𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

25

J U P I T E R

"Hey Dad, how's it going?" I said with a huge grin when my Dad's face appeared on the screen of the laptop.

His face mirrored mine, obviously excited to chat with me too. "Everything's going smoothly, how about you, darling?"

I hummed as I thrust a finger into my mouth to taste the glaze on top of my cupcake. "Same here."

"What are you baking?" He asked as his eyes darted to the cupcake I was holding. "Is that a cupcake?"

I sat on the stool and took a huge bite before nodding at my dad. I could see his eyes lingering on the cupcake and I shot him a warning glance. My father's very fond of anything with sugar and doesn't really seem to care about his health when it comes to it.

I had to watch out for everything he ate and made sure he followed his doctor's prescription. He can be stubborn sometimes and just take too much sugar, which usually ended with him at the hospital and his doctor giving him a forewarning.

Dad sighed and removed the old pair of glasses. "Hey, it's not like anything is going to happen to me soon. Let me enjoy my life while I still got the strength."

Placing the half eaten cupcake on the counter next to laptop, I leaned my head in front of the laptop with my hands supporting me. "You can't predict the future, Dad. I don't want to loose you anytime soon, not when everything is falling into place and finally moving on from ... you know ... the past."

As he rub his temple, I noticed his greying beard which had increased since the last time I saw him. This made me feel wretched knowing that he wasn't getting any younger.

"Did you go there?" He simply asked and for a millisecond, I was confused before it dawned at me.

"No," I softly said. "I just couldn't bring myself to go there."

Going there would get me on edge and it was the last thing I wanted. Just the memory of my parents and I as one small yet happy family in our little, cosy home caused me to feel all sorts of emotions. For seventeen years, I've lived there and grown too attached to the house. I just hope the new owners of the house will enjoy the bliss of living there as much as we did.

"How's work so far? Where do you live?" He forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood by changing the subject.

I shrugged as I took another bite of my cupcake. "It's great. My clients offered me their apartment to live with them." It would be a cold day in hell before I reveal who the client was.

"Nice. You got any free time to visit your old pals?" Dad said, grinning suggestively.

"Yeah, I met them all and we hung out a couple of times. It still feels like the olden days you know" I smiled back.

"That's good news. How about Joey? Where is he?" A scowl formed on his face as he await a response.

"Right here, papa Jupiter! Thanks for asking," Joey waltzed inside the kitchen with a wide grin showing his pearly white teeth.

I smacked my forehead and shook my head. "Don't tell me you were eavesdropping, waiting for Dad to mention so you could make a grand appearance."

"Exactly," Joey suddenly took the cupcake and stuffed it into his mouth before I could even comprehend he stole it.

"Joey!" I cried out and he smiled innocently.

"Now that's my boy! She has being teasing me and I have no other choice than to order." Dad had a satisfactory look on his face. My jaw dropped as I stared at him horrified.