Status: A new chapter every day (:
Christmas and Wrapping Paper
Chapter 20
Briiiiiiiing briiiiiiiiiiing briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. I dived for the phone wondering who could possibly be calling at such an early hour. The sky was still tinted gray, the sun hadn't even come out yet, it was such a peculiar time to be calling. "Hello?" I was trying desperately to shake the slow drawl of sleep from my voice.
"Chris?" My dad's cool tone came out of the antique and my voice caught in my chest.
I knew I couldn't avoid him forever, but I was hoping and praying that I could shake him off my tail for a few more days. Even a few more hours would do, at least my head wouldn't be throbbing from just waking up.
But, of course, he knew my weakness was mornings, he had called this early on purpose, so he could catch me while my better judgement was away from me. He wanted an quick forgiveness without having to work it out of me.
Nuh huh, no way was he getting me back in his corner without having to work for it. He had insulted MY friends, who cares if they're orphans, certainly not me anymore, it doesn't mean there's something wrong with them.
"What do you want, dad?" My words came out harsh and I could just imagine his pained expression, his only child still bitter with him after all these days.
He toughed it out though. "I just wanted to ask you what you want for Christmas, Honey." No apology, that was a new one.
Fog clouded my mind, the clock said five o'clock. "Wrapping Paper." I stated matter-of-factly. It didn't even register in my mind that he had never met, let alone heard of Wrapping Paper.
"Excuse me?" Dad's voice was quizzical.
"Wrapping Paper." I repeated, groggily.
"Very well then. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and I crawled back into bed. I had forty-five minutes left of sleep before I had to go make breakfast.
***
Plates of scrambled eggs and bacon surrounded the table and the brats ate like they had been horribly deprived of food for weeks. Laughter and gossip was flung carelessly through the air.
Wrapping Paper sat across from me. Her wild tangle of frizzy brown hair had been neatly combed. It had taken me twenty minutes to get through it and about three broken combs later, I had the finished product.
She looked great, her hair fell in gentle waves and it was clipped back to show off her beautiful cocoa brown eyes. She was about as pretty as a girl her age could get. I was so happy that she was finally getting along with the other kids. For the first time, she actually looked happy.
The door bell rang and I stood to answer it. Clipedy clopping to the front door I threw a "Be right back." behind my shoulder.
I jerked the brown oak door open and my father stood there. His face was ashen gray and he looked like he hadn't had his morning coffee. "Daddy." Seeing him like this made all anger evaporate. By the bags under his eyes, I bet it's safe to say he hasn't slept very well in days.
"Oh, Honey!" He flung his arm, that wasn't full, around me.
"Come in, dad, you must be freezing." He stepped in gratefully and plopped down on the couch. He began to rifle through the big bag he had dropped on the ground.
He looked so hopeful and pulled out tube after tube of wrapping paper. "I got you wrapping paper, like you wanted." He was looking at me like a kid asking his mom for ice cream. He wanted to badly for me to approve.
"Oh, daddy!" I flung my arms around him. "That's not at all what I meant, but I appreciate the effort." He looked so relieved that I was talking to him that all the worry passed out of his eyes.
"What's going on?" A head peeped out of the kitchen and asked me. Wrapping Paper connected the dots as she looked between me and him. She understood that he was my father.
My dad stood and shook the snow out of his salt and pepper hair. "What's your name?"
"Wrapping Paper," she declared in the exact same way she had announced it to me.
I watched dad as it registered in his brain and he looked over at me, "Oh."
***
Dad had left awhile ago and when the bell rang I figured it was him again. I giddily ran to the door, all silly feuds between us were forgotten.
I pushed the door open greedily, excited to see my father again. Instead of him a woman in a fur coat stood there. I gave her one look up and down.
She had amber eyes...
"Chris?" My dad's cool tone came out of the antique and my voice caught in my chest.
I knew I couldn't avoid him forever, but I was hoping and praying that I could shake him off my tail for a few more days. Even a few more hours would do, at least my head wouldn't be throbbing from just waking up.
But, of course, he knew my weakness was mornings, he had called this early on purpose, so he could catch me while my better judgement was away from me. He wanted an quick forgiveness without having to work it out of me.
Nuh huh, no way was he getting me back in his corner without having to work for it. He had insulted MY friends, who cares if they're orphans, certainly not me anymore, it doesn't mean there's something wrong with them.
"What do you want, dad?" My words came out harsh and I could just imagine his pained expression, his only child still bitter with him after all these days.
He toughed it out though. "I just wanted to ask you what you want for Christmas, Honey." No apology, that was a new one.
Fog clouded my mind, the clock said five o'clock. "Wrapping Paper." I stated matter-of-factly. It didn't even register in my mind that he had never met, let alone heard of Wrapping Paper.
"Excuse me?" Dad's voice was quizzical.
"Wrapping Paper." I repeated, groggily.
"Very well then. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and I crawled back into bed. I had forty-five minutes left of sleep before I had to go make breakfast.
***
Plates of scrambled eggs and bacon surrounded the table and the brats ate like they had been horribly deprived of food for weeks. Laughter and gossip was flung carelessly through the air.
Wrapping Paper sat across from me. Her wild tangle of frizzy brown hair had been neatly combed. It had taken me twenty minutes to get through it and about three broken combs later, I had the finished product.
She looked great, her hair fell in gentle waves and it was clipped back to show off her beautiful cocoa brown eyes. She was about as pretty as a girl her age could get. I was so happy that she was finally getting along with the other kids. For the first time, she actually looked happy.
The door bell rang and I stood to answer it. Clipedy clopping to the front door I threw a "Be right back." behind my shoulder.
I jerked the brown oak door open and my father stood there. His face was ashen gray and he looked like he hadn't had his morning coffee. "Daddy." Seeing him like this made all anger evaporate. By the bags under his eyes, I bet it's safe to say he hasn't slept very well in days.
"Oh, Honey!" He flung his arm, that wasn't full, around me.
"Come in, dad, you must be freezing." He stepped in gratefully and plopped down on the couch. He began to rifle through the big bag he had dropped on the ground.
He looked so hopeful and pulled out tube after tube of wrapping paper. "I got you wrapping paper, like you wanted." He was looking at me like a kid asking his mom for ice cream. He wanted to badly for me to approve.
"Oh, daddy!" I flung my arms around him. "That's not at all what I meant, but I appreciate the effort." He looked so relieved that I was talking to him that all the worry passed out of his eyes.
"What's going on?" A head peeped out of the kitchen and asked me. Wrapping Paper connected the dots as she looked between me and him. She understood that he was my father.
My dad stood and shook the snow out of his salt and pepper hair. "What's your name?"
"Wrapping Paper," she declared in the exact same way she had announced it to me.
I watched dad as it registered in his brain and he looked over at me, "Oh."
***
Dad had left awhile ago and when the bell rang I figured it was him again. I giddily ran to the door, all silly feuds between us were forgotten.
I pushed the door open greedily, excited to see my father again. Instead of him a woman in a fur coat stood there. I gave her one look up and down.
She had amber eyes...
♠ ♠ ♠
Enjoy!~Regan :D