herophine - Trouvaille

Chapter 21

Crosby, Liverpool - England, 2026

Josephine manages to get lamingtons. More or less.

When Hero told her yesterday night that Sofía's weakness is an australian dessert, Jo started looking like a crazy woman for a place where she could buy some. Unfortunately, it is not a very popular sweet there and the closest bakery is in Liverpool city, not in Crosby town.

However, back in her hotel bedroom, while trying to avoid calling her family to tell them she has a daughter, Josephine discovers one of the many advantages of globalization. Amazon will send her to the hotel, early in the morning, a premade bag with lamingtons' dough to impress her daughter. 

Therefore, the next morning Josephine shows up with her premade dough bag and a big smile on her face. Hero greets her with less enthusiasm.

- Gosh, it is barely seven in the morning, Josephine. 

But Jo immediately shows him the bag and Hero realizes, a bit irritated, that her smile is still contagious. So, he steps aside and lets her pass. Sofía is still sleeping, although in a few minutes she will have to come downstairs to start getting ready for preschool.

- Do you even know how to do that? - Hero asks.

- Not a clue. - Jo shrugs. - But it comes with the recipe. It can't be too difficut, can be?

Hero watches with amusement how Josephine fiddles around his kitchen, looking for the tools she needs to cook. Forty five minutes later, the kitchen is a real mess, Jo has dough on her hair and a small burnt on her finger. But, she got an impressive amount of six lamingtons. Hero tries not to laugh by seeing her proud smile, and he is about to tell her that she has dough on her hair, when they hear Sofía walking down the stairs.

Her father quickly checks what time it is. She woke up fifteen minutes earlier than expected, before Hero had to go upstairs to wake her up. When she enters, both adults glance at each other and hold their breaths.

- Good morning, daddy. - Sofía says. 

She runs to hug Hero ignoring Josephine, who sighs a bit disappointed.

- Good morning, baby girl. - He kisses her head. - Josephine made lamingtons for breakfast, Sofía. Because she knows how much you like them. - Hero doesn't want to find out why it is important to him that his daughter treats Jo well. He wants to believe that he is just looking for Sofía's wellness.

Sofía stares at the lamingtons on the table. Then stares at Josephine, who is leaning on the counter a bit sad. The little girl says nothing and sits on her chair. 

- I bet Sutton's mother doesn't know how to make lamingtos. - She states, before grabbing one and put it in her mouth.

Hero looks at Josephine right away to check if she heard that, and finds her with a smile on her face. 

It is a small step. A tiny one. Nevertheless, it is a step. 

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Hi, everyone!

A short but nice chapter. What are your thoughts? Have you noticed what the small step was?

Hope you are enjoying.

Thank you for your support!

PS: I need to clear out that I'm a bit confused about Sofía's school stage. She just turned 6 years, but I don't really know what school stage that age belongs to... The education system in my country is different. I might have written on the past chapters that she goes to nursery, but I think she should be going to Year 1. Never mind though, just keep in mind that she is 6 years old.