Good Grief.

3.Captain Jack Popsicle Sparrow!

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes. ~Gloria Taylor.

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THIS I SWEAR IS THE WORST CHAPTER EVER!!! TREAD LIGHTLY!!!

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"Coming!" I said, loud enough for my dad to hear. I then took my bookmark and placed it on the page I was on. Yes, I was still old school that way. I then hurried down the steps to the dining room. I would always be in the mood for food for as long as my dad roamed the face of the earth. He put Gordon Ramsay to shame and I'd tasted his food. Each time I had one of my dad's food in my mouth, it was a whole new experience. He made food look like freaking Louis Tomlinson. Every bite felt like I'd visited the planets and discovered that all the Greek mythical creatures lived in Jupiter and were worshipping your own gold made statue. Yes! It was that good. No sham.

I took my food and sat on the couch that was placed in the dining room just for me. Not that I was a spoilt rich brat, it was just that those darn wooden chairs were so uncomfortable. Anyone can testify to that.

"Bernice I need to tell you something." My dad said as soon as I had started chowing down my food.

"What about?" I said after chewing my food. Table manners, couch manners.

"The novel."

"Dad, I'll let you buy me the next novels I need. No need to grow grey hairs."

He chuckled slightly and said, "That's not it."

"I did not read 'Not Something You Wish For' if that's the problem. I promised you I would read the one in mum's point of view first. So no spoilers, I'm not pretending."

"Not that either sweetheart." He says softly.

"What is it then?"

"Your mum..." he says breaking slightly. "..there's a lot you don't know about her."

"I know that, precisely why I'm more interested in reading the novel. Find out her little dirty secrets." I say winking at my dad then we both laughed shortly.

"Bern, I think you can do without the knowledge. There are certain things that I'm sure you definitely don't wanna know."

I looked at him as if he'd grown another head and came right out with it, "Dad, I'll say this cause it's obvious, teenagers don't mind reading about sex, though I do mind since this one is my mum's but no need to remind me, I'm already dealing with the trauma and I'm not there yet."

Ladies and gentlemen, my dad, yes, father, looked at me and laughed the living daylights out of his lungs.

"Could you please not interrupt me again, if I start feeling all good I won't be able to finish this conversation. Okay?" He said smiling but you could tell now that he really wanted to get off his chest whatever it was that he wanted to say.

"Okay."

"I'll cut straight to the chase seeing as this will go nowhere if otherwise. Some of the things that your mum went through when she was younger, is utterly and completely dreadful. I'm not sure you'd wanna put yourself in that position. It'll screw you over, it'll consume your life. It'd have been better if it was some other random book based on fictional characters, but this is someone you relate with, blood, emotions and everything. If it were in myg power I'd completely stop you from reading it but I know that will just push you. Reading those scenes will make you grow years into your life, in just close to a week since I know you're a fast reader. Point is, I really want you to at least think if you'll be able to handle whatever emotions this book brings with it. You can put a hold to it and read other books while figuring it out. I know you're a strong girl just as your mother is, but you'll always be my little girl even when you're fifty. You're still my baby and I don't want to see you get hurt." My dad finishes, looking broken, a clear indication that this was really hard for him to talk about. I knew he didn't have to talk about it coz I had a slight inkling of what my mum's childhood was like based on where she was born but my dad had always been this way. He always felt like it was his obligation to prepare me for major life changers. Like when he was teaching me how to ride a bicycle when I was six. He'd given me a whole speech: 'so today we're going out on daughter dad time and I'll teach you how to ride a bicycle. You'll fall a couple times and we'll get home and nurse your injuries, go out tomorrow and that'll happen all over again and in no time you'll be better than me. Okay?' And he had asked if I was ready close to ten times before my mum threatened that she'd teach me herself. You'd think that would help but it kinda did. And he was already my dad, so I had to accept whatever came with the package.