The Way We Burn

Four: Gigi

In my three days of running Kindling, it had been become clear that Sully's comments about my soon-to-be clientele were spot on. No matter what time of day it was, or how many customers were or were not present, nearly all of them had something to do with the fire department. Firefighters, EMTS, retired, or just gotten off shift, the walls were filled with the kind of men I'd grown up with all my life. I'd seen so many face that I hadn't seen since childhood and of course, everyone knew who my father was. They all seemed to know Sully too, so there would be no escaping him. Not that my brain would even let me. Even four days after that one, flirtation filled night, he hadn't left my thoughts, no matter how I hard I tried to banish him.

"Hey kiddo."

I jumped and spun on my heels when I heard my father's voice behind me. It was the early afternoon and we'd just opened, so the bar was quiet. There were a couple of retired firemen at the end of the counter that Becca was handling so I busied myself with inventory and random bar work, waiting for the evening rush.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted as my brows sank over my eyes in concern. "What're you doing here? Everything okay?"

"Sure, hon," my father responded with a. reassuring smile. "Just wondering if you had a couple minutes to chat with your old man?"

"O-of course," I stammered, suddenly overcome with nerves. It wasn't like my parents had never pulled me from what I was doing for a 'talk' before, and historically, it was rarely a good thing. I couldn't stop my brain from assuming that this would be more of the same. A bit hesitantly, I made eye contact with Becca and inclined my head toward the hall where my office was. "You alright?"

Becca giggled softly and motioned to the duo of retirees in front of her. "I think I can handle these two. You go ahead."

"Back in a bit." I set down the lists in my hand and led my father toward the back, my palms sweating the entire way. As I shut the door behind us, I took a deep breath, trying to ease the bubbling nerves that were surfacing. "Alright," I sighed, turning to face him. "Let me have it."

My dad's eyes narrowed on my worried expression. "What do you mean, Gal?"

I shrugged and shuffled on my feet, suddenly feeling like the 'too different' teenager I had been ten years ago. "I don't know. Usually, you and Mom pulling me aside isn't a good thing, so I kind of assumed..."

My dad's responding sigh was laced with regret. "Oh, my sweet Galena. It seems I have failed you."

I snapped to attention, my gaze wide and locked on his solemn face. "What? What do you mean?"

Dad sighed again and shook his head. "Sully has brought to my attention...'

I stiffened in confusion once again. "What? Sully? What does Sully have to do with anything?"

My father grinned and chuckled affectionately. "Just hold on, kiddo. Let me explain."

"Okay..." My brain was absolutely befuddled. Nothing about anything said since my father's entrance made one lick of sense, so whatever he had to say was probably going to be even more mind blowing.

"I stopped to see Sully this morning," my father began, "We started talking about you and your... adventures. Your mother had said that he was in here the other night, and I guess... I guess I just started voicing my concerns and Sully pointed out that I have been... completely unfair to you. You aren't your sisters, and that's perfectly alright, but I see now that I haven't made you feel that way."

"Daddy..."

My father held up a hand to stop me as he continued. "I see now that I've come off as judgmental, harsh, unsupportive, and that very much doesn't sit alright with me, Galena. I have been unfair to you, and I am sorry. You have always been... so brave, so strong in your convictions. So unapologetically you and as frustrating as it sometimes was when you were young, it was also beautiful to witness. You've always wanted something different for yourself and no matter the challenges, or even the awful mindset of others, you've stood by that. You've fought for it, and I should've told you how admirable that fact truly is."