I turned around when I heard the door open. There she was… my daughter, Lana. How lovely my Lana looked in the school uniform, laughing among her friends with her hands full of chocolates. Despite all the surrounding clamor, I could clearly hear her laughter.
She had grown so much from last year, my little pumpkin. I can't belive she's fourteen now. Then I realised that the receptionist was giggling at me. My smile instantly fades. Was I smiling like a maniac?
“Why are you here? Dad…” the word ‘Dad’ was almost like a whisper. Her tone was cold and so was her face. Looks like she was not happy to see me.
“Where's mom?” She asked before she started counting the chocolates and I was adoring her without even blinking.
“Umm… She was a little busy with the patients,” she wasn't looking at me but outside, it had started raining. Finally, I could see a small smile on her face.
“Shall we go?” I said and she nodded. As we stepped out from the main door, I realised that I didn't have an umbrella.
"Here..." Lana pulled a bright yellow umbrella out of her bag and held it out to me. I took it from her.
“All the parents are requested to proceed out from the back door of the school as a tree had fallen in front of the main gate,” everyone groaned. The announcement came from the school reception.
“I know the way, let's go,” Lana said, I opened the umbrella and she stepped under it.
We were walking through the school ground, the pitch was muddy, I was glancing at her repeatedly, sadness hung over her face, just like these dark clouds. Despite being very close to me, yet it felt as though she was worlds apart.
“You’ve grown so much, I have been so busy these days, I haven’t seen you properly, Lana…” I tried to break the awkward silence between us.
“I’ve also barely seen you since last year, so it's obvious that you don't see me either,” she said, still watching the rain.
My grip on the umbrella tightens, before we could reach our car, my eyes landed on her favorite bakery store.
“Lana, do you remember we used to come to that bakery store on every Saturday?” She looked at the store. Her face completely blank, I waited for her to speak, but she remained silent.
“Y.. your- favourite cream cakes!” I stammered. “I'm sure your mom buys them a lot for you,” I said, plastering a smile.
“I’ve never had cream cakes since the last time you bought me,” She stepped out from under the umbrella, her eyes glued on the ground and walked towards the car.
I looked at the bakery store.
The door flew open, a man walked out carrying a young girl who was eating a cream cake.
