The little chef

Red, green and orange peppers. Chopped chunky. Shrimp peeled and deveined. Rice cooking.

“Lilian, what am I forgetting?”

“Chicken nuggets!” she shouts back from her high stool.

“For who?” he asks while sliding onions into the sauté pan.

“Me!”

He looks back at her.

“And Katrina,” she says quietly.

“Honey can you hand me the bowl of shrimp?”

She wobbles off of her stool and hands him the bowl slowly and carefully. He looks at the shrimp and pours a bit more sesame oil into the pan.

“Thank you, little chef.”

She sits up straighter on the stool tugging at her little apron.

“I cut, big chef?” she asks while eyeing the big butcher knife behind him.

“Maybe when you’re bigger. Little chefs don’t get sharp objects.”

He watches as her face changes from joy to pouting. Her little hands curling into fists as she gets her tantrum ready. “Little chef, do you think mommy wants a salad?”

“Mommy love salad.”

“Look in the fridge for lettuce while daddy cooks,” he says while keeping a close eye on the frying shrimp.

He hears her hop down and excitedly start rummaging around in the fridge. It’s amazing how he can have one kid that is never hungry when the color green is mentioned and another who gets excited to make a salad to share with her mommy.  He hears a crash and takes a quick look back. Just in time to see her on the floor with what appears to be the entire veggie drawer on top of her.

“I okay daddy.”

“Well grab that bowl on the table and put the salad stuff inside.”

After much grunting and clanging she appears next to him with a bowl filled with two heads of lettuce and an entire package of bright red, grape tomatoes.

“Very nice honey,” he says, while trying his hardest not to laugh. “But can you do me a favor and rip the lettuce up?”

She looks straight down into the bowl and then back at him without a shred of comprehension

He slides the nice pink shrimp onto a paper towel covered plate and starts ripping the lettuce up and shredding it.

She watches him intently for a minute or two before saying, “I do.”

Before he could reply the doorbell rings. “Okay honey you do. Actually how about you do in the TV room?” he begs thinking about how quick she would grab the knife if he left her alone in the kitchen.

“K daddy,” she says sweetly making him concerned all over again.

“Remember you have to hurry, mommy and sister should be home from Hula anytime now,” he says as he switches on Disney channel.

Surprisingly the bell rings again and he shouts, “One second.” He looks up at the clock and wonders who would be bothering them at seven o’clock at night. He instinctively checks the peephole before opening the door. Two HPD officers stand on the porch nervously shifting from side to side. They are in full uniform and he can see that the older one has more stripes than the younger guy.

He opens the door slowly and just kind of stands there. He’s no criminal but he’s also not a huge fan of cops so his stomach was bouncing around uncomfortably.

“Mr. Sellas?” The older man asks politely. “Mr. James Sellas?”

“Yes, that’s me. Can I help you officers with something?” he replies trying his hardest to sound innocent and calm.

“I’m Sergeant De la Santos and this is my partner officer Tanimoto,” the older officer states woodenly while his partner simply nods.

He stares at them and they stare back at him.

“Daddy! Should I squash the tomatoes?” Lillian’s voice rings out shocking all three of them out of their staring contest.

“No smashing honey. Just rip the lettuce for mommy,” he shouts back.

At the mention of mommy he sees the officers’ demeanor change. They look like somebody poured horse piss over their heads.

“What, what is it? Is it my wife?” he asks pointedly leaning towards the officers.

“I’m sorry sir. There was an accident. Your wife and daugh,” the sergeant said before abruptly stopping and looking down at his shiny black shoes.

“An accident? What about my wife and daughter!” he screams at them looking frantically from one to the other.

The younger one, Tanimoto, looks at the sergeant to see if he is going to continue and when the sergeant makes no effort Tanimoto says, “We are so sorry to have inform you that they were killed in an auto accident. They were driving over the H-3 when a semi changed lanes knocking their vehicle off of the side of the freeway.”

At that moment Lillian comes stumbling around the corner covered in bits of lettuce and smashed tomatoes. He starts to laugh but for some reason there is no sound and he can’t see through the water in his eyes. Why is there water in his eyes?

“Mr. Sellas?”

He heard someone speaking a long ways away.

“Daddy? Why daddy on the ground?” Lillian’s voice but so quiet.

“He’s in shock,” says a strange voice.

“Who’s in shock?” he hears himself ask. Then the light faded out again.

“Mr. Sellas, you need to get up now. Your daughter needs you,” a calm voice says while a gentle hand shook his shoulder.

“Daddy, Daddy, Dadddyyy. Mommmy, Mommmmmyyyy,” a voice wails out from another room.

He sits up quickly smacking his forehead into the calm man’s thigh.

“Mr. Sellas, please remain quiet. I don’t want you collapsing again,” says the man with the calm voice. He is standing over him dressed in a uniform.

“Who are you? Why are you in my house?” he asks the man before screaming, “Lilian I’m here. Come to daddy honey.”

“Sir, my name is Koa Tanaka and I am with the Honolulu Fire department. I am in your house because you collapsed when the officers gave you some bad news. How are you feeling?” the calm man asks in a voice oozing with compassion.

“News?” he starts to ask when Lillian comes flying down the hall and slams into his leg knocking him down.

“Honey, why are you so upset?”

“cuz..” she starts to say but stops when a police officer steps out of the hall.

“Mr. Sell…”

“No, no, no, no you aren’t real. No, they aren’t dead. No, that didn’t happen. You need to go, now!” he shouts spasmodically while lifting Lillian up to his chest. He starts to reel and the calm man grabs him from behind and slowly helps him slump to the ground.

“Lilian pinch me. Pinch me honey!”

“Daddy I did. Why you crying? Did I hurt daddy?” Lilian asks as little dewdrops start to form on her eyelashes.

“Sir, is there anyone we can call?”

“My wife’s family lives here. Somewhere,” he mumbles back at the man.

“Can we call them to come help with Lilian?”

It is so hard to think. He knows the man needs answers but the only thing in his brain is Samantha and Katrina. “Their number is on the fridge.”

“Daddy?” Lilian sobs at him. “Okay daddy?”

“Yes, daddy okay,” he answers her even though his brain is screaming liar.