Pieces of the Past - [Danona] Book One ✓

10. completely candid

"Have you decided whether or not you're gonna let Katie travel abroad?" she asked, taking the warm mug of coffee between her hands and sipping it with glee. They had found a small family diner a few miles away from the cabin site. If they had been from around here, they would've guessed that everyone seated in the restaurant was one of the regulars. They all knew each other, passing around the newspaper while chatting about the weather and where the best fishing spots would be this time of year. 

It felt oddly like home. The scent of burnt coffee and strong maple syrup filled the air. The waitresses were joking around with the regulars who sat at the counter with their breakfast. The chefs would occasionally step outside of the kitchen in their stained white shirts, leaving to smoke a cigarette.

Everyone who was here belonged here. 

Both of them couldn't help but wonder how incredible that would feel. To know exactly where you belong and why. 

David sheepishly looked down at the booth seat he was in, picking at the peeling upholstery on the worn-down seats. "I think it's up to her at the end of the day. She'll be twenty soon, she won't be looking for my permission after that."

She stopped for a moment, her movements freezing like a little sliver of time had paused. He recognized this look — she was debating with herself. Probably weighing the pros and cons of whatever she was about to ask. "Can I ask you something?" 

"Shoot."

Averting her eyes out the window to her left, she battled to find the right words. "This might sound like a stupid question, but why are you so scared of her leaving? I know you said that some of your reasons felt selfish, but what are those reasons?" 

He let the question sit in his mind for a second, waiting for the answer to come to him. He had asked himself the same question ever since Katie had first brought it up to him. His mouth opened and closed a few times, right when he thought he had found a decent answer, it didn't feel right. 

"I'm so used to it being just me and her. Nineteen years and she hasn't left my side for more than a few days. It has always, since day one, just been the two of us. I guess... in some ways I'm afraid to be alone." the words coming out of his mouth felt so familiar. He hadn't said them verbatim before, but rather he recognized them from the back of his mind. 

Sitting in a sticky diner on the corner of the street at nine in the morning, talking about his biggest fears... the world worked in mysterious ways. 

"So," she pursed her lips, poking her fork at her plate. "You've never... had anyone else since Katie?"

He shook his head softly, almost as if there was shame in his answer. He had been on a date here and there, but he hadn't ever brought a woman home to meet his daughter. That was, of course, before she reentered his life. No, it was just him and Kate. That was his normalcy.