Family's Conversion

It's a winter morning.

All around is covered in fog. Dew drops are falling from the trees. But it seems to be raining a little bit.

At that moment a taxi came and stopped in front of a beautiful two-story house.

Annie got out from the taxi. A cold breeze came and touched her cheeks. It was as if someone welcomed her.

She took a deep breath. She stood for a while and looked at her dear house.

She returned home after many days. Last year she got a job in a software company. She had to go out for six months for emergency work.

She looked around and saw that everything was the same as before. After many days, she was happy to see again the place she knew.

She arrived on the flight this morning. She didn't tell her father that she would return today. She decided to surprise her father.

From childhood, she likes to surprise her father.

Finally she walked towards the door. She knocked at the door.

"Knock......knock.....(sound of knocking)"

"What...! It's open?"

She knew that her has a habit of waking up early in the morning. So she slowly entered the house. She looked around.

"Wow...! Our house looks different. And clean. When did Dad started doing all this? "

She was very surprised to see her house. She heard some noises in the kitchen.

"Is Dad in the kitchen? He's definitely making coffee."

She went towards the kitchen. Just then her father was coming down from an upstairs room. He saw Annie as he went down the stairs.

"What...! Annie? When you...."

Annie ran over and hugged her father. Her father was surprised to see her as she had hoped.

"Dad, how are you? How's the surprise? "

"Come on, dear. Why didn't tell me that you are coming? "

"Sorry Dad. But I wanted to give you a surprise. "

"Ohh... You and your surprises...."

"Dad, I missed you so much. "

"Yeah dear. I missed you too. "

"Wow... Dad. Our house looks so different. When you did all this? "

Hearing this his happy face turned pale. It seems that he remembered something.

"Dad, what happened? "

"Dear, look. I have something to tell you. Come on, sir here. "

He put Annie on the sofa in front of him.

"Dad, tell me. What happened? "

At that time a woman came out from the kitchen.

"What happened Andrew? Ohhh.... Is she Annie? "

Annie's father's face turned pale again. Annie couldn't use anything when she saw the woman.

"Who's she, Dad? And what she is doing in our kitchen? "

Just in few moments a happy atmosphere became mysterious.

They had a car accident when Annie was eleven years old. In that car accident, Annie and her father survived. But her mother died on the spot. It has been eleven years of this tragic event. Annie has not forgotten her mother. Mr. Andrew also feels lonely.

Everything has changed a lot from what Annie saw six months ago.

Annie's father knows that he can't hide anything from her.

"Look, dear. I can explain the incident. "

"Dad, what is after I left? "

"I've been feeling lonely since you left. It's been eleven years since your mother died. "

"So what? I've also spent eleven years without my Mom. " (Annie is crying.)

"I also miss her. But this loneliness was killing me. So I married Jennifer. "

Annie loves her mother very much. She can't imagine anyone else in her mother's place.

"How could you do that, Dad?"

The sweet moment between father and daughter became bitter. Really! Time is a very strange thing. It's very strange that time changes things how quickly.

Annie couldn't accept what her father did. She had thought of it from so far away that she would surprise her father. On the contrary, she got the biggest surprise of her life.

"Please, don't be angry with me. Tell me, what else I would do? "

Annie seemed speechless. She was sitting holding the sofa's cushion tightly. She remembered that cold air on her face after getting out of it taxi. Was that really a welcome? Or did the air wanted to surprise her too?

Mr. Andrew realized that things had gotten worse. So he told Annie something emotional to handle the situation.

"I felt like I was getting sick. I was so stressed. So I made the decision. "

Annie sat her eyes fixed on one end of the carpet on the floor. But when she heard all this, she looked up.

This is normal. Any girl's heart will melt to hear that from her father. The same happened with Annie. Her anger slowly subsided. Her drawn eyes became normal.

Mr. Andrew realized that his intellect had worked.

"I know how much you love me. And you want me to be happy. Is that so? "

Now Annie spoke up.

"Of course, Dad. But you didn't tell me once. "

"I didn't say this on the phone because you may not understand. "

Annie had nothing more to say. She went to her room.

Jennifer was watching all this. She found it disturbing.

Annie had nothing to do. She loves her father. She was also upset to see her father suffer. It's not easy for her to accept Jennifer as her mother. But by the time, she accepted Jennifer as a member of their family. Over the time things started to get normal. But Jennifer didn't like Annie. And Annie had no problem to understand that.

She lost her mother at an early age. She has no one but her father. So she accepted all this for the happiness of her father.

Annie and her father goes on holiday every year. Even this year they have planned many things. But everything was according to Jennifer's choice. She doesn't like non-vege food. So she ordered her favourite dishes.

Annie is usually a simple minded girl. She doesn't want any unrest. She has no objection in those things.

Even the dinner was made of Jennifer's liking. Their home now has many new rules and traditions that were not there before. Jennifer doesn't like too many dishes on the table. She doesn't even like to talk while eating.

Annie loves to talk and eat with her father. So she was talking to her father while eating.

"Dad, we have an annual function in our office. And you have to come. "

"Sure. By the way, how's your projects are going? "

"Actually I............"(Jennifer said before Annie finished speaking)

"I don't like talking while eating. You are breaking the rules, Annie. "

Annie said, "I'm sorry. "

Annie words remained incomplete. She didn't speak anymore.

Annie's fiance Kevin came to see her. They have known each other for a long time. They were engaged a year ago. Mr. Andrew knew about their relationship he is happy about it.

"Hey, Annie. How are you? No contact for so long. "

"I've been out for few months. I'm really sorry that I couldn't contact you. "

Annie and Kevin were setting on the sofa and talking. At that moment Jennifer came down from upstairs.

"Kevin, meet her. She is Jennifer. Dad's new wife. "

"Hello, Auntie. Nice to meet you. "

Jennifer left without answer. The matter seemed awkward to Annie.

"Please don't mind her. "

"Absolutely not. It's fine. "

Jennifer doesn't like anything about Annie. Even her fiance.

Kevin belongs to a middle-class family. And Jennifer knew that. She wants Annie to marry a rich boy. So that their status and wealth increases. She is a greedy and arrogant woman. That's why she married Annie's father. She always wants Annie and her father to follow her lead.

Annie understands that Jennifer doesn't like Kevin. But Annie will never compromise with her love. She loves Kevin very much. Even Mr. Andrew has no objection about it. He knows that Annie will be happy with Kevin.

Annie and Kevin got married. Though Jennifer has so many objections about the matter. But she couldn't stop the marriage.

"Dear, I'm so happy for you. "

"Aww.... Thank you so much for supporting my decision, Dad. "

"The way you accepted my decision, I accepted yours too. Coz I also want you to be happy. "

Kevin's family is not that rich but there's no lack of love for Annie. Annie occasionally comes to see her father. But Jennifer still doesn't like her. It doesn't matter to Annie.

When Annie's father remarried, many new rules and traditions came to Annie's life to be honored. Some of them still remains.

For example, she sometimes comes to have dinner with her Dad but doesn't talk while eating.

She wasn't that much happy in the family her father had built. But she is happy in the family that she built with Kevin.

Maybe that's what a Family's Conversion is.

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