People didn't think a low-probability event would ever happen to them until it did.
Eugene was people.
Trapped in a malfunctioning lift? Getting bitten by a shark? Scammed by a cult? It wasn't something that generally happened to people. To this day, Eugene hadn't experienced any of those low-probability accidents. And sometimes, he wondered whether it would be better to experience those instead.
Statistically, people get bitten by sharks more than people get pregnant even after using contraception--but there he was, getting smushed in the face by the 2% probability.
"Papa, wake up! Hannah will be late!"
"Oof..."
Eugene blinked dazedly, cheeks squeezed by warm, small hands. A pair of wide, bright green eyes stared at him; a shade of violet shimmering around the outer circles, just like his. Perhaps the only trait his genes successfully passed on.
Well, better than nothing.
Eugene raised his hands like a zombie before snatching his daughter's small frame while sitting up, rubbing his unshaved jaw against her soft cheek until she was shrieking and giggling.
"Good morning, Hana."
"Good morning, Papa!" the giggling child kissed Eugene's cheek before jumping out of his arms and out of the bed. She ran toward the bathroom, and the sound of running water woke Eugene up further.
He sluggishly got out of bed while glancing at the small, cartoonish clock on the nightstand. Three hours of sleep was definitely not enough after three sleepless nights.
"Should have just stayed awake and caught up on sleep later," he mumbled while ruffling his messy hair.
"Papa, squeeze this!"
He was greeted by his daughter's stretched-out hands, a toothpaste in one and a toothbrush in another. Eugene looked at her and tilted his head, hand on his hips. The green eyes blinked quickly before she gasped.
"Please?" she said sheepishly.
Eugene chuckled and patted her auburn hair before helping her with the toothbrush. Staring at the mirror, he could see his dark circles and sighed inwardly.
Sleep. He should sleep after sending his daughter to kindergarten safely--Eugene decided while brushing his teeth together with the little one, thinking about shaving his three-day stubble before judging that he didn't have the time and luxury.
"Pwaaah!" Hannah diligently rinsed her mouth and splashed water on her face, ending her father's short morning meditation.
"You're done? Good girl," Eugene took a soft lilac towel from the rack and gently patted the girl's drenched face. "What do you want to have for breakfast, Hana?"
"Eggs!" Hannah answered quickly before her father decided to do another food experiment.
As expected, she saw her father's eyes narrow in slight disappointment. "Alright--but I'm going to put some veggies in it, okay?"
Hannah gasped at the mischievous, cheeky smile on her father's face. "Uurk...okay, but..." she fiddled with the hem of her pajamas, looking up while bowing her face as if to tug at her father's heartstrings. "...can you not put bellpeppers, Papa?"
Eugene bit the inside of his cheek. He wanted to laugh at this blatant effort to persuade him, but somewhere at the corner of his heart, the expression reminded him of someone else, and Eugene had no idea how he should feel about that.
He swallowed the fleeting memory of his past and sighed, pretending to make a big concession. "As long as you eat all the carrots and tomatoes."
"Okay! Also--" the girl rode on the success of her persuasion, jumping on her feet while clutching her father's arm. "Can Hannah have Princess's hair today?"
"...which princess?" Eugene asked after a brief pause wondering if his sleep-deprived brain had enough function for an elaborate hair crafting.
"The purple one!"
Oh, it was just a simple single braid. Eugene almost kissed her forehead deeply in gratitude.
"Alright," he nodded in relief. "Can you change by yourself? Bring me those flower hairclips from the drawer after you're done."
"Okay!"
Ahh...child rearing was truly getting so much easier when they started to do stuff by themselves. Eugene stretched his arms and back while heading to the kitchen, humming softly to congratulate himself on working hard to raise his daughter alone so far. He almost happily reached out for a packet of instant coffee on the counter before reminding himself that he had a schedule with his bed in an hour.
Giving himself an imaginary pat on the back, Eugene made some toast and omelettes with diced vegetables, mixing in grated cheese to cover the flavor. Hannah came out on time, wearing a purple sweatshirt with a picture of the princess she wanted to twin that day. A great reference for her father to work on in front of the mirror.
Eugene nodded his head in approval, and they had a quiet breakfast while he sent the manuscript he had been working on for three days without sleep to the publisher. Right on time before the deadline.
Hannah swayed her legs below the table and waited patiently for her father to finish. She watched her father with a pair of sparkling eyes and a bright smile that sometimes looked sad when her gaze landed on Eugene's pale face and dark circles. It would be nice if her papa could rest properly--she thought, before gasping inwardly because she remembered she had requested a hairstyle!
Uhh...maybe she shouldn't have requested that earlier. Hannah lamented in front of the sink after putting her empty dishes away. "Umm, Papa--"
Before she could say anything more, however, her father had already scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the living room, where a full-size mirror--a gift from someone--was stuck in the corner.
"Let's open the salon, my Lady," Eugene said with a newfound vigor of someone completing a long-standing project, prompting Hannah to squeal in delight.
Mm, mm--it was always better when her papa's eyes lit up beautifully, alive and focused. Even better: they focused on her!
"Papa, today's veggies aren't bitter," Hannah announced a praise while wiggling her toes.
Eugene looked up slightly from the soft, auburn hair he tried to braid carefully, brow raised pleasantly. "Right? I've been studying so Hana can eat a lot and grow tall."
"Papa study good!"
"Well."
"Papa study well!" Hannah corrected herself while giggling.
Humming, Eugene contemplates while tying the end of the braid with a lavender hairtie, making sure the flower charm faced outward. "If you can eat the bell pepper, I will let you pick any dress you want," he said, brow raised in challenge.
Hannah gasped, her widened eyes staring at her father through the mirror. "Even a princess dress?"
"Mm," Eugene nodded, recalling the promise of a bonus from the editor a few minutes ago.
Hannah, hands covering her mouth slightly, stared at her father carefully. "But what if Hannah wants a fluffy Mr. Mist Dragon pajama instead?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
"Sure," Eugene shrugged.
"What about...what about pirate dress?"
"...that exist? Uhh...sure?"
"Wow..."
Eugene wondered if there was a secret Halloween party in her kindergarten that he wasn't privy to. "But you have to eat everything~"
The excited little girl immediately slumped on Eugene's lap. "Such a great challenge..."
"You can do it, Princess Hana," Egene chuckled while placing colorful flower hairpins all over the bride. "Hmm...I think that's it."
The dejected girl immediately sprang up and twirled around in front of the mirror to check her hair. "How's Hannah look?"
"Very pretty," Eugene nodded proudly, admiring his handiwork with crossed arms. "The prettiest in the world."
Hannah giggled and kissed her father's cheek as a thank you, before dashing to the couch to fetch her bag. Honestly, that hair was a bit too much with a sweatshirt and a backpack, but people also said face makes fashion or something, so...
'Well...she does have most of that person's genes, it seems. At least in the visual department...' Eugene thought as he followed his little girl to the door, taking his black jacket draped over the couch's headrest.
...haa, he should clean the house later. After sleep...yes, after sleep...
At the very least, the commute to the kindergarten was smooth sailing. No traffic, no weird people challenging his thin, sleep-deprived patience, and the other kids were fawning over his daughter's hair.
"Hannah!" The kids who were playing in the playground flocked to her, jumping around excitedly. "Hannah's hair is so pretty!"
"Right?" Hannah posed and twirled proudly in front of the door. "Papa did it for Hannah this morning!"
"Wow!"
The world could be beautiful sometimes--Eugene nodded at this profound revelation while watching the teachers lead the kids inside.
"That's kind of worth it," he muttered from the gate, nodded at the teachers, and waved at his little girl.
His rare bright view of the world, however, ended when the swaying bag of his daughter disappeared behind the door. Felt like it was just yesterday when she cried in the teacher's arms, screaming and begging him not to leave her there.
...even though it meant he could sleep peacefully during the day.
Human life was such a bittersweet sequence.
"Ahh..." Eugene rubbed his lower jaw, resting his index and middle fingers over his lips. "I want to smoke."
"Boo!"
His wayward thought was cut by an uninspiring fanfare and a pair of hands jolting his shoulder. Eugene glanced to the side without much reaction and asked lifelessly. "What?"
"Ah, you're so not fun," the owner of the hands on his shoulder clicked her tongue.
A woman slightly older than him, with a charming face maintained by expensive skin treatment and branded exercise clothes that probably cost as much as Eugene's salary. Why did she think Eugene would be surprised when her son was running toward the building in front of his eyes?
"Sorry for being sleep-deprived."
She pursed her lips when Eugene just rolled his eyes in response and started walking away from the gate so the security personnel could lock it. Rather than returning to the chauffeured car waiting for her, however, she followed Eugene with quick light steps.
"You're leaving? I was thinking about taking you for brunch, though..."
If it were any other time, Eugene wouldn't think twice about getting treated to a nice brunch by his best friend, but he was barely functioning with the lack of caffeine in his system. "Sorry, but--"
"I have something that'll get you some money."
"Sleep is for the weak," Eugene turned on his heels and followed the laughing mother to the waiting car.