Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 64: Don't Score, Sigi

"Dad, stop it!" I complained feeling ashamed. "You're becoming a pest right now."

At that, Sigi raised an eyebrow. He seemed to be amused by my frustration expressed as a hockey-related comment.

"I must congratulate you, young man," my father said in awe, ignoring me completely. "Nobody has ever been able to dodge that bullet successfully."

"Which bullet?" Sigi asked, not getting it.

"She, saying she wants to break up, of course. Oh, you see, she's lethal at that," he added slyly and getting extremely confident. "Killed many guys' hopes with that. But you've survived it. It's a great achievement! I'm proud of you."

"Dad, please!" I wished he would shut up already.

"Have you got a job?" my father asked Sigi, not wasting a single second and not caring about being considered nosey.

"Yes, I have. I'm a bouncer at Amanita, the nightclub."

Which might close soon due to the boycott, I added mentally. We would soon see what would happen that night. They were due to open, as usual, but I worried about what might happen.

"Ah, yes. I've heard about it. The trendiest club for clones in Thalis. Nice," my father commented while examining Sigi from head to toe. When I noticed what he was doing, I wanted to dig a hole and die.

At that moment, Sigi had an aura of strong resolution all around him as if he had never had a single weakness. His broad shoulders seemed to be as strong as a steel beam, so unlike any of the guys I had ever met. His calloused hands told a story of hard work and long-term suffering, though. I couldn't take my eyes off his shining, wet, dark hair, with those nicely-shaved sideburns and that long fringe dancing over his serious facial features. I wondered what my father was thinking of Sigi.

"Besides that, you're Dawn's enforcer..." my father went on with satisfaction in his voice, "and you'll probably get awarded the MVP trophy at the end of the season, correct?"

"That remains to be seen," Sigi replied being modest.

"Many are betting on your success. I don't think you'll have a problem winning the MVP, Sigi. May I call you Sigi?" My father reacted with much more confidence, a more formal kind.

"Yes, Sir," Sigi replied with a warm smile.

"I believe the commentator is right. You've got a lot of potential. I'm sure you'll both win the MVP trophy and the League Cup this season. You're really good! So, hum... you're -what?- twenty-..."

"Twenty-four, Sir."

"Oh really?! When I was exactly his age,..." My father turned to me then, "I was already married and we already had got you, Daphne."

"Dad!!!" I was tired of him making me feel uncomfortable.

"What? I'm just implying that you're both old enough to get kids," he replied seriously. "I don't want you to hurry, though. I know I won't get to know my grandkids. Your grandparents didn't get to know you either, Daphne. My parents died when I was a kid, and your mother only had her father alive by the time we got married. He died shortly afterwards, sadly. And your grandmother, well, she..." He made a brief, uncomfortable pause. "She..."

I was saddened at the mere mention of my grandmother on my mother's side.

"What happened?" Sigi asked visibly unsure as to whether he should ask about it.

"She disappeared," my father answered with sadness. "Irina, my wife, was too young. She was only two years old when her mother left them. But she did remember some things about her."