It took me a grand total of forty-two seconds to make it to the rotunda, which was small and contained nothing besides yet another pair of large oak doors. As there was nowhere to sit and wait, I figured I would waste the rest of my twenty minutes continuing the tour I’d started before I’d gotten sidetracked. This proved to be a lousy idea however, as it took me a grand total of twenty four seconds to get lost. After I passed the same hallway with the same leather couch for a third time, I collapsed down on it, totally annoyed with myself. Maybe Alex would come looking for me when I didn’t show up to meet him. Or maybe I could get upstairs and find my room, then come down using the main stairway and–
“You seem to be lost.”
As soon as the voice hit my ears, the back of my neck started to prickle and every hair I had stood on end. I knew that voice. I hadn’t realized it until that very moment, but I’d have known that voice anywhere. Time itself seemed to hang in the air as I slowly turned my head to face the speaker. A man I’d not seen in over ten years.
Jocelyn Ingle. My father.
It was him. It was really him. The same hair, the same eyes, even his stance was just as I remembered it. He began walking towards me slowly, the look on his face somewhere between curiosity and fear, as if he wasn’t sure what to say.
I knew the feeling.
When he was only a few steps from the couch, I stood, honestly having no idea what would come next.
“Can I help you get somewhere?” he asked.
“I was…” I cleared my throat, suddenly finding it hard to speak. “Th-the main staircase,” I stammered, not sure what to call the little rotunda and knowing I could find it on my own from the stairs. “I was supposed to meet Alex… I was there, but then I kept walking… and now I’m here…” I trailed off, wondering what the hell had come over me. I was stuttering like an idiot! Where was all my rage? My anger? Not only wasn’t I doing what I’d always promised myself to do when I met Jocelyn again, but now I couldn’t even bring myself to speak in full sentences!
“Oh, so you’ve met Alex?”
“Yes, he brought me… us. He brought us here.”
“Was there a tour for you today?” he asked, smiling warmly and motioning for me to walk with him.
“No, not that I know of. I haven’t had one, probably why I got lost.” I was rambling again, but at least this time I was making sense.
“Do you like it here?” he asked me after a few silent moments.
“Yes,” I said glancing over at him, “it’s really nice.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
“Though this is the second time today I’ve been lost.” For God’s sake, why did I keep saying that? He knew I was lost!
“Yes, that happens,” he chuckled. “It takes some getting used to, but you’ll get the hang of it.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen. We were talking. Talking just like regular people. Sure, there was weirdness that obviously neither one of us wanted to address, but after ten years that was understandable. What was shocking to me was how good it felt to talk to him again. To see him again. Why on earth had I wanted to hide?
“Here we are,” he said as we reached the main staircase.
“Oh, wow. That wasn’t hard at all.”
“I’ve got to go, I’m expected,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder.
“Oh, yeah sure. No problem.”
“Well,” he held out his hand, “it was nice meeting you Miss…” He’d left the sentence unfinished, the way someone would do when they were waiting for the other person to fill in their name.
Nice meeting you.
“Right,” I breathed, staring blankly at his hand. “Of course that’s what we’re doing here. What was I thinking?”
He pulled his eyebrows together, confused. “I’m sorry?”
“No, I’m pretty sure you’re not,” I said, a bitter edge in my voice. Ignoring his still outstretched hand, I turned and headed towards the stairs.
“It was nice to meet you,” he said again, his tone making it clear that he was completely baffled by what had just happened.
I couldn’t take it. With my hands balled into fists at my sides, I turned to look at his retreating figure and said, with as