That Night

I can't remember the last time I saw Mommy smile... She's always seemed so gloomy ever since that night. It all started with a few arguments here and there, but then one night, it all changed.

I woke up around midnight, thirsty for some water. I made my way down the hall and into the kitchen. But I couldn't reach the cups. I stood on my tippy-toes and everything, but I just couldn't seem to grab on to one. So, I made my way back down the hall, towards my parents' room. I begin to open the door when I heard the crash of a glass. My first thought was, did I do that? But, when I looked back at the kitchen, I didn't see any glass shards anywhere. So, I peaked my head into the master bedroom, hoping my parents weren't woken up by the sound. If they heard the noise, I might be punished.

But, when I peaked in, I didn't see two sleepyheads trying to clamber out of bed. What I saw was a broken bottle on the floor and two very angry sleepyheads.

"I can't believe you," my mother is saying, "getting drunk in the middle of the night to go gambling." My father snorts at her words, but she continues anyway. "You have a well-paying job, why would you risk all that money?"

He ignores her question and retorts, "At least I have a job." His voice has a sharp edge to it. It sounds almost as if someone was rubbing metal on a chalkboard behind him. It hurts my ears to listen, but I can't turn away. Not yet.

"Writing is a job!" My mother argues, but he ignores her.

"And my parents support my choice of work. Your choice, on the other hand, well..." He never finishes his sentence, but it's just enough.

I hear my mother whimper and my father give a victory snort. She might've started crying, but I left before I could see any of that. It was just too painful to even think of her tears.

I stayed up late that night thinking about their conversation. In my comic books, there's always a hero and a villain, but it looked like, in this case, the villain had won. Why didn't Mommy fight back? Why was Daddy the villain? These questions and more haunted me all night. Then I began to cry. I'm not sure why, exactly, but I think something in my mind clicked and I realized what would come next. I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next day, Daddy was gone. Just like that. No goodbyes, just snap! Now you see him, now you don't.

It's been a few years since that night. I'm doing pretty well, but I still miss Daddy. I know that he's supposed to be the villain, but he was never a villain to me. I love him with all my heart and if he ever comes back, I'll be sure to tell him that I forgive him.

Author Notes: No matter how bad a person may be, something deeper always lies underneath. Even the worst person can change! Don’t loose hope just yet.

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