Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 31: My Mother's Dress

It was almost half past ten that night and I was about to leave home to go to Amanita.

I had to talk to Agape urgently about Momo and her delusions of grandeur, as well as the offer she made me about murdering the President. And what was most important: that I had seen a brand-new type of nanochip reader. The clones might have new tech to get to us, God knows how.

I was thinking about what to tell Agape and how when my father stopped me, right when I was about to open the front door.

"Where are you going?" he asked me casually, sticking his head out from the kitchen area to look at me.

"I'm meeting some friends," I replied casually, too.

"Those new friends you told me about? Or are they the old ones?"

To make sure I had a good cover story, I had told him that I had met a group of new friends. The old ones were the people from Old Sue's clearing, whom I didn't want to see anymore, frankly. Also, given the situation I was in, it was probably not highly recommended that I continued to meet with those people. They had properly functioning nanochips, like my father. It was hard enough to talk to him and have everything under control, so I couldn't even imagine how hard life could be if I had so many fully functional nanochips around me. Besides, they seemed to hate my interests and despise my friendship with them. I thought it would be best to stay away from them. Hence the excuse of the new group of friends whom my father would never meet.

"Yes, I'm meeting the new friends I've made, dad," I replied in the most casual way I could manage. "I'm taking Frankie. You don't need her, do you?"

I pretended to be in a hurry so as not to have to answer any further questions on his behalf, but my father was very insightful, so I couldn't escape from his grasp so easily.

"Not so fast, Daphne," he added, gesturing with his index finger to come towards him. "You're going out like this?"

"Like what, dad?" I asked confused.

I didn't know what he was referring to. Apparently, he had noticed how I was dressed, but women's fashion wasn't exactly his favourite topic of conversation. Notions of fashion and my father did not quite match. In fact, I was wearing black jeans, a light pastel pink halter top, and black ballerinas. It was the best-looking clothes I had, and considering I had to go to Amanita and the first customers would probably see me, I had to dress as neatly as possible.

"I've got something for you," he replied with tender eyes. "I've been meaning to give it to you for a long time, but I was waiting for the right moment."

The right moment? He took me to his bedroom, the only double room at home, and began to rummage inside his closet.

"You should have told me you were going out, Daphne," he added. "I hope you're not late."

"What are you looking for, dad?" I asked, crossing my arms. I was in a hurry to leave. "Can't you give it to me later?"

"Found it."

Then, he took a dress from my mother out of the closet. It was a pretty dress that I hadn't seen in a long time. I had always liked it. It was an electric blue short dress, plain, skin-tight, with two thick horizontal straps clinging to each arm. I liked it because it left the shoulders exposed and my mom had always looked amazing in it.

"Your mother had worn it on special occasions," he said with nostalgia.

"It was the best she had," I told him, but I wasn't sure about what he wanted. "Are you telling me to put it on to go out tonight?"

"Well, yes, darling."

"I'm gonna be late, dad!" I complained.

"It'll take you only a moment!" he insisted.