Colors of Rain

Chapter 2: Best be left unseen

The sun shyly hid behind the clouds as the clock struck 6:00 am. Eliza had been awake two hours earlier to get ready for school. The house was now filled with the sound of sizzling and beating as she began to cook for breakfast and lunch. The scent of fried food must have traveled all the way to her father's room as the minute she set down the plates he was already standing by the kitchen island, his smile paired with glistening eyes. Roger always loved Eliza's cooking as it reminded him so much of Josephine. A carbon copy indeed. He waltzed his way into the kitchen and sat down on the chair scooting closer to the table. The smell of bacon and eggs was enough to make his mouth water but with pancakes and berries, his taste buds were dancing with excitement. He waited for Eliza to sit down before he poured maple syrup and began to eat. They mostly eat in silence but Roger fought through the deliciousness of his meal to stir a conversation with Eliza. It is the first day of school after all.

"So, today's the first day of school. You all set?" he asked biting on the bacon.

"Yes. Woke up two hours early to make sure I have everything I need," she replied which caused Roger to stop mid-bite. "Two hours?!" Eliza just gave him a confused look.

"Is there a problem with that?" It took Roger a few seconds to respond where he burst out laughing. Eliza just shrugged and continued to eat. Soon Roger's laughter died down wiping his tears. "I am so sorry, it's just that-" he sighed smiling "-you are really just like your mom. Very keen and anxious at the same time. Wasn't a nice habit but she made it work." he chuckled before eating what remained of his breakfast. Eliza didn't say anything but smiled instead and glanced up at the wooden owl clock placed on the countertop next to the coffee maker. Eliza stood up and picked up the dishes for her to wash. Turning on the faucet, Roger came behind her placing his hand on her shoulder "I'll do it. You go and get ready else you'll be late. We don't want to be late on our first day now, don't we?" Eliza hugged him in response.

She took her things from the living room and made her way back to the kitchen to get her lunch. She kissed Roger's cheek and bid him goodbye "Have fun! Stay away from trouble!" he shouted. He was shocked when he realized Eliza was still standing behind him carrying his plates that forgot to bring to the sink. "Dad I'm a professor, trouble should stay away from me," she said earning her a shy toothy grin from Roger. "Right. Got it."

"Oh dad, I made adobo for lunch by the way. Bye!" she said shutting the door behind her. Upon hearing the door shut, Roger, though he was now alone, tiptoed to the fridge. He opened it and could almost hear angels singing when his eyes caught the sight of the large container that held his favorite dish. He stopped himself from touching the container and closed the door slowly. As it shut he danced giddily across the kitchen whilst being careful not to hurt his leg.

After a few minutes of driving, Eliza finally arrived at the university. A little bit more about Eliza is that she's five foot four and most of the students towered over her. It's the first day of class so students had to be there early, especially freshmen, for the opening ceremony. She made her way inside and tried to look for the teacher's lounge hoping she might find Catherine. And as her luck would have it, Catherine appeared as she turned around the corner.

"Liz!" Catherine called out. She has blonde hair and was three inches taller than Eliza. They've been best friends since high school though Catherine was a few years ahead and quite older for about 6 years. She has blue eyes and was a bit tan. Catherine Clark is an Economics professor while Elizabeth was an Arts History professor. Both of them already have their doctorate degrees and were the type of teachers you can easily be friends with. Eliza was rather motherly and soft while Catherine, or CC for short, was the happy-go-lucky kind and was always full of life. CC was more like Eliza's protector and somewhat took the mother role as a friend. Whenever they are together, one could expect Eliza to rarely space out as it is hindered by CC's constant talking, which Eliza loves by the way. It "helps her from losing her sanity", as she would put it.