When I wake up, I feel the sun shining down on me, but the weather is cold. I shiver. "It's beginning to become fall. Better find you another blanket in the closet." Dad says suddenly and make me sit up faster, frightened. He laughs. "Jumpy are we?" He asks jokingly.
"I guess." I mumble in response. My brain is swirling with tiredness that I feel my eyes dropping down again, but stop myself and stand up slowly.
"Get dressed, I'm making breakfast. Then I thought we'd go one a little boat ride today. Haven't done that in a while." He says. I almost immediately wake up at that, and race around my room to find a warmer sweatshirt and jeans. I run out of my room only minutes later without my cane and sit at the kitchen eagerly. I hear him laugh, and I know he is in a great mood this morning. I know he's also worried about Avery, but he cares about me too. He knows that I deeply care about Avery, and he wants me to feel better. I smile at that. He's always like this. Always being the best father I could ever ask for.
He cooks us both eggs and sausages with jellied toast, and we eat silently. I want to eat faster just to get to the docks outside and go with him, but I know I wouldn't feel good later on the boat, so I force myself to slow down.
Finally, we finish and I help him clean the dishes and pack up a quick lunch with sandwiches. We'll be out for a while, and I just can't wait. He knows just how important to me the water is and how it feels to touch it. He knows that it feels like home, and he loves that I love it.
I feel so excited to be on my father's boat again that I don't even notice Madilyn calling my name. "Ember, Madilyn is calling you." My father says, bringing me out of my trance. I look towards her voice, and smile sheepishly.
"Sorry. I was just excited. I didn't hear you." I say embarrassed. Madilyn laughs.
"It's alright. You guys going out on the boat?" She asks. My father nods, or at least I think he does because before I can answer her, she answers. "Cool! That sounds fun. I hope you have fun." I laugh. She sounds a little drained, but I love that she always has that attitude that she always sounds happy about something when she is really tired. I smile.
"Thanks. You want to join?" I ask her, but then feel foolish. She hates boats I remember. She giggles nervously.
"That's alright. I'll let you two catch up with each other. Knowing how long he was gone." She says, and I know she doesn't mean it to be rude, so I nod. My father was gone for more than a month, not telling me anything, letting me think he'd drowned. Now, he'd been back for a couple weeks and it made me happy to be with him again.
I hear as she starts to step away towards her cabin again. "Have fun!" She calls and I respond with a 'thanks, and you too.' I smile as I hear my father untying the boat's rope and getting the motor ready. He pats the metal bench and I immediately, but carefully climb into the boat as it tips towards the dock at my weight. He steps in too, and then pulls the rope in. He starts to paddle the boat out of the docks, and once we are within a safe area to start the motor he pulls the string to let it go. The boat lurches forwards, and I find myself laughing, and loving the missed feeling of the wind pulling my hair back and the water splashing onto me. I've missed the feeling of the small boat skipping happily across the waves, and the chilly water jumping onto my face, like it's trying to play with me. I smile more still, and I know my father is smiling too.
After a while, the boat slows to a better pace to put out the fishing net. I help him make sure it's tied properly and the whole net is in the water, then give him the thumbs up. I guess we do make a good team, and I think he loves it when he brings me with him to work.
"Alright, let's see how many fish we can gather this time around." He says and I nod happily. I love this part, and I always have. It's the most fun part: skipping through the water like hopscotch and bringing fish with us is the coolest thing. Its fun just to go fast through the lake and see how long it takes to get back to the docks with all the fish we get. I laugh hysterically as we jump through the lake and soon we return, and the boat slows. I help hall the net back up and feel just how heavy it is.
YOU ARE READING
Ariel's Daughter
Fantasy"I don't like it, but it's true." It's my dad's voice. Sad and full of guilt. I frown. He must feel horrible, but I realized yesterday, that I can't blame him for this turnout. It was my mother that kept me in the dark all this time. Dad was only th...
