"Say, I bet you're missing home terribly," Slim said. "Your dad, perchance?"
"I do," Kiara sighed heavily. "Even though things were complicated when I got taken, I really want to see him again. Him, Mom, Hayley, all of them."
"What's your dad like anyways? What sort of person is he?"
Kiara beamed. "He's the best! He's the coolest dad ever and would do anything to protect me. He rides a motorcycle and takes me on rides with him, and he likes my drawings, and he even role-plays my stories with me when I write them! It's awesome."
"A motorcycle? Well, I suppose those thundering monstrosities must be less frightening when you're the correct size for them. Family dinners must be pretty exciting, with a dad like that around."
"Oh, uh, he actually doesn't usually eat with us." She shrugged. "He's busy with work a lot. And when he's not working, he needs to unwind by riding around town or doing one of his other hobbies. I don't see him at the house a lot. We mostly spend time together when he invites me to go riding with him on weekends, or when he has the day off."
"He never sits around and relaxes at the house?"
"Of course he does, but really, it's kind of better for him that he doesn't. Mom's always nagging him for leaving dirty dishes or beer cans scattered around. Can't blame him for wanting to head out."
Slim leaned on his elbow as he peered at her. "So the only quality time you two spend together is when you're riding on the back of his motorcycle?"
"Pretty much. Sometimes we'll hit up some restaurant he wants to try, but yeah." She rested back onto her hands, stretching her legs under the table. "It's always been like that, with him being super busy, even back when me and Hayley were really small. It's just the way things are."
"He sounds a little more like an uncle than a dad," he said slowly. "I'm guessing he doesn't help very much with housework?"
"Why would he? That's Mom's job. And it's mine and Hayley's job to help Mom."
"Well, it's very commendable for her to be a stay-at-home."
"Oh she's not, she has a job too. She just doesn't make as much money as Dad does." Kiara folded her arms on the table, glaring at nothing. "Maybe if she was a stay-at-home she wouldn't be so stressed, and then she wouldn't nag at Dad so much. I bet that's the reason why they're breaking up, it's all her fault. If she'd just leave him alone and let him relax the way he needs to, then he wouldn't be so miserable. That's what he said to me, over the phone. The last conversation we had before I was taken here."
She could almost imagine herself back, the joy of her high school graduation spoiled before it began, the warmth of her phone against her cheek the only part of her that didn't feel cold. "He said he couldn't do it anymore, couldn't keep making himself miserable 'playing house' with her. If it wasn't for that, we could've all remained together as one happy family."