A Dance of Life

60

"Anné, is that you?" dad's voice calls from the living room as I enter the house.

"Oui, Papa!" I shout back, locking the door behind me.

Okay, he's not going to want to be sad so don't particularly bring it up. Just let him know you appreciate him and you're here for him.

I shake my palms, regretting not carrying a coat as I prep myself. Nathan pops his head out of the dining door to my left, startling me a little.

"Where you been?"

I put a finger to my lips and motion for him to follow me away from the door and deeper into the dining.

"I went to see the Carvers'," I say, glancing back to make sure no one's listening.

"Oh," Nathan's face falls, "are you okay?"

"She's dead," I sigh. "I get that we all kinda knew but ... actually seeing them ..."

"Are you okay?" he repeats, running his hands up and down my arms, inching closer a little.

"Funny enough ... I'm not too bad. I had a good cry on the way home; the taxi driver was pretty worried, we had to stop a couple of times," I say with a nervous chuckle. "But really, it's my dad I haven't stopped thinking about. I know—"

"Anné?!"

"I'll be right there, dad, I'm talking to Nathan!"

Nathan cups my face, drawing my attention back. "What happened to your dad?"

"Huh? Oh, I just feel terrible thinking about how he must have suffered while I was gone," I tell him. "Seeing Richard ... he was so broken and, like you said, my dad literally built his life around my mom, and then she was just ... gone. And then I left as well."

"You know he's not mad at you, right?" he says softly.

"Yeah, I know. I just—I wish he would be sometimes," I shrug. "There's this guilt that kinda refusing to go."

He smiles sadly and taps my nose. "Parenting is a funny thing. His prodigal child returned, he could only be grateful."

I raise a brow as I think about the parable, a smirk on my lips. "Prodigal? On contrary, I was quite prudent with my spending." We share a laugh and I pull him as close as I can, my arms around his waist. "Thank you for being so easy to talk to."

"Anytime, babe," he replies, planting a kiss on my forehead. "You could talk to him about it; make sure there are no hard feelings deep down."

"Yeah, I'm just summoning up the guts," I say into his neck.

We're holding each other, Nathan rocking us slightly when the silence of the house finally registers.

I pull back, a frown on my face. "Wait. Where're the kids?"

"Lucas is at a sleepover with the other soccer boys and Diana is out with some friends."

"Wow, how wonderful it must be to have a social life," I laugh, deciding to sit down. "Does she have a curfew?"

"Annelise!"

"Yup, seven-thirty," he says, leaning on the wall separating the dining and kitchen.

"Huh, I remember having thirty minutes less," I smile, using the table to help me stand. "Well, let me go see what he wants before he screams his head off."

"Alright," he nods. "Tell your dad that dinner's almost ready."

"Yes, sir," I say, wiggling my fingers as I reenter the corridor.