average human’s Reviews > Flourishing Heart > Status Update

Slowly squinting them open, I tried to locate the sound, only to find Father standing over me with a blank expression.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you sleeping?” He was holding a red horn in his right hand. Already in his full business casual attire and completely unaffected by the scare he had given me.
“What?” It felt far too early to question things when I was still blinking against the bright light. “What time is it?”
“Eleven. I have no idea why you decided to sleep on our living room couch while you have a perfectly good bed in your room, Grace.” Father stated, still peering down at me.
Pain still lingered behind my eyes. I was indeed sprawled on one of the living room couches. I peeled my skin off the sticky leather fabric as I tried to keep the world from not tilting.
“You stink of booze and smoke.” Father stated with a crinkle of his nose.
“I’m surprised you know what that would smell like.” Da said as he came into the living room with two cups of coffee. He knew what I needed as he passed me a small cup.
“I live with you, don’t I?” Father muttered snidely, making me smile behind my mug. Their conversations were always an amusement to me.
“Touché,” Da muttered before taking a sip of the hot brew next to me.
“Why do we even have an air horn?” I finally questioned Father in dismay. I tilted my head but instantly regretted it. I groaned at how it felt like my heart was now taking up residence in my head.
“A present from one of my father’s during our baby shower with you. He believed I would use it one day.” He looked at the horn with indifference, reading the label at the back of the can.
One of Father’s dads used to be in the military, which caused Father to grow up in a strict household with an overbearing number of rules which I believed had shaped him into the man he is today.
“Here I thought he would never use the thing.” Da spoke as he gave me a nudge, “Look how pleased he is at using it.” Even with Father’s lack of emotion, you could see the tiny creases at the corner of his eyes. He was most definitely pleased.
“I suffered from the air horn a few times in my adolescence, and it does bring me a slight joy to bring it onto my own offspring,” Father said in a matter of fact type of tone.
“The circle of life.” Da hummed, then turned to me with a playful grin. “My ma’s used to throw water on me to get me out of my pit. I can’t wait.”
I mumbled profanities into my mug, knowing full well they wouldn’t hear me. It seemed my first party had obviously given me a new boost of teenage attitude that I developed overnight.
“You promised that you would go to the mall with your mother. She has been waiting patiently for you to get up.”
Ah no! I thought, jumping up from the couch. I immediately stilled my movement as my head stabbed with tiny daggers behind my eyes. Sharp, on point with an everlasting ache that I doubted I would ever recover from.
Father offered me no sympathy as he walked to the kitchen, followed by Da, who was grinning at me while muttering “To be young again.”
Grumbling, I made my way to my bedroom to shower and change. The cool jet helped my body not feel grim, but my head still pounded to its own bass music. I was quick to wash and get changed before Daddy came knocking on my door with a glass of water and two pain relief pills.
“I’ve also made you a sandwich to eat in the car.” He spoke with such care as he took over brushing my wet hair like he did when I was younger.
“You are my favourite,” I said before drinking the water down after swallowing the pills.
Daddy chuffed, and I could feel his eyes roll from behind me. “Did your friend make it home okay?” He asked suddenly, causing me to pause.
Oh no! I thought as I raced to my bag that I left in the front door entrance.
I cringed at the number of texts and missed calls from Julia throughout the night. I had completely forgotten about her after Vincent’s reassured me he would tell her.
I still should have messaged her, I thought mentally kicking myself.

Julia:WHERE DID U GO??
I CAN’T FIND U
ANSWER YR PHONE!
VINCENT JUST TOLD ME HE TOOK YOU HOME! GEEZ GIRL, GIVE ME A HEADS UP IN THE FUTURE!

I sent back multiple texts profusely apologizing for not telling her. It wasn’t long till my phone rang with Julia’s name on the screen.
“I’m so sorry, Grace! If I had known you didn’t like it, I would have left with you!” Julia babbled. The sounds of cars muffled her voice slightly. She even sounded a little winded.
“What? Why are you apologizing? I didn’t want to leave. Vincent basically kicked me out.” A sour taste came back in my mouth at just the sheer thought of him.
“He told me you didn’t like the party, so he took you home.”
Oh, he did not! I thought as Julia rambled on about what I’d missed out on. I felt like a sour grape and was heading towards being a lemon from Julia’s following words that pulled me out of my thinking.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the little bit you experienced. But, Vincent said, you wouldn’t appreciate being forced to go out like that again.” Julia sounded sad like I’d kicked an animal in front of her.
“He said what?” My own voice was raised as my fury burned.
The audacity of him! The nerve to say things that weren’t true!
“Julia, what he said is not true. I have no idea where he got that idea from, but I would love to go out again.”
And I wouldn’t let Vincent intimidate me if he was there next time.
“God, good! I felt like I was a bad friend or something! I felt so awful!”
“No! Julia don’t be. Vincent is making things up that aren’t true,” I said, reassuring her, but Mother stood in front of me dangling her car keys while Father tapped his wristwatch.
“I’ve got to go, Julia, but I promise you I had a good time.”
“Okay! But promise to call me later- I have so much gossip to tell you.”
Of course she has, I thought with a laugh.
“Have fun today!” Papa called out from the back of the house. He had recently taken one of the offices on the ground floor for projects he was working on.
Da was hovering again, and when I caught his glance, he gave me a sheepish smile. Something was going on, a hidden thing that was closing in on us, and I didn’t like it.
“You okay, Da?” I asked, feeling uneasy as I stopped walking to the car where Mother was already in the driver’s seat.
“Me? Yeah- of course, I am.” His smile looked forced now. “Just remember something for me, Kiddo.”
“What?” My voice sounded croaked, forceful and tight. It sure felt something was coming.
“That I was young once too, I’ve made mistakes along with everyone else.”
Why was he telling me this?
“Are you…Are you leaving again?” I asked, feeling my mouth turning dry. My head wasn’t appreciating my slight panic as it pulsed with a tormenting ache.
“No, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you get back.” He looked so sure of that statement, but I dreaded deep within the thought. What if he wasn’t here when we got back?
I had an urge not to go.
Sensing my hesitation, he pushed me towards the car where Mother was waiting. “Go, have fun. Make us go bankrupt.”
I laughed, feeling slightly at ease at his joke, allowing me to get in my mother’s car to start our day out together. Daddy was quick to hand me a bottle of water before Mother turned the car on, driving off with a sad looking Da in the driveway.
My skin prickled, making me rub my throat to smooth it away. I opened my bottle of water to soothe my dry mouth and throat.
“You had a nice night?” Mother asked with a knowing smile, “I heard you come back far earlier than I thought you would.”
I tried to hold my grimace and my voice light. “I did. It was louder than I expected.”
Mother gave a musical chuckle, “Your Da and I went to a fair share of parties. I expect you still have the beat of the music in your head.”
“Will it ever go?” I asked, feeling desperate as my head continued to pulse.
She smiled wider, her complete focus on the road, “It will.”
I grumbled under my breath before continuing to sip from the water bottle, hoping the pain pills would kick in soon.
The mall was located in between the two small towns. It was out of the way, but it still had an impact on our new hometown. Only local stores were at the strip road, not any of those franchises you would see in the city and mall like we were heading towards.
I haven’t had a chance to go to the mall yet, as Da had a strong opinion on helping the local stores and restaurants in town. And while Julia, Hannah and Kristina wanted a girl’s day out we hadn’t been able to schedule a date yet.
“I thought we could have a coffee at this café I used to go to before we explore.” Her tone had a longing as she parked and got out of the car.
“Sure,” I said, feeling the high heat of the summer. But, of course, it didn’t help how I felt at all, and I longed for a cool drink.
“I looked online to see if it was still here and was happy to see it still running,” Mother said as we walked to one of the mall entrances.
There were many more people on the inside than I first thought as my mother led the way. Thank god for the air conditioning. Otherwise, the air would fill with the thick heat of people. But the whoosh of cold air was a bliss, washing over me, sending cold goosebumps along my arms.
We came to a café called The Coffee Hut.
“It’s crazy how things change so quickly but it feels the exact same.” Mother spoke as she took in the little café. It was currently half full. Its atmosphere filled with the strong, comforting smell of grounded coffee beans. It held an effortless tone of calm with the sound of people softly speaking between themselves and the light tapping of laptops keys. We were quick to order and receive them, her coffee with a dose of cream and me, an iced tea.
“I came here a lot when I was your age.” Mother said as we sat down in the soft leather booth. Her eyes trailed around at the people around us with a hidden smile. “Your Da hated this place when I came here to study. I always found it like my own sanctuary. Da would often say I came here to hide.′ She looked down with a slight frown. “Perhaps that was true.” She looked off, saddened at the memories I felt she was reliving.
I felt the questions on the tip of my tongue. The feeling of something hovering over my family was just within reach, and it looked like Mother was going to finally tell me the reason for that dark cloud over all of us.
“Why would you want to hide?” I finally asked. My self-control had fallen to my curiosity.
Mother jolted from her thoughts, her body snapping upright as her hand cupped the hot mug filled to the brim. Her eyes took that defensive look that she would often hold when I’d asked questions before, but she quickly slumped her shoulders, and the corner of her eyes softened as she took me in.
Clearing her throat, she took a small sip of her coffee before she spoke, “Da and I have spoken, and we think it’s best to tell you some things. I know I have been…protective and withholding things from you, along with holding you back. I never want you to….” She trailed off like she didn’t know what to explain.