Peppermint

Chapter 6: Library

Chynna

When I was younger, I used to get up really early in the morning to spend time with my dad before he left for work. He would rise two or three hours before he had to leave, and relax in his office with a book and a cup of coffee, steaming hot in the same cracked red mug he'd had for years. I remember being eight or nine and crawling out of my bed in the dark hours of five a.m., finding my way towards his office by the golden light streaming through the crack in his door. He would always seem so excited to see me, and to me, those quiet morning moments with Dad were some of my best memories as a kid.

It had been years since I'd last done it, but on Monday when Dad was getting ready for his first day on the new Silverton job, I decided to resurrect the old tradition and pay him a little visit while he was having his morning coffee.

I started smelling the coffee while ascending the stairs, letting me know I was right on time. My footsteps alerted Dad to my presence, and when I made it to the landing, he was there waiting for me with a warm smile.

"You're joining me today?" he asked, speaking in hushed tones since Mom was still asleep in bed.

"Yeah. Like old times."

Except unlike old times, I actually drank coffee with him this time. As a kid, my beverage of choice for these little daddy-daughter sessions had been chocolate milk. But now I happily accepted the cup of coffee he offered me, of course adding some cream and sugar to it, my own personal preference. Then the two of us sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed a few moments of coffee-drinking silence before Dad spoke up first.

"The house is great, isn't it?"

I answered honestly. "Yeah, I love it. Especially my room."

"Yeah, to be honest, you and Toki have the best rooms in the whole house." He chuckled and took another sip. "By the way, something that you may be interested to know...the nearest library is only about a fifteen minute drive from here."

I smiled. He knew me so well. "Sweet. Maybe I'll see if Tokyo wants to go today."

We were quiet again for a few minutes, and then for some reason the house next door and the peculiar two boys living in it appeared in my mind and I found myself asking Dad, "Have you ever heard of a type of peppermint that grows year-round?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Not that I know of...I don't think such a thing exists. Why?"

"Well...when Toki and I were out walking around the neighborhood the other day, we ran into one of the boys that lives next door. He was carrying a bag of something—he said it was peppermint from Korea that grows all year. I just was wondering if you knew about it..."

"Huh. Interesting." But he said nothing more, and the topic quickly dropped.

After a few minutes during which the conversation lulled and the only thing that could be heard was the quiet slurping of coffee, Dad mentioned, "You know, I hear the state university in Casper, the next town up, is a really good school. Maybe you and Toki can look into it."

"Cool. Thanks, Dad. I'll check it out."

After he finished his coffee, he took the rest that was still in the coffee pot and poured it into his tall travel mug. He twisted the lid, finished packing his lunch, and then gave me a short kiss on my forehead before heading out for the day. I stood at the front door and watched him leave, waving as his truck rode out of sight. Once again I was conscious of the intense aroma of peppermint that swirled in the dewy morning air and filled my lungs. The smell reminded me of Kihyun, and of the fact that I still hadn't heard from him since that Saturday afternoon when he returned my notebook.