I walk back down the steps slowly. My father is sitting in the kitchen waiting for me. "Ready to go?' He asks.
I nod a yes. I grab a warmer jacket from the closet and we get into the car and start to drive. My father pulls into the parking lot of a fancy restaraunt where. "This place is new opened up a few weeks after you left for school." He chooses a parking spot and we walk inside.
There are small vases on each table with a candle inside. The walls aren't just painted. They look like small old buildings. Like something you would find in down town New York. Lamposts hang above a few tables. Off too one side of the entrance is a bar, the other side is the main part.
"For two?" A girl asks.
"Yes" My father replies.
We follow the girl to the back of the restaraunt and she seats us in a booth. She hands us the menus. "Can I get you started with anything to drink?"
"Water." Father replies.
"Same" I say.
The girl leaves and my father opens the menu. He stars to look through it. I just sit there staring at mine. Not even bothering to open it.
"Aren't you hungry Hermione?" My father asks me.
"Not really, I haven't eaten anything much these past few days."
He looks over at me. Leaning over the table top slightly. "You have to eat something, otherwise you will get sick."
"I know" I tell him. "My friends say that all the time."
"You should listen to them."
"I should also tell them that my mother died but that doesn't mean that I'm going to!"
"Hermione, pick something from the menu and eat it. I don't care what it is, have anything you like."
I roll my eyes. "Do I haves to?" I ask him.
"Yes." He replies shortly.
The waitress comes to our table with our drinks. She gives us a few more minutes to decide on what we would like to order and comes back. I order Calamari and my father orders some sort of pasta dish. I can't quite remember the name of it. She comes back to our table with the food in about forty minutes.
The plate was bigger than I had hoped. I stare at it, knowing that If I begin, father will most likely make me finish.
"You don't have to eat it all, start with about half alright. Then see how you feel."
I nod and murmer a quick "Thanks" So softly that it is barely audible to my fathers ears. He hears it anyways. "Your welcome" He replies his voice just as soft as mine. I pick a piece of calamari up and dip it into some sauce they brought with it, It tastes of cucumbers.
I take a lemon wedge from the side of the plate and squish it. Watching the sour lemon juice squirt out from the lemon, falling nicely on the small rings of calamari. I put the lemon wedge down and rest my head on the table.
"Hermione, you've only eaten one, aren't you going to eat anything more?" My father asks.
"I will, In a few minutes." I respond.
I watch the clock in the corner of the restaraunt. Five minutes goes by before I turn back to face my plate of calamari. I dip one in the cucumber sauce and pop it into my mouth. I can't remember the last time I had calamari. I really do love it, one of my favourite foods I guess. I pop a few more into my mouth.
"Can I take the rest home?" I ask. "I'll eat it there. I want to leave now" I finish.
My father nods. "Alright, when the waitress comes I'll ask if she can pack it up for us."
I bow my head and rub my eyes. "Are you alright Hermione."Father asks me.
"Yes." I reply. "I'm just really tired. I'll be fine." I assure him.
We our table after the waitress come and packs up our food, my father goes up to the front to pay the bill and we head out to our vehicle. I sit in the passager side and my father drives. "I wan't to show you something." My father tells me.
"what?" I ask. turning to look at him.
"When you first left ,they day you were eleven, on september the first, your mother was very sad we had to let you go. I took her here and we went to go see a film. I took you to the same place once. It was when you were very young, do you remember?"
"No." I reply shaking my head.
"I know that you're tired but, would you like to go to a movie."
"Sure, I smile. That would be nice."
Even though inside I would rather go home. I have to try and connect with my father. I have to make him happy in some way. He parks and we walk into the theater. He walks up to the box office and pays for two tickets. I told him he could choose the movie, so he surprised me. I don't even know what it is yet.
We take our seats and sit quietly. not bothering to converse. Just waiting for the film to begin. "Would you like anything?" My father asks, being the first one of us to break the silence.
"Some water maybe?" I ask in the form of a question.
"Okay...Alright, I'll go get us some drinks, you want to stay here?"
"Yeah alright" I say in response. "I'll stay here and save our seats." I finish smiling back up at him.
My father leaves and makes his way to the back of the theater. I watch as the back door opens and some light shines in through it. After that I turn back around in my seat to face forward. It only takes a few minutes for my father to come back. He hands me my bottled water and put his soda down in the cupholder beside him. I Unscrew the cap of my water and take a few sips. Then put the cap back on the put it in the cupholder.
The film seems to finish in such a short amount of time. I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit. When we get out of the theater I was informed that it was actually two and a half hours. My father and I begin walking back to our vehicle.
"Are you still tired?" He asks me.
"Yeah, a little bit." I reply.
"Hermione, I need to tell you something..."
"What?" I ask.
"You're aunt, uncle and cousin will be coming from canada, we have a funeral planned for tomorrow."
"What! You never told me! How do you expect me to say anything or do anything!"
"Hermione, you don't have to..."
"I know I don't, I've always wanted to though, who is going to give the eulogy?"
"I will, everything is planned, you don't have to do anything?"
"I want to though."
"You want to now, but when we get there you might not."
I nod. "fine, I guess so, I would be too sad to say anything."
I turn back and look out the window. It's dark outside but I can still see everything because of all the lights.
"Hermione, are you going to talk to me?" My father asks.
I stay silent, not wanting to speak about anything. "Hermione" he calls again. "Are you going to talk to me?" He asks, a little more sternly this time.
"I don't feel like talking." I respond shortly, in an annoyed tone.
We don't speak to each other for the remainder of the trip home. As soon as he pulls up into the driveway I get out of the car, I don't even wait for him to open the door. I take my own key out of my bag and use it to open the door. I don't leave the door open for my father. Instead I slam it shut. I run up to my bedroom and sit at the desk. One letter Hermione I think to myself. One more letter and then you can go to sleep.
I take out my writing set from the top drawer in my desk.
November 4th(Late evening)
Tonight father took me out for dinner, it was pretty eventful. We didn't talk very much. I hardly ate anything,yes I do know it is bad for me not to eat. Father told me that already. My friends have been telling me. I don't know if you care but I had some calamari tonight, father ate some sort of pasta dish that I forget the name of.
After supper father took me to the theater that you and him went to a lot. He also tells me that the both of you took me to the theater when I was very young, five I think. I enjoyed myself at the theater tonight. It was probably one of the only times that I had have been happy in a long time.
But the happy night didn't last to long. When the movie ended and my father and I were walking back to our car. He told me something I wasn't ready for. Something I thought he would have told me a long time ago. Or at least when I had first arrived back home. He told me that my aunt, uncle and cousin were coming from Canada. I have not even met these people once in my life! How am I supposed to sympathize with them. They probably have no clue who I even am. That isn't even the worst part. He told me that the funeral will be tomorrow. TOMORROW. Are you aware he didn't even give me twenty four hours to prepare.
What if I wanted to say something? What if I wanted to do something. I guess father was never really the planner in the family. You and I planned alot of things before I left to go to school over in scotland. I really miss you. I hope the sevice doesn't turn into a disaster. That would be horrible. I really wish that I could have done something. Put a video together even. I guess father told me that I would be too sad to say anything. I shouldn't have freaked out at him like that. I'm sorry mother. I really wanted to do something. But I guess that these letters are enough. Just to make sure you get them I will put a copy of each one that I have written so far with you. I really, really miss you. Thinking of you mother, with love
Hermione
I send the letter off. Then go back downstairs to meet and apologize to my father.