ORPHANS

Chapter 15

"Where are you nicnac?! Oh my I can't find her? What am I gonna do?" Robert dramatically questions falling to his knees which makes Onika giggle.

She tries to hold it in not wanting her dad to find her so early into the game but what she didn't know was that Robert had already figured out her not so good hiding spot quite awhile ago.

"Hmm? If I was nicnac where would I hide? Under the chair? No okay. In here? Hmm not there either. Maybe she might be in her— found you!" Onika scream laughs as her father picks her up from behind the curtains on his shoulders.

"I hide good you didn't find me for a long time but I found you fast!" Onika laughs making her father pout.

"That's because I'm big and you're small. You can fit into tiny places!" He protests but Onika just pokes his nose.

"Stop making excuses daddy."

"I'm n—"

"Dinner's ready!" Onika hears her mom call out making her smile grow wider.

She'd been bathed for a long time now and was just waiting for dinner to be ready so she could eat with her parents.

It'd been so long since they all got to eat together as a family since her father was always out and about.

She didn't know where he always went to for days sometimes weeks on end but everytime she asked her mom would just tell her that he had business to handle.

She didn't like his business very much especially since it always kept him from spending time with her.

"Let's go eat daddy." Robert just smiles down at his last born carrying her all the way to the massive dinning room in the house he'd built for her mom.

Dinner was a quiet affair and even though Onika was young— barely 8 years old — even she could feel the awkwardness around them.

The sounds of Roberts phone ringing loudly in the room took away from the quiet air as all attention turned towards it.

Robert put the phone on silent but it kept ringing although quiet now and then Carol had finally spoken up finding the ringing quite irritating, "Just go." She mutters.

Onika couldn't understand why her mother would say that. Didn't she miss him as much as she did?

Why would she want him to go when he hadn't even been here for up to an hour?

"Your 'family's' looking for you." Carol says sarcastically confusing Onika all the more.

They were his family. Weren't they?

It was her, her mother and him. No one else. Right?

Robert sends her a look as if to ask why she'd say something like that but Carol just stale faces him causing him to sigh out getting up from his chair.

Onika couldn't help as her eyes filled up with unshed tears. He was leaving again. She got up at the same time as him moving over to his side.

"Don't go." She whimpers holding on to his pant leg which causes Carol to shake her head, "Come eat your dinner, Onika." But the girl just ignores it still holding on to her father tightly who had a look on his face, something Onika couldn't quite place but looked akin to guilt?

"I'll be back nicnac I promise."

"No I'll follow you."

"You can't. I'll be here tomorrow morning. You have my word."