SAVOR || s. rogers

13 - The Night Everything Changed

When she heard the garage door opening, Emersyn busied herself with the dishes, acting like she had been working on them for a while instead of just rushing to do them. Her music from her earbuds was distant as it dangled precariously on her ear. Emersyn had hastily put them on in an attempt to appear casual. Her father's voice rang loudly through the empty halls. "Hello, Em!"

"Hi!" She called back, taking one earbud out so she could hear.

Her father came around the corner with twinkling eyes at the sight of his daughter. He had a worn, tired face, but the light in his eyes never faded. He had a crooked jaw which he said he received from teenage shenanigans, and would often come home filled with grime. Dirt, scrapes, and sometimes bruises appeared on his skin after a day's work. Whenever Emersyn would ask about it, he would answer that the car shop always left him filthy. She thought this odd considering he was a salesman, not a mechanic but never questioned it further. Her father smiled at her and asked, "Got your chores done?"

"Almost," Emersyn replied casually with her back to him, not bothering to look at her dad.

"You know how Mom is," her father warned her.

"All I have to do is finish the dishes and vacuum the living room," Emersyn told him with a sigh. After a pause, she realized her mother did not come home with her dad like usual. "Where is Mom?"

"Oh, she got caught up at work and has to stay later tonight," her father explained with a slow, tired voice.

"Oh, okay," Emersyn replied.

There were several moments of silence as her father stood with his hands in his pockets and gazed at his daughter with conflicting thoughts.  She hadn't even spared him a glance since he walked through the door, and now he stood watching her, realized how grown she had become, and a hundred thoughts were swarming through his head. Emersyn was busy at work with the dishes, not noticing the pain in her father's eyes.

"How are you doing, cocoa puff?" He asked in a soft voice.

Emersyn laughed and flashed him an amused glance. "You really still call me that?"

"Yeah!" Her dad chuckled, brightening when he saw her playful eyes again. "You're still my little cocoa puff who ate the same cereal every morning."

"You know.." Emersyn said. "My favorite was actually Lucky Charms."

"Well," her dad chuckled, staring at her wistfully. "You're my lucky charm, too."

Emersyn snorted in amusement as she scrubbed silverware and let her carefree mind continue jamming to the music blaring in her ear. Her dad opened his mouth to speak but thought for a moment and decided otherwise. He pivoted and turned away, sighing deeply. Then his brows narrowed, and his fists clenched tight with anxiety.

"Em?" He called out hopefully, turning to face her again.

Emersyn had put both earbuds in now and was not responsive to her father's voice. The heavy wrinkles in his face fell with disappointment as he realized she was not paying attention, but he tightened his jaw and remembered the words he had been told countless times: she cannot know until the mission is complete.
Despite the conflicting desires inside him which wanted to scream out the truth, he remembered the consequences if he would fail. Not even his daughter was worth more than the mission. But still, this deep, choking feeling in his conscience was nagging at him intensely. He felt so torn every time he looked at Emersyn because he was reminded of the truth and all the secrets he hid from her. It pained him to see her so carefree and blinded from all the deadly work her parents faced. He wished he could tell her, invite her into their lives, but for all fifteen years he had known her, he and her mother had led her to believe an entirely different reality. She, a nurse, and he a car salesman. They were a normal family in the other reality, but no matter how hard he tried to convince himself of it, the truth always lingered. It was present in every lie he told, every excuse for his disheveled appearance, every time he got home later than usual with bleeding knuckles and blackened eyes, and when he gazed at her, seeing his creation and feeling immense guilt for not being a better parent to her. His broad shoulders were hunched as he walked away and felt a growing pressure of anxiety churn in his stomach.