Chapter 2: Chapter 2

“Love is cute when It’s new, but it’s more beautiful when it lasts.”

~~~

“Good morning Mom, Dad?” I plopped on a stool across my father and leaned on the kitchen counter.

“Morning,” they both chorused. Mom was busy preparing eggs for breakfast while Dad’s head, as usual, was deep in a newspaper.

“What’s news?”

“Well, life is just getting harder. Nothing new.” He shut the newspaper and dropped it between us.

“Please, go wake your sister from wonderland,” Mom recited the line she said to me every morning since I could remember.

Grudgingly, I jumped off the stool and made my way to Ashlie’s room. Having to wake her up each morning was draining because she wouldn’t budge from the bed unless you coerced her to. So I resorted to using different tactics depending on my mood and at times, the weather. It was a chilly cold morning and a smile etched my face as I pushed the door to her room open.

As was her norm, the duvet covered her entire body, including her head and I constantly wondered how she could breathe with her nose so deep in her blankets. Without uttering a word, I tugged the duvet off her, threw it over my shoulder, and made my way out.

“You’re the worst sister ever,” she threw at my back. I laughed, she didn’t mean it. She wasn’t a morning person and whoever messed with her sleep became immediate enemies with her.

“I love you too.” I winked, leaving the door ajar as I exited her room.

“Are you going somewhere?” Mom asked when I walked back in.

“Oh yes.” I placed the duvet on one seat and sat on the other. “I’m going to work.”

“On a Saturday?” Dad’s eyebrows rose, eyeing me with suspicion.

“I’m helping a friend out.” I picked my cup of coffee and took a couple of sips, trying as much as I could to evade the questioning looks they were giving me.

“What are you hiding?” He didn’t blink, his hazel brown eyes staring deep into mine. He was the no-nonsense overprotective kind of Dad, I supposed it came with his job.

“I’m not hiding anything.” When you have parents who police everything you do, you tend to keep stuff to yourself. I understood that it's what parents should do but it got overwhelming.

“Don’t lie to me, Shannon. I was twenty-two once upon a time and I know these behaviors all too well. Who is he?” He got off the stool, towering over me with his six-foot-tall height. I looked from him to Mom, swallowing hard as I dropped my gaze. I knew he would find out anyway so I said, “His name is Matthew.”

“How long have you been seeing each other?” I palmed my head, following him with my eyes as he walked to the fridge.

“About a month, but we’re not dating,” I defended. We’d only met twice after the party, barely having time to talk properly as we each had tight schedules. Our constant chats were what kept us going.

“It doesn’t matter, you should have told us. What if something were to happen to you? We don’t even know him and neither do you,” he scolded.

“I’m sorry.” He was right, I didn’t know much about Matthew. In this day of people going missing and getting murdered, one had to be prudent.

“When are we meeting him?” he asked, taking a bottle of water from the fridge and downing it in one go.

“Dad! Not so soon.” I leaned over the counter, pleading with my eyes.

“Oh yes so soon. In fact,” Mom started, poking her index finger twice on the kitchen counter. “We want him here for dinner, today.”

I signaled for Dad’s help but he shrugged. “You heard your mother.”

Defeated, I sank back into my seat. Knowing my father, dinner was going to be awkward. It was the second time bringing a guy home and he was sure going to give him a rough time.

“Alright, but on one condition.” I raised a finger. “I will gladly invite him over if you promise not to hound him with your detective questions.”

He cackled, his gaze shifting from Mom to me and saying, “Fine, I will try.”

He whispered something into Mom’s ear before walking towards me and pecking my forehead. “Don’t fret, we mean well.” He offered me a smile and I nodded in understanding, reciprocating his smile. Ashlie shuffled in at that moment, swiftly rubbing her sleep-deprived eyes.

“What did I tell you about staying in late?” Dad’s stern voice deterred her from taking any further steps. Her eyes softened like that of a helpless puppy, earning a grin from him. He pinched her cheek and murmured something that had her giggling in enthusiasm. He and Mom then exchanged their, ‘I love you’ accolades as she walked him to the door.

“Are you leaving now?” Mom asked when she trudged back in. I nodded, taking the last bite of my bacon before placing my plate in the sink.

“I want you to have this.” She squeezed pepper spray into my hand. “I just want you to be safe. In case of anything, call me or your father immediately.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue so I pocketed it and promised to watch my back. They worried too much but I didn’t blame them. From the type of cases my father tackled every day, their constant paranoia was warranted.

“I hope you’re not going to his house?”

“I’m not, I know better. We’re going to a restaurant so there's nothing to worry about.”

She marched to where I was seated and swaddled her hands around me. “That’s my girl. Off you go now.”

I hopped off the stool, smooched Ashlie’s cheek, and ambled out of the house. The street was a peaceful kind of quiet and I smiled to myself as I visualized my future. I always yearned to be a designer, studying for three years in the university but landing the right job had proven to be difficult so I opted to do the waitress job as I made plans to pursue my dreams.