Someone's Someone

Someone's Someone - Chapter Nineteen

Henna....

"Dad, this is Danny." With my arm still looped through my father's, I give him a little squeeze to warn him to be welcoming and thoroughly nice.

"Danny." Dad's voice drops a little, as if there's a timbre of warning to his brief and gruff greeting of him.

Tired and beginning to look in a lot of discomfort, Danny nevertheless is polite to my father. "Thank you for your hospitality, it really is kind of you to let me stay here with you and Henna."

Dad nods, indifferently so. "I don't think I had much of a choice." His wandering gaze finally rests on me. "At least with Henna here, I can keep a firm eye on things now."

With a hard squeeze, I glare at dad through a really fake smile. "Dad, I'm not some unruly teenager, you know?" I glare at him a little, still forcing out a smile in his very embarrassing direction.

In a very dry manner, Dad quips. "You might not be a teenager, but you're becoming a little unruly of late."

Slightly mortified, I hurry the conversation along. "Shall we show Danny his room?" Again, the fake smile pulls tautly across my entire face.

Dad is quietly very pleased with himself. Firstly, for embarrassing me. Secondly, for doing it in front of Danny. "Sure, why don't we do that." With confident strides, he starts leading the way.

"Do you need a hand with your rucksack?" I ask Danny, feeling concerned about the obvious pain he's currently in, due to leaving the flat and the journey to dad's.

Wearing his own form of embarrassment, Danny shakes his head. "I'm fine, thanks." His smile is pained, but he's determined to carry his own rucksack up to the room that will soon be his for a temporary while.

"There's a shower room just here. A bathroom on the right, here." Dad is showing Danny different aspects of his terraced Victorian family home as we pass them on the first floor. "Your room is just at the end of this hallway. Myself and Henna shall be on the second floor." I really don't like the way dad says that to Danny. It's like he's saying 'you're down here, and we'll be up there'

Which is why I cheerily chime in. "Your room has one of the best views of the garden, doesn't it, Dad?" My hazel eyes firmly fall on his dull blue ones, silently warning him to play really nice now.

Dad nods, summoning some polite enthusiasm from anywhere he can find it. "Oh yes, a lovely view of my irises, peonies, rhododendrons and rose bushes."

Danny awkwardly smiles, just really wanting to get to his bedroom for a long lie down. "Sounds great." He says, looking tireder by the second.

"Right, here it is, Danny." Dad swings open the door, allowing our guest to go in first. "You make yourself comfortable. Henna and I will leave you to rest, won't we love?" He looks at me, innocently blinking away how he's just trying to dump Danny in his bedroom.

With daughterly defiance, I pull my shoulders right back as I stubbornly stand taller. "Actually, I'll just help Danny to settle in first...you go on downstairs."

Dad remains silent, trying to think of some quick retort. But before he can, Danny quietly interrupts. "I think I'm just going to have a lie down. Thanks for the offer, Hen, but I really just need to rest."

First I glare at dad, then I soften that glare upon Danny. "Are you sure?"

As he heaves off his heavy backpack, it lands on the bedroom floor with a thud. "I'm sure." Then he smiles again, letting me know that he really is okay.

Dad then bluntly answers for me. "Okay, we'll let you know when dinner is ready." Grabbing my arm, he then starts pulling me away.

As soon as we are at the top of the stairs, I wrench my arm free. "Could you be any ruder, Dad?" I'm whispering, angry and so flipping annoyed.

Dad starts descending the stairs, with a steady and indifferent gait. "You've got what you wanted, Henna...it doesn't mean I have to like him."

Hurrying down the stairs behind him, I am insisting that dad listens to me. "I want you to at least try. You're just going out of your way to make Danny feel uncomfortable."

Dad stops, turning slowly on one of the carpeted steps. "If I make him feel too comfortable, he'll never try to sort himself out, will he?"

Dad can often annoy me, rarely does he infuriate me. But with fury and sheer frustration, I strain to keep my voice down. "Danny isn't here because he really wants to be here. He's here because he knows I'm trying to help him. That's something that he's not been offered in a very long time. And he's being brave enough to accept that help because I think he wants to try and sort out his life. All I keep asking of everyone around me—is to help me, to help him?"

Dad doesn't move. He has listened, now he's just rallying around his thoughts so he can reply. "I will do my best, Henna." Is all that he's giving me, before turning on his polished Brogues and continuing down the rest of the stairs.

I know that dad isn't exactly happy about this situation, but I want him to at least try to give Danny a real and genuine chance. The same chance that I am giving him. Keith was trying to be my boyfriend and I don't yet have a place of my own, so being here was all I could quickly come up with.

It's not ideal, but at least I won't have Keith keep breathing down my neck now. Talking of which, he hasn't replied to my earlier text message. I know he won't be happy, but tough. I have too many other important things to be concerned about.

I am always being the pleaser in life. Now, I'm pleasing myself.

I will do what feels right.

I will get Danny his life back.

I will one day buy my very own home.

I will.