Serendipity

Chapter 2. Irritation

Chapter Two ~ Irritation 

Dad didn’t come home that night, but when I woke up the next morning, he was back. His legs were propped up on the ottoman as he read the daily newspaper. 

“Hey,” I said weakly. 

“Hey son." He folded the newspaper in two and looked up at me, his eyes peering though his thick wide rimmed eyeglasses.  

“Where’d you get those?” I asked him, referring to the glasses. 

“The store,” he replied, “I figured I might want to change my appearance for once. You should try it.”  

I shuffled my feet to the nearest mirror that hung on the wall in the narrow foyer. I glanced back at my reflection in complete disgust. My jet black hair shot out in all directions, making it known that I had a rough night. My bright blue eyes stood out against my dark hair and pale skin. I would say that it was my only good feature. I haven’t looked in the mirror in weeks because my appearance was something that I never really worried about, until now.  

I turned to face my dad. “Are you saying you want me to get glasses?” 

“No,” Dad scoffed, “you’ve had hair like that since you were a kid. Change it, for once. There’s a barber shop not too far from here. It’s walking distance. You can get yourself a nice hair cut.”  

I made a mental note to get a hair cut later. Speaking of mental notes.. “Hey Dad?”  

He raised his head in my direction but didn’t remove his eyes from the newspaper he was currently reading.  

“I went down to the beach yesterday, like you said. I met a girl there, we talked for a little while and she told me about this rich family that live at the edge of town. The Samuels.”  

This immediately caught Dad’s attention. He folded the newspaper and placed it down beside him, turning his full attention to me. “A rich family, you say?”  

“Apparently, they’re loaded.” 

“Find out more about them." 

“How am I-”  

“Son, we’ve done this for years. You know how to do it.”  

I nodded. “Where were you last night?” 

“I was gathering my research on this town and talking to a few of the founding members,” he said simply. 

I watched him skeptically. Researching information like that wouldn’t have taken him all night. “And what else?” I asked him. 

He laughed and rolled his eyes at me. “I met a girl.” 

“What’s her name?” 

“Susan? No no, Sally. Nice girl. Very sweet.” 

“Girl?” I questioned. 

“Woman.” 

I stifled a laugh. “So in other terms, you slept with her.” 

He was silent for a moment before he brought his eyes to mine and broke out in laughter. “The ladies can’t resist these looks, son.” 

I found myself laughing along too. I wasn’t going to lie. My father was a much more attractive version of myself. He had similar bright blue eyes but his hair was a lighter color and it was styled nicely. He always managed to look handsome.  

Dad gave me a huge grin. “There’s a hundred in my wallet,” he informed me, “go out and get yourself a nice do.” 

“Sure,” I agreed. I got the money from his wallet on the kitchen counter, grabbed the car keys, and headed for the door.