[ ODY3] Lona and Kenwood

“Mister Kenwood, my daddy’s gonna come back safe, right?” Lona asked. Her big eyes stared up at the “old man,” looking to him for support. It never seemed like Kenwood was one for supporting others, but he had known Lona since her birth. He knew every man and woman that came to his ports, and as crabby and rude as he could be, there was his reasons. Lona, even though she was still young, understood this and always tried her best with Kenwood. After all, her mother always told her everyone was deserving of love and kindness, and Kenwood was no different.

“Oh, of course kid.” Kenwood knelt down to sit at her level, making eye contact with the young child. “The ship your father is on isn’t goin’ too far, should be back in a few days time. Standard routine, I oversee things like this all of the time.”

Comforting a young Lona was something that Kenwood had to do often, but given it was easier than other tasks he had to do, he never seemed to complain. While her father was gone, Lona would often follow Kenwood in silence. If she wasn’t following him, she was simply waiting at the port, playing in the sand or in the sea shallows. He knew she was always there, and if she didn’t distract him from his work, he didn’t seem to mind her company.

That shipment was the last time either of them had ever seen her father.

“It was routine,” Kenwood whispered. And it was. He could have never guessed what happened at sea, and nobody but the shipmates on deck were privy to that information. Was it a sea monster? Was it a rift? Did a storm hit? Kenwood would drive himself mad if he thought about it too hard.

Lona was devastated. She had been waiting at the port, eagerly awaiting the ships arrival. “Where’s my da?” She asked. The ship was late.

It was never late.

That’s when Kenwood took a deep breath in. He couldn’t lie to her; not about this. Lying about his personal life was one thing, but this? He couldn’t give her that hope. In this case, hope would have been cruel. He couldn’t bear to see her wait there every day, waiting for a ship he knew would never return. He shared a moment of silence with her as he thought about how to phrase the news.

The look on his face gave away the answer. Lona didn’t cry, not there. She didn’t even wait for Kenwood’s response. “Oh.” She croaked. Her voice was low; it had lost its joy. It was obvious that, from the limited expression on Kenwoods face, she could tell her father would likely never return. “Thank you Mister Kenwood.” she whispered. And with that, she turned and went home.

Kenwood hadn’t seen her after that, not for some years. He didn’t often think of her, not unless he happened to see someone of similar stature.

When they reunited, Lona greeted Kenwood with a massive hug. It was as if she had never left. You see, Lona loved Kenwood and saw him as a member of the family, even if they weren’t blood related. This caught kenwood off guard, as he hadn’t expected her to even want to see him.

“I don’t blame you, Mister Kenwood.” Lona said. “It’s not your fault, but I’m glad you had the heart to tell me. It would’ve been easy to let me believe, then come to the conclusion on my own.”

Kenwood wasn’t too keen on most others.

But Lona?

Well, maybe an exception could be made.

[ Lona sees Kenwood as family, like an uncle of sorts. ]