Delicious

It's delicious, Dad! 

"See? I told you would like it," I said with a smile, pulling a stool over to sit next to her. 

But it was a waste of effort. Lumi glugged all the honey water down in a matter of seconds. She set the cup down on the table and turned to me, her eyes glimmering with expectation. 

Is there more?

"That's all there was," I said, watching her lips furl into a frown. "I'll get you some more later. But before then, we need to clean you up."

Lumi crooked her head.

C-clean? Me?

I put the cup in the sink and patted her head. "Yes, silly dumpling. Clean. You. You need a bath, like how I cleaned the rest of the house."

A-ah?

I ignored her adorable chirp of fright as I scooped her up and headed over to the bathroom. I pulled the door open and immediately shut it closed. I did not want to disturb Lumi's rest, so I was yet to clean the place up.

In hindsight, I should have cleaned the bathroom first; it was in the direst condition. 

I mentioned the stench of the toilet and the rust on the sink before, but the bathtub was worst. There were not only hard, grimy water stains, but dark mortar. Dry wall compound. And waterproofing material. The sides of the porcelain tub were chipping, and I got a face full of dust when I drew the curtains. 

I hurried and grabbed all the cleaning supplies in the living room. Oven cleaner. The half-used jug of cleaning liquid. Magic erasers. Bundles and bundles of paper towels and microfiber cloths. The grey mop. Two garbage bags. And more.

I want to help, Dad.

"Nope. Stay right there. The chemicals may be dangerous to you," I said with a stern face, pulling on the protective gloves. 

There was a flash of downcast before Lumi bowed her head, but she listened. 

Okay.

"Good dumpling. Wait for Dad to finish, okay? It'll take a moment."

***

Although I worked as efficient and as hard as I could, the cleaning job did not take a moment. I lied about that. But the end product still satisfied me. I threw the gloves into the trash and gave my hands a rinse before I wiped the sweat off my forehead. 

"Good as new," I said, stepping outside the bathroom.

When I looked at the mattress again, Lumi remained fidgeting. She sat on her hands but shuffled side to side. Her eyelids quivered and her lips twitched, as if ready to burst into tears at any moment. 

"Silly dumpling, it's been forty minutes. It's a bath. There's nothing to be nervous about," I said, chuckling.

I princess carried Lumi over into the bathroom. I sat her down on the now pristine white toilet cover as I prepared the water. But I could not miss her nervousness, her racing heart, her twiddling fingers.

As I took off her dress, her quivering only grew worse. With a heavy stone in my heart, I pursed my lips and hugged her. 

Dumpling, it's okay. Dad knows about your bruises and scars. They don't scare me. I won't look at them or laugh at them.

The quivering paused, only for a minute. But by then, I had already helped dip her feet into the water. 

Is the temperature alright, dumpling? 

Lumi was as stiff as a rock. I grew concerned by the seconds when she pushed and wriggled herself about of my hands. She fell into the bath with a gentle splash. 

M-men and women can't use the washroom together!

"E-eh?" I blinked, snapping myself out of my gape. "That's what worried you?" 

Lumi shrunk herself into the water, leaving only her eyes visible. 

I-I saw in your mind! T-that's un-a-ccept-a-ble!

I chuckled again, leaning over the side of the tub and passed her the new bottle of soap. 

Silly dumpling. Look closer, in more detail. That's for public washrooms. Besides, we're father-daughter.

I made sure to emphasize the last bit before continuing.

It's normal. Of course, if you're still uncomfortable, I will step out.

Lumi stared at me for a moment, her eyes above the water, blowing bubbles. Then she immersed herself underwater. 

N-no, Dad. You can stay. 

I grinned, rolling up my sleeves, squirting a wad of soap of onto my hand. 

"Where should I start?" 

Y-you can do my hair, Dad. Only that. 

Lumi was underwater when she said that. I had to resist myself from pulling her up like a fisherman. It was that exciting to be bathing her for the first time. I wanted to broadcast to the whole word that I would be washing my daughter's hair. 

You'll have to be above water for that, dumpling.

She emerged like a baby seal, tepid to go on land for the first time. It was damn hard to resist. 

Closer, dumpling. Dad's arms are not that long. Don't be shy. How is it? Tell me if it hurts.

Mhm. 

Lumi's hair was in bad condition because of her malnutrition. They were unnecessary long, hanging well beyond her waist. It was obvious she had not had it cut for a long time, and the length only accentuated the lack of shine. Each strand was brittle like sand, like it would crumble if I were to rub it between my fingers by accident.

I had to be careful of that as I turned on my inner eagle's eyes. It was a slow process trying to clean each of the dry, dull, frizzy strands into a lush, silklike wave. 

I combed through her hair in silence, treasuring this would be precious moment. The gentle ripples of the water and the soft moisture returning to her hair calmed me.

Yet, my attention shifted to Lumi, for she remained so still. Hyperactivity defined children her age. I doubted even I could remain concentrated for so long. 

I lowered my voice into a gentle baritone and hoped it would not disturb her. I worried the concern laced in it would worry her. 

Are you bored, dumpling? Are your legs sore? Is the water growing cold?

No, Dad.

Okay. Let me know you are, or if it is cold, okay?

She nodded, and like the slow ripples of the water, everything fell into a silence again. 

"Turn around, dumpling. I'm going to wash your bangs—er, the hair in front of your face. Close your eyes, okay? It will sting if the soap or water gets into your eyes. Oops! Sorry! Did I pull too hard?" 

Lumi gave a soft grunt. If it were not for our telepathic connection, I would remain unable to understand her. I pursed my lips and asked the very question I dreaded to ask. 

"Dumpling. Is it okay for you to use your voice with me? Dad wants to hear you speak."