Half life

Old And New

***Next morning***

A soft but yet audible knock sounded on my door causing me to j******f and bringing an end to my sleep as I rolled off from my king sized bed.

Of course it was Dad at the doorway, no one else.

Unbolting the door, I moved sideways to give him access to my room but then he didn't move he just stood there donned in his white night robe.

"Good morning Dad" I greeted.

"Morning. How are you?"

He asked

"Fine" I muttered

"I hope you slept well and had a good rest?" He asked

"Sure… I did"

I cooed

"What about you?" I asked

"Yeah yeah I did" he replied rubbing the back of his palm with his right hand.

"Well I just wanted to check up on you. And I have. I can see you're good." Dad added, folding his arms across his chest.

"Ok Dad. Your girl is doing just great." I said smiling.

" Obviously I see so. And I'll be going out later in the day but I won't take long. I'm just going to handle some stuff and come back home right away." Dad said.

"Ok Dad" I answered

And with that, he headed for his own room while I stood there for a couple of seconds before shutting my door.

Walking towards my bed side I took a piece of paper towel and headed for the wash room

***Few minutes later***

Walking out of the washroom I plodded towards my bed and began to tuck the pink bedspreads into the bed properly.

Usually it was never my business to make my bed back then. Mum would only dress me up for school and then make the bed and tidy up my room after she'd have dropped me off at school and returned home.

That's not to say I'm a lazy dog that lies all day long. Mum taught me how to do house chores too like washing dishes and sweeping the floor.

Most times I'd insist I tidy up the house on weekends while mum focused on the laundry but that's not without her permission and strenuous supervision like an overzealous exams invigilator always ensuring I did the right thing as she would put me through on stuff she thinks I was finding difficult to carryout with love as we chat away though.

After I was done making the bed, I sat on the floor and staring at nothing in particular my eyes darted back and forth at the paintings on my wall just to chill boredom.

"Ouch" I winced in pain as my stomach growled.

It was obvious I needed breakfast right now but then Dad said he will be going out soon.

"Let me go downstairs and make something for breakfast real quick"

I soliloquized, to myself.

Standing up, I opted for the door and dashed towards the staircase in a rush as though I was possessed by a demon

But stopped on my tracks as I heard funny voices coming from the sitting room.

It looked like Dad was on a phone call with someone or probably we have a visitor as well

"But isn't it too early for that?" I asked rhetorically, visibly irritated.

I continued climbing down the stairs but at a steady and slow pace until I got close enough to have a full view of the sitting room then scanned through the entire sitting room to see if we truly had a visitor.

Of course the sitting room was quiet and lifeless as a graveyard with only music blasting softly from the speakers beside the TV at the background.

Stepping into the sitting room I saw Dad standing close to the dinning area, fully engrossed in his phone and punching meticulously away at his phone.

"The workaholic Dad" I remarked as I got closer enough for him to hear me

"My princess" Dad said fondly taking a quick glance at my direction then continued punching away.

I doubt if my dad really take breaks from work sometimes because I've never seen him do so. He's always busy with one project or the other.

He is just too passionate about work that he never considers his health too.

It's quite shocking to see him still away from work for days even when he knows I've fully recovered.

Probably it's because Mum is no longer here so he has to stay back. Back then whenever I feel ill only mum stayed back to nurse me until I've fully recuperated while Dad stayed busy with work as usual only muttering silly questions to me whenever he remembered I was ill or passed by.

''What are you doing?" I asked peering into his phone screen

"Nothing really. It's just a project I've to analyze before the presentation taking place later in the day" Dad replied, with his gaze still glued to his phone screen.

"Oh'' I muttered pulling at my white silky pyjamas.

"Yeah" He cooed

"Have you had breakfast?" Dad asked absentmindedly

''No" I answered

" But I came downstairs to prepare something" I added quietly

"What can you prepare for breakfast?" Dad asked in disbelief, making funny faces as he tried to control himself from laughing.

"I can fix bread and tea but I can also make scrambled eggs as well" I replied.

"Have you ever made scrambled eggs?" Dad asked still suppressing the laughter brewing up in his mouth.

"Many a time Dad.

I've made it

on several occasions and you've eaten the scrambled eggs I make several times." I said with sense of pride

"So you mean to say Mum allow you make scrambled eggs most times?" Dad asked turning his gaze to me

"Yeah and it's not a big deal. She actually taught me how to make them as well" I replied beaming with smiles

"Wow that's great. Never knew I had a chief chef at home all along." Dad muttered as he shifted his gaze back to his phone.

"Yeah"

"Fix the tea and bread then so we can have it for breakfast then Chef Amanda" Dad said sarcastically.

" Sure Sir. It will be ready in a minutes time so consider it done." I cooed mimicking a waiter at an eatery and we both shared a good laugh.

Heading for the kitchen I stole one last glance at Dad and shook my head in pity.

It obvious Mum's absence is affecting a whole lot of things in the house.

Who would have believed that Dad will have to stay up this long without having breakfast?

When mum was around she normally wakes up first and then start her day by preparing breakfast so we'd wake up to meet breakfast already set and then all we'd have to do was just to eat.

But look at us here right now with no one to fix us breakfast anymore only God knows how long we'd starve after this breakfast because lunch isn't certain yet.

Perhaps Dad missed only her cooking but I know I miss her company as well alot and really wish to see her just once again.

The kitchen looked quite unkept with piles of dirty plates and other utensils lying in the sink all covered in daints of oily sauce giving the kitchen a fowl smell.

It was perhaps all of Dad's products from yesterday's super chef cooking show.

A show that almost ruined my life yesterday with food poisoning.

"I'll have take care of this mess first myself or end up throwing up in the process of preparing this breakfast" I thought to myself as walked over to the sink at the right corner of the kitchen.

Taking out the dirty dishes out of the sink in set, I poured water into the sink and began to wash the dishes after adding detergent to it.

And in a few minutes time I was through with the dishes then gathered the dirts loitering around the kitchen and trashed them into the trashcan.

After lighting the burner, I placed the kettle on the burner after filling it with water for it to heat up.

When it had heated up a little I took it off the burner and emptied it into a glass jug and headed for the dinning area.

On reaching the dinning area, Dad was no longer standing there but lying on a sofa in the sitting room and watching TV.

"Dad here" I said placing a cup of coffee and some loaves of bread on the sette beside the sofa.

"So quick?" Dad asked in bewilderment

"Yeah. Told you I won't take long and I truly did" I replied grinning

" Wow you're the best thank you so much my princess" dad said as he motioned to sit upright.

I just looked on smiling.

"Wow. Taste really great" Dad bellowed wittingly in-between mouthful of loaves of bread.

''Thank you Dad" I muttered as I sank in to a leather seat close by to the sofa on which Dad was sleeping on.

''Where is yours?" Dad asked with concern written all over his face.

"There at the dinning table" I replied.

" Then why are you not eating?" Dad inquired

"Nothing really I just don't want to eat yet." I replied

"Why not now?" He asked

"Because I'm not yet hungry" I replied

"Ok" Dad said and paused to sip on his coffee

"I'll be going out once I'm done with my breakfast" Dad added while I nodded in affirmative.

**************

When Dad finished his breakfast he went upstairs while I sat down to rest a bit