Chapter 29

Jonathan Stretching my arms out wide, I groaned at the end of another successful busy day. Preparing to close the store for the door, I packed the dirty dishes to the sink to wash them. As I did the dishes, I thought back to Ciara's advice about the picnic. As I dwelled upon it, the main entrance door slid open as Alena's figure came to view. "I thought I told you not to show up at the store today, young lady?" I questioned. Alena rolled her eyes, playfully dumping her school bag on an empty chair as she joined me. "Oh, give me a break old man. School is way past over and so is my lesson. Should I help with the dishes?" "And homework?" "I did them during lesson, do you want to confirm?" Don't get me wrong, I admired how much Alena wanted to help me around the store but I didn't want her grades dripping because of it. "I'm good. Put on some gloves then" Alena beamed. "Alright, dad!" "You know, I was thinking..." "Thinking about what?" Alena probed scrubbing the dishes. "A picnic...just