Dale Anzai

**

Mini Akari sat with her family as they all ate dinner.

Next to her was a younger Ella, younger Mrs. Anzai…

And an alive dad.

“Dad… DAD!”

Her father kept eating, until Akari finally threw a pencil at his face.

He slowly picked it up out of his food, then stared at Akari with a stare of death.

However, Akari ignored it.

“Look! Look!”

She held up a sketch pad with a drawing of her dad.

“Yes… yes Akari… Good job.”

He was a bit fed up with the drawings. He already knew very well how good she was, and each great drawing just added insult to injury.

Mr. Anzai was childish like that.

Ella watched the two interact, feeling a hint of jealousy.

She hadn’t hated her sister, but she was jealous of her.

You see, back in these times, the family dynamic was a bit split,

Ella and her mom, Rebbeca.

Then Akari and her dad, Dale.

Of course, this wasn’t the parents playing favorites, but the children.

Ella was always spending time with her mom, while Akari with her dad.

That’s how she came to draw. Her father was an aspiring artist.

Although, it was more of a hobby for him.

Akari began to pout slightly when her dad didn’t praise her as much as expected.

She stormed up to her room, and struggled to slam the door.

Downstairs, Dale sighed.

He waved off his wife who was about to deal with Akari, as he grabbed her unfinished food and started walking upstairs.

“Hey, mom…”

“Yes honey..?”

“Why does dad pamper Akari so much?”

Dale made his way to Akari’s room, then proceeded to knock.

Instead of answering, Akari slid a paper underneath her door.

Dale sighed, and reluctantly picked the paper up.

[What :(]

‘God… this girl…’

“Come on Akari… open the door.”

No response.

“I have a surprise for you…”

This time, a pause.

Then, the door clicked,

Akari opened it with an anticipating frown on her face. She still held her notebook and pen in hand.

“Where’s my surprise?”

Her voice was trying to sound as devoid of happiness as possible, trying to win pity.

“I lied.”

Immediately, Akari tried to shut her door.

Dale sighed, and jutted his arm out to prop the door open, easily overpowering Akari.

Though, she kept trying.

Dale say the plate down and walked in.

Behind him, he shut the door. Akari looked at the food on the floor as Dale made himself comfy on the girly bed.

“What’s wrong, Akari.”

She hesitated for a moment, then spoke-still trying to ignore her dad’s presence.

“You didn’t like my picture.”

“What are you talking about? It was so good that it made me angry!”

“Isn’t that a bad thing?” Akari pouted.

“No no! Like… like a jealousy thing… You don’t understand how good you are at drawing, Akari.”

“Really..?”

She turned towards her dad, with yet another anticipating expression. This time though, it held a grin.

“Yes, Akari. You really are good…”

Dale sighed.

“You’re much better than I could ever be…”

Akari laughed at Dale’s depressing revelation.

After a few seconds, Dale spoke again.

“How about we go get some ice cream… just me and you.”

Akari halted her chuckle and looked directly at her father.

She then nodded her head up and down ferociously.

**

“Honey..! We’re going to go get some ice cream… Do you guys want anything..?”

Dale’s voice boomed through the house as he and Akari made their way downstairs.

Ella and her mom had long migrated over to the couch, doing puzzles.

Suddenly, Ella’s eyes sparkled.

Akari noticed this, then spoke.

“No! Only me and dad!”

She grabbed on to her dad’s shorts and tugged.

Dale pulled up his shorts reluctantly, as he tried to make it up to Ella.

“Sorry Ella… I told Akari it would just be me and her…”

He sighed.

“We can get you some though. What would you like?”

His voice was suddenly playful, making Ella a bit less solemn.

“Can I get vanilla..?” Her voice was a bit hesitant.

“Of course! Anything for you babe?”

“I’ll just take a soda. Root beer please.”

Dale nodded, then the two headed towards the door.

Akari still pulled on her dads shorts from below, as she hummed a happy tune.

**

Dale and Akari stood in the confines of a ice cream shop, labeled “New Creamery”.

“Odd name, right Akari?”

She laughed, and Dale smiled.

He took a glance at the menu, then back at Akari.

“What do you want?”

She lingered for a moment, then responded;

“Whatever you get!”

And so, they both got crazy vanilla.

As they walked back to the car, Akari stared at the crazy colors in awe.

“Can you take these in the back with you, Akari?”

Dale handed the soda and other ice creams to Akari, as she nodded proudly.

And then, they were on the road.

**

Akari sat in the back, drawing on a sketch pad. In front of her, her father drove during nightfall.

He was feeling himself as he song along with his radio.

Akari reached for her ice cream which was just next to her, but a sudden bump caused her to fling it off her chair.

Dale glanced through his mirror, then turned down his music.

“Everything okay, Akari?”

Akari started to tear up at the loss of her ice cream. She watched it as it smeared all over the car floor.

Noticing her silence, Dale quickly looked back to the sigh of ice cream on the car floor.

He looked back at the road, then sighed.

“Fine… you can have mine.”

Suddenly, Akari was full of life again.

She took out her fathers ice cream, then started digging in.

After a few more minutes, Akari was back to pestering her dad.

“Dad! DAD!”

“What Akari.”

Dale kept his eyes on the road.

“Look at this drawing I made!”

Without looking back, Dale responded.

“Looks amazing Akari!”

Akari pouted.

“No! Look!”

She held up the drawing in between the two front seats, squeezing with all her might to reach as far as possible.

After a second or two, Dale sighed.

He looked back, but wasn’t able to see Akari’s drawing.

Dale was dead.

**

End Chapter 19:

Dale Anzai