Alexis

Lezioni

Lessons

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"Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink they milk."

Ezekiel (25:4)

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My auntie grabbed my body, trying to take me back upstairs. I knew she was trying to get me to go to bed but I didn't want to. I knew that daddy was coming home tonight. That's all that I cared about. I haven't seen daddy in forever.

"Lexi, you've got to get to bed," she sighed as I struggled in her arms. I didn't want her to hold me. I knew that she was going to take me to bed. "Dad'll be home late. You'll see him in the morning, baby."

"No!" I whined as she put me on her hip to open my bedroom door. "Auntie! Please! I just wanna see daddy."

"And he'll see you when he gets back," she explained. "He won't be back for a few more hours." She sat me on top of the bed as she pulled back my covers. I looked up at her with a frown on my lips. She looked at me as she laid my body down before pulling the covers over my shoulders. "Don't give me that face, Marie," she sternly said and brushed my hair with her hand.

"Why can't I stay up?" I asked. "I'll be good. Daddy called a while ago saying he landed."

"Dad has more things to do. You need your rest," she told me. "I need you to go to sleep. Dad will be tired when he comes back–"

"I liked that picture you showed me," I cut her off. "Vegas is bright."

"Yes, it's a very bright city. Very big–"

"Daddy went to Vegas, right? Isn't that far away?" I asked her.

"Very far, baby. It's in Nevada," she answered. "Get some rest," she told me. I went to ask her another question but she spoke first. "No more questions, Lexi. Not tonight."

I pouted. Maybe if she thought I was asleep then she'd leave and I could go wait by the door? That's what happened in movies. I could do that.

"Fine," I whispered and turned to the side, facing auntie. I felt that if I faced away from her, it wouldn't be as believable. I waited a few moments before I closed my eyes. I was good at faking being asleep. I did it often so daddy could carry me into the house and put me in my bed.

It felt like auntie took forever to leave but finally, I felt her lips touch my skin. Her strong, good-smelling perfume teased my nose. She whispered goodnight. I felt the bed dip. When the door closed, I sat up in bed. I knew that I needed to wait for a while so she could sleep but I was so excited. I stopped myself when I got to the door.

I needed to wait. Be patient. I patiently sat on the ground by my door. I counted in my head until I reached 100. Once I did, I slowly opened the door and tip-toed downstairs. I checked the time on the microwave. It was 1:53 in the morning. Daddy was supposed to come home at 1 in the morning. He was late but that meant he'd be home any minute. I smiled to myself and sat on the wooden bench by the door. We were supposed to get rid of it but daddy forgot to remove it before he left and auntie said that she didn't feel like doing his work so it wasn't removed. I sat, my legs swinging back and forth with excitement. Minutes slowly passed until I finally heard the handle jiggle. I could hear my dad's keys.

I jumped up from my seat once the door opened.

"Daddy!" I giggled.

He immediately looked down, his face shocked. I wrapped my arm around his leg and hugged him tightly. He smelled like his cologne and pennies. I didn't know why he smelled like pennies but I didn't care. I was too happy.