My Favourite Part

12: friends and fathers

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND – 13:02

When we finally get back from shopping, I am properly exhausted. Leave it to Cara to make shopping for a trip feel like an extreme sport.

Somehow, the Uber driver is following us up her driveway, carrying about 6 more of her shopping bags than he's contractually required to, I'm sure, and Babe and I trail behind Caz with linked arms and tired soles.

When he passes us with hurried steps, Babe shoots me an incredulous look and I can only shake my head and laugh. If Cara had a superpower, it'd be bending men to her will, no matter their age. That, and the aggressive shopping thing.

Caz sighs contentedly as she trots up the steps and turns the key in the front door with a little boutique bag on her arm, looking like a smaller, more tanned Carrie Bradshaw.

"Thanks so much, Manny!" She says, smiling wide enough for all 3 of us. Manny all too eagerly places the bags at the foot of the stairs, tripping himself up slightly on all the string handles. When he finds his balance, he dusts off his jeans and beams,

"No problem a' all, ladies! I hope you had a good ride!"

"Aw, the best." Babe beams right back at him, and her pearly whites look friendly enough, but Caz and I know her dry, sarcastic tone too well. She's backing him towards the door with the unchanging smile on her face, and poor Manny doesn't realise he's being ousted. "I just wish we could give you more than 5 stars." She pouts with fake shy eyes, so believably that I almost fall for it. Caz sticks out her bottom lip too, nodding.

His cheeks colour and he looks at the ground, still unwittingly moving backward towards the open door, as Babe and Caz move closer.

"Heh, that's nice. My pleasure driving you around, really. Ha-have a good day, ladies!" He manages to blurt when he's finally stood back out on the door step, and the 3 of us wave as the heavy door shuts.

"What a cutie," Caz remarks, scrolling through her Instagram feed. "Hi Baba!" She calls, without looking up, up the spiralling staircase. The sound echoes through the large front room.

Her father, Adam, jogs down the marble stairs, and his face lights up when he sees us, although his face lights up at most things – he has the most adorable little smile.

"Hello, princess! Hi, girls, how are you, are you okay?" He's barefoot, but in a crisp white shirt and suit trousers, and from the slightly hushed tone of his voice, I suspect he was on a business call. Caz rolls her eyes at us facetiously,

"This guy – always working, ugh, I swear."

"Ah okay okay," he says once he gets to the bottom of the staircase, wrapping his arms around Caz's shoulders, "she spends all my money in one morning, but then she says I work too much. Mon dieu, I don't understand my daughter."

We laugh and Caz rolls her eyes again, prying him off of her and starting up the stairs,

"Ha-ha, t'es trop drôle. Baba, we're going to do homework, okay?"

He's back on the phone already, with a cupped hand over his earpiece, but he makes sure to listen and respond, as always,

"Ah okay, princess. Have fun, okay," turning to Babe and I he adds in a hushed but teasing voice, "make sure she's working and not texting her boyfriend."

"Baba!"

"I didn't say anything!" Although he adds a friendly wink in our direction when her back is turned. "Henry, give me one sec, okay?" He takes the earpiece out and covers holds it away before calling up the stairs,