Dom walked up the stairs. He had to sneak past the living room as he knew if grandfather saw him, he would call him to join them and ask why he was avoiding them, but Dom was not ready to have to explain himself.
He did not want to bother Natasha. He wanted her to feel better faster, and that would only happen when he was not around.
Dom walked through the house he knew better than the back of his hand. He took two turns to the right and entered into a dark room. He was about to switch on the lights when he heard his father's voice.
"Don't switch on the lights.".
Dom nearly jumped up in fright. He did not know why he was startled, he had a feeling his father was in here.
"Dad, what are you doing here in the dark?" Dom frowned. He brought out his phone from his back pocket and turned on the flashlight. He saw his father seated on a small stool to his right.
"The question is what you are doing here in the first place?" Ernest Jr frowned.
"Mom sent me to come look for you, and I had a feeling you would be here, just not in the dark. How can you even see what you are doing when it's so dark?" Dom shone the torchlight of his phone on his father's face.
"I ate a lot of carrots when I was younger, unlike you that hated carrots. That's why your eyesight is very bad," Ernest Jr scoffed.
"I don't think that's how it works, but whatever you say," Dom shrugged. He never argued with his father, the man had his own methods and ways of doing things.
"But, what are you doing here, in the dark?" he asked again.
"I am just making sure my things are kept safely before the wreckers arrive," Ernest Jr said.
"Joy would never come in here and touch your things without asking.".
"Not, Joy, it's Charlie, and Michael will tag along. My things have stayed intact since they've left, and I am not going to allow them destroy my antiques.".
"Charlie is grown now," Dom defended. Ernest Jr simply shot him a disbelieving look.
"Charlie can never grow up," he said.
Dom laughed, he wanted to refute the statement, but it was true.
"Alright, but I doubt he would come in here, and we are only staying here for a week, are you telling me that you are upset we are here? Because you have been frowning ever since we arrived," Dom said.
"Yes, I am upset you all are here. I would prefer Joy coming alone. She is easy to handle, you big idiots do nothing but make noise, and disrupt the peace," Ernest Jr frowned.
"Wow, you are starting to sound like grandfather," Dom laughed. "Besides, Joy makes more noise than we do, that is a fact. We are all older now, I bet the loudest noise we will make is laughing when we are arguing, we just want to have a nice vacation here," Dom said.
"You can have a vacation, just not in my house," Ernest Jr said.
"How nice of you dad. Seriously, but it is alright if you think that way. I doubt that what you fear so much will actually happen, no one will come into your special room, I promise you.".
"How can I trust your words?".
"You can trust me dad, so come on, come out, mom is looking for you," Dom said.
"Alright, fine, you better keep your words," Ernest Jr said.
"You know I always keep my words, dad. It's something I inherited from you, mom and grandfather," Dom laughed.
"You can say whatever you want, get that light out of my face," Ernest Jr scoffed.
"Got it, dad. Got it," Dom laughed, he switched off his phone's torchlight and walked out of the room.
Moments later his father came out and closed the door.
"Why don't you have a lock for this door?" Dom asked.
"Don't you remember we switched this door from being your bedroom door when you locked yourself in your room and we had to remove the door off its hinges to get you out," Ernest Jr frowned.
"Oh yes, I remember that day," Dom laughed. "You had to climb up the window to remove the door, and I was locked in there the entire day," he continued to laugh.
Ernest Jr did not find the story funny at all. A frown rested on his face as Dom continued to laugh.
"You broke the lock of the door, I don't even know how that is possible," he said.
"That must probably because I tried to unlock it myself with pencils and crayons and pins," Dom laughed. He was rarely troublesome when he was growing up, but of the few times he misbehaved, it was truly a disaster.
"I don't even know what came over you that day," Ernest Jr said.
"I don't know as well, I was eleven, just a boy, and I think I was upset because I asked mom to help me with my art homework and she was busy with Lulu so I went to my room and locked myself inside," Dom laughed.
"You were very naughty that day. So I switched the door and that's why that door cannot lock," Ernest Jr said.
"And you haven't bought a new lock since?" Dom asked.
Ernest Jr did not reply to his question.
"Don't tell me that you forget spending twenty dollars on a lock exists?" Dom laughed.
"You don't need to change good things," he replied. Dom frowned, he wondered if his father was being serious, but then again, this was his father, he could not remember a time when he was ever not serious.
"But you just said the door doesn't lock, which means it isn't good.".
"If things are not damaged there's no need to replace them," Ernest Jr replied.
Dom did not understand what his father meant. The door was damaged, it had been for the past twenty years, and yet instead of getting it replaced or buying a new lock, his father continued to complain.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say dad, even though I think that door truly is damaged, but whatever you say," Dom shrugged.
Ernest Jr scoffed as they walked down the stairs. Dom laughed as he followed behind him. It felt so good to be back home. How else would he have such meaningless but funny conversations with his father? He missed this so much, it just reminded him of why he wanted to go back home so badly in the first place.
He could not wait for tomorrow when everyone arrived. The house would be so full of happiness and joy.
...
Natasha yawned, she was starting to get sleepy.
"Are you tired my dear?" Ernest asked smiling.
Natasha laughed, she nodded and tried to stop herself from yawning.
Margaret walked into the room, "Oh, Natasha my dear, you can go and get some rest now.". She had just finished arranging Lulu's room, changing the sheets and arranging Natasha's belongings. She had arrived just in time to see Natasha's response.
"Thank you, aunt," Natasha stood up. "Goodnight grandfather, goodnight aunt," she smiled.
"Goodnight my dear," Ernest placed a kiss on the back of her hand.
"Goodnight, sleep tight," Margaret smiled.
Natasha carried the hot water bottle with her. She felt like she would still need it. Walking up the stairs was unbearable. It seemed that the fact she was moving contributed to the pain she felt in her abdomen.
She was about to enter Lulu's room when she thought of checking on Joy first. She went to Joy's room, switched on the lights and smiled at her peaceful face. She would have moved closer to give her a kiss, but she did not want to accidentally wake her up.
Natasha switched off the lights and closed the door. She entered Lulu's room and turned on the lights.
She walked to the bed and smiled when she found her favourite pair of pajamas placed neatly on the bed.
She laughed, Margaret was so sweet, she was always so sweet. Natasha walked into the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, changed her clothes. She wanted to take a shower, but she knew that once she got in there, she would not want to go out.
She changed into her pajamas. She got into bed and took a deep breath.
She felt so at peace here. It felt so nice to be back in the place that felt so much like home. She found herself relaxing instantly, and she could not lie that she was not excited for tomorrow, because Joy would be awake, and her joy would be indescribable.
Just the mere thought of this made her happy, she would not have wanted this day to go any way else. She closed her eyes and drifted off into slumber.