look after you ( andrew bazzi )

VIII

"come on, princess. we're going on an adventure."

  rosalia looked up at her father from her spot on the floor, the child not saying anything— just nodding her head and finding her shoes. the car ride was quiet, both deep in thought during the drive.

  it had been a week since allison had left, the two feeling distant from one another. rosalia wasn't speaking, the child always seeming lost in thought whenever she was around her father or her uncles. she was confused and upset. she didn't understand why her mother just up and walked out of her and her father. the child could see how much the situation was affecting him and it made her feel even more upset.

  andrew didn't know what to say to rosalia. how was he supposed to explain this to her? how was he supposed to tell his four year old child that her mother didn't care about her enough to stay? he did know though, he needed to reassure the child he wasn't going anywhere and he needed to reassure his love for her which led him to taking her to the beach to watch the sunset and just talk.

  andrew and rosalia both sat on a blanket, watching the waves come and go. the sky was showing pink and purple and blue and the two felt calm.

  "i do love you, you know?" andrew spoke, looking down at his daughter. "ever since you were born and i got to hold you for the first time— i promised you that day that i'd always be here. to show you how special and extraordinary you are. when your mother found out she was pregnant, she thought i was going to run away from the responsibilities of raising a child, but i didn't. the thought of having a mini me or a mini version of the girl i loved enough to make me want to stay. no one thought we could raise you, us being 17 and all, but we proved them wrong." andrew could feel tears building in his eyes, the child noticing which led her to grabbing his hand in her small ones in a way of comfort. "you're such a special kid, rose. i know it's going to be tough moving on from this pain, but we'll do it together, okay? you'll never lose me. i'm a constant for you in a world of temporaries. i love you so much."

  rosalia wrapped her arms around her father, andrew returning the hug. "i love you too, daddy." the girl mumbled in his ear.

  when the hug ended, rosalia kept andrews hand in her own— the child finding comfort in holding his hand. andrew felt disappointment when he saw that rosalia wasn't going to open up and say how she felt, but he understood. she's so young and already having to feel the pain of losing someone so close to her.

  the father and daughter stayed on the beach together until the sun went down, the two leaving the beach with a bit of the weight of their shoulders.

  "have you talk to elom?" caleb's voice caught the woman's attention from her thoughts.

  adeline let out a sarcastic laugh, leaning back in her chair next to her brothers. "no, caleb, because i don't have the time too. you know, with having to come here and miss work because you can't keep your temper at bay. my god, what is this? the third one this month. what did i tell you last time? we can't have any more of this because then they'll look at me like i can't raise you. do you want to go live with our parents again?" when zion made no move to answer, adeline's temper rose. "do you, caleb? because that's exactly what's going to happen if you continue to pull stunts like this."

  zion kept his stare on the tiles on the floor, not wanting to face his sister. he felt guilt when he saw how much his actions effected her. he could see her anxious movements from the corner of his eye and it made the boy feel like shit.

  when adeline got done talking to the principal, the two siblings left the school. the car ride was eerily silent, zion keeping his stare on the scenery outside his window. he started to think back to when adeline moved out their parents house. adeline had left for college which left zion in the house to fend for himself, only having elom to talk too without his sister there anymore. adeline and zion never got along with their parents, elom and kékéli always the favorite children. things happened which led to adeline coming back for zion, the two living together ever since. she wanted to bring elom with her, but she knew her parents wouldn't let him go.