Fear Can Turn To Love

Fear Can Turn To Love 17

"Christine."

"Daddy?"

"No, Christine. It's me, Erik. It's time to get up."

"Is Dad awake?" I question.

"No, he's not. Come on."

I sighed and moved from the bed and walked downstairs.

I sit down on the couch with him beside me. "Christine, I know your scared. There is no need to worry, this I promise you."

I lift up my finger, but not just any finger, my pinky finger.

"Promise" I whisper.

Erik looks down at my hand. "What's wrong with your finger? Are you hurt?"

I shake my head, "Erik, you mean to tell me, you don't know about a pinky promise."

"A pinky promise?" He questions.

"See," I take his hand and fold down all his fingers but his pinky, "you take your pinky and grab my pinky in yours." I then take his pinky, "When you pinky promise someone, it means that you can never go back on your word. You can't break a pinky promise."

Erik looks down at our pinkies, and says "I will never break any promises to you, pinky or not."

I smile at him and then I hear coughing upstairs.

"Daddy!" I yell as I jump off the counter and run upstairs to his room.

My father is still lying in bed, but he is trying to sit up. As soon as he sees me, tears start to swell up in his eyes.

"Christine, is that you? Is it that my little girl?"

Tears also swell up into my eyes as I run and embrace my father. "Yes," I tell him over and over, "yes, it's me."

"Oh, Honey, you don't know how long I've been waiting for you. I thought I would never see you again. I thought that you had-" Dad suddenly stops and looks behind me.

I know who he's looking at, he's the only other person in the house.

I step aside to let dad get a better look at Erik, he eyes him carefully.

Erik starts to introduce himself, "Hello, Mr. Daae, I'm Er-"

"Get out."