Chapter Nine: Our House:

I don’t remember a time when we didn’t so many people living with us. Usually, everyone came over for a meal and a place to sleep. Daddy and I didn’t mind it. They were usually nice to me, anyway. In fact, they acted like Yu, protecting me all of the time.

Our house had many rooms. Each time some came to visit us, they filled up that room like a hotel. Come to think of it, our friends treated it like a hotel. Some of them tried to pay Daddy for rent. He always refused it, though.

“Don’t give me money for staying here,” he said. “I am not your landlord.”

“But you are so nice,” Tim told him one day. “We have to pay you back somehow.”

“Just take the money,” Andy insisted. Daddy shook his head and made them take back their money. Sometimes, our friends gave me presents.

“Thanks,” I told them. “I wish I had something to give you back.”

“That’s okay, darling,” Little Johnny said. “You don’t have to exchange presents with us.”

“I don’t?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Just on Christmas and our birthdays,” Little Johnny answered. I still felt like I had to give them something in return.

“Your smile is enough for them,” Daddy told me.

Our friends took turns with the cooking at meal times. As a result, I got to eat so many tasty things. Little Johnny came from Mexico and always made spicy dishes. I couldn’t take it being so hot, but Daddy loved it.

“Ah! It’s so good!” he would say after every meal. Thomas liked to mess around with his cooking and come up with different dishes. Some of our friends were a little scared to taste them, but I wasn’t. I ended up liking his cooking.

“Yummy!” I said after the first bite. However, Daddy’s cooking was always the best. Everyone agreed with me on that fact. Maybe that’s why everyone came to our house all of the time.

Some of the ladies liked Daddy as well. I didn’t enjoy them around him, to tell you the truth. Dotty laughed when I told her about Daddy’s “friends.”

“Well, your dad is rather handsome,” she said. I puffed my cheeks at her.

“He’s all mine!” I complained.

“What about that boy who’s always with you?” Dotty asked.

“Well, Yu’s mine too,” I said.

“You can’t have both of them,” she said. “You’ll have to pick one or the other one day.”

“Why would I have to do that?” I asked. Dotty shrugged her shoulders at me.

“That’s just how it is,” she told me. “I had to do that for Tim.” I shook my head at her.

“I won’t do it,” I said. “Daddy and Yu will be mine, no matter what!” Dotty patted me on the head.

“You will make a great woman,” she told me.

My room was the biggest one in the house. The bay window overlooked a giant oak tree that stood next to the house. I always wondered if I could reach out and touch the leaves. I think I did try to do that one summer day when I was twelve.

“Sappoto!” I heard Daddy shout. “Get back in here right now!” I looked up from the window sill to see him running towards me. Daddy grabbed me back into my room.

“What’s wrong?” I asked with big eyes.

“Don’t do that again,” he said, in between breaths. “I don’t want you to fall out the window. Do you understand?”

“I guess…” I mumbled.

“Good,” Daddy said with a sigh. He pressed his forehead up against mine. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.” That was the first time I saw him looking so scared.

“Okay,” I said. “I won’t do that again.” Daddy hugged me to his chest.

“Very good,” he whispered.

At my house, the years went fast, but the days went so slow. I wished everything would stay the same forever. However, it didn’t turn out that way as time wore on.