Bonus Story 2: A Day in the Life of the Holbrook Family

Ryan Holbrook opened the door of his small apartment to the rich, savory smell of dinner on the stove. This was his favorite way to come home at the end of a long day at work. He paused in the doorway, inhaling deeply. Then he smiled and stooped down to remove his shoes. Karen hated it when he tracked mud on the carpet.

Wearily, he shuffled to his favorite recliner and collapsed into its welcoming fluff. He'd had this chair for years, since before his marriage, and it remembered the form of his body well. Its broken, lumpy shape was very forgiving after the day he'd had. Who care's if it's a little smelly? Well, Karen cared. He'd have to get rid of it eventually for her sake.

"Karen!" he called sleepily, "I'm home! Where's my welcoming committee?"

From the kitchen only a few steps away, the small brunette head of a little girl poked into view.

"Mommy's not here, Daddy," a seven year old Freya Holbrook said, "She's still not back from vacation."

Reality came crashing down around Ryan. Of course, Karen wasn't home. She was gone, and she wasn't coming back either. And she had left him with their young daughter.

"Oh, sweetheart…" Ryan said, the words coming out breathy as he exhaled heavily, "That's right. Daddy forgot. How did you get home from school?"

"I walked." Freya said with a frown. The answer seemed obvious to her. The elementary school was only a few blocks away if she cut through some backyards, and she always walked home after school. But then, Daddy had been acting strangely since Mommy went on vacation.

"I'm sorry no one was here to meet you, sweetie. I had to work."

"That's okay, Daddy," Freya said, bobbing back into the kitchen for a moment and then just as quickly reappearing with an aluminum can clasped in her hand. She handed the cold beer to her dad without a word and then plopped onto the couch to watch him.

Ryan's hand had automatically clasped onto the cool surface of the can, and he looked down at it with some surprise. Karen used to greet him this way when they were first married. They'd both come home, he from work and she from classes, and they'd share a drink together just talking about their respective days. But that was before. In recent years, Karen was too busy to talk, and Ryan was drinking more and more alone.

"Where you expecting Mommy today?" Freya asked curiously, breaking the strain of Ryan's reflection.

Ryan frowned at the beer and placed it on the coffee table, unopened. He still hadn't told Freya the truth, and he couldn't hide it forever. It was time to tell her.

He was heavy with sorrow, but he tried not to let his voice waiver as he delivered the blow, "Freya, Mommy isn't coming back from vacation."

Silence ensued as little Freya struggled to comprehend the meaning of this message.

"Mommy isn't coming back?" she asked, processing the words.

Ryan nodded, not trusting himself to say more.

"Ever?" Freya clarified.

"That's right, baby. I'm so sorry." Ryan said. His heart was being torn to pieces, but Freya merely looked pensive.

"I thought this would happen," Freya finally said with a decisive nod, "I guess it's just you and me, huh Dad?"

Ryan stared. The tears that had been threatening to fall from his eyes halted in place, blurring his vision. Freya didn't seem hurt at all. How could she be taking this so well? "I guess it's a good thing I've only bought groceries for two…" Freya said, raising her index finger to tap her chin. She wasn't watching her father anymore. Her mind was too busy making calculations on how best to divide up the food and her time over the next week.

By referencing the groceries, Ryan's already stunned mind was brought back to the delicious aroma wafting in from the kitchen. His first thought was that Karen was home making supper for him and their daughter. Now that he remembered the impossibility of that situation, he was left puzzling over the mystery of tonight's dinner. In fact, hadn't he eaten well the past few nights?

"Freya, did you make dinner?"

Freya stared back at her dad, her blank expression perfectly mimicking his own. "Of course, Dad," she said. She did not elaborate further. Apparently she felt no need to explain her actions to her father.

Ryan was having some difficulty coming to terms with the fact that his seven year old daughter had made dinner for him for a few nights consecutively without his noticing. Had he really been so distraught over Karen that he hadn't noticed what was happening under his own roof? Though as a concerned parent he felt worried and guilty about his neglect, he suddenly felt a surge of pride in his daughter.

He reached out and snapped his little girl up in a hug before she could totter off to the kitchen again. Freya hesitated only a moment before questioningly returning his embrace.

"Dad? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sweetie." Ryan said, indulging in a few tears before hastily wiping them away so Freya wouldn't see, "And you know? I think we're going to be okay."

Freya, in her own childish way, knew exactly what her dad was trying to say. Still, she couldn't resist saying coyly, "Well, yeah. You have me to take care of things."

Author's Note:

I decided to write this bonus chapter after re-reading a bonus story in Ouran High School Host Club entitled "A Day in the Life of the Fujioka Family." I liked seeing the insight into young Haruhi, as well as the dynamics between herself and her father. I decided to explore this myself, not only to expand on Ryan's character, but also to reveal a little bit of Freya's past to the readers. In the end, I really got into these characters, perhaps more than I had intended, if that makes sense. I wound up liking this writing exercise in and of itself, outside of the scope of the usual fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed this bittersweet scrap of a story as well, and you can expect the usual full update and return to the main story soon.

Thanks for reading.

jinxauthor