The Unexpected Has Arrived! (Unexpected, #2)

Chapter 04

CHAPTER 4

The month of June passed as routinely as ever.

We woke at six a.m. every morning - Tay preparing himself for university as I prepared Tahlia for our days in Geelong. We'd go downstairs as a family, greeted by Becky and Dad (Dallas would usually have left for work before anyone else woke). We ate our breakfast, Tahlia enjoying her favourite cereal - Weetbix - as Taylor devoured into numerous slices of Vegemite on toast. I would usually eat Tahlia's leftovers, seeing as she only ate half of her one lone bix.

Then, at eight a.m., Tahlia, Taylor and I would climb into the car and drive the half-hour journey to Geelong, replying to Tahlia's never-ending questions.

"Daddy, why is the sky blue?" Tahlia had asked one morning.

Usually, Tay would have answered back with an educated answer to bore her out of the topic, but to this one, he had had no idea to the correct answer. But I had known the answer...

"Because, sweet pea," Tay had replied, looking at Tahlia through the rear vision mirror, "it just is."

"But why?" Tahlia had pushed. She wasn't a dumb child - that was for sure. She understood us when we spoke to her, even when Tay used "big words". Everyone said that she had my brains, and to some extent, I had to agree. There was no way in the world she had inherited her intellect from Chad.

Tay was lost for words. He'd opened his mouth to speak many times, but it closed just as fast. I smiled at his discomfort.

"The sky is blue, Tahlia," I'd answered, pivoting in my seat so that I was looking directly at her, "because of the molecular structure of the atmosphere, and the way in which the sun spreads light..."

As I had continued with my answer, I could see in her eyes that she was bored already. I had seen Taylor mouth a silent "Thank you" as we continued down the Midland Highway.

After that, the days had continued in the same routine as always.

Tay would drop Tahlia and me off at the various parents club meeting places before he left for his day in university. I'd spend my days with Tahlia at the park, at the library, or at various other places around the bustling city of Geelong. After six-odd hours, Tay would arrive to collect us again, and he'd drive us back to Bannockburn.

At home, Tahlia would have awoken, and I usually kept her company whilst Tay studied his textbooks. Becky would come home, and I'd help her prepare dinner whilst Dallas watched Tahlia for me.

After the meal, Tahlia was bathed and changed into her one-piece pyjamas. She'd then grab her favourite teddy bear and wear out all of her leftover energy by running around downstairs.

The days finished with Tahlia having a small bottle of warm milk as Tay read her a bedtime story in her bed whilst I had a shower. I would walk back into my bedroom where Tay would be studying his textbooks yet again.

I fell asleep hours before he did each and every night.

That whole month, I didn't even dare mention Sean or ask Tay about the secret he was keeping. It was somewhat easy, seeing as we'd never even seen Sean since the day he'd arrived.

It was a Saturday morning, and today, I decided a sleep-in was well overdue. Tahlia on the other hand, didn't feel the same courtesy.

During the night - as usual - Tahlia had crawled into the space of bed between Tay and me. Usually I didn't mind, but today, I was especially tired.

"Mummy," she said as she patted my arm, trying to wake me, "Mummy, wake up."

"Shh, Tahlia," I groaned, refusing to open my eyes. "Go back to sleep, sweetie."