The Girl Who Carried the Sun

Nine

Nine
☢☢☢

When the sun comes up the next day, contrary to the promises she'd made to her mom, Lily slept in. When she rolled on the bed after a long, peaceful sleep, stretching out and hugging a pillow tight, getting entangled with the ends of her blankets, her eyes pried open, finding herself shocked to see the white window curtain blazing with sunlight.

God!

She bolted out of her room and scurried into the kitchen, stopping at the door to catch her breath. She found Daniel in a black tank top, standing at the kitchen counter next to the stove and making breakfast.

He turned, swept back his lusty locks, and gave her a smile. "You up?"

"Yeah. What time is it now?"

"It's probably past seven."

"Oh, God. Have you swept the floors?"

"Yeah."

"What about coffee?"

"I've made it. Wash your face and have your breakfast."

"Ah, shit," she groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you mopped the floors?"

"No."

"Oh, good!" She breathed and raced back to her room.

At least he hasn't mopped the floors.

She brushed her teeth, quickly ate her breakfast with him, washed the dishes, and then picked up her weapon, a mopping stick, as fast as she could. Daniel watched her curiously as she started mopping his room and then the living room, wearing a big fat smile on her face as though she'd finally got her dream job.

"You don't have to do it, Lily," Daniel told her.

"Nah. This is nothing," Lily replied as her mopping stick went up and down on the floor. "Just don't tell mom I woke up too late."

"Sure," Daniel chuckled amusedly as he watched her. "What did your mom tell you before you came here?"

"Nothing." She simpered, choosing to show it to him too that she could be useful on her own accord without her mom's advice.

Later when he asked her if she would like to accompany him to his partly built school, she answered she would go the next day after church. So, Daniel left on his own.

Getting inside his truck and starting the engine, he told her, "I won't take too long. But if you get bored, you can go over to Che Dune's. You know the way, right?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Lily grinned at him with a certain look on her face like that of a little toddler who has so many tricks hidden up her sleeves. It simply made Daniel laugh.

"Well, I don't know what you're up to but. . . take care. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Sure."

He stayed at the school for a few hours. He'd been building it together with a few of his village friends and carpenters as soon as his house was done. When he came back home sweating from the woodwork with a head covered in sawdust, a thousand strings of clothes were drying in the sun. Mouth agape at the sight, he wondered if Lily had washed his entire wardrobe.

"Lily?" He called as he entered the house, suddenly worried for her after realizing that he didn't have a machine yet and she'd probably washed all that clothes by hand, which could have killed her because back in town, they'd have the machine at home even before she was born and she had never had to wash with hands at all. At least, not a whole wardrobe.