Lea felt her world turn around at the sight of her father eating her food in peace and joy because that is what she always wanted and prayed for.
"Where did you get these from?" Landi asked, hovering his fork over the boiled legumes.
Lea's eyes left her food to look at her father. If she said that the question her dad asked was what she dreaded to answer ever since she knew he would come back that day was an understatement, she would be joking.
"I went to the abandoned house near the edge shift off the kingdom... "
"Lea! I told you to get your vegetables anywhere but not the edge shift" Landi said without hearing the complete statement of his daughter.
"Papa, it's no big deal, I passed through the guards and got as many legumes and carrots that can feed us for a week. Don't be afraid of my movements papa, because you thought me how to go through danger without a scratch" The British accent of Lea spoke out as she stared at her Dad with a set of puppy eyes which she knows she can use to get her father to give in.
Landi said nothing but sighed and shook his head with a smile widely pasted on his face.
"You have grown to the stage of a dependent woman, Lea. Your mother would have been proud" Landi said and Lea smiled wearily and tiredly at him.
"Get some rest, Papa. I will be off tomorrow again to look for something I can mix with the legumes to make a good dish" Lea said and Landi nodded.
He grabbed a dirty napkin which he use to wipe his mouth everytime he finished eating, and wiped his mouth with it. Lea then walked upto the side of Landi's seat, and stretched his hand across her shoulders. With the assistance of Lea, Landi got to his room and went to the bathroom to pee. During his time in the toilet, Lea laid his bed and after that, Lea assisted him to lay on his bed and she laid on him his blanket. She adjusted his head properly on the pillow on the bed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Goodnight Papa" she whispered, and what answered her were the lite snores of Landi.
Lea exited the room quietly, closing the creaking door behind her in peace. She sighed when she was completely out of the door post of the door. She sighed and smiled at herself, for a job well done for welcoming her dad in a warm way. The picture of her mum that was hanging alongside with her dad by her side caught her attention.
Lea smiled again and walked upto where the picture was hanging and pulled it off the nail and stared at it. She still had the mentality that it was her that killed her mum. It was her birth that brought the death of her mother, and that caused devastation and depression to arise greatly in her.
Of course, all children will think like that because of what had happened during their birth.
A tear dared to escape her eyes but she blinked it in and hanged the picture on the nail that is nailed to the wall and sighed in deeply.
Time to go to bed.
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EARLY IN THE MORNING BY SIX AM
"Papa, I shall be going out to gather some veggies and a little change if I can" Lea announced and her father came out of his room. She have never seen her father without a shirt and trouser, so she don't know how men muscular body looks like.
Some of the town's girls always teased her for her attitude of being not interested in men and that always touches her. She always felt like what she, as a girl, needed to know, was absent. Because her mother have never... And is still, never going to be there.
"Okay, Lea. Please be careful" Landi said and she waved and exited the house.
"Hello, boy" Lea whispered as she opened the lock of the chain they always use at night for their horses.
Lorn neighed and stumped his hoofs in excitement in seeing Lea. Lea patted and rubbed his back in a concern manner.
Lea got on his back and made sure they the basket she was going with was balanced.
"Okay Lorn, let's get going" the horse neighed again loudly and waited for their secret signal.
Lorn is a horse bought by her Dad when Lea was five. Lea was scared of it at first sight. But because of how little Lorn acted towards her until she was six, it made her to feel like the spirit of her mother in the horse. And from then on, Lorn and Lea grew upto be besties for seven years.
And now, Lea is eighteen years old, and Lorn is about twenty years old.
"Hiya!" Lea yelled and with speed, Lorn ran to the town's market in speed and in no time, the two were before other traders of the market.
Lea always dreamt of her mother being behind her on the horse as they rode to a destination they may have planned to go to. Her mother staring at her and cleaning her face because of the tears of joy that will emerge from her eyes because of the pride she will surely feel when she sees her daughter do some things that she (Lea's mum) always wanted to.
Lea got off the back of Lorn and leading him to where she would get some veggies, she came across her old town friend, Lamin.
"Lea!" he called.
Lea turned to face Lamin running from where he just got a pile of fish to where Lea stood.
"Lamin... " she called his name when he finally stood straight beside her.
"I saw your Dad yesterday. Is he back home?" he asked.
"He is sure back home" Lea said with a smile of relief.