The Accident

“An accident” he said “An accident!”

“It was an accident dad, honest” she nodded her eyes downward towards the floor.

“No Lucy, that's not an accident” She blushed as he raised his voice his cheeks glowing pink. “I’ll tell you about accidents shall I?” He patted the chair, indicting for her to sit down next to him, sheepishly she took her seat and he began.

“An accident is an event that happens by chance, without deliberate cause” He took a deep a breath. “An accident is what you had when you were a small child, when you would trip and stumble cutting you knee” his face softened as he paused “An accident is what you had when you dropped that milkshake on your grandma’s persian rug” He smiled “Horrible thing it was”

“An accident is what your brother had when he fell out of the tree, breaking his arm, or when he fell off his bike cracking his head open”

“An accident is when you crashed your first car, damaging that wall” He paused sighing deeply.

“An accident is when I bumped into your mother the first time, my bus was late or I would never have been there. I was on my way to the cinema, but then I bumped into you mother. knocked her off her feet I did” he laughed, Lucy could feel the tension lifting.

“Does that mean I was a product of an accident?” Said Lucy. Her mother could be heard in the kitchen laughing, she was clearly listening in. Just then he started again.

“An accident my girl, is a plane crashing, trains derailing, ships sinking in storms. An accident is bad, a disaster, and explosion, a flood”

“But dad, it was an accident, it really was.”

“No Lucy, there is no such thing as an accident, that's what my father always said, everything has a reason.” He paused before adding “A cause and an effect” He tutted “You're only 16 Lucy, I thought you had more sense, thought you would be more careful.”

“But dad” Lucy sighed

“No I don’t want to hear it” He turned away “ I mean how could you, you’ve ruined your life” Lucy laughed. “It’s not funny my girl, how can you get a job like that”

“But dad, it’s not like I’m pregnant or anything, it’s only orange hair.”