I wake up with Yasmin in my arms. I look around the small apartment room and groan as I stand from the bed, slowly letting down her head from my arm. I walk to the kitchen and grab a pot from the cabinet.
Almost half an hour later, I hear Yasmin walking up. As I grab two plates and two cups, I see her passing through the hallway to the bathroom. "Come eat!" I yell over the sizzling of the pan. I hear Yasmin groan.
"Yasmin?" I ask as I set up both the plates. "Yes?" She groans. "Orange juice or milk?"
She pauses for a second and replies. "Milk." I nod and get out the gallon, pouring some into the red plastic cups. When I set both of the plates down, Yasmin comes out of the hallway with her hair everywhere.
"You slept well." I giggle as she sits on the red stool. "Yeah.. no kidding." Yasmin chuckles.
The sun highlights her eyes and it makes me smile. "So, today is my dads birthday and he's going to be coming over with my step mom and sister. Is the bathroom clean?" She asks.
I nod and take a sip of my milk.
"I wasn't aware that you had a sister." I gulp down some food. She nods and smiles, taking a bite from her toast. "Yeah.. she's only fourteen. I haven't seen her since she was ten though. I haven't talked to her in a very long time." She whispers.
I raise an eyebrow. I feel her cat rub herself against my leg and I look down to see the black thing right under me. "What time is he gonna get here?" I ask. She glances down at her phone and then looks back up to me.
"Around three. They're going to be spending the night and then they'll be staying at a hotel all week to explore Houston." She takes a sip from her cup.
"You nervous to meet them?" She asks me. I nod and smile. "Don't be. My dad is pretty cool. He's into your kind of music. He has tattoos too. So he shouldn't be too hard on you." She takes a sip of her drink.
"I'm gonna hop in the shower."
|| A Few Hours Later ||
I buttoned up my shirt and smiled as Yasmin finished her makeup beside me. The small bathroom smelled like burned hair, probably by all the times she's straightened her hair.
The door bell rings and my hands get sweaty. "I'll get it." She looks at me in the mirror. I take a deep breath and smile.
"Relax!! They're going to love you." She rests her hand on my shoulder. She goes to the front door and it opens.
"Yasmin!!" A mans voice bounces throughout the apartment. I take a deep breath and leave the bathroom. "Dad, this is Tony." Yasmin smiles as she looks over to me.
"Tony! I'm David. This is my wife Meredith and my daughter Eileen." He shakes my hand and I swear he has the biggest smile on his face.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you."
|| Dinner Time ||
We all sat at the table as Yasmin and her stepmom served everybody's plates. I felt bad for not helping, but Yasmin told me not to. "So Tony, what kind of work do you do." David asks me. I clear my throat and glance at Yasmin before answering.
"I'm a musician," I turn over to him.
"Oh really? Yasmin didn't tell me that." He stances himself. "Yeah, I play guitar in a band." I nod. Yasmin and Meredith sit down at the table. "He's actually going on tour this weekend." Yasmin takes a bite from her food.
"So it's a successful band? Where you guys going?" Meredith asks. "South America." I eat my food. She raises her eyebrows and smiles.
"That's really far. Are you going with them Yasmin?" David asks. "Actually I'm going on tour with another band next week.. so our schedules didn't fit with each other." She trails off.
"Oh dad, did you go to your doctor for those headaches?" Yasmin asks. I notice all three of them lose an interest or get bored.
"Actually.. I did," David grabs Yasmin's hand and looks her in the eye.
"What's wrong dad? You're scaring me." She genuinely looks scared and worried. I begin to worry too. "I have cancer." His voice breaks.
I'm lost with words. I don't know what to say. I can only imagine what Yasmin feels. The table grows silent and all that's heard is Yasmin and Eileen sobbing.
"I'm so sorry, David.." I look up from my plate.
"Come on, it's alright. We're all gonna go through death some day. Mine will just come a little early." He fakes his smile.
"Is it curable? I'll pay for everything. Surgeries, chemo, therapies, medical bills, medicine. You name it and I'll pay for it." I suggest.
"Oh Tony we could never let you do that." David shakes his head. "Very kind, but no." Meredith wipes away tears from her eyes.
"Besides, its incurable. Doctors are giving me a year and a half, they say maybe even less." David clears his throat. "How long ago did you find out?" Yasmin asks.
David pauses for a while and he looks at Meredith. "Two weeks ago."
"I'm not going on tour. I'm staying with you."
