Page 82 of Obsession

I didn’t want him either, or the drugs.

I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and swallowed some medicine, hoping it would ease the dizziness, then went downstairs. My dad was on the phone while writing some stuff down in a planner.

“Six hundred pieces? Are you sure that’s enough? … Mhm, I think you should buy a thousand, you’ll sell them after, if not at the fair.”

I raised an eyebrow as I made myself a strong coffee at the espresso machine. He looked at me and smiled, then continued talking about the boxes, then hung up.

“Good morning, honey.”

I pointed to the planner he kept writing in.

“Opening a business?”

He laughed.

“No, but I promised Josh that I’d help him prepare for the fair.” I had a feeling I knew what he was talking about, but the details were fuzzy. “You remember Uncle Josh, don’t you?”

“Should I?”

He gave me a soft smile.

“I suppose not; you only saw him once when you were about six years old. He’s my cousin who still lives here and owns a bakery.”

The next second, I knew what he was talking about.

“Were you guys talking about the fair that’s being held for the local producers?”

My father seemed surprised as he pulled out the ingredients for an omelet.

“You heard about it?”

I nodded as I mixed a teaspoon of honey into my coffee, then turned the glass jar towards my father.

“I was shopping on Tuesday; a really nice old lady gave me this jar. I think her name is Iolanda.”

My father’s face brightened.

“Yeah, she’s Josh’s mother-in-law. His sweets are famous around here because they’re made with her honey,” suddenly amused, he pointed to the jar. “Did I ever tell you about that time I ended up in the hospital because of that thing?”

“What?” I laughed.

“Yeah, I ate like two jars in one sitting, that’s how much I liked it. I can’t even look at it without remembering how sick I felt.”

After staring at him for a while longer, I burst out laughing as I put my finger first in the jar and then in my mouth.

“It’s true, there is something special about it.”

“It’s completely natural, not just an advertisement on the label, but don’t be fooled, it’ll kick your ass if you overdo it.”

Still laughing, I swirled the teaspoon in my coffee and added some milk, then let out a few satisfied sounds as I tasted it. I was going to make a habit of drinking my coffee with this honey. It was something different.

My dad continued to talk enthusiastically about the Massen family, who were in some way related to us. It was a strange feeling to remember that Seattle was not a new city to my father, that it had once been his home and that he was rebuilding his friendships and getting to know his family again.

None of them had been thrilled when he had married my mom. I never understood why they hated her so much, why they hadn’t accepted my father’s decision and their love.

I hated them all for it. I even refused to see my grandparents until the day they were on their deathbed. Apart from that, I had no other connection to my father’s family. My mother only had her sister and my grandmother, but she died too soon, and I didn’t get to spend much time with her. Shevisited us almost every month, and she liked my father, and I loved her.

My father had given up everything for my mother, he had cut ties with his family and moved to another city with her when they were just a young couple, unemployed and penniless.

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