The next morning came much too quickly for Eli. Slowly, he trudged down the stairs, and his stomach immediately growled as a delicious smell hit his nose. When he walked into the kitchen he found his daughter Leyna sitting at the counter, idly rolling a glass of orange juice between her hands as she read through one of her textbooks. She glanced up when she heard him, and gave a small smile. "Good morning dad," she greeted him.

"Good morning," he mumbled as he walked over to the coffee pot, and was pleasantly surprised when he found a pot of coffee already made.

As he poured himself a mugs worth, Leyna informed him, "I made some breakfast, in case you're interested."

Walking over to the counter, he looked at the plate she had fixed him, both the site and smell of it making his mouth water. "I am so famished right now, that I think I could just about eat anything," he replied as he sat down and immediately began to eat. Glancing over at her, he added, "What is it you need?"

Leyna was brought back by this. "Because I made you coffee and breakfast, that must mean I want something? Gee, I'm glad you view my motives so highly," she stated dryly.

"Well, it's not every day I wake up to this."

"That is because you're always gone before I even wake up. Since I needed to be up earlier this morning, I thought I would be nice and make you some breakfast as well. Sorry for attempting to do a good deed," she commented, her tone revealing how upset she was.

Eli felt a slight twinge of guilt. "Well…thank you for breakfast. It's very good," he murmured, and went back to eating.

"You're welcome," she replied softly, and touched his shoulder before going back to reading.

He cast a glance her way, and watched her for a moment as she read. It amazed him at how different and yet how similar they were. Personality-wise, they were polar opposites. While he was out spoken and painfully blunt, to the point of being downright mean at times, she was quiet, kind-hearted, and very loving. As hard shelled as he was, she was equally as sensitive. However, there was no denying she was his daughter, for she was a mirror image of him. From her soft light brown hair, to her uniquely shaped hazel eyes, she had definitely inherited his good looks. The only physical differences between them, aside from gender, were her short height and small, dainty nose, both which came from her mother's side of the family. He may not have ever admitted it to her, but in his eyes, she had turned into a gorgeous young woman, and he was secretly proud to call her his daughter. "So why is it you needed to be up at this time?" he asked casually.

She looked up at him for a moment. "For one of my classes, we have some sort of required test we have to take," she informed him, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders as she turned the page of her book.

"Which class is that?"

"Art History and Appreciation. I'm not too worried about it, really."

"Well, I'm sure, seeing as that sort of subject is your forte."

She flashed a smile his way. "Thanks for having some faith in me," she replied, and finished the last of her juice before closing her book and standing up. "I'm going," she added, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing her purse and heading out the front door.

)))))

The rest of the morning went by as any normal day would. After finishing his breakfast, Eli showered and dressed before heading to the university to begin his teaching. The first three classes went by in a blurred haze, and by the time noon came around, he was ready to go home. He was just about to leave his office to go have a quick lunch, when his phone began to ring. Eli was tempted to just let it ring, but decided against this, and answered it. From that point on, not only did his day, but also his life was changed indefinitely.

Leyna was sitting in the living room, eating leftover Chinese takeout, when Eli suddenly barged into the house. She looked over at him with a startled expression on her face. "Dad, what are you doing home?" she asked as she sat down the container she had been holding. She then stood up when he began to walk toward her, and was caught off guard when he suddenly picked her up off the floor and spun her around the room.

"Do you have any idea how wonderful my day has gotten?" he stated happily as he finally put her back down, a wide smile on his face as he looked down at her.

Leyna was completely baffled by his unusual behavior. "What on Earth put you in such a good mood?" she inquired.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he asked in a low voice, "Guess who just found out they won the Nobel Prize?" With wide eyes and her mouth agape, all she could do was stare up at him, for she was left speechless at the news he had just informed her of. "Now, you must not tell anyone a word of this. It needs to be kept quiet over the next couple days. Alright?"

She nodded her head, a bright smile finally coming to her face as it began to sink in. Letting out a small squeal, she threw her arms around his neck to hug him. "Dad, that is amazing! Oh, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, darling," he replied as he returned the hug, and then gently pulled her away.

"I assume you just found out?"

Eli nodded. "They just called me not too long ago and told me the good news. I decided I deserved the rest of the day off, so I took off to come back here . Be sure to keep Thursday open."

"What is going on Thursday?"

"The university is throwing me a little celebration party. Is there any way you could get the weekend off?"

"I think I have the weekend off, actually."

"Good, because I would appreciate it if you accompanied me and your mother to Stockholm."

"I would love to go," she said with a warm smile.

"Wonderful. Well, I am going to head upstairs and get a head start on packing. I suggest you do the same," he informed her. She nodded at him, and he touched her shoulder before heading upstairs.