Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Chapter 8 - Daddy's Surprise

"I was wondering if you were going to elaborate on the changes or if I was in the mood to pull teeth." Anna said with a sweet sarcasm. Her father laughed.

Anna smiled. I hate men, Anna thought. She was always paranoid that he could read her mind. Quickly she prayed that he couldn't. She had to bite her lip from laughing out loud. The guilt she was trying to talk herself out of was what was making her ramble on in her head. She glanced up and saw her father staring at her again. He wasn't going to win this time. She smiled wide and tilted her head. Colin returned a nervous smile.

By the look on his face, Anna had a feeling she didn't like what he was about to say. She chewed her brownie a little more aggressively. Colin raised an eyebrow and watched Anna take a sip of her juice needing something a bit stronger than water. She had started choking from the clumps of the dense cake stuck in her throat. Anna tried to stop her flow of thoughts fearing her expressions would belie them, and that would invite questioning. She had a feeling her father was avoiding something as well.

"First I have something for you." Colin got up and went into the foyer only to return with Anna's gift. Anna studied his features. His face was a pale grayish color below in the skin under his eyes. Anna noticed he also lost about ten pounds. Colin raised his hand that disappeared into an aqua explosion of tissue papers that were coming from a pink bag decorated with fur and crystals. It distracted Anna from the concerns she was about to express as the pink turned her brain into Princess mode.

"Thank you, Daddy." Anna said as she put her bag on the table.

"By the way, Harmony and I loved our Christmas gifts, though she took them as devotion to a pledge of marriage." Anna smiled when Colin coughed again. She knew it wasn't from a cold this time.

"I am glad you both loved them, but they came without strings attached." Colin laughed. "She has an identical gift to this one in the foyer. You can give it to her later. Pull the light purple box out first, because it was made especially for you. I hope you like it." Colin said. Anna knew her dad loved watching her open gifts. She giggled with delight. Anna opened the purple box and pulled out a small pink three-ounce glass bottle, filled with liquid and was topped with a small diamond studded silver Dragonfly. Annalina was scripted on the bottle.

"Is it perfume?" Anna exclaimed.

"Yes, your own scent. If you like it my friend will make more. It was made for your chemistry." Colin said proudly.

"Really, wow. That's why you needed strands of our hair and those Q-tips we put in our mouth a few months ago?"

"Yes. An engineering friend of mine has a wife who is a chemist in a perfume factory, you know Dora and Rob." Colin stated and continued when Anna nodded.

"They put their minds together and came up with specializing personal scents to people's chemistry. For them it is still in the experimental stages, which is why we got to try it out so easily."

Anna dabbed it behind her ear lobes and across her wrists. The scent of jasmine, sweet grass, and daisies drifted like a breeze to waft into her nostrils. She squealed with happiness and hugged her father.

"It is so perfect Daddy, thank you. I've never smelled anything more beautiful." Anna said inhaling the scent from her wrist. "I can't wait to tell Harmony. She thought you were making a small leather pouch with her clippings to put under your pillow, so you could sleep at night."

Colin laughed. "That girl definitely has an imagination. I'm glad you like it. My friends will love your feedback. Just make sure to let me know what Harmony thinks and I'll order more for the both of you." Colin said as he folded his hands in front of him satisfied.