my father, and you blew it up! So just leave me alone!!!" How about that attitude?! She raced back to her room with a serious, angry face.
Ethan decided to leave the food on the stove to cook. He had been preparing meatballs and spaghetti. He headed for his sister's bedroom. He knocked at the door gently calling out her name softly as if he was attempting ASMR at her.
"Ingrid, Ingrid."
"What do you want?"
"I want to talk to you..."
"GO AWAY!" He heard her. Ethan took a deep breath. He knew how he could get to her. He just needed to be gentle.
"Please," he called out. There was a pin drop silence for a while before Ingrid's bedroom door creaked as it was being opened. By her. Ethan got in and sat by her computer desk. He wasn't sure when to start, but knew what to say."
"So you wanted to talk. Talk." Ingrid muttered her eyebrows raised.
"Look Ingrid, I know life has been so hard on us the previous years without dad but I know he had a reason for what he had done. He did not do the right thing that's for sure. I'm not judging but you lashing out at him like that, that wasn't okay you know?
"So you're here to continue the lecture huh?" She clucked her tongue as she shook her head.
"Okay I guess this won't go well..." Ethan muttered and Ingrid just looked at him. Teenage girls sure weren't a sip of gold tea.
"So you were out with your friends?" Ethan asked later on.
"Yes."
"Friends?" He drawled.
She raised brow. "Yes. Friends."
"Oh really? Don't you know that I was once your age? Come on little sister, tell me what his name is?"
"Huh? You really are an info seeker." Teased Ingrid. "First of all, I'm not little. I mean I'm a senior junior in high school. And yes I was out with a boy."
"Wow... so somebody's in love." Ethan mumbled playfully.
"No, no I'm not...It's just that I like him so much and, and that's all I care."
"Ingrid that's what being in love means."
"I know. I just can't let you know, you know?"
"I'm not dad. I'm not going to break you two apart. Things like these, just tell me. I'm all ears. So is he responsible? To himself and to you?"
"Yes, yes he is..." exclaimed Ingrid, unable to hide her white teeth. She bit her lips, her cheeks tinted red.
"Okay. You guys protect yourself, you know, like don't ever come back home pregnant or dad will kill you."
"I'm not a careless girl, Ethan and you know it!"
"Yeah I know. I just want you to be safe at what you do. Being in love is um... a desire you know. We always hope that we do not desire the wrong things. And that's why we care about you. That's what dad was trying to tell you. We know bad people exist out there and so we just have to take care of ourselves and each other."
"It's okay... I'm sorry I was harsh on him."
"I think we all know the person who needs to hear that apology."
She smiled a little. Her brother had somehow got her feeling that she had not done the right thing. "Okay... I will—''
"Kids!" They heard their father's voice call from the living room. "Dinner's ready."
"Did he just call us kids?" She inquired.
"Yes, as long as they are alive we will always be their kids."
They quickly walked downstairs to the dining room and found their mom who had just arrived from work. Ethan helped her set the table.
"Mom, how was your day?" asked Ethan."
"Well, the ups and downs, you know- but it turned out k'kay." replied Layla.
Ethan chuckled a bit." Mom come on, you have been gone for a whole day. Tell me how your day was." he told her. He looked at the living room. He saw Ingrid talking to his dad, some little gesture movements from his father and the two hugged each other. Paul then kissed Ingrid on her forehead. She always liked that. Ethan smiled a little bit. It was a happy family after all.
Ingrid and Paul walked into the dining room. They sat adjacent to each other at the table of six. Such a small happy family, huh?
"Okay I'll pray." Muttered Ingrid. After the sign of the cross, she continued. "Father in your name, we humble ourselves before this delicacy that you have presented to us this evening. Thank you for it and may you bless us with more for the many nights to come. Bless those who couldn't afford a meal today and shower them with your love. Amen"
"Amen." proclaimed the rest.
Ingrid quickly took a bite from the spaghetti. "Wow the food is amazing! So I guess boys can cook."
"Oh shut up!" mocked Ethan. Paul chuckled a little bit. Layla passed the bowl with the stew over to Ingrid. Some droplets of the stew landed on her lap.
"And girls can carry a bowl of soup— not." mocked Ethan. Everyone burst into laughter.
"This small family of ours… may the Lord bless us forever." said Layla.
Ethan finished. "Yeah we are the Purcells."
*******************
Way south of Lower Queen Anne, in Renton City- a suburb of Seattle, Lance walked up and down the living room of the Harpers mansion. It had been over three hours since he had gotten back home after finishing some school meetings with the students' body in relation to the upcoming graduation ceremony as well as visiting some friends and schoolmates. School was really over! It really was.
He paced up and down the large mansion he lived alone, his eyes constantly watching a phone on the edge of the armrest. It took about fifteen minutes before the phone rang and he ran to answer the call that he had been waiting for.
"Hello doctor." He started. "Is it ready?"
"Yes. I'll need you to come and get it." The other person answered from the other end answered.
"Okay. I have some time to the graduation day. I'll be coming then."
"And I'll be waiting."
"Fine bye."
And the call was over. Just like that.
He walked over to the myriad of picture frames that were displayed on one end of the living room. Among them were photos of his deceased parents and in another were him with them before they passed away. He had just joined the tenth grade when they died. Time sure does fly. One special frame grabbed his attention however. He grabbed it and looked at it longingly. It was a photo of him and Elena when they were still in high school. She was beautiful then as she was now, and that made him miss her even more. A warm smile formed on his face and his eyes stung.
"I don't know what happened between us Elena." He said. "I really have no idea. But you'll be mine again, one day. Through blood and sweat you'll be mine. Forgive me for what I'm about to do…"