Amusing Anecdotes: Fathers & Daughters

The pots and pans had been put away and the kitchen was clean. I breathed a sigh of relief as I settled into bed.

At that moment I silently gave my mom props for the endless dinner parties she had graciously hosted throughout my childhood for every conceivable event. I hadn’t planned on flying half-way around the world to make Christmas dinner for just dad and I but that’s what it had come to this year.

As per my usual nightly ritual I reached for the nearest book to help lull me off to sleep. I could already feel the weight of my eyelids as I slid under the covers. The bedside lamp flickered to life. The mood was almost perfect, except it was too bright. I grabbed a piece of cloth and threw it over the lamp, just to dim the room enough to ease me into a blissful dream.

As I slowly turned page after page, my muscles began to relax completely and my head lolled as my mind floated beyond the day’s fatigue.

***

I rolled over in mid-sleep to find ominous rings of grey smoke curling by my bay window. The neighbours must have burned something. I gently un-tucked the covers from under my chin as I realized my clothes were doing too good a job of keeping me warm and were sticking. I caught my breath and coughed as I realized the smoke was in the room and not outside.

”But my windows aren’t open” I thought. My deluded sense of logic reasoned that there must have been a crack between the wall and window that was letting in smoke. I stumbled up from the bed and slowly made my way to the living room, in a dreamlike haze.

"Dad, there's something in my room," I yawned, rubbing my eyes.

No movement. Dad shrugged me off with a confused, "Huh?"

"My room, you have to come..." I mumbled, still half asleep.

I watched him slowly rise and stride past me in exaggerated slow motion movements. I heard his yowl and felt panic course through my veins and shock me back to life before I even noticed the hungry flames impatiently licking the corner wall of my bedroom. The corner where my wooden bed frame, nightstand and 100 per cent cotton curtains all merged.

The smoke flooded into the hallway and as my eyes opened wide with disbelief dad pushed past me and bolted into the kitchen. I was right behind him as my flight or flight response kicked in. I darted past the kitchen to the front door. As dad was filling one of those clean pots with water panic flung me towards the front door. I managed to unlock it and bolt for cover before I realized what I was doing/catching myself mid-run.

My senses finally caught up with the adrenaline pounding through my heart. I began to feel my breathing slow and my muscles unclench as I ventured back into the house to find him surveying the destruction. The entire wall was scarred black. As I humbly assessed the damage for myself, he shook his head in disbelief, gave a relieved sigh and hugged me as he guided me out of the room.

Upon my return friends asked, "What did you get for Christmas?"

"My life; no big deal."