Indecision is the concierge of death.

Smiths. The kind of family that looks like they would fit perfectly in front page magazines, in which family’s model with their dog and overjoyed children, accompanied by a marvelous mansion on the background.

It is summertime. Sun is bright and the clouds are slithering throughout the sky in that mundane summer monotony.

That morning our Lucy woke up very energetic because it was the last day of the school year. She and her friends had a tradition regarding that day.

 ‘' On the last day ice cream to finish the cold year and kick off the warm summer''. Enthusiastic Lucy gets up from bed all eager to start the day, plays the music and it is time to get ready. Dancing and singing around the room she got ready very fast and fortunately that day even makeup gods were on her side: eyeliner came out perfect, first try both eyes.

As Lucy combed her hair, a captivating aroma floated by. Could it be? The fairy godmother was home, and that would only have a meaning. Nanna had shown up early in the morning to surprise Lucy.

> The hairstyling can wait, waffles and grandma most certainly cannot. – she thought to herself.

Rushing down the stairs like a toddler on a Christmas morning Lucy indeed forgot how to walk as her heart took over and the brain was left in the second plan. One small whiff of those waffles sent Lucy on a trip down memory lane.

Our young lady had just turned 12 and on her birthday, she caught a bad cold which cut short her plans of going out to celebrate with friends and forced her to spend the day in bed tucked in warm blankets. During lunchtime, mom called her downstairs. When she got to the kitchen the only thing on the table was a red plate with grandmother's famous waffles. Then as Lucy sat on the chair Grandma came out of hiding place in an enchanting fairy dress and spoke.

> Did anyone call for fairy godmother because she came bearing gifts for her beautiful princess?

One small skip of stairs brought her back to reality. Lucy stopped and thought to herself how delightful it would be if she surprised the pretty fairy by stepping in from the back door, that way nanna would have a delightful memory.

 Very excited she crosses the hallway tiptoeing. Her heart beating so hard that she got frightened her grandmother might hear, even the breathing was too loud. To her surprise, nobody heard her.

At the back door now. Zuri her cat is there mewing very loudly to get inside.

> Shhh, you are going to blow our cover.

With the door at the handle Lucy stops, something isn't right. Nanna is talking to her mother in a very serious tone. Curious to find out what is going she brings the ear closer to the door to hear well.

> I can't enter the room now; they'll stop whatever is being discussed and justify it by telling me it's adult stuff… Wait I'm technically an adult now. - Lucy told to herself for a moment and then decided to go into the room.

She took a deep breath. A strange hunch captivated her maybe something was wrong or perhaps there was a reason why adult talk is not Lucy talk. Ignoring that, Lucy opened the door.

Her heart dropped. Mom was crying on nanas lap.

Her vision got dark as she glanced at that scene, head began to feel light the body caught in flames and a weight burdened her chest. Many things have happened in her life but it was Lucy's 1st time watching mom cry. Something changed forever in that very moment.

> What happened? Is everything okay?

Nana broke down in tears, walked towards Lucy with her arms outstretched and with such a sore glance that could break hearts of stone. Something bad happened.

> My little princes you need to be strong for your mom. - said nanna.

Her mother Karen composed herself and said:

> This morning we were called by your father's office to ask why he had not showed up…

> And ... - said Lucy with a trembling voice.

Part of her deep down didn't want to know the end of that sentence. Part of her wanted to go back to the moment she was behind the door and not open it at all. The head was buzzing with concerns.

 What if he had an accident and was in a coma or maybe robbed. At one point a dark thought came to her head and made her legs weak. She passed out.

When she finally came to her sense Lucy woke up on the sofa with her head in mother's lap, as she strokes her. For a short moment, Lucy had never opened the door...

> Mom, I'm here for you no matter what. You and dad have raised a strong daughter it's time to repay you for the hard work.

> Oh, my panda I'm so proud of you and your dad is too.

> Tell me, is he...? I mean daddy is ... will he come home?

> At five o'clock I received a call from the hospital informing me that my husband had suffered an accident but was being treated for a slight head concussion and some slight burns.

> Oh, what a relief. - Lucy said, it seemed as though she had been under the water holding her breathing and could now come out of the water. The relief she was feeling at that moment did not match with her mother and grandmother's look, which meant there was more to this story.

Mom continued to explain as best as she could through the tears.

> - Your father's heart has turned positive...- Lucys' head went blank.

>

> - Your grandfather had the same disease too. When your dad was born, we did all the tests and the doctors told us that the disease had passed a generation and that my little boy was not affected. It appears to have been a germ in sleep and has now been awoken.

She couldn't believe what was being told. It made her completely lost. She looked at Mom's lips talking but didn't hear anything. It was unreal to Lucy how just yesterday she was playing soccer with dad on the beach. And now he was in the hospital.

Richard has always been a very active kid when he was little. Captain of the football team in elementary school until the end of college. He had always insisted that both Lucy and Karen to eat as healthy as possible, saying that healthy eating would prolong his life, which meant he would spend more time with his two queens.

A long silence filled the room. It was a situation that had come so suddenly, so quickly, they still couldn't believe it had happened.

Now many things would change at home. Lucy began to think about how she would spend the day in the hospital showing her father jokes and making fun of doctors. She was thinking of getting fresh flowers and reading him some of her favorite books. It was time that she took care of her father as he had done for her all these years.

Lucy's dad Richard had been her best friend since she was little. He had taught Lucy how to ride the bike or how to hide her falling bruises from mommy. Every night before bed he'd read various stories where the hero was always a brave little girl by the name of Lucy.

> Listen, baby girl, go upstairs and get ready to go see Dad. The visiting hours are open. - said Mum in a very quiet voice without tonality. A tired voice.

Lucy went upstairs and started getting ready. She washed her face with cold water to cool down the swollen eyes bags from crying out, then opened the make-up box and blushed her cheeks. Braided her hair and wore a red jumpsuit with a white jacket.

She got downstairs and saw that her mother had followed the same strategy. She had put on a beautiful lipstick that Dad had bought for Valentine's Day and a lovely Channel perfume. It was rosy but not heavy as it was like spring breeze. Grandma decided to stay home and cook some food for Dad to have dinner.

The road to the hospital was quiet. Not much to talk. Every trip they made together was hell. Lucy's mom was a classy, strict lady. She always insisted that her girl should behave as it is properly fit for a lady and not go around town with her skateboard and red hair. There were also objections to the music that Lucy listened to in the car saying rap music is very violent, but Dad would always raise the volume as high as possible try to make dad jokes with lyrics.

They arrived at the hospital. The building had a typical hospital scent. Lucy was a little stunned by this fact. There were people everywhere some were happy family members waiting for their loved ones and others anxiously waiting to know any news about relatives.

After a moment that seemed like an eternity, mom was done handling paperwork and told Lucy dad was on the 5th floor. They took the elevator. Inside was a nurse who had a lot of files in hand from moment to moment it seemed as if they would fall from her hands.

> Where to? - her mother asked the nurse.

> 4th floor, thank you.

They arrived on the 5th floor and entered the room. There, they found a doctor and a nurse who informed them that they had only a short time to talk because it was a little too late for medicines.

Lucy had so many questions to ask but from the way her parents were looking at each other she realized that it was not her time to speak.

She had never understood how two opposing types such as her parents had become a couple. Dad was very playful laughing all the time. Horror movies terrified him, and he always built forts when he watched such scary creatures to hide from the monster. On the other hand, you had mum with her costumes and black heels. She always had documents in hand and said ghosts didn't exist. Despites that, love was so natural and beautiful.

Lucy just talked a little with her father as he had a very tired face even though dad was trying hard to smile at his family. Tied to the machines under a white blanket there was a look that did not give much hope. He tried to make fun of the situation but the coughing stopped the laughs. The warmth of embracing the family as if added light and vibrancy of the room.

The nurse entered into the room.

> I'm sorry but the visiting hours are over.

Her mother  hugged him and whispered something in his ear, then left with a kiss on the forehead. It was Lucy's turn to say goodbye but she didn't know what to say, she wasn't ready.

> This room is very gloomy, next time it will bring flowers and lots of color drawings. - said Lucy.

Dad laughed.

> See you tomorrow! I love you so much!

> I love you too my little princess.

As soon as they left the room and the nurse closed the door the tears covered Lucy's face. Her mother caught her as she was too weak to stand. One thought was going through her head. she started overthinking everything dad had said.

> What if this is our last conversation together? And like an idiot, I spoke about the gloomy room. He spends all day there and I made it worse. I had to talk about something else. Flowers? What flowers do I get?      

> It's going to be okay. I am here for you.

Hearing the voice of her mother served as an anchor to bring Lucy back to reality.

> Take a deep breath and remember that your smile alone is enough to warm your father's heart.

Lucy calmed down and so they went in the car. They could no longer stay in that place which brought them much sadness.

On the way, her mother started talking.

> Sadly, now that Dad is in the hospital, we need to think a little about the costs.

> I understand I won't buy clothes or brushes for my paintings.

> I was thinking it would be great if she could find a job, so it helps with the hospital bills. Your grandma will take care of everything else at home also for the cat.

It's not that she had ever been a fan of working. Lucy always had an artistic soul and a lot of work, drowned out a soul. However, her father was more important and it was time for her to put herself second.

> Okay, I'll look for work tomorrow.

> I have found the job, and you have close to mine that way I can drive you there and save up on gas - said her mother.

> I know you don't like to work too much and you want to focus on your art but we have to make some sacrifices in life. Things will not always go as you planned.

As her mother talked to Lucy, she did not see how every single thing mom managed to turn into a life lesson. she had always rebuked her for saying that art is not a real job and how to get a profit-making profession to support the family in the future.

> In the café near my workplace, they are looking for staff and since the owner is a friend of your father, he has agreed to hire you. - Mom continued.

> All right. - said Lucy. She did not have the strength to debate with mom and at the moment work doesn't seem like a bad idea. All the less so as a waitress, you get to keep yourself busy and you don't have time to think about your problems.

At-home dinner passed quietly, everyone thought to themselves still not believing what the situation was. Dad's chair was empty and the house was very quiet. There was small talk over the weather or any news that Grandma had read in the newspaper, enough to kill the void.

After helping mom wash the dishes Lucy went up to bed. Head was buzzing all day long from a migraine on the right side. She washed her face and lay in bed without changing into the pajamas. She was so tired that she was able to sleep despite the unbearable pain.

The next morning, she woke up and without giving her a chance to open her eyes, her mother said:

> You're not ready yet? Hurry up to be late for the first day of work.

She put on her glasses brushed her teeth, got the coffee left the house and sat down. At that moment, still, as she had fallen asleep and Lucy was operating as she was on autopilot.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

> I kept updating your résumé as it needed some changes. You also need to keep in mind some things. - Mery, her mother explained.

Lucy's mother had always hated the fact that her daughter was a quiet child. Throughout her childhood teachers had told her that she had to work harder with Lucy. She could not understand that Lucy was just a timid child and thought she was doing it with purpose. This has been the source of many debates between the two.

Calmly taking a deep breath because the last thing this family needed was another quarrel, Lucy nodded and went off to work. Mom dropped her off, Lucy walked into the building.

It was a small, modest cafe. There were multicolored chairs outside and the umbrellas were all pink. It was in the middle of a plaza surrounded by large corporate buildings and therefore had many clients. Lucy got a little nervous when she noticed the owner handing her in to get inside.

He was a typical chef man. With a wide belly filled with small cakes sold at the store. Strange gray but voluminous hair. Black glasses that complimented his green eyes very nicely. With a radiant smile he greeted Lucy.

> Hello little lady. My name Emir is but you all call me pops. - he said and then leaned in for a handshake.

Pops was a left hand so he extended his left hand the same way as Lucy did, and it became the cause of a very comical handshake that they passed with a laugh. As soon as Lucy caught herself panicking, she said;

> My name is Lucy. I'm glad we met. This is my application.

> Oh, sweetheart, no need for that. I am a friend of your moms and I have spoken to her, to be honest the only qualification I require is to be polite and to love cakes.

> Yes, I adore them. All the vanilla, chocolate, cherry, strawberry flavors. Especially blueberries are my dad's favorite ... - Lucy stopped because she thought about dad in the hospital and how he could not eat the delicious pies.

> Ah, they were telling me what happened to your father, a real disaster. You never know with life; I mean tomorrow I can go out to water the flowers outside and never come back. life is weird.

> I know that after dad gets out of the hospital we will come here and eat all the cranberry pie we can until we have a stomachache.- Said Lucy with a positive attitude.

The conversation went well and naturally. Pops had long been involved in the business and knew how to talk to people so he fit Lucy very well in conversation. He asked some simple questions and explained some basic rules of the bar. It was an easy job in theory but seeing the influx of costumers, Lucy knew this was going to be a tiring job.

> You start tomorrow. Welcome to the family. - said Pops and gave her a cake hat with a uniform.

Lucy saw the place and now imagined herself sliding across desks and maneuvering orders just like in movies. It was on the way out when she saw that the uniform was a little too big or so it seemed. She went back in to take a smaller measure or just talk to the pops and find a solution.

>  Excuse me. - Lucy said shyly, feeling her cheeks turn red as peppers.

> Oh, no said pops do you have any uncertainty about the job or did you like it so much want to start at this moment? - he said with a humor that characterized him.

> I think the uniform is too big for me.

> Ah, maybe you can go try it out and see how you fit then my lady can suggest or make a little change. She works in a shop near us.

Lucy nodded and went to try on the uniform. standing in front of the mirror she could not believe her eyes. A grown woman was staring back. The only person Lucy had served tea to was her dad, and when she thought she would now be giving to so many people tea, but probably not her father, all sorts of emotions overfilled her.

The uniform was big only around the arms and a little on the waist but with a few changes it could be fixed.

Lucy got out of the room to show him the issues but she did not find the guy there. Confused as to what to do in this case she just stood behind the counter taking a look at the menu and trying to memorize it.

> Excuse madame, I would like a simple black coffee and two vanilla cookies. To go, please. Thank you. - said a young lady. Placed the money on the counter and continued texting on her phone.

Lucy was puzzled, she did not know what to do. Her first thought was to inform the pretty lady that she was not an employee. As Lucy was about to do so she notices the black coffee mug was full and the cupcakes were right there the prices were on the menu too.

> Yeah, sure there you go. Have a good day. -said Lucy as kindly as she could. Do you want me to write a name on the cup?

> It is ludicrous but okay why not. My name is Aurora. Want me to spell that for you. - said the young girl slowly lifting her head from the phone.

The young damsel looked about Lucy's age and was wearing a serious office suit. She had very sharp features but yet her eyes were warm and inviting. Lucy felt astounded, suddenly she forgot how to write.

> Erm yeah, would you mind spelling that.

Aurora was annoyed by that question seeing she just offered to do that the first time. Ready to yell at the lady she looks up and it's a girl her age. This cute girl with green eyes and red hair with ever rosier cheeks completely distracted her.

> Yeah, I will. Are you new here? I'm a regular it's the first time I see you.

> I'm Lucy. Pleasure to meet you. It's my first day so I apologize for the clumsiness.

> I want…

> Heyy sister what is taking you so long…Oh, hi there I'm Chris. - said a young man.

From what was said Lucy knew he was Auroras’ brother, yet they did not look alike. Black hair, grey eyes a lean physique wearing an office jacket with rock stickers on them. They were like opposites.

> I am Lucy, the new girl, would you like to order something?

Chris flirtishly said;

> I would like to place an order for the phone number of the prettiest girl in the room. That's you, my lady.

Lucy blushed but did not fall for his charms. She knew that Chris was the typical heart breaker with the perfect look that leaves you heartbroken… and yet she said

> Do you have a pen?

Aurora stepped in. In an angry tone.

> No, he hasn't now please I would like to have my coffee and be on my way. Chris will too, we are late for a meeting.

> Of course, I apologize, there you go. Have a nice day.

> You too Rose- said Chris.

> My name is Lucy.

> No, it's Rose. Bye red.

Chris had the habit of giving people nicknames, usually using a distinguishing feature like Lucy red hair.

> Let’s go. - said Aurora.

She did not leave space for Lucy to answer and walked away pulling her brother by the arm.

What a strange encounter that was for little Lucy.

On the way to work Chris teased Aurora.

> Did I smell a little jealousy out there?

> Hrm? I would never dear brother. You can continue your childish flirts they do not interest me.

> Yeah sure.

Aurora was indeed a little jealous and she was mad by that. A summer fling would interfere with work and work came first. Chris, on the other hand, had all the time of the world to manage the dating and working.

To him, Lucy was just another girl that he would spend the summer with, and the fact that his sister had some feelings towards her made it more fun.

Pops came back with a lovely lady by his arm. She had round glasses and fuzzy pink hair. On her hands, the lady was holding a uniform and she was scanning the room for someone.  All the costumers would say hi or walk up to the couple for a short chat. The atmosphere became very warm like coco.

> Darling you must be Lucy. Pleasure to meet you. - said the lovely lady.

At that time Lucy had gotten the idea who this woman was but wasn’t sure, she could be his siter a cousin, coworker, friend you never know.

> Pleasure to meet you. I see that you have a uniform in hand and pops said earlier…

> Oh, how rude of me. My name is Melinda the wife. - she giggled.

> Yes, the wife, not any wife but the best wife a man could dream. - said pops.

Their chemistry was undeniable. Just one look and it would make the coldest hearts warm. It reminded Lucy of her parents. All the times dad would bring home flowers for mom or surprise her with dinner dates. Her only wish since a child was to have a relationship like theirs but it is rare to find something even close to real love in today’s world. Knowing this has closed Lucy’s heart to the possibility of dating someone. And now seeing how much it hurt losing a partner, the door was sealed forever.

> How long have you been waiting dear? - asked Melinda.

> Not much. Actually, when I was waiting two costumers walked in and ordered cupcakes and coffee. I served them; the money is on the counter. Is that a problem.

> Like father like daughter. What did I tell you my love, she is a replica of Richard. –said pops.

> Yes indeed. Darling I knew you dad way back at the day. We worked together at this shop. My dad was the owner at the time, he would always play pranks on your dad. One day my dad dressed up as an old lady and went in the store at closing time. We were just finishing up cleaning even though I told him not to open the door, Michaels insisted on serving her hot cocoa. What a gentleman.

Knowing that she is working on dads’ old job made Lucy feel closer to him and tear up a little bit. This did not go unnoticed by Melinda. She went on the back and came out with a box on her hands.

> This, Love, is your fathers’ old uniform. You can have it or if you would like I can make a few tweaks and make it into a brand-new uniform. It won’t take long he was almost your body size.

> Yes, I would love that. - said Lucy with tears on her face.

Back at the law firm Aurora had carried on with the usual meetings and paperwork. Lunch time and her brother comes in barging through the door.

> Hurry up loser I want to go and see the new girl.

> We can just order take out you know? I am sure she handles deliveries too.

> I could kiss that perfect scalp of yours.

Chris jumped with joy and called the shop. He ordered the usual. Black coffee and vegan sandwich for her sister and a big burger with soda for himself.

Since the building was the one where Lucy’s mom worked, she offered to make the delivery herself. It was easy to get around. Each floor had a main front desk with a receptionist and if you were lucky, they would be in a good mood that day and give you the right information.

The lady in the main floor was very nice. She used to babysit Lucy back when she was a baby. Lauren was a kind soul, loved children and had a feathery voice. Singing lullabies every night before sleep was their thing, but Lucy would always sleep in the middle of the song and then with a kiss on the forehead Lauren would leave the room.

> Hi, you probably don’t remember me and that’s okay, most people don’t. - said Lucy quietly.

> Name and time of appointment please. - Lauren said while typing something on the computer.

> Lucy, I have a food delivery for 708.

> 5th

> Thank you, Lauren. – said Lucy and left heartbroken.

Hearing her name caught Laurens’s attention. After she took a look at the mysterious lady who said her name, memories came rushing in.

> Lucy wait!

It was too late; she had already left.

On the elevator, Lucy took a look of herself at the mirror. She hadn’t change much since childhood. Same hair same face same eyes only taller. Maybe Lauren never liked her and was nice only because it was in the job description. The best thing to do was moving on and letting go.

On this floor the front desk receptionist was Chris the player.

> Hello pretty rose. You are as sweet as those cupcakes that you’re holding. - he said flirtishly and in a very dorky way.

> In that case I’m diabetic. - said Lucy, she was not in the mood to deal with him.

> Hey, my sister is running late would you mind keeping me company? I’ll give you one of my cupcakes?

To Lucy these were the desperate moves of a man who lacked imagination. He was the opposite of prince charming, but his goofiness was funny, also this could be an opportunity to have a chat with Aurora.

> Sure thing.

Chris showed her to his office. It was big and had giant windows.

> I thought you worked front desk?

> They let her go two weeks ago and I haven’t found anyone to replace her. To be honest job interviews, I find them boring. You have to wear a tight tie around your neck and act all judgy with someone twice your age. It’s more of my sister’s area of expertise. – said Chris while chewing a whole cupcake in one bite.

It was impressive and repulsive at the same time. As he was about to ask Lucy something, Aurora walked in.

> I didn’t know you had company Chris. - she said.

Lucy got up from the chair and spoke.

> He was waiting for you and offered me a cupcake, I couldn’t refuse.

> The cupcake or me. - said Chris.

> Oh, just leave the poor girl alone and stop talking while you chew.- said Aurora.

> Thank you. - Lucy giggled.

Aurora didn’t speak much she was more of the observant type. Hearing Lucy talk to Chris with such charm surprised her, she found herself in Lucy’s eyes. After they were done Lucy left and back to work it was.

On the way our Lucy decided to pay a visit to her mom who worked on the third floor. When she got to the office a man was there.

Her mom introduced Lucy:

> This is my daughter.

> Pleasure to meet you sir, I’m Lucy. "This man was intimidating. The evil corporate guy intimidating"- she thought

He shook her hand with a very firm grip and with one look it was as if he knew everything there is to know.

> The pleasure is all mine, your mother has told me so much about you. I remember when you were a baby and she used to take you to the office. You were a loud one. Ah yes introductions. My name is Willison.

> He’s my boss- mom jumped in.

> Oh please, I do not like to use that term. We are all a team working towards the same goal.

At that moment Lucy too had gotten all the information she needed. Rich guy who pretends to be friends with his employees, just because he read it or probably thought it in a business book. Willison kept on talking about how he had two children of its own about Lucy’s age Aurora and Chris, although their mom was never mentioned.

Mom signaled Lucy to leave the office, she didn’t want her daughter to ruin things like usual.

> Bye sweetheart I see you at home. - mom hugged her and gave her a kiss.

Of course, that was fake behavior in front of her boss. In rare occasions where Lauren would kiss her daughter it was to stop the crying or to show empathy in front of people.

On the way down Lucy ran into Chris. Quickly running through the stairs, she avoided him. There luckily was Aurora listening to music and smiling. She had a beautiful smile, the kind that makes you smile along and bright up the room.

Aurora opened her eyes only to catch the strange cake girl smiling and staring. Kind of creepy when you put it like that.

> Wake up weirdo- waved Aurora.

Lucy got startled, she almost feels down the stairs.

> Look out- with a quick jump Aurora was able to catch Lucy mid-fall.

Momentum took over and they both fell on top of each other. Chris must’ve heard the loud bang because he came rushing in.

> Wow, did I interrupt something? - he said with half an angry tone.

The girls quickly got up. At least they tried. Aurora’s headphones were tangled to Lucy’s necklace.

> Hold on- Aurora started pulling.

> No, wait. It’s my father’s necklace you’re going to break it- said Lucy pulling her closer.

It worked the headphones got lose just enough to untangle them.

> Aurora, dad wants you upstairs. Aurora stop wondering around the building don’t you have a job to go to? - Chris took Lucy by her hand.

> I’ll walk you out.

He was silent and seemed angry, so much that he pulled to hard and Lucy flinched. Noticing that he stopped.

> You can take it from here- Chris said as he left, leaving no room do Lucy to say anything.

Back at the office Aurora knew trouble was coming, and she was right. Chris came storming through the door…

> You just can’t hold yourself, can you? - he slammed the door.

> Get this on your head she is mine, back off.

This is exactly what Aurora wanted. To get a reaction. Chris had always been number two in their dads’ eyes. In school, business, life.

> I thought you didn’t care. - she smudged, knowing that was not true.

> Of course, I care she’s so innocent and sweet and treated me so well even when I was being a jerk. Lucy sees a good guy in me. - he said, more to himself than Aurora.

> What? You love her now? Please you don’t even know her. Plus, she’s so pathetic… and an even worst kisser.

> You did what! - he punched the wall nearly missing the glass painting of Aurora.

> Yea at the stairs when we fell. We shared a moment, and she kissed me. She’s my summer fling now.

> If you hurt her, I swear to god…