Day #2 of my seven day drabble challenge.
Morning.
1/11/13
It was strange, having the house so alive in so early in the morning. The smell of bacon wafted through the house and he could hear it sizzling in the pan as he walked down the stairs sleepily. He found a cup of coffee waiting for him at the table and he gratefully wrapped his hands around it.
"Pancakes, bacon and eggs?" Ana asked from her place near the stove. Her hair was piled in a bun on top of her head and controlled by a whiete headband. She was wearing an oversized shirt hanging off one shoulder and almost covering her pink shorts. Stein felt slightly uncomfortable that she dressed so revealing, but at least she was in the house and no strange boys could look at her. He noticed that she was wearing the fuzzy slippers that he had bought her and he felt a sense of pride that he had bought her something she liked enough to wear almost everyday.
"Sure." He yawned, holding out his hand to Doku. The dog regarded him for a moment before turning back to Ana, his tail thumping against the floor every time she moved. "Still doesn't like me much." Stein commented.
"He doesn't like anyone." Ana shrugged and picked up a piece of bacon with two fingers, handing it to her father. "Feed him that. He'll be your best friend for five minutes."
Stein held out the bacon and the dog trotted over, snapping it up and sitting by his chair. He allowed the man to stroke his dark fur for a few minutes until Ana yawned, and he was right back by her side.
"That lasted long." Stein said dryly and Ana laughed, placing a plate full of food in front of him and immediately starting on the dishes. "You're not going to have any?"
"No, mine's in the fridge for later. I'm going to go back to bed." She explained, drying a pan and putting it away. "I've gotten into the habit of waking up early and preparing breakfast, then going back to bed and sleeping a bit later."
"Why?"
Ana paused with her hands in the soapy water, beginning to wash again as she spoke. "Mama would stay out late drinking, very late, and most nights I would have to help her get into bed. Then I'd have to wake up in the morning to make sure she was well, then make her breakfast so she had something in her body other than alcohol. She would wander off after breakfast, going who knows where and I'd go back to bed and wake up after a bit and eat some leftovers and go to work. Then I'd come home from work and make myself dinner, and wait for Mama to come home. I haven't reversed the habit yet."
"I see." He took a bite and chewed it slowly, a prick of guilt stabbing at him. She shouldn't have had to do that. It wasn't fair, he should have been able to help her, why didn't she find him sooner? He grit his teeth frustrated.
"Stop that." She told him, drying her hands on a towel. "You didn't even know I was alive."
"It wasn't fair."
"On the bright side, I learned lots of recipes and I'm a pretty good cook if I do say so myself." She hesitated a moment before hugging him. "Have a good day at work, Dad."
"Thanks, Ana." He watched as she disappeared up the stairs, stretching her arms towards the ceiling. Doku sat and watched him finish the rest of his breakfast, and once the food as gone the dog followed Ana's trail up the stairs and disappeared from sight.
Stein dumped his dirty dishes in the sink, noticing how clean his kitchen was. In fact, his entire house was cleaner. The rooms were tidy, the air was fresh and there was always food cooked for him around mealtimes, things that he had paid no mind to before.
He lit a cigarette as he walked, wondering how old his daughter had been when she assumed responsibility for the household. He looked up at the sky and sighed. He could at least be there for her now, though he wished that she didn't have to grow up making breakfast for an alcoholic every morning.
Yes. Ana is a tad Mary-Sue. It's whatever.
Up next: Soft