Daffodil's Sunshine

Chapter 13 - Garden of Carnations

"Oh Irene. I have something for you," Erick called out. He had just come back from work, and behind his back, he held a giant stuffed elephant.

The entirety of the house smelled of sweet, cooked salmon and vegetables, as her mother had just come back from a trip to Spain and was making a homemade meal for them herself.

"Good afternoon, honey. How was work? And Mari, darling, could you pass me a pan from over there? I'll be steaming some broccoli along with this.."

"Of course."

From her room, Irene called out, "Coming!". Casper followed shortly after, smiling happily with his brand new camera hanging around his neck.

The little girl ran up to her dad, jumping up and down like an excited puppy.

"What did you get me, dad? I wanna see!"

"Not yet! First, a question, what is the fifth planet of the solar system?"

"Jupiter!"

"Which planet has longer months than years?"

"Mercury!"

"How long does it take to get to the moon?
"33 months!"

"That's my girl! Now, do you remember when you said that you wanted a giant pillow?"

Irene gasped. "Did you get me a new mattress?"

"Nope. I got you a stuffed elephant!"

With sparkling eyes, he handed her her brand new treasure, which she squeezed with all her might.

"Thank you, dad! I love it!"

"What are you gonna name it? Moon? Cherry?"

"I shall name her Panda!"

...

The softness never really went away. Irene was grateful for that.

Because the morning was cloudy from the snowstorm, no sunshine came through Irene's window.

It wouldn't have made much of a difference, anyway.

For the past three nights, she had been wrapped by her blanket every morning to have breakfast, refusing to go to the library to study. Today, however, the depressed look on her face was too obvious to ignore.

"Did you have a hard time sleeping again?"

She nodded.

Her brother patted her on the back in sympathy. "You know, when you're mad at someone you love, you can't sleep, and when you do manage, you end up having nightmares or sad dreams."

From the kitchen, Mari called out, "It's best if she doesn't think about Areum for a while. It's just a quarrel between friends. Nothing to worry much about."

"I have a reason to believe Areum is special," he pouted.

A knock came from the door.

"I'll go get it," Mari sighed. "Here's your breakfast."

Despite knowing very well that the food was properly seasoned, it was tasteless to Irene.

"Did you really mean that?"

"Hmm?"

"About Areum," Irene added. "There's a particular feeling I get when I'm around her. One too strong to be described as care for a friend...It's killing me inside."

Casper thought for a moment. "Maybe it's because you've been through things regular friends don't go through. You don't get to shop at the mall whenever you want. You don't leave her alone when she's sick. Those are things regular people do. But you're treating her in a special way."