Lost and Found

Truth

Jamie's P.O.V.

My dad's mouth starts moving but no words come out. He states off into the air. Nothing but the air.

"Honey, you're doing it again."

Honey? I thought she would be mad at him for keeping me away! And again? Why does this keep getting more confusing than it already is?

He snaps back into reality.

"Sorry." He mutters.

Then my dad gets himself back into the trance like state. I look at him look at nothing. He speaks to no one in particular. Once I realize he's speaking I focus in on the words.

(Six)"-teen years ago I lost my job. Alcohol was my escape. That was the only thing I could turn to when times were tough. I was a drunkard. I loved alcohol more than anything. More than Jamie or Emily. It was the only thing. Hell, it was expensive. That's where I spent all the nonexistent money we had. I lost my job, and Emily didn't have time since she was busy with Jamie. So we weren't making money, just losing it. I tried to get a job- not at all hard enough though. The places that liked me enough for an interview, I showed up drunk. They would tell me to get out but I stayed. I even got into a fight with someone who was trying to employ me. They were trying to help me and the only thing I could think of was beating them to pulp because I was drunk. One day I came home stumbling. I was the most drunk I'd ever been. When Emily told me to stop drinking, I slapped her. She didn't talk to me for a while after. I didn't even care that I caused her pain. The alcohol would wash away everything. Just like I wanted it to. She never spoke to me. And Jamie would look at me with her childish eyes and wonder who I was. That is how little time I spent at home. I was a terrible father and husband. The only time Emily talked to me was to tell me three words, "I am pregnant." I slapped her after that too. I told her so much nonsense that day. I told her that this was a scheme to take all my money and waste it on a stupid baby. I slapped Jamie too. And told Jamie that because she wasn't good enough her mom had to waste so much money to take care of another kid. I drank for more days and days. I don't even know if I heard Jamie even say the word Dad or Daddy. Actually I did. I heard her talking to Emily one day and asking her, "Mommy where's daddy? When do I get to see him?" Jamie didn't know who I was. That was the day the wheels in my drunk mind started turning. Days of drinking later, Emily told me she would call CPS on me if I slapped Jamie one more time. I guess I had slapped Jamie a lot in those days. But her words made my drunk mind want to do the opposite. So I slapped Jamie. And kept saying, "Are you gonna call? Hmm?" And kept going on for five minutes. She took the home phone and dialed the number. She didn't even have to look it up. I guess she'd been planning to call for a while. She spoke with each word strained and each breath ragged from crying. "Hhhello, there um there's a man inside my house." And then she made eye contact with me. "I I don't know who he is, and he just slapped my three year old daughter. Can can- come soon." And she hung up. As bad as it may sound now, I wanted to hurt her. For testing my drunken limits. So I grabbed Jamie and took two suitcases. I filled them as fast as I could with Jamie and I's stuff. I ran out of the house never looking back. I was such a fool. I regret everything and no apologies will never be enough. After I-"

Dad's P.O.V.

"STOP!" Jamie screams at me. Her palms cover her ears and tears are rolling down her face.

She gets up to leave but..

"He's not done." Emily says.

"THERES MORE?" Jamie says in disbelief.

"Yes, sit down please. I have a lot of more explaining."

(Is this the end or the beginning? Or is it the end of the beginning?)