Unlocking Wonderland

Biology vs. Sociology

“But I’m tired dad...” I groaned as he took another X-ray of me like he does every six months

“Just a little more patience sweetheart, I’m almost done...”

I shrugged trying to keep still.

“There!” he finally says.

I released the breath I was holding in as required for chest X-rays.

“About time...” I mumbled.

“Keyana you know why I do this right?” he asked after I put on my clothes and joined him in his office.

I slumped on the chair across his table, folded one leg against my chest and wrapped an arm around it.

“Cause you want to make sure that nothing’s broken and that there is no such thing as skeleton keys.”

“Right.” He grinned as he goes back to work.

I rolled my eyes, “Dad I’m fourteen, I think I’d know if I broke something and that a skeleton key is not a bone.”

He chuckles, “Apparently your funny bone seems to be missing today.”

“Made that, delivered that, owned that.” I reminded him. “Proud of it.”

I told him that joke when I was seven after showing me my first set of X- rays.

“You should be.” He plays along then continues with his work.

I stared at him for a moment and then I reached for the end of my hair and started to twirl it around my finger, I bit my lower lip- debating within me if I should tell him of that very thing that I knew would blow a gasket.

“Stop biting your lip Keyana, or else people might think you’ve been kissing someone.” He teased.

I sat up, did he just really made that joke? My over protective dad thought of me kissing someone?

I grabbed the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.

“Uhm, daddy...” I start- he was a sucker for “daddy favors”

“Yes sweetheart?”

“I was, uhm, well, I was wondering...” I continue.

“That’s not new.” He says, not once looking up at me from whatever he was working on, a grin on his lips.

“Yeah, well, this is.” I said.

With that he looked up and gave me a look. I fidgeted on my seat, wrapping my arms tighter around my leg, biting a bit harder on my lip.

“What’s wrong honey? Is everything alright in school?”

There! That was a perfect place to start, d*psh*t! I mentally whacked myself.

“Yeah, yeah it is...” I sat up now, a bit more excited than I should be.

“Well, what’s wrong then?” he asks again, this time setting down his pen on top of the papers he was signing or scribbling on. I don’t really know, he was always writing so, he was probably scribbling.

My dad was a biologist, no specialty. He just studies anything that catches his attention. He studies about the most impossible things and solves the science behind everything. And he was good at it too, naturally smart and wasn’t bad looking either. I looked like him, didn’t I? Or so he says.