I woke up at 8 AM, same as every other day. Showered, threw on baggy joggers, a T-shirt, and a white hoodie. Brushed my brown curls into a ponytail, then checked myself in the mirror. Next to it, the last photo I had of Mom. God, I looked more like her with every passing year. Same green eyes, same nose. Dad says I look like her when he first met her.
I traced the silver of my locket. Dad gave it to me when I was six, and I hadn't taken it off since. Two photos inside, Mom and Dad, with a 'G' engraved on the front and a tiny diamond at the top. A few years back, he replaced the chain, but the old one had left a bit of discoloration.
Downstairs, Steve was making waffles – my favorite. “Hey Gem!” he greeted, as I perched on the countertop, sticking a finger in the batter and licking it off. Steve was an amazing cook. “Hey Captain.” I saluted him with my other hand. We both laughed. “Is Dad back yet?” I asked, dipping my finger in again. He turned, taking the bowl away with a mock-serious face. “Not yet. Happy went to get him about an hour ago. Should be back soon.” He pulled a waffle from the iron, topped it with two blueberries and seven raspberries arranged into a smile, and handed it to me, grinning. I laughed and hugged him.
After breakfast, I headed down to the lab – next to the garage – to check for my tablet. Just as I reached the bottom step, the garage door opened and Dad’s car pulled in. Happy got out, then Dad. “Hey Peanut!” he shouted, dropping his bags on the floor.
“Dad!” I ran to him and he scooped me up in a hug, spinning me around.
“Ah, I missed you!” He set me down and cupped my face in his hands. “What happened to my little girl? When did you get so big?” I hugged him back, burying my face in his shoulder. “How long are you here for?” I asked.
“Oh, I don’t know… thinking a couple months?” He replied, and I stepped back, shocked.
“What!” I exclaimed.
“Nobody needs me more than you, besides, there’s stuff we need to talk about.” He turned back toward the car, “Hey Peanut, can we talk later? I really need to shower, but we’ll have lunch, yeah?” He added, opening the trunk.
“Yeah, of course. I’ve got a session with Wanda and Natasha anyway.” I answered. This grabbed his attention. He looked up from the car. “Oh, yeah, okay, cool.” He muttered. Strange. Dad was always strange.