Chapter 1

“Honey! Come for dinner!” My dad said. He loves cooking some of the most exotic things I've ever seen in my life.

“I'll come in just a little bit dad!” I yell back since the kitchen is pretty far from my bedroom. After all the extreme yelling, I went back to scrapbooking. You might say, “Scrapbooking? Why scrapbooking? Why not, drawing or something else?” That's because my mom showed me how to do it before she passed away and I fell in love with it ever since.

♡ 10 Years ♡ Earlier ♡

“Hey Emily, could you come here a sec’ please?”

Mommy asked. I then ran as fast as my little legs could take me at 6 years old.

“Yes… mommy?” I said a little out of breath when I saw what my mom had on her bed. Her bed was covered everywhere with huge books that couldn't close and family pictures and items everywhere. The whole room was covered.

“Ah, hey, come see what I'm working on.” So, I made my way up into her lap.

“What's it called mommy?” I asked. She then went into this long but short enough explanation.

“It's called scrapbooking, darling. What you do is you grab photos or items like cards or flowers from whatever moment you want to remember, and you paste it in here.

“If you look,” and mom flipped back into the beginning of the one we were looking at, “here are some baby pictures of you. And us as a family going to the park or your first day at school. This is a scrapbook all about you!” She finished, kissing me on the top of my head.

“This is amazing mommy, this is gonna be my new hobby!” I said taking some photos mom had laying down and looked at them.

“Yes,” she giggled, “but also Em, I want you to take these scrapbooks. You can toss them or keep them, but please remember me once you go away for college or to another state?”

“I will mommy! I love you!”

“I love you too Em!”

♡ Present ♡ Day ♡

Mom passed away a month later of cancer. The doctors apparently never saw anything until a month before she was going to die. Dad changed his job from a construction worker to a work-from-home job. He didn't want me to come home from school to no one in the house. He wanted to be the father he wanted to be for me.

He does have friends that he goes out with but me on the other hand, only has one best friend who has one of the busiest schedules of the century.

I was pasting a picture, dad took it with his friends at dinner once, when he called again.

“Honey! You do know it'll get cold before you know it right?” Dad said.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!” I said before closing my 4-inch scrapbook and walking downstairs to the kitchen.

My dad had cooked some American cuisine but added some Caribbean intake on it. My dad is American, but my mom was from the Caribbean isles, but she never told me which one, nor does my dad want to tell me. Because of where she was from, I have light brown skin.

My dad is 42 now so you would think he would have some white hair but no, he has jet black hair.

I sat down and started eating what my dad already plated out for me. And he then sat after he put food in his own plate.

“So, how is your next scrapbook coming along?” He asked.

“It's going well. Except I meant to ask you too, can you maybe buy me another scrapbook, I want to start a new one just for the last two years of high school?” I asked kindly.

“Yeah sure. I can't believe in two years you’re going to be a senior Em!” He said with glossy eyes.

“DAD! I already told you, don't cry!” I said patting him on the back. While he pushed his tears back.

“Okay, okay! I'm good!” He said waving his hand in front of his face to keep the tears away. He sees me do it all the time so now he does it too.

“Anyway, so, school’s starting in 3 days, so we have to go shopping, remember that dad.” I said starting to eat my food, slowly.

“Yeah, I understand sweetheart. I have all the time in the world. Besides the fact that I actually have work to do once it hits 10 am. But when do you want to go shopping?” He asked while starting to chew his huge piece of meat.

“Um, I was thinking about tomorrow, at midday. Since that seems like a good "mall shopping time".” I said starting to chew up the salad I left for last.

“That’ll work, I’ll just tell my co-workers to work for me for 3 hours and I'll just come back 3 pm and work the rest of the day for them.” I smiled at him, and he smiled back. My dad is a very patient and understanding man. But to me, it sort of seems as if he will never remarry after my mom. It makes me sad, almost sad enough to stay near him for college as well.

He would hate that because he wants me to explore and have fun, but I worry about his happiness if I'm not there.

“Thanks for dinner dad.” I said standing up and putting my plate in the sink.

“Your welcome honey. Going to work more on scrapbooking?” He asked, still finishing his food.

“Yep, I'm finishing up one that’s all about you, and some about me as well.” And I chuckled, but dad choked a little.

“About me? Like pictures of me? You know I never look good in pictures.” And he frowned a bit while I started laughing. Then he began to laugh. “You better let me look at it once you're done you hear me young lady?” He asked as I hopped up the steps.