Relations With La Mafia [on hold]

4. Expect the Unexpected

I woke up to the sound of my alarm at 8:30, but decided to just stay in bed instead of going on my morning run. I was feeling more groggy than usual, probably due to the dehydration from crying all yesterday. I stared up at my ceiling while occasionally sipping water from my Hydroflask until I heard a knock on my door.

I probably should've saw this coming, its been a while since I'd talked to either of my parents since last night. I took a deep breath and told whoever to come in.

My dad peeked his head out of my door and said "Good morning baby, can I come in?"

I nodded slowly and watched as he walked onto by bed and gently sat down on the side closest to me.

"How are you feeling honey? I know last night was a lot." he asked softly.

Even though I had more time to process everything, I still was a puddle of emotions. I was confused, betrayed, sad, hurt, hopeful, anxious, and scared all at the same time. As I tried to give him an answer, I just couldn't begin to put words to this mix of emotions. When I tried again, my cat Robert decides to hop on my bed between us and cuddle as close to me as possible. He was basically asking to be scratched and his actions actually made it easier to give my dad a response.

I explained my mix of emotions to my father and the reasons for each emotion. I also mentioned the conversation I had with Estelle last night. He listened as I spoke and waited for me to finish before he replied,

"Nai you don't understand how sorry your mother and I are for causing you all this pain for so long. We thought that this was the best way for us to reconnect as a family again. Please Nai, just give it a year,  I promise we won't force you to stay any longer. You're free to come back to live here in Chicago, we know how much you love it here. I'm sure Estelle  would want to come back to her mom anyway." He said.

I looked at him confused when he said that last part, "Dad, I really doubt her mom is going to let her come with us."

A strange emotion appeared on his face before he smoothed it out quickly, not giving me a chance to pinpoint the emotion.

He quickly brushed it off and shrugged. Avoiding my eyes and started to pet Robert as well.

I scowled at his lack of explanation but eventually ignored it. Dads can be weird.

"So... California huh? What part?" I slowly asked, genuinely curious.

He perked up again at my question, "Honey, I really think you're gonna love it! It's an area between San Francisco and Oakland. We already bought the house and I think it's really going to be a nice change for all of us."

I slightly grinned as the enthusiasm oozed from his voice, even though I didn't know where the hell he was talking about. I don't know what Oakland is but I think I've seen a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. That's in San Francisco right?