1 5 Years

"Ether, this father is the greatest!" Mal laughed jovially and picked up his daughter, placing her on his lap.

Five years had passed since his wife, Yasmin, had vanished. Mal had filed a missing person's report with the police, but nobody knew where she was or had seen her. At first he was terrified she was in an accident, but after six months, the most likely scenario was that she had run away. Two years after she vanished, Mal was completely broken hearted at the time and almost fell into alcohol, but he managed to hold it together for his daughter.

He had quit his job at Max & Lorn Engineering Firm and relied on his savings as looked after his daughter full time.

In order to try and sustain his income, he even started a career as an online novelist. He was currently writing a novel called 'Twenty Thousand Steps', a sports novel based on basketball. His novel had reached 5,000 subscribers overnight, which was what he was gloating to his daughter about.

"Yeah! Papa is the best!" Ether wiggled on his lap as she shot her hands into the sky in celebration, even though she didn't quite understand what it was she was supposed to be happy about.

"Of course, what should we do to celebrate?"

"I want ice cream!"

"What are you talking about, it's breakfast time. You can't have ice cream for break- ouch! Don't grab Daddy's beard, darling, it hurts."

Mal winced as Ether held a clump of his beard in her little hand, refusing to let go. She looked up at him with teary eyes that pleaded desperately.

Looking down at his daughter's face, Mal felt his heart go soft.

"Fine, it is a celebration after all, but just this once. There is a family restaurant nearby that does a nice ice cream on waffles with strawberries."

"I love you, Papa."

"Go get your hairbrush, I'll help you fix your hair before we go."

"Yay!" Ether called out as she slid off Mal's lap and toddled to the bathroom on her short legs, returning with a pink handled hairbrush she recently received for her sixth birthday.

"Come sit over here," Mal said tenderly as he pulled out a footstool from under his computer desk.

Ether sat on the stool as Mal brushed her long golden lochs, hair very similar to her mother's. He was careful as he did it, never applying too much pressure as he brushed out the knots in her hair for fear he would hurt her.

"Now it's your turn, Papa!" Ether bounced off the stool and took the hair brush back, pushing Mal off his chair and onto the stool with her little body.

"Fine, but you better do a proper job, I want to be the most handsome dad at the restaurant."

"Leave it to me!" Ether clumsily brushed her dad's gruff brown hair like brushing a doll, humming along with every stroke.

When she was done, Ether ran to the bathroom again to put the hairbrush back and brought out a little mirror, holding it up for her father to look at his reflection.

"I'm definitely the most handsome."

"Yep!"