Under Wings of Grace (Discontinued)

6 - A Whole New World

6 - A Whole New World

"Erin, come down here!" Mr Bishop yelled at the top of his lungs.

Robin flinched at the thunder in his tone, nearly dropping the coffee mug in her hands.

The little girl hustled down the stairs and into the living room. "Yes, Daddy?"

Robin craned her neck to watch.

Recently, Mr Bishop's quick temper began rearing its head. The way his shoulders stiffened and jaw went rigid was a clue that Robin took notice to. She studied Erin, remembering the fear her father had instilled in her at Erin's age.

"Dammit, Girl! Get your ass down the fucking stairs! Don't make me come up there or I swear to god you'll regret it!" her father yelled as he banged his fist on the wall.

Robin sprinted down the stairs and met her father's scarlet face. One shoulder of her rucksack was off her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm ready, I promise," her voice trailed at the end. Robin shrank back in fear when he slammed his barstool down while getting up. She could almost see the air steam from his ears.

"Just get your ass in the car, now," he said.

She nodded and bolted out the door.

The weight on the sofa shifted, snapping Robin back to present.

"You forgot to do the trash last night." His hands were on his hips.

"Sorry, Daddy. I'll do it right away."

"Good. I need to grab some stuff and get changed again." He spilt coffee on himself earlier. "And, I'm running short on time, so make me some eggs, alright."

"Ok."

The stairs squeaked under his feet as he walked up into the second level.

After deeming the coast clear, Robin shuffled into the kitchen. "You need any help?"

"Daddy usually likes two scrambled eggs with orange juice." Erin reached for the cooking pan from one of the cabinets near the stove. "After we make eggs, I'll do the trash, and then we should probably start on the laundry. Daddy hates it when he doesn't have clean clothes during the weekend." Erin hopped off from the stool to retrieve the eggs. She dragged the carton out from the fridge and cracked one egg against the pan.

"ERIN! Get your butt up here, now!"

Erin jumped, the shell and yolk tumbled into the bowl, but it seemed far from the girl's concern as she shot up the stairs.

Robin almost chased after her, but it wasn't her place to interfere with a father and daughter affair, remembering the last time someone meddled with her father in one of his fits.

Instead, she decided to finish the breakfast and began setting the table when Mr Bishop stomped down the stairs. Her nerves were on high alert. Something bad happened to that little girl, Robin was almost positive. She had heard Erin screaming and enormous thuds from above during the five minutes she spent alone downstairs. Every time the girl's lungs had let out a shriek, guilt rose through Robin's being. Her whole body jittered with anxiousness.

"Sorry about that, Erin just needed to be taught a lesson."

Robin nodded, unsure what to say to that. Whatever he meant by "taught a lesson," she didn't think it inferred something good. She itched for answers, but she dared not ask.

Mr Bishop plopped into the chair. "I assume Erin told you that today is laundry day, so make sure you separate white from darks and turn shirts with decals inside out." He bit into the toast Robin had made at the last-minute.