Granted a lot of mornings Andrea stops into the café, she pulls up a couple of car lengths away from it this morning, but she's never been this early. Because it's always open when Andrea stops in and that's around the same time, she's never noticed the hours of business. As she releases her seatbelt she just hopes they're open.
As she orders she feels for Neil who will have to put something together in the flat, it's nearly shopping day and basic essentials are dwindling or getting long in the tooth.
"You should call mum this morning, let her know you got there safely." Andrea says as they sit and wait for their coffee and food.
"She knows I'm fine." Her father brushes off.
"Dad she could be worried about you." Andrea says further concerned something has gone on between her parents.
"She worries too much, enough for the whole family." He comments, the contents of which are no comfort to Andrea.
"Dad is everything o.k. with you and mum, did you have a fight?" Andrea leans in closer.
"We fight all the time, every couple does." He continues to smile with frustrates Andrea along with his refusal to spill any details. Andrea leans back again into the depths of the chair. "You know back home if you were a regular like you say you are they'd know you by name."
"They know me dad, I investigated the break in they had six months ago. They don't like to talk about it, it nearly sent them broke." Andrea can't help her tone being short and snappy.
"I never should have bought into this neighbourhood." Andrea's father shakes his head.
"The neighbourhood is fine dad, I'm fine." Andrea can fell herself becoming annoyed. He backs down and there's silence between father and daughter.
"What about your job dad?" Andrea asks as their coffee lands in front of them. "Have they given you time off?" That's assuming this trip wasn't spontaneous Andrea thinks to herself.
"I've got plenty of time owing." Her father replies, another non specific answer that has Andrea reaching for her coffee, the first of what will be many today she assumes. She watches her father drop sugar after sugar into his.
"You want some coffee with your sugar there dad?" Andrea asks.
"Sound like your mother." He replies and his near grumble is as close as she's got to ridding him of his overbearing cheerfulness. She allows there to be silence until their food arrives.
"So what are you going to do today dad, I'm sorry but I can't take time off work to spend with you, I don't have any owing." Andrea can feel herself warming up to be polite again.
"Thought I'd see the sights, get to know the town." Another out of character reply that has Andrea suspicious again. Her father has no desire to see the world and didn't bother to see London when he was down to buy her flat.
"I have a street directory I could lend you, it's in the back of my car, it was a big help when I first moved here." Andrea knows the offer will be refused.
"I'm not going to drive, is there are tube station close by?" Andrea's father asks slicing through his egg.
"I'll show you on the way back to the flat, you better take the directory you don't want to get lost." Andrea pulls at a piece of her toast.
"No I'll be fine; I'll just wander around and find my way back." Andrea knows her father is one of the only men on the planet not to have a good sense of direction. She gives up taking a rest before attacking again.
"So how long do you think you'll stay dad?" Andrea tries the casual approach.
"Not sure, sick of me already, trying to get rid of me?" Her father jokes.
"No not at all, it's just I noticed you didn't have any bags with you this morning." Keeping her tone casual, Andrea takes another mouthful of coffee.
"Oh those, I left them in the car," at last one thing that makes a tiny bit of sense, though clearly Andrea's not going to get a definitive answer on the length of her father's stay, "Actually I'm thinking of selling it."
"While you're here?" Andrea immediately realises this is strange. When her father's mechanic told him the old car would go forever as long as he kept it in good condition all of the family knew he'd have to be buried in it.
"Sure as good a time as any."
"You'd have to fly back or get the train." Andrea wonders if he'd thought of that.
"I'd get something else."
"Well sure if you have all the paperwork and stuff." Andrea says hesitantly but lets the conversation die.
It's seven by the time they've finished eating and Andrea's desperate for Neil's message. She's kept her father entertained through two coffee refills and a recount of her most unusual and exciting days on patrol, much longer and she'd have to start making things up. The message comes at a quarter past seven.
"Who's that from?" Her father asks as Andrea sends a message to Neil to let him know she'll see him at work.
"One of the girls I work with wants to know if I want to get a coffee before work." If it were the case Andrea would decline, she's already had so much she could fly to work. "Let's go dad it's getting late."
On the stairs up to her flat Andrea notices for the first time how slowly her father walks, a deterioration that's occurred in the last few years, despite the occasional visit she hadn't really noticed till now.
"Here dad, take my keys." She pulls the two bronze keys from her set.
"What if I'm out when you get home?" Andrea doubts that but she humours him none-the-less. "I have a spare hidden."
"You shouldn't do that, anywhere you can hide keys thieves can find them." Her father warns.
"Anyone is welcome to the hand-me-down furniture from you and mum," Andrea jokes and smiles, "Have you got money?" She hopes he says no as she has little left of what she took from Neil this morning after breakfast.
"Yes I've got money; I certainly don't take money from my daughter or my sons." Her father says indignantly and Andrea realises she made the mistake of denting her fathers pride.
"O.k. dad, sorry, have a good day, I'll see you when I get home and call my mobile if you need anything." Andrea kisses him on the cheek goodbye.
"Be safe sweetheart and you have a good day too." He wishes and unlocks the door, shuffling inside.
Downstairs as Andrea goes back to her car she notices the smashed headlight and slight dint in the front left side of her father's car. She tries not to think anything of it.
