Thank you for reading my story, I would love to know what you think. Love Mica xx West Yorkshire, England.
It had been a few years since I had seen dad. He worked abroad a lot and we just never managed to coincide when he came back. Today, however, he was coming in on a flight from Dubai, and I was picking him up and he was staying at mine. Him and mum divorced a while ago, and that is why he went abroad, bad memories and sad memories.
He had messaged me to say he was coming back to the UK, for good, and he needed to find somewhere to stay. Could I help him? I rang him.
"No you don't dad, you can stay at mine whilst you decide where you want to live."
"Oh, you have a spare bedroom?"
"No dad, but you can sleep on the sofa, or I can, and we will get one of those blow up beds to put in the lounge. That is a cheap solution and then you can look at the areas, where you want to live, what jobs you want to go after."
So here I was at Liverpool airport at the collect and drop point. Five pounds for a maximum of ten minutes, such a rip off, I didn't dare go in until he texted me to say he had his luggage and was heading out of the main concourse, as it was a hundred pound fine if I went over ten minutes.
I saw him and blew my horn and managed to stop right next to him. No time for hugs, not at these rates, I dived out of the car, gave him a quick kiss and shoved his bags on the back seat. Two minutes trying to get the card machine at the exit to accept payment, the machine was so old you couldn't read the screen. Eventually, got it. One minute to spare.
"Hello Mica baby."
"Hello daddy, I missed you, really, I did."
"Thank you, baby, when we get near to yours, can we stop for fish and chips? I have so missed them, and I am starving."
"Hank Marvin"
"What?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Hank... Oh yes, I get it, sorry, dumb mode, forgot to disengage it."
"Any way daddy, yes we can. And I guess you want to know, mum is fine, not got a permanent new man, but has been dating. Leo is still living with mum, I guess he likes her laundry service."
"Good, I am glad she is okay. I never knew why we divorced. Irreconcilable differences the papers said."
"I never understood why you didn't contest it, or even fight for your marriage daddy."
"I love your mum, but she fell out of love with me, so, rather than cause her hurt, I signed the papers and left."
"But you left me and Leo too."
"I know baby, but I knew that you were in good hands, your mum was good to you?"
"Oh yes daddy, but I missed you, so much."
"Well I am here now Mica, and I don't plan on going abroad again. I have some money saved from working abroad, so I can buy a small place and a car, I just need to find the right place, somewhere near you, I hope. I would like to see Leo again too."
"I have no doubt you will, when he is not too busy sowing his oats."
Dad laughed, "oh spreading it about a bit is he?"
"Well, you know, I doubt there is a woman within a mile radius that he hasn't pleasured."
"And what about you Mica? Boyfriend? Am I going to get in the way of you courting?"
"I am between dicks at the moment, so no."
Dad roared with laughter and squeezed my knee. The rest of the journey was quite quiet, I think dad was a bit jet lagged, he was about five hours ahead, so it was after midnight in his body.
Near to home and I pulled up outside my local chippy. "Anything in particular?" I asked.
"Nope baby, just get me a fish supper."
I went in and ordered two fish and chips, a curry sauce, some scraps and a bread cake. Pretty much my favourite. Sometimes I would add scallops, but, they were rather large, so I thought I would leave them for another time.
I added salt and vinegar and then more salt, the lady behind the fryer, who I think was called Bertha, wrapped everything up and popped it all into the usual exceedingly flimsy plastic bag, and I was back in the car, dad was dozing.
"Nearly home dad, that's my nearest chippy. They don't do any of the Chinese nonsense, or burgers, just fish and chips, scallops, and sausages. They don't even do pies. Cooked in dripping dad, and skin off the fish. Proper old fashioned chippy."
"Oh Mica, it sounds bloody fab."
We got home, and I unlocked and went to sort out the fish and chips whilst dad bought his luggage in.
"Loo is there daddy," I pointed, and there is another one upstairs."
"So, your place, this is what a one bed?"
"Well sort of. They call it a podium because upstairs is kind of like a balcony. One bedroom, bathroom and loo up there, and down here is a big room with a kitchenette in the corner with a loo next to it. It is all I need. I have my own private little garden, and, as you've seen, off road parking at the front. It is cheap, the council tax is band B, just about as cheap as you can get, and I can easily afford the mortgage, you will probably buy a car for more than I paid for this."
"Well, you can give me the full tour tomorrow when I am more awake, can we eat now?"
I grabbed our plates of fish and chips and scraps, handed one to dad, and rested mine on my sofa seat whilst I grabbed the bread cake and the curry sauce to pass to him.
"Here, the breadcake, and have as much curry sauce as you like. I love it, but have it all the time, so I don't mind if you have it this time."
Crumbs dad really was hungry, his fish, a good dollop of curry sauce, and some chips went into his bread cake and a large bite later, he was making appreciative noises and nodding his head.
"Oh, so good, I have so missed this, proper Yorkshire fish supper. Thank you, this is the best meal I could come home to."
"You are welcome daddy, just enjoy. We also have an excellent Chinese round the corner, their House Special Chow Mein is fabulous, and the other way is an Indian who do a brilliant lamb Rogan Josh. Then there are innumerable pizza and burger places, but I never use them, they don't do a lot for me. I either cook my own food, or get a takeaway from one of the three locals."
After we had eaten I told dad to go and crash on my bed, I would take the sofa.
"You need at least one nights decent sleep dad" I said, "I'll crash on the sofa, it's not cold, so the spare lightweight quilt will do me. I'll just grab a pillow and upstairs is all yours."
I went up, grabbed one of my pillows and the spare quilt from under the bed and left him to it. Downstairs I extended the sofa, it wasn't quite flat, but then neither am I. I heard dad in the loo and then the creak as he got on the bed. I smiled, went to the loo myself and then stripped to my knickers and lay on the sofa, pulled the quilt over and suddenly it was morning.
When I awoke I was a little disoriented, and then I remembered dad was here as I sat up and stretched.
"Morning sweetheart, kettles on," dad said from my kitchenette.
"Morning daddy," I answered as I looked for my top to put on, found it, no doubt giving dad a good eyeful in the process, "let me nip up and wash and get dressed, I'll be five minutes."
I scooted upstairs and stripped and gave myself a good wash, I could shower later. Clean knickers, skirt, bra a polo top and I was almost presentable. Brush through my hair, hair band, and I was ready to face the world, and my dad.
We had toast and coffee, and then as I was tidying the living room, folding back the sofa, putting the quilt in a reasonably tidy pile in the corner with the pillow, dad went up and showered. Back down wearing chinos and a checked shirt as I sat with my legs curled up drinking another coffee.
"Right then," dad said, "where's best to get a blow up or put me up bed?"
"Probably Argos. There is one in Sainsbury's round the corner."
"Okay, Argos it is, and then we can top up your food in Sainsbury's"