Significance of Sleep

Breakfast club

"Hey little Lou" my dad says cheerfully as I enter the Kitchen. He's been calling me Little Lou since I was about three, apparently at the time I resembled Cindy Lou Who from the grinch.    
    "Good Morning Mr. Grinch" slips its way out of my mouth as the french toast slides in.
    "So guys, I was thinking that maybe we can do something fun, you know the Three of us. Maybe go rock climbing at that new adventure park over in Redmond, go to the aquarium and try and come up with a fool-proof plan to kidnap the sea lions, or go rearrange Ms. McGees gnomes on her front lawn and really give her something to talk to the town about" my dad suggests with a sneaky grin on his face.
    "Those all sound like really cool ideas Mr. Callahan and I would love to but I've actually have to head out soon, I really gotta go home and pack before mama dukes kills me" says Bentley.
    "Yeah Dad, Bentleys going with his family to see Sarah off for college... they're taking a roadtrip to Cali and staying there for a few weeks while she gets settled before school starts. She's going to Berkeley" I explain.
    "What!? How come I didn't know about this? Yeah , I'd pick California over garden gnomes any day! You gunna catch some gnarly waves duuuude?" my dad jokes to Bentley in his sad attempt to sound like a surfer.
    "You didn't know because I didn't tell you. And please stop dad! You can't say 'gnarly waves dude' without sticking you tongue out and doing the hangs sign" I say in jest.
    We all bust out laughing instantaneously and for a moment I had forgotten that there was anything to be sad about. I know, and Bentley knows that I'm not happy that he won't be around for the best part of summer. But I am happy for the simple fact that he will be spending time with his family, which is much needed. This trip is kind of a last attempt to bring the family back together again since their falling out after his mom had lost the baby.
    "So, Bentley, how is Sarah these days? I haven't seen much of her lately" my dad asks.
    "She's had her head in the books for the last few months...and when it's not, she acts like she's got a stick up her ass - you know her, she has to be perfect" says Bentley.
    Oh god, Their conversation is about to go to a place I don't want to be. It's going to get deep - it always does with my dad. I take a few sips of my coffee before I excuse myself from the table. Their conversation continues and before I make it halfway down the hall I hear my dad mentioning something about "many different paths in life" and know that I've made a safe decision to leave. I reach my room and stop at the door. I stare at the line of black embossed pieces of wood that spell out the letters A-u-r-y-n. Every time I read my name I still don't believe it belongs to me. I say it out loud in my head, Auryn Annabelle Callahan. My father picked out my first name and his reasoning behind it is crazy but logical just like everything else. Auryn is the name of the medallion the Child-like empress gives to Atreyu in The Never Ending Story. As long as he's wearing it than nothing can do him any harm. So basically as long as I'm around, my father feels safe from all the dangerous creatures may be lurking out there. Well most of them at least, most of them except for my evil sorceress of a mother.
I sit down on the edge of my bed. It's not long before Bentley makes his way back to me. I knew he was annoyed at the fact that I left him alone with my father to listen to him ramble. But the truth is, my dad loves Bentley just as much as he loves me. He sees him as one of his own, as weird as that may sound considering the fact that we are dating. He allows Bentley to sleep over and even sleep in the same bed as me every Saturday night. The only reason he allows this is because he knows we're not having sex, nor have we ever. Yes, walking talking living proof that virgins still exist over the age of sixteen.