Testing His Limits

Chapter One

"Marnie! Wake up! Quick! Dad's just logged onto skype!!" Those simple words were enough to get me out of bed at 6:00 am on a Saturday morning. With a smile on my face, I quickly darted down the stairs where I awaited a skype call from my Dad who I haven't heard from in weeks. Now before you start thinking who would be excited about a skype call with a Dad who hardly contacts you, it's not like that at all, in fact, far from it.

My Dad works for the British Army as a Bomb Disposal Engineer. God you can already hear the burst of pride I have for him just in my voice, but yeah I like to boast about this because I am one incredibly proud daughter. However, there are many disadvantages of having a Dad who works for the Army, one of them being that I haven't seen him in 5 months now, and it's just becoming more and more unbearable of not being able to hug him, and tell him how my day was. There's always this sense of anxiety I get at the pit of my stomach as well when we've not heard from him in a while, and the need to constantly know whether he is okay or not is exhausting. But hey that's life, and there's nothing more I want to do right now than to see his goofy face on that screen.

"DAADDD!!!" I practically cheered when I came into view of the screen. My face must've been a picture since I pretty much shoved my face onto the camera not realising that the first view he got was of my brilliant nostrils. Note the sarcasm.

He just chuckled "Hello princess how are you?"

"I'm really good thanks, I've got soooo much to tell you about last season's The Walking Dead! But first of all I want to ask when are you coming home?"

I watched how my Dad's smile faltered a little after I asked him that simple question. He scratched the back of his neck and then replied "ermm I'm not too sure hunny, hopefully soon"

I felt my mum tense up beside me as if she already knew the answer to that.

"But you always say that, soon always feels like a lifetime away with you" I whispered in a voice that did not sound like my usual happy self.

I briefly looked away from the screen as I couldn't bare the thought of my Dad seeing the sadness in my eyes which were clearly evident at this moment of time.

"Just tell her David" my mum said abruptly.

"Tell me what?"

I looked at my mum then quickly back to the screen where my Dad was staring straight back at me. He sighed, then said "They reckon I won't be back till after Christmas sweetheart"

I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes. C'mon Marnie suck it up don't let him see you cry. "Oh" was all I could mumble. The truth was that this hurt a lot. A Christmas without my Dad would hardly be a Christmas at all. How would my little sister Lexi even react when she finds out that Dad won't even be there in the morning to show him all the presents she got from Santa?

"Is there not any way..."

"No Marnie" my Dad regretfully cut in to save me from saying things that wouldn't have changed the situation.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, took a deep breath, and cheerfully attempted to say "... well I guess we could celebrate a mini Christmas when you get back! Right mum?"

I looked at my mum who smiled and nodded, then I looked back at my Dad who was smiling at us. "I'd like that."

I forcefully put on the biggest smile that I could possibly manage so that I could assure him that it will all be fine, and that everything will be okay. You know what they say right, smile even though the heart is still frowning.

"Then it's settled then! I consider myself lucky as I now get to have two Christmas's!" Jesus Marnie could you sound anymore patronising!

I felt my mum squeeze my hand beside me as she knew that this was just as hard for me as it was for her. I just hoped that my Dad couldn't see past this happy facade I put up like my mum could.