Cherished

| Chapter Nine |

| 6-13-19 |

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| Chapter Nine |

"So, how's it going with Cherish?" my father asked at dinner. I would have choked, had I not anticipated the question.

"I talked to her again today," I replied after a few second of awkward silence.

"About what?" my mother chimed in.

"I stood up for her," I answered, purposely leaving myself out of the equation. I did not need them to start worrying about me at school. Heaven knows they are occupied enough with finishing settling in.

"Was she there when you stepped in?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know until after the conversation."

"Good lad." I smiled at my father's remark. 

I knew he was praising me for doing that authentically and not for show. I wouldn't dream of faking it either. I had felt protective for Cherish. I wasn't sure why, but I did. I just couldn't stand hearing them go off about her. It made my blood boil.

"How is everything going with the job?" I asked, taking my mind off my anger. My parents didn't need to see me upset. That would only lead to questions I couldn't answer.

"Everything is great so far! I have this big project coming up, so I might end up staying later at the office," my father explained with a goofy grin on his face. I may have had my mom's smile, but my grin came from my dad. Both our mouths stretched a tad bit wide whenever we grinned. It showcased all our teeth.

"Same here. The CEO will be coming some time next week, so they need all hands on deck to finish projects and other minor details we may have missed," my mother added. I nodded silently.

"Well, I'll be catching up on the rest of my school work and brainstorming ways to get Cherish to open up," I added. I was met with my parents disapproving gazes.

"Il mio amore, that's not how it works," my mom began.

"Your mother is right, Dan. You can't force someone to open up. You need to let them do that on their own," my father added.

"I know, you guys are right. What I meant was that I'll brainstorm ways to make her more comfortable," I explained.

"Just be yourself, Dan. That's what you have been doing so far, sí?" my mother asked. I nodded and took another spoonful of food. "Then there is nothing for you to plan for, tesoro," she concluded before winking. I smiled in thanks.

We all then continued to eat in silence, offering small talks and jokes throughout. When we all finished, I helped my mom clear the table while my father went ahead and began washing the dishes. He then started humming to a song before my mother joined in, singing the lyrics. They began to harmonize, my father keeping the soprano and my mother adding alto. I joined in with tenor.

We sang as we cleaned, my mother drying and putting away the dishes, my father washing them, and me wiping down the counters with a wet cloth. Soon, my dad took a soapy serving spoon and used it as a microphone as he took over the song.

"Can you feel the love tonight?" he sang boisterously.

"The peace the evening brings?" my mother added in a tinkling tone.

"The world for once in perfect harmony," I followed up.

"With all its living things!" we all sang, breaking out into harmony. We then continued to sing one of Disney's well-known songs, bursting into laughter once it was done.