Dearest Father

Tea Party

It had yet again been a long day at work for Alex. He heaved open the door to his house, with his guitar case in one hand, and his notebook in the other.

"Daddy!" Kaya came running to Alex, who was still standing in the doorway. He immediately put his stuff down to greet his daughter. He kneeled down and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Oh puppet, how are you? You've been home alone for quite a while, haven't you?"
Alex pulls her into a hug. "Yeah, but I played with my toys!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Let me put my things in my office, and then we can play together, eh?"
"Okay!"

Although Alex was tired from his day at work, he knew he needed to prioritise his family. He had spent his whole day at the studio with Matt, writing and recording demos for the new Arctic Monkeys album. It had been a stressful few weeks, but he knew he could count on his daughter to cheer him up.

Alex walked to his office, which was decorated with several of his guitars hanging from the wall, his amplifiers, his electric drumset, and his desk. He placed his guitar case in the corner of the room, and left his notebook on his desk.

"Alex, you're home!" You walked out of the living room to see your husband in his office. "Indeed I am." You embraced him for a few moments. "Hungry, tired?"
"No, just need a break."
"Alright then. Whenever you're hungry, there's food on the stove." You kissed him on his cheek and felt his stubble graze your lips. You walked off into your bedroom to relax.

"Daddy, are you ready yet?" Kaya's voice rang through the hallway. Alex almost forgot he was putting his stuff down so he could play with Kaya, not to stand around. "I'll be right there, puppet!" He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, it was hard to breathe with it buttoned all the way to the top.

He walked into Kaya's bedroom to find her sat on her rug, ready to play. He put his hands on his hips. "So, what do you want to play?"
"I wanna have a tea party!"
"Oh, is that so? Then tea party it is then."

Alex sat down in front of Kaya, and watched her pull out a floral tea set from one of her drawers. "Can you pour some tea for us?" Alex nodded. "How many guests will we be having today?"
"Two more! But they're still coming."
"Ah, okay."

He proceeded to pretend to pour out four cups of tea from the beautiful ceramic teapot Kaya handed him. As he took the fourth cup and 'poured' tea into it, Kaya brought out the guests.
"Oh, have our guests arrived?"
"Yes! They're gonna sit beside you." Kaya had a plush teddy bear and unicorn in her hands. She placed them on either side of Alex. "I don't think I've met them before. I'm Alex, pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand to both toys and pretended to shake their hands. Kaya watched inventively.

Alex handed the two toys their cups of tea. "Make sure to drink them before they get cold."
He made the unicorn drink its tea first, using one hand to hold up the teacup, and the other to orient its head. "I think she likes it!" Kaya exclaimed.
"Let's ask her, shall we? How do unicorns speak to humans?"
"I don't know daddy!"
"Can they whisper?"
"Try!"
Alex leaned in towards the unicorn and pretended to listen to what it was saying. "She said it needs some sugar."
"What about the bear?" He turned to his right this time and 'listened' to what the bear had to say. "He said it tasted just right. Do you like your tea, puppet?"
"Yeah!"

Alex pretended to drink his tea some more, before sparking up a conversation with Kaya. "So, how has life been for these two? Do you play with them very often?" He glanced at either plush toy while speaking. "I played with them this morning, and we went to the beach!"
"The beach? Very fancy. What did you three do there?"
"We went swimming!"
"Are you sure bears and unicorns can swim?"
"Daddy! It's just pretend!" Alex chuckled at Kaya's remark. Only then did he realise his legs were beginning to ache from sitting in a criss cross for so long. He couldn't feel his toes.

              

                                                                               *

He was getting absolutely exhausted after thirty more minutes of playing with Kaya. He didn't need tea anymore, he needed a whisky and a cigarette. "Puppet, I think it's getting quite late for me to keep drinking tea. How about I leave you with these two, and you can all play while I'm gone?" Kaya's face sunk. "I wasn't done playing with you, daddy!"
"I know, puppet. But daddy's very tired right now. I promise you that I'll play with you again in the morning, when I'm not so busy, okay?"
"Okay..."

Alex quickly slipped out of Kaya's room before he disappointed her even more, and took a pack of slim cigarettes and a lighter from his trouser's pockets. He walked over to the balcony, and opened the windows as wide as they could go. He lit his cigarette and inhaled the smoke deeply.

                                                                               *

"Long day, huh?" You had left your room for a glass of wine, only to find Alex deep into his third cigarette. "That kid has one hell of an imagination."
"She learned from the best. And don't smoke indoors, she'll see you."

"Daddy, what's that in your hand?"