Simone opened her crusty, dried eyes and looked at her clock. It read 7:13am. Perfect. She had gotten precisely 1 hour and 13 minutes of sleep. She groaned as she pushed herself up. Keeping her eyes open was a real struggle. She squinted as she shuffled and made her way to her bathroom.
Stripping out of her clothes she stepped under the hot shower. Scrubbing her scalp in slow motions she felt the scent of the shampoo slowly revive her. Her eyes were fully open now, but she still moved slowly. Scrubbing her backside was a little difficult as she felt the pinch of her muffin top. A few tears fell from her eyes and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying as she thought about how much she had let herself go.
Before the insomnia and the breakup, her waist was snatched and her booty was pert. She even had abbs.
Now she was a mess.
Even her skin wasn't as supple and smooth as before. She had spots of acne on her forehead and chin, her cheeks had pigmentation, stress lines had formed around her eyes and she always felt so oily.
Stepping out of the shower, she quickly did her skin treatment all the while trying not to look at her face too closely as it made her want to cry all over again. She especially tried hard not to look at her body as she got dressed in angry and jerked motions.
Lastly, she took time applying leave in conditioner and slowly brushed her hair. She smile a bit as she did so. Her hair was the only part of her appearance she was happy with. It was the once facet of her beauty she hadn't lost yet. Even though, she had a thin strand of gray. She adjusted her hair so she wouldn't have to see it.
Grabbing her bag, she walked out of her apartment and into the early morning air. It wasn't too noisy as she lived away from any main roads. Savoring the quiet, she quickly reached into her bag and applied her eyedrops once they began to itch again.
Stretching her neck, she got onto her bicycle and pedaled at a measured pace to the Breakfast and Dinner cafe located near the elementary school she had attended. It was a familiar path, albeit from a different direction. Still, it felt like an old routine and her shoulders relaxed.
The wind blew against her face as she picked up momentum. She enjoyed it. It was cool without any kind of bite to it. It woke her up and made her feel alive.
Arriving at the cafe, Simone dismounted and locked her bike before walking in. As soon as she stepped inside, she was greeted by the aroma of coffee and freshly baked bread. A second later she heard an excited squeal as her sister tripped over her feet rushing up to hug her.
"Omg! Omg! Omg! You're finally here! I didn't think you'd, omg, you're here! I missed you so much! You know I'm in the science fair! I also got into a fight with a 7th grader on the bus! She pushed me so, oh mommy got me a new dress I'll show it to you!" Mina babbled happily as she jumped up and down.
Simone's body was doing a weird wave as she was being hugged and bounced by the overly excited girl. On instinct, she hugged her back.
"That's all so interesting. How about we sit down and you can tell me more?" Simone replied, as her eyes went to her father who was sitting a few tables away sipping his coffee. He didn't even look in her direction.
Ronald Goyette worked as a Defense Attorney in the neighboring city. He often had to travel to meet with his clients and colleagues and as such he was frequently absent. Simone's mother would often get upset and tell him to make more time for his family, but he always dismissed it saying he had to work this hard as he was sole breadwinner.
Turned out, half the time, he was leaving to fuck another woman. And he had another daughter he'd rather spend time with.
I wonder, did he ever love my mother or me? Or were we just mistakes and now he's with the family he truly wants?
Simone bit back her sudden irritation and smiled sweetly at Mina. "You got taller."
Mina's brown eyes were alight with joy. "I know. I thought I was going to be short forever but now I'm almost as tall as my big sister."
Simone measured the top of Mina's head which came to her throat. "Oh, you'll definitely be taller. More pretty too."
Mina smiled and flushed.
Their father's voice broke through. "Take a seat, both of you. You can have your meet and greet here."
Again, he spoke without looking. His eyes were scrolling through his phone.
Simone led her sister over and they both slid into the booth across from him. "How have you been dad?"
He finally looked at her, his eyes devoid of all emotion. Then he looked at Mina who was happily sipping her chocolate milk and smiled. "I've been fine. How about you?"
Simone once again pushed down on her anger. Why did he have to look at his other daughter to give a response? Was 15 seconds of eye contact with his older daughter too much?
Her father had never been the affectionate type, not to her or her mother, but he was never so cold. Why did he have to treat her this way when he was the one who cheated and ruined their family? She had forgiven him. Shouldn't he be grateful that she was still willing to meet him? Or was he still upset that she had initially given him the silent treatment after she found out about Rebecca and Mina? But that was his own fault. He just announced his double life, present her mother with divorce papers and walked away without an ounce of shame.
Well, it's not like I particularly want to see him either, Simone thought ruefully as she picked up the menu and used it to block her father's face out of her line of sight. The only reason I'm here is because of my half-sister. If Mina didn't exist, I doubt I would have ever answered his call.
And I guess I should be glad he accompanied her here and not his wife. I just can't stand being around Rebecca. Though she's always been cordial to me, she still fucked a married man and had a baby with him. Seeing her just makes me feel like I'm betraying my mother.
Simone called the waiter over and ordered her meal. Or rather, Mina ordered for her as she claimed to know what would taste the best. Simone chuckled and let the girl have her way. After all, this visit was for her. Who cared if her father was being an ass? She would just ignore him as he did her and give her sister all her attention.
Mina always looked at her with such love in her eyes. Oh, yes. Ignoring her father would be easy.