He had to leave

TEN YEARS AGO… 

“Mama it’s my birthday,” little Sloane called, watching her mother speak to the stranger, they we’re both holding a paper like object in their mouth, inhaling it and breathing out calmly. “Mama.”

“What psycho! I’ve heard you okay, today’s your birthday, now you can go to your room and do whatever,” she inhaled the substance again. “As you can see I’m having a great time with my love.”

Sloane stared at the man, he looked like a beast, she had met him in the workshop where Papa repairs his broken vehicle. It dawned on her that they were smoking, and it was getting so irritating. “Mama you remember the promise you made to me when I was six that you would buy for me a lovely bag pack like the ones the rich kids wear to school, on my birthday, so Lara and her awful friends won’t laugh at me anymore.”

“Go to your room little child,” the man shouted.

She scoffed and ran to her room, burying her head in her favorite tears pillow, “I hate you mom!”

There was a knock on the door.

“Who’s that?”

“It’s me, Papa.”

“Papa!” she threw the pillow at the end of the bed and ran to the door, hugging him tightly that he couldn’t breathe, “I’ve missed you Papa!”

“Same here love, now you can stop squeezing the hell out of me.”

“Oh sorry,” she got down from him and smiled, a very cute smile a twelve year old would wear seeing her father after three months.

Jeremy smiled too, his eyes were already sparkling with tears, “I’ve missed you darling, lest I forget, happy birthday!”

She played with his cheeks, “thanks Papa. Now what do you have for me?”

“Oh yes,” he grabbed a basket he had brought in few minutes earlier, “take this, open it whenever I leave okay? Now let’s go talk to the fishes in the river.”

Little Sloane kept the basket behind the door and went to the river alongside Jeremy, the heat of the water made her sit closer to the shore. She felt so lively not like her last birthdays. “So you would be leaving for Germany soon?”

Jeremy wore a surprised face he had suddenly turned pale, “wh-what, no, yes. I’m sorry dear.”

“You found someone you love, I overheard mama tell that man about your new family, she sounded care free  about the situation,” she looked into the water, her large eyes looking back at her, “I wish we were one big happy family.”

“Sloane, love, look I love you so much and I know how sad you are but I’ll be back I promise and when I do we will conquer everything together.”

“Why not now?” she threw the sad question right at his face, “mama calls me a psycho every time, she says I remind her of how awful you are, I hate her.”

Jeremy placed his hands on her shoulder, “no Sloane, she’s your mother okay? She loves you just like I do.”

“She doesn’t dad, she’s no mother to me, my friends do laugh at me whenever they come visit, the rich boys In school call me a looser and a pauper.”

“And what do you tell them? 

“You guys haven’t seen the last of me."

" That's my angel."

" So who's this woman," she spoke like an adult, gazing at him.

Jeremy sighed and nodded, an answer to her disappointing look. "Her name is Bianca we had met on a vacation years back, just like your mom, we decided to take it carefully."

"She's nicer than mom?"

Jeremy shrugged.

"Tell me Papa."

"She's a nice woman."

"So she isn't bad?" 

“Exactly,” Jeremy laughed and took her by the armpit, swinging her up in the air, “it’s your birthday love. So I’ll make you your favorite dish, fish fry and a greatly mixed salad.”

Sloane smiled again- “I love you Papa,” -and whispered warmly. 

********

Sloane watched her father leave, she was crying at the moment, her mother, Rose, didn’t care a bit, she just frowned and looked away.

The little girl ran to her room and took the present by Jeremy, she opened it and smiled. He had bought the bag pack she had requested from her mom, it was shining so beautifully that she wore it around the room, “I will show it off on Monday.”

She looked into the basket again, a letter laid in there, she unfolded it and read… 

'Yes dear, I’m leaving for Germany and I don’t know when I’ll return, but I promise, I’ll be back for you. Remember whenever the rich kids mock you, tell them they haven’t seen the last of you, it really works okay? Be a nice kid. Papa loves you.'

She took the locket in the basket, it held a picture of she and Jeremy.

“I love you too Papa.”

“Hey you!” someone yelled from behind her, it was her mother, Rose. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning, make sure you be the coward you have always been. Stay indoor!” Rose closed the door behind her.

“F**k you!”