The Truth Behind a Smile

Chapter Nine

Quandary

The Moka coffeemaker bubbled on the stovetop, perfuming the air with the chocolatey, somewhat nutty notes of Café Bustelo, and covering the dull scent of the morning paper, which had been left open on the kitchen table. A news broadcast played faintly in the background as Stephen grabbed the appropriate crockery for him and his prospective guest. Toast added a hint of burnt bread to breakfast’s aromatic bouquet, an appetizing trace that trailed at the end like an aftertaste.

The doorbell rang and Stephen’s head sprang up. He turned off the stove, put down the last plate, and hurried to the door though, given his age and extended time at home, it took him longer than it used to. He turned off the TV in the living room as he passed it.

“Oh-ho, hello sweetheart! How are you?” Stephen shouted gleefully upon opening the door and seeing Emily standing there. She had grown quite a bit standing tall in a loose white blouse and stylish black pants. Her hair had volume and was a dark brown but was kept short, she cut it just enough so it would touch the top of her shoulders. Her eyes looked stern from the struggles of a 9 to 5 office job but lit up with warmth upon seeing her father.

“Hi, Dad, I’m doing fine.” Emily smiled warmly as she leaned down slightly from the 6-foot height her wedged heels gave her and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. Stephen, like his father, had shrunk slightly with age and was closer to five feet and ten inches when upright, but slouched slightly taking away a few more inches.

“Are you excited for your trip? Are your bags all packed? Passport? Toothbrush? Hair products?”

“Yes, yes, yes. I have everything that I’ll need. We’re only going for a few days.” Emily laughed.

Stephen looked at her admiringly, his eyes smiling almost as much as his mouth whenever he saw her.

“Well, all right then.” He chuckled. “Come on into the kitchen. You came at the perfect time—I just finished getting breakfast ready. You still take your coffee black? Or do you want some half and half?”

“You have half and half? I thought you didn’t drink coffee.”

“Well, I really only have it for guests.”

“Dad … what guests do you have over besides me?”

“Haha, I guess you caught me, but you never know. You might be in the mood for it sometime, and I just wanted to be prepared.” Stephen shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, since you got it just for me, I guess I’ll have some.” Emily smiled as they walked to the kitchen.

Emily sat at the table, while Stephen removed the toast from the toaster. He plated it with some mixed fruit and placed it on the table in front of Emily. Grabbing the coffee, he filled his daughter’s cup then retrieved the debated half and half from the fridge but left it to her to pour the desired amount. He folded up his newspaper and took his seat. “So … are you excited to be going to the Dominican Republic for your 30th?”

“Mm-hm. I still can’t believe that Melanie got me a weekend away for my birthday and the fact that she was able to get us such a good deal at the resort with only a months’ notice. They’re usually completely booked during March, all the kids from college are usually there around this time.”

“Well, that’s great!”

“Yeah, it really is. It’s also the perfect getaway because all the work I have covering the extra areas at work recently has been stressing me out so much these past few months. I can’t wait to get in our room, unpack, and head down to the beach.” Emily smiled with her eyes closed as if already transporting herself there.

“Well, I’m glad to hear you’re excited. I hope you girls have a great time. Do you know how you’ll get to the resort from the airport?”

“Yeah, the resort said they’ll have a bus to pick us up and take us to the resort. They also warned us about the taxi drivers at the airport. We should be all situated on that end so don’t worry. This time next week I’ll be back, and we can have out regular Sunday morning breakfast.”

Stephen forced a smile behind his teeth, which, judging from Emily’s expression, failed to create a façade that suggested he wasn’t worried.

“You know, if you had a dog around here you wouldn’t have to worry about me so much.” Emily offered a crafty smile of her own.

“Yeah, because I’d be too busy cleaning up after it and taking care of it just so it could lie around all day and pee on everything. No thank you, ma’am.”

“I know, I know you don’t like dogs, but there are some dogs that are really easy to take care of, and if you get a little doggy door to the backyard, I can come over and help you train him to do his business outside. That way you won’t have to worry—”

“I said I don’t want one!”

Emily raised her eyebrows.

“That’s the end of it. I don’t want to hear anymore dog talk, please.”

“O-okay, Dad. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

Stephen sighed. He’d never told Emily that he’d had a dog as a child.