Someone's Someone

Someone's Someone - Chapter Twenty

Henna....

Thank god for finishing the nights. I am so tired. Tired, and just a little jaded as I finally get home to dad's. Being here is certainly better than being back at the flat for Danny, but I am really missing having all of my things around me. Even though it's obvious that Keith is now ignoring me, I am going to first get some sleep, then I'm going to go back to the flat and pack up some more of my things. I am also going to give formal notice to end my tenancy there. It's sad, but now I have left there, I think I should just make a clean break.

"Morning, love." Dad comes and cuddles me, and I find myself surprisingly so grateful for it. "Want a little breakfast before you go to bed?" He asks, as he tips some muesli into a waiting bowl and flicks the kettle on with his other hand.

Feeling drained, I wearily nod with a faint smile. "Just some buttered toast and some tea, please?"

"Long night?" Dad thoughtfully asks whilst pouring some chilled milk all over his muesli and then popping a slice of bread into the toaster for me.

"The last one of the shift always is." I say, stifling back a big yawn. "How's Danny been?"

Shoving a spoonful of his breakfast into his mouth, dad answers with a mumble. "He's not long gone back upstairs. He came down and had his breakfast, washed up his things, then went back up to his room."

My stare on dad becomes firm yet exhausted. "Have you even tried to make an effort with him?" After us being here for three days now, it's high time that my dad starts trying to at least be a little more civil to Danny. I'm beginning to feel thoroughly fed up with him treating Danny like he's a long-term intruder.

Dad just half-heartedly shrugs, filling his mouth with another spoonful of muesli. "I told him to help himself to anything he wanted...that's my way of making an effort."

Not convinced. Not convinced at all, I sigh really loudly, wanting dad to hear just how fed up I am. "No wonder he keeps just staying up in his room." My toast then pops up from the toaster, so I promptly start buttering it with a growing feeling of pure frustration.

Dad tries to make things sound better than they really are. "I expect he leaves it, as soon as I've left for work." He casually tells me, eagerly eating up the rest of his cereal. I don't respond, I'm now eating my toast and drinking my tea that dad had started to make before hungrily tucking into his muesli. So dad then tries to make some stupid joke, anything to get a response from me. "When I told Danny to help himself to anything he wanted, at least that didn't include your Nan's silver and my MacBook Pro."

My tired head swings round. "Danny isn't here to steal from you, Dad!"

Placing his empty bowl and spoon into the dishwasher, dad then reaches across the kitchen counter to grab his phone and his wallet. "Not yet, he hasn't." Is his flippant remark, a remark that I simply cannot ignore.

"I didn't have you down as someone so shallow and presumptuous, I really didn't." My head slowly turns away from my father, I'm just too disappointed in him to look his way for a second longer.

Dad stills. I know he's thinking, now he's trying to coordinate his reaction to me. Leaning in to kiss me goodbye, he tries to assert his being my father. "Rita is coming round for dinner tonight, I'd like it if you would join us?"

Glumly, I shake my head. "I don't think so. I'm not in the mood."

Dad stills once again, eventually sighing as he stands right in front of me. "Is this you not wanting to make an effort with Rita, because I'm not making an effort with Danny?"