Maggie

twenty - seven

I watch as the colour drains from my daughters face. I had just told her that the only way we will ever get information about Roan is that if she goes and talks with Ethan, his son.

That man haunts her dreams every night. He plagues her mind every time she isn't safe at home. Until he is dead, she won't be at peace.

"You don't have to Maggie." I console her, as I place a comforting hand on her shoulder. We are still sitting on the cold tiles of her bathroom floor. Our dogs having a nice little snooze while we talk.

"No," she begins to shake her head. "I have to do this."

"If seeing him will make you upset, I don't want you anywhere near him." Nothing would make me feel worse than if she forces herself to do something she doesn't want to do. Her whole life she's never had a choice. Now I want her to have a choice.

"It's okay, I'll do it. Maybe if will be good for me?" She smiles, clearly trying to hide her anxiety towards the meeting.

"There is a one way glass window in the room. I'll be behind the glass the whole time alright?" Maybe this will ease her anxiety, knowing that I am not far away. That I can come get her if things go south.

"Okay, when are we leaving?"

"We can go tomorrow morning how about that?" It's late now, I don't want her getting too worked up before she sleeps. It would only result in nightmares.

"Okay, Dad?" She calls my name as I am already half way out the room. I was going to figure out what the hell I could feed her tonight. We haven't gone to the grocery store in a while. Part of it being that she always causes a ruckus there. She likes racing with me down the aisles. The only issue with it is she is small so she has trouble steering the cart. Resulting in her flying into the shelves.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" I chuckle, Maggie is always thanking me and half the time I don't even know what for. I am literally just doing my job as a father. Sometimes I feel like I am doing a shit job, yet when she thanks me it helps reassure me I am doing something right.

"I don't know, I guess giving me the choice."

"You deserve everything life can offer you Maggie. You always have choice, as long as you make the choice that is right for you that's all that matters."

-

Maggie's long asleep now, it's late at night and I am stuck in my home office doing some work. We spent the rest of the day just chilling out and playing video games. For dinner we ended up getting take out because I can barely cook. Afterwards Mags made cookies while I filled out paper work at the barstools.

It was a pretty normal afternoon for the both of us. Maggie continued to talk my ear off every second of it and I listened to every word she said.

I swear the amount of stories this girl has is just mind blowing. Today's story was about how she sprained her ankle when she was seven.