“You’re up early, sweetheart,” Papa says, patting the seat beside him. “Come eat before everything gets cold.”
Papa offers me a wink. Gerhard nods at me, the old man is getting very close with our family. I smile, at least try to, as I enter the dining room fully. On my way to the seat, my eyes meet Papochka’s and he gives a grunt that counts as affection. Even Mama musters a tired smile, one that doesn’t quite reaches her eyes but still feels like an embrace.
Too normal. Much too normal.
It claws at me, this confusion and I was ready for war, and they handed me peace.
But peace with our family? I don’t trust it.
It’s always the calm before the storm, and with us, the storm always comes, one way or another.
It’s not like I hate my family. I don’t. in fact, I love them beyond anything
