Free Current Impressions by Kelly Risser

rack, broke off
a piece and chewed thoughtfully. Blueberry. Yum.
    “Are you having breakfast with him this
morning or do you plan on eating your way through my preparations
in the kitchen?” Paddy teased.
    I rolled my eyes and hopped off the
barstool. “How much longer until breakfast?”
    Paddy glanced out the window. The sky was
now a vivid pink edged in lavender. “I’d say he’ll be up within
fifteen minutes. I could serve you in his suite if you prefer. Your
patience seems a bit limited this morning.”
    “You’d do that?” I was touched at how much
my uncle, and the others, did to make me feel at home here.
    “Of course. It’s no trouble.”
    “Okay. I’ll go wake him.”
    Paddy laughed. As I walked down the hall, I
heard him say, “Good luck with that.”
    ****
    I knocked several times before I heard a
muffled, grumpy, “Who is it?”
    “It’s me, Dad,” I said. “Open up.”
    He opened the door and squinted at me. His
hair stood up in small tufts, and a five o’clock shadow made him
appear scruffy. He was wearing the same flannel pajamas that I
remembered from the short time he, Mom, and I were a family. I
missed that—being a family.
    “What are you doing here?” Dad asked with a
yawn. “Is something wrong?”
    “No, but may I come in? Paddy’s sending
breakfast up.”
    “Here? Why?”
    “I need to talk to you.” I slipped past him
and into the room when he moved to the side. I beelined for the
couch and got comfortable. When I looked up at him, he was watching
me with fear in his eyes. “Relax, Dad. I told you I’m okay.”
    He ran his hand through his hair and sunk in
the recliner. “I haven’t had my coffee yet this morning. I’m not
awake.”
    A knock at the door had him rising again. It
was a young Selkie girl. She appeared to be about ten, but I knew
looks were deceiving. She was probably older than I was—in human
years at least. Humans aged about seven times faster than
Selkies.
    “Your breakfast,” she announced quietly. She
set the tray on the table, curtsied, and left.
    My dad wasted no time pouring himself a cup
of coffee. After several sips, he sighed and sat back down. “Much
better. Now tell me, Meara, why you are here this morning? Not that
I don’t enjoy a private breakfast with my daughter.”
    “Do you know what day it is?” I blurted. It
probably wasn’t the best opener, but I really wanted to know.
    He frowned at me for a second before
answering. “It’s July 7, I believe. Why?”
    July 7. My heart leapt. He was here. Evan
was here. My euphoria didn’t last. The hard part lay ahead of me. I
had to tell my dad.
    “I didn’t get a chance to tell you before we
left Peggy’s Cove…” My voice trailed off as nerves took over. I
still wasn’t as comfortable talking to him as I had been with Mom.
Then again, we had seventeen years to practice. I’d only known my
dad for little over a year.
    “Yes?” He calmly watched me over his coffee
mug, although his expression darkened slightly at my
nervousness.
    I took a deep breath, and the words flowed
out. “Evan’s in Scotland for the next month. He’s here on an
internship. He told me right before we left, and I promised to see
him. I meant to tell you, but I forgot when we got here and—”
    “Meara—”
    “—and I don’t want you to be mad, but I
really want to see him. I miss him so much, and he’s only here for
a month, and—”
    “Meara—”
    “—he’s right in Aberdeen, which I don’t
think is far from here, I can swim there, and—”
    “Meara! Stop and listen to me!” My dad sat
forward in his chair. His brows knit together, but his eyes were
full of humor. “And breathe, damn it, before you pass out.”
    I took another deep breath, feeling a bit
winded. He walked over to the table and picked up a can of Diet
Coke from the tray. They stocked it just for me. Popping the tab,
he handed it to me.
    “Thanks.” The carbonated goodness made me
feel instantly better.
    He laughed and