Serendipity

Chapter 9. Change of Heart

Chapter Nine ~ Change of Heart

I woke up early the next morning because Dad was at it again. I heard his moans and Mrs. Samuels’ cries from the room next door. It didn’t take rocket science to figure it out. I waited until the noise died down and then, I went downstairs. Dad was making breakfast and Gretchen sat patiently on the sofa. 

“Good morning,” I greeted them. 

Gretchen stretched her red stained lips into a grin. “Hello there, Damien!” Her blonde hair was a tousled mess on top of her head which was shocking, considering she was such the well groomed person that she was. 

Dad added, “Gretchen and I were just discussing your paycheck.” 

I faked a smile. I highly doubted it. They didn’t mention me when they were blowing each other’s brains out. That, I was sure of. 

“Do you want breakfast, son?” Dad asked me, leaning on the kitchen counter, awaiting my response. 

“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll stop by the diner or something. Have a nice day, Mrs. Samuels.” 

She smiled in response. 

I headed out of the door with no hesitation at all. It really sickened me that Gretchen and Dad were having an affair. It was unprofessional of him. As I got into the mid-sized sedan, I decided that I would stop at the grocery store to stack up on things that we may need for the rest of the week. 

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In the grocery store, I grabbed food and coffee for the both of us, then I went over to the medicine aisle. It wasn’t like we were sick, but it helped to be prepared for all possible outcomes. Dad never thought of this. 

I never realized how hard it would be to shop for cold remedies. There were so many different kinds with so many different flavors. I overlooked all the options when a familiar male voice caught my attention. 

“Are you sick?” 

I looked over to the voice and saw Levi there, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He looked good, as always and it pained me to say that. I ignored him and picked up another bottle of cough syrup. I rotated it to look at the label and smiled when I saw that it was bubblegum flavored. 

“Seriously, are you sick?” 

I cocked a brow as I picked up another bottle, continuing to ignore him. 

“Oh, trust me. You don’t want that kind.” 

I fixed my attention on the bottle to see that it was the children’s kind. Annoyed, I placed the remedy in my cart. I turned in the opposite direction of Levi and began to leave when he jogged over to my side. 

“I doubt even you would want a bottle that’s leaking.” Levi reached into my cart and pulled out the bottle. Sure enough, red goo was dripping down the sides.