Love, Hate, and Family Ties

Coffeehouse Blues

I wake up at six p.m. I sit up and stare at the wall, remembering my father's words. I sigh and get up, putting on fresh clothes.

I head downstairs and see him sitting in the living room watching tv. I plop down next to him. I'm about to ask what he's watching when he turns and scoots me over as far to the other side of the couch as I can go. He stops pushing when I hit the arm of the couch.

"So... No bonding I guess?" I ask shooting him a dirty look.

"And why would I want to bond with you?" he says not taking his eyes of the screen.

"Because I'm your daughter. And I just brought you more money than you asked for. And, oh I don't know, maybe you could stop being a self obsessed asshole for five minutes to show your only family some love and respect?!" I say, getting increasingly irritated.

He mutes the tv and slowly turns his head to face me.

Oops. I've just signed my suicide note with a kiss.

"What the hell is wrong with you? What makes you think you have the right to talk about me like that? Huh?! If it wasn't for me you wouldn't be alive. You ungrateful child!" he screams, his eyes flashing with anger.

"I'M NOT A CHILD ANYMORE!" I yell standing up.

"You will always be a child. An incompetent, useless, ungrateful child. Look at all I've done for you! Food to eat, a roof to sleep under! Anything you wanted I got for you! THIS is how you're thanking me?!" he screams, enraged.

I shrink back and turn, running to my room, slamming the door behind me. I fling myself onto my bed and sob quietly. He's right. I'm a horrible daughter.

Fighting with him always takes so much energy out of me. I pass out laying on the covers.

I wake up at five a.m. unable to get back to sleep. So to make it up to my dad for yesterday's fight I get up and quietly make eggs and bacon for him. Not my favorite. I opt out of eating.

I bring a tray to his office, knowing he'll be in there. I knock and let myself in. He smiles when he sees the tray.

"Maybe I underestimated you, my dear!" he says with a giggle.

I smile and leave the tray on his desk. "This is my way of apologizing for how I acted yesterday."

"Apology accepted, now get out and leave me alone for the day. I'm busy planning something for Batbrain." he says shooing me out.

His "plans" are always turned into improvising. I don't know why he even plans things out.

I leave the house. I start walking towards Michael's house. It's six now. If I take the long way I could be there at seven-thirty.

When I get there I nervously ring the doorbell. He opens it in a seconds flat.

"Good morning! Sleep well?" he says in a sing-song voice.

"Ah well. Let's just say I slept like the dead." I say, the truth being that I wished I was dead by the time I finally passed out.

"So, coffee?" he says excitedly.

"Of course. Right this way." I say with a laugh.

When we get there we are seated immediately, being relatively early it wasn't busy. We chatted about this and that. He picked up the bill, no matter how much I protested.

We walk out into the cloudy morning. "So you wanna see the city?" I ask.

"Oh yes! It's such a cool looking city it just looks like so much fun!" he says, obviously excited.

I laugh. "Alright, alright. Calm down."

I start to lead him around town, pointing out Wayne enterprises, the (newly rebuilt) Gotham general hospital, and other land marks we have.

All of a sudden, as we were walking by one of the many alleyways we have in Gotham, I'm grabbed from the back collar of my shirt and pulled backwards. Michael gasps and looks shocked, as if he just saw someone getting murdered. To be honest he might be about to witness a murder.

An all too familiar voice comes from behind me. "Excuse me, Jackson, I'm gonna have to borrow my DAUGHTER for the rest of the day." he says with a short cackle.

"I..." he slowly turns to look me in the eye. "... Amber? Is it true?"

I struggle to keep my feet on the ground, considering my dad is more than a foot taller than me and is lifting my collar upward. " {cough}... ha,... well {nnmph} ... Yes... It's true... But ... I promise I ... Would never .. {cough} hurt you..."

"Amber ... why didn't you tell me?" he asks, looking as if he's about to cry.

"DAD PUT ME DOWN! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" I scream.

He giggles. " A father can only hope." He releases me. " Hurry up and say goodbye to your boyfriend!"

I look at Michael. "How was I supposed to tell you Michael? 'Oh hi, I'm Amber, you're nice, and cute, and oh, by the way, my dad is the murdering psychopath known as the Joker!'" I say, getting emotional.

My dad laughs. "Oh Amber, you're too generous with your flattery and compliments!" He cackles.

Michael looks dumbfounded, speechless.

"Well, I feel we've overstayed our welcome. Let's go!" my dad says. He starts walking fast, pulling my arm bringing me along with him.

I don't look back at Michael once.