Loving Lakyn | ✓

[36] Bully Eden Day

L O V I N G
L A K Y N

THIS MORNING IS no average bland morning. This morning is where I have breakfast with my father. He returned home late last night and fortunately, I was fast asleep when he arrived. He did not bother to come upstairs and check, regardless of whether I was in a deep slumber or not.

So, I got up and I put on my neat skirt uniform, followed by buckling my heels and straightening my hair to perfection, placing a black headband on top of my head to keep the front pieces of my hair out of my eyes. I applied mascara and a dot of opalescent highlighter on the tip of my nose, giving it a button-like look.

I brushed my teeth and by then, Elaine had made my bed and insisted that father was downstairs waiting for me and that he is growing rather impatient.

I sent Eden a brief text, stating that I would be over to pick her up shortly before double-checking that all my sewing equipment was safely hidden, then I exited my room and dreadfully descended the stairs, taking longer than usual solely because my father's presence is suffocating and ever since the Ridgewood party, I have been nothing but breathless.

My heels tapped against the marbled tile as I entered the dining room where my father sat at the head of the table, looking as intimidating and irascible as ever in his dark grey suit and tie.

"Lilac." he nodded at me, putting the newspaper down on the table as I sat two seats down from him to the left, "I swear the editors hired for the Dayton Herald are not even qualified. The punctuation and grammar amongst these pages are absolutely disgraceful." father stated with the shake of his head.

I smiled, flattening my plaid skirt out as I shuffled in my seat, "Of course, father." I responded, trying to sound cheery.

Elaine walked into the room in the stereotypical black and white uniform, placing a plate of pancakes in front of me, decorated to perfection as fresh red strawberries lined the circumference of the fluffy pancake, a swirl of whipped cream in the center with a perfect amount of golden syrup drizzled across it.

The smell was heavenly and took me back to the past days. Better days. Well, none of my days have ever been better, but bearable more so.

My mother—like my father and I—cannot cook, but pancakes were one of the very few dishes of which she could successfully make.

Elaine placed the same exact dish in front of my father and he grabbed his fork and knife, preparing to dig in as did I, when he looked at me with a blank expression and I highly considered putting the utensils back down.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, but in reality, what was not wrong?

My father tilted his head, surprised that I actually questioned his usual judgmental stares for once, "You know, my secretary is not far from your age and she fits into a size six." he stated and I internally rolled my eyes, "She said that apple cider vinegar before each meal fastens your metabolism."

I looked at him with a tight smile before shoveling half of the pancake into my mouth at once, my taste buds exploding with wonder, "Really?" I feigned surprise, "And how is it that you know she is a size six, father?" I questioned, speaking in between chews.

He looked away in disgust, "Lilac Marie Hayes!" he gasped as though I had just committed a crime, "Did your manners and lady-likeness leave you in the time that I was gone? Goodness."

The volume of his voice turned up and I lost my confidence quickly, "Why is it that you believe I am unworthy of eating, father?" I asked him curiously, continuing to eat slowly.