Stand-In Dad

Late

It was finally Saturday, no reason to wake up so early. Of course, Will was up at his usual 5:30. He had his coffee, then decided around seven that his sister shouldn't be laying in the bed all morning. She would definitely be lured downstairs with food, though. He started on some pancakes, made from scratch like his father taught him. With buttermilk, of course.

He put a stack of three on two plates and dressed them with butter, syrup, and a little dollop of whipped cream, then he poured two glasses of milk. He went up to Reena's room. The door was open, allowing the light in the hallway to illuminate her sleeping form. She had rolled onto her side and was cuddling a big stuffed bear that she had won in a school raffle many years ago. He brushed her bangs out of her face and gently patted her shoulder.

"What is it, Will?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"I made fresh pancakes," he said, "with butter, syrup, and even some whipped cream."

She woke up a little more when he described breakfast, then sat up and followed him down to her seat at the table. "You want some coffee, too?" he asked her.

She nodded, a bit of syrup dripping drown her chin. He laughed as he handed her a mug. "You're making a mess."

He dampened a cloth and cleaned up her face. "Eat a little slower," he said, "the food won't disappear as fast."

She smiled and finished her food a tad bit slower, then drank her milk and placed her dishes in the sink. The two of them sipped on coffee and watched some morning news. When Will left for a moment to go to the bathroom, he noticed the channel had changed. His sister was watching one of those cartoons she liked. Nothing interesting was on the news, anyway.

He decided to do some more work, so he opened his laptop and sifted through emails before messing with his manuscripts some more. He realized the room was quiet and saw that the TV had been turned off. His sister was sitting on the couch playing on her GameBoy. He retured to his work.

Around nine or so, his sister's phone started to ring. She went upstairs and chatted with one of her little friends. "Can I go hang out with Charlee and Mari?" she asked.

"Where to? And how long?" he asked.

"They're gonna go to the park and rollerskate." she answered.

"Alright," he said, "but take your phone with you and be back before dinner."

She smiled and told them she was on her way. She hurried down the steps a few minutes later dressed and with her backpack on. "Bye, Will!" she said and ran out the door.

He had a very productive day, especially after lunch. He went to the basement to play the piano. He felt like he had practiced for around three hours, but when he looked at the clock, he was shocked to see it was ten o'clock. His sister was still out.

He went up to her room to see if she had come in quietly and he just hadn't noticed, but she was nowhere to be found. He called and called, then sent several texts. Where was she? It was now a little past eleven. He decided to give it a few more minutes before he called the police.

The sound of the door alerted him. His heart sank, what if this was an officer that had come to tell him his darling little sister had been found dead? Or she had been kidnapped and was being tortured in a shed somewhere? Or maybe someone delivering a ransom note, requiring his life savings or some dirty deed if he ever wanted to see her face again? What would he tell their father?

No, it was Reena, wide eyed as she tried desperately to avoid making a sound. William cleared his throat, making her jump and turn pale. She struggled to come up with something to say, but he stopped her with a deep, firm tone.