Moving. Part Two.

Five years ago, their younger sister Penny moved back to their home town with her husband and daughter and ever since then their father Albert was in a lighter, happier mood.

Thanks boydjones!

He started gardening and cooking, two hobbies that he always enjoyed. Albert even started taking his wife out on the town, something he never did before. It made Deborah so happy to see her mother all dressed up with a smile on her face. Recently, he invited all his children over for Sunday dinner and said he wanted to make a habit out of it now that his Penny was home and all his kids were together again. Although Deborah wasn't keen on seeing her father or Penny every week, she obliged and brought her family to the house because it made her mother so happy to see the her grandchildren and the whole family together.

Deborah resented the fact that Penny was back in town, but she did have to admit that Penny made her father happy and when her father was happy, there were more chances for her mother to be happy. What Deborah didn't know was all the gardening and cooking that her father was doing went to feed Penny and her family. Every day her father would go out to the garden to pick the freshest herbs and vegetables to create a feast just for his Penny. He spent his entire day picking out the spices and pairing the flavors that went into each dish. When he finished, he would carefully pack up the food and drive over to Penny's house.

Thanks cleverswine!

He would let himself in with his spare key and set the table and heat up the food, so when Penny walked into the house at exactly 7PM every evening, she would have a nice, hot home cooked meal.

Penny sat at the head of the table with her husband and daughter flanked to her sides and watch lovingly as her father served their meals and asked if everything was okay and if he could get them anything else.

Thanks jim crotty!

Half way through the meal, he would tell them to save room for dessert and start decorating dessert plates with strawberry syrup and then he would place a decadent piece of chocolate cake on each plate and finish it off with homemade whip cream and freshly picked strawberries. It was a five star home cooked meal and he made a different entree every night just for his Penny.

Had Deborah known this, she might have also known that while her father slaved over the stove preparing the fabulous dinner for Penny, her mother sat alone in her room, twiddling her thumbs, and rocking herself gently while she inhaled rich flavors of food she would never eat. Then when he left for Penny's house, she would be left alone in a kitchen that lingered with savory aromas that teased her nose and betrayed her stomach because instead of a feast, she would eat a simple, plain meal while sitting at a dimly lit table. While she sat she pined for the love and attention that her husband saved only for Penny.