I was about to counteract his statement by saying that a baby's stinky diaper couldn't be that bad when our waiter arrived.

"Are we ready to order yet?" he asked, as if he would be eating with us.

"Uh…yes," Dad told him, glancing at me for affirmation. "I'll have the waffles-"

"What side dish would you like with those waffles?" the waiter, Troy, interrupted.

Dad paused and I saw his eyes light up angrily for being cut off so harshly. With clenched teeth he finished, "The scrambled eggs with a glass of milk."
"And you?" Troy asked me.

"Pancakes with a side of mixed fruit, and two glasses of orange juice."

"Two?"

"Yeah, two. Somethin' wrong with that?" I asked him, arching an eyebrow.

"No, no, I'll be back with your drinks in a moment," Troy replied and hurried away.

"Sure is stuck-up, isn't he?" I told Dad.

"Just a bit, but working in a place like this, maybe it's a requirement for them to have something up their ass." We both laughed over that remark until Troy, the hoity-toity waiter, came back with our drinks.

I immediately gulped down the orange juice, letting its bitter acid slid down my throat, then coating it with summer sweetness. Ah, juice had never tasted so good. At least another two glasses would be needed.

Dad, on the other hand, drank his milk like a normal person-not like the savage animal I was being with my second cup of juice. As he set his glass back down, his hand brushed mine because I was moving my cup out to the end of the table to be refilled. Refilled, that is, when Troy got his prickled butt back over to us.

Dad stared, confused, at my hand, then shifted his gaze away and continued drinking his milk.

"What?" I asked him, knowing that he was thinking about something.

"Nothing."

"I'll find out eventually; I can read your mind. So, you might as well tell me," I argued.

He sighed heavily, not wanting to consent, but having no other way to get me off of his back. "You're fuzzy."

"Oh…the cat hair."

"Hmm…" he mumbled, drinking more of his milk. "You didn't shave this morning?"

"Well, I didn't exactly have time, considering that Mom nearly had her tongue down your throat, and you weren't holding her back."

"Sorry 'bout that."

"Not like it's your fault…all those crazy genetics. No different than my cat hair."

"I know, but still…" he trailed off. Then he glanced up as Troy, carrying our steaming plates of food, approached us. "Oh, look, our food's here," Dad said with a forced smile.

After setting our food down, Troy asked, "Is there anything else I can get you folks?"

I raised my empty glasses. "Two more juices. Grape and apple, please."

"Will do," Troy briskly said and hurried away quickly. Not quickly enough though, for I saw his exasperated eye-roll.

I picked up my fork and began to cut my pancake with the side of it. I was the kind of person who'd cut their pancakes, then put the syrup on them.

Dad had already drowned his waffles in syrup, which flowed over to the eggs. He seemed not to notice and began to eat them anyhow, as I picked at my buttery pancakes.

Off to my right, at another table right next to our booth, I noticed a rather distinguished looking couple being seated.

Instantly, I received the same vibe off of them that Brin had had, and I elbowed Dad, harder than I intended. I couldn't help the fact that I didn't know my own strength and could hurt people unintentionally.

"Ow, what was that for?" Dad asked, rubbing at his shoulder where my elbow had smashed into him.

"Sorry, but those people, check 'em out."

"So?"

"They got a funny vibe."

"That's nice," Dad muttered and shoved another forkful of waffle and egg into his mouth. "Probably too much time in the tanning salon."

"No!" I hissed. "They're like us."

"Bull-shit."

"Would you just go over there and talk to them, already?"

"Why don't you?" he retorted.
I rolled my eyes and said nothing more, simply stabbed violently at the pancake. Dad got up and, after the couple had ordered, he strolled over to them and pulled out an extra chair.

He talked to them before I heard joyous cries and the lady leaned over and hugged him. Watching them all for a moment, I headed on over and stood beside the three of them, looking down.

Dad, noticing me, extended a hand towards the people. "Alanza, meet Krit and Syl."