A man was in front of a grand piano.
He was a mature man, around thirty-five. Despite his age, he possessed a complexion that inspired greater youth. However, excluding the younger looking face, his actions and aura exuded maturity, from the straight posture he was sitting in to the way his hair was combed.
Then his fingers found the keys and the first notes sounded. He wasn't the most technical musician, but he was certainly one of the most talented. His hands spilled over the feeling lodged in her heart and his fingers flowed as if smoothing the finest of silks.
It didn't take long for the melody to flood the small room and sporadically the sounds slipped through the half-open windows capturing the attention of a few passersby below.
There was no disturbance in the environment and, therefore, that small noise did not escape the musician's ears. And while for that reason he was forced to stop playing, it wasn't something that pissed him off or made him lose concentration.
On the contrary,
When the noise stopped, the door had been opened a little way, and through the crack small, curious blue eyes were scanning the room.
The man had long since opened his arms and was looking fondly at that little pair.
When the figure finally laid eyes on the man, his features curved into an innocent, charming laugh, then the door was slammed open with a snap and in a flash the little girl crossed the hall towards the musician.
"Daddy!"
Without waiting for any response, she jumped into the man's embrace. The momentum threw him off balance, and, hugging her, they both fell straight to the ground. But her laugh and the musician's overflowing smile left no doubt that they didn't care much about the fall, if not, they were extremely happy.
"My princess! I didn't know you had already arrived." The musician tenderly caressed the girl's head as he looked for a better position to sit.
"I wanted to give you some important news! I finished Elementary School with the highest score in the class." The girl said with a pompous air and with an evident pride in her eyes, which, obviously, did not escape her father.
"My daughter is really smart, I'm looking forward to her graduation." The father finally got up off the ground with the daughter still clinging to his torso like a koala.
The girl was not very young and on the threshold of adolescence, which made the situation a little funny and even too childish. But what father would deny such a warm hug?
"Of course I am! Heheh." She smiled, rubbing her nose even more proudly than before after receiving her father's praise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your music..."
The man smiled at his daughter's shy expression. When he started playing, he usually got lost in his musical world as he incorporated the notes as if he were a reincarnation of his own, so he often gets annoyed when someone interrupts his process.
But obviously, his daughter would never be able to make him mad about it.
"No problem, I was almost done, what do you think about today so we go out to dinner your favorite food?"
The girl looked at him with expectant eyes, she loved food! It was the second thing she loved most, after of course her father.
He placed her gently on the floor as he wrapped his arms around the girl's shoulders and led her out of the hall.
It was a fact that the girl was an almost perfect blend of her father and mother. She inherited her mother's curly brown hair, but almost every feature of her face was similar to her father's, yet refined and feminine.
Aside from her hair, only those blue eyes and thin, proud nose were inherited from her mother.
And looking, even though it may seem strange, the features worked in perfect harmony composing a unique face that would be incredibly beautiful when it became more mature.
But her youth, instead of making her brim with carnal beauty, made her face look alive, refreshing, mischievous and even a little sarcastic.
And the father couldn't help but remember his wife at times, especially when they were young, besides her face, their daughter certainly inherited more than just her facial features.
That, remember the wife, now the man was a widower.
***
"That's it, a table for Percy and Dawn." Percy hooked up the phone as he gestured to a smiling Dawn in the corner of the room.
"Let's get ready, dinner will be soon, I've booked that favorite restaurant of yours."
As Dawn ran to the bathroom, Percy sat on the couch in the living room. On the side table he grabbed a picture of a woman holding a baby, fondly rubbing the edges of the frame as he smiled at the picture.
The brown haired woman was obviously his wife, holding their daughter. 'Lillian, our daughter has grown up, too bad you're not here to see how big she's gotten'.
Dawn watched everything out of the corner of her eye as she crossed the hall to the bathroom, she sighed and didn't go to comfort her father.
It wasn't an act of malice, this scene wasn't that uncommon and she knew he always preferred to be alone in these moments.
He was a great father, and she was sure he'd been an equally great husband. She didn't remember her mother exactly, but she was sure that she would have been great as a mother, even though she was her father's confidant, she didn't dare say certain things that were… girlish matters.
But Dawn never complained, her father never lacked affection, care or attention.
He paid for the best school he could for her and never missed the goods she wanted. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't solicitous, he even invented a point system that worked like money so she could go through the experience of having responsibility to achieve something.
Dawn also knew that if she asked nicely, he would always end up giving in to her, she never did, but knowing that was comforting and amusing at the same time.
He also always tried his best to respect her and give her space when she needed it, especially when she was having rebellious moments.
Dawn recognizes this, even if he is sometimes not the best at handling these situations. He was a perfect father, or nearly so, because she also never believed in perfection.
Sweeping those daydreams out of her head, Dawn headed for the bathroom, getting ready for what she imagined to be one of the best nights of the month.
***
"Dad, dinner was amazing!" An excited Dawn exclaimed, her face smeared with ice cream as she walked alongside a man in a suit who was Percy, her father. "Did you see? Those waitresses and women were looking at you the whole time, heheh."
He just shook his head, a little embarrassed, a little disdainful. Percy was very handsome and few people were around him, apart from his mature exterior and jovial face, he was kind and easy to talk to, along with the charisma he possessed when he was excited and his intelligence, Percy was a combo. of attraction in beauty, personality and intellectuality.
But he never let the advances go further, Dawn had already asked him why he didn't relate to anyone else. She thought it was out of respect for her mother and because he loved her so much at the time.
Yet she always thought he was still young so she could embark on other relationships and she would try her best to be kind and make her 'stepmother' feel well accepted.
But his answer to her was simple, he just hadn't found anyone to catch her eye. Not in an arrogant way, after all, he had a lot of friends despite not keeping in touch often. Also Lillian wasn't the anchor that kept him stuck or raised his standards to another level, after all, he always had those standards and they weren't high, he just aimed at things other than the external.
And Lillian was undoubtedly different in every way.
Dawn just gave up trying to tease him and held her hand.
Percy was a tall man, so even though his daughter was almost a teenager, when they were side-by-side they still naturally looked like father and daughters, so when they held hands it didn't look or necessarily feel awkward.
Another reason Dawn would never tell, she always felt safe holding her father's hands. She can't say exactly why, but since she was a child she always had this protective feeling. As if Percy was an unshakable mountain and a safe haven in every storm.
It must have probably come from her upbringing, he's always been there for her. But she had this feeling that it was something more, sometimes when she looked at him she could see something outstanding, like a figure looming over him. Something strong, protective, that oozed gentleness but was also sharp and relentless.
But that's how she loved him, he was a mixture of facets.
Just that some weren't for everyone.
***
It was a lighted street, but it was empty, Percy and Dawn lived near the restaurant and as they liked to spend time together observing the landscape, they decided to go and return on foot.
Overall it wasn't a problem and the streets were always busy, however, because of the muggy night they decided to walk along the beachfront and take a longer path enjoying the fresh wind and each other's company.
As Dawn excitedly told them about the school and future college plans she was already thinking about doing, they heard a husky voice reverberate behind them.
"What danger, an old man with a little child? This is definitely against the law…"
The two turned abruptly to see a tall, fat man along with two other people, they were wearing baggy, floral clothes, as if they had just walked off the beach.
"Hmm? It's okay, he's my f-"
Dawn had started to explain when Percy pulled her behind his back. He was smelling trouble, his senses were screaming, he didn't care either, the only thought that crossed his mind was to protect Dawn and create an opening for escape.
"Dad? He looks so old to me… I think we're going to have to take him to the police, come with us girl, before he does mean things to you."
"N-No, he's my father!" Dawn screamed while babbling, she understood about the 'bullies' and knew they wanted to bully her and her father, but it was the first time she had been in a similar situation and she was extremely nervous.
"Don't be like that, or something might happen to your dear daddy~" One of the men said in an amused and sickly tone, then took a step forward with his hands extended towards the girl.
Percy's senses exploded, and even though he was inexperienced, he grabbed the man's arm before shoving him back with twice the force making him fall to his feet.
"Motherfucker, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!" The man screamed as he was sprawled on the ground.
At that same instant the other two advanced with even worse smiles surrounding Percy as the other walked directly towards Dawn.
"DAD!" Dawn screamed desperately as she struggled against the man's hands.
"DAWN!" Percy roared, and in that burst of fury, he instinctively bent his knees and raised his fists in a quick gain that took both men by surprise.
But he only hit one, and the other, quickly recovered from the stupor. As Percy had almost never fought and was inexperienced, the move contained numerous glitches that dampened momentum and made the other just stagger.
With renewed bloodlust the two drew back their arm to gain momentum in a punch aimed at Percy's head, with a quick trigger the arms flew like a slingshot and Percy instinctively jerked his head to the side in time to avoid a punch and receive another in the face.
The force made her cheek scrape against her teeth, cutting into her gums and inner skin, her lips now red and moist. Percy looked around desperately for anything that might give Dawn a chance to escape.
"DAD! FATHER, DON'T HURT MY FATHER!" A tearful scream cut through the night and Dawn forcefully bit the arm of the man who was holding her around the waist and neck.
The man roared in pain and reflexively released his arms allowing Dawn to free herself from his grip and run to her father.
Opportunity came and looking down at the floor Percy found a rusty iron rafter bar.
Crouching down as fast as he could while taking kicks to the back and neck, he grabbed the bar and in a quick spin slammed his side into the head of one of the assailants.
Surprise made him stagger as he held the side of his face that was bleeding from the rebar mark.
Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed Dawn and ran as fast as he could with her on his lap.
"CATCH THIS SON OF A FUCK, DON'T LET HIM ALIVE!"
Percy could hear someone yelling behind him, he sure would have escaped with Dawn if she had been in any other condition, however, he was limping and his whole body was sore as he used every ounce of strength to get away from them.
"Dad, please hurry, they're getting close!" Dawn screamed, she was looking behind Percy's back as he carried her on his lap.
In fact, Percy didn't have an athletic build and wasn't used to this activity either, and soon the difference in distance was being bridged.
"My princess, do you trust me?" Percy asked with an affectionate smile that didn't fit the situation at all.
"Of course father..."Dawn exclaimed, something in her heart tasted bitter, as if she sensed that what he was going to say or do would be very bad.
"I'll hold them, see that alley? Run there and when I can I'll join you."
"Not at all, Dad! They are sure to kill you, let's run, now!" Dawn said as she tugged on her father's sleeves, her face going from desperate to tearful.
"My little one, you have to be strong now, I promise I will join you."
"Lies, that's a LIE!" Dawn said as she cried, her face was already red and covered in snot.
The footsteps were much closer, Percy grabbed Dawn and pushed her down an alley while turning around to buy as much time as possible. Surely some resident had already heard that mess and called the police, all he needed was time.
But when it turned into something that dashed all hope, one of the men, the fat one, who was already very close, took a silver object from his belt. A gun, the caliber was low, but certainly high enough to do some damage to his body.
In that moment there wasn't a moment of doubt or hesitation as he decided to give his life for his daughter's.
That being said, he ran towards the man to stop him.
*BANG*
The gunshot echoed in his ears.
Soon he felt his chest grow hot, incredibly hot as an ache spread through his nerves at dizzying speed towards every part of his body. But still resolute, he ran and hugged the man tightly, knocking him down and staining his clothes with blood.
*BANG*
Another shot, this one hit a vital spot. At that moment the world slowed down.
They say that a man close to death deserves at least a moment of peace.
And in that tiny second there was his greatest moment of lucidity. He smiled as he mentally caressed the image of his daughter and wife.
'Sorry love, I couldn't live much longer than you, but at least I was able to protect our daughter…'
'I hope she manages to do well without us both…'
An even greater silence embraced Percy as his vision went dark, his pulse slowed and his breathing shallower.
He heard footsteps, heard two more gunshots, and figured the police had finally arrived despite not hearing the siren, but also, at this point he didn't hear anything.
He felt a body touch his, he tried to capture that feeling of heat that soon faded and he mentally assumed it was one of the thugs who had been shot.
And in its last threads of life,
He felt a tender hand embrace his body and invade his compromised heart, he imagined it was a last delirium.
His life was gone.
And then Percy, musician, husband and beloved father, at age 35, died.