Zayn
I lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. Thought run through my head like a river. Parenting wasn't as easy as I thought. I have to get a job. Annie can't continue the job she has now. It makes her look bad. It doesn't pay well. It's never enough because she speaks the money on herself, and she's a bad role model for Alyssa.
"I'm home." Annie whispers and walks into the bedroom. "Annette," I use her full name. "We need to talk." Annie looks at me and raises her eyebrows. "I see you're trying to be serious, using my full name and all." She drunkenly giggle. Great. Now she won't even be able to comprehend what I'm saying. "Annette" she mocks me.
"I'm being serious." I sit up and my sight leaves her as she changes her clothing. "What, Zayn. Out with it" she huffs and plops on the bed. "I want you to get a better job, go to school, anything to be a better role model for Alyssa." Annie looks at me as if what I've suggested was never going to happen.
"I'm being serious, our daughter needs a better role model." Annie looks at me and lights her cigarette. "Our daughter" she says and blows the smoke out. "Yes, our daughter." I bite back. "Zayn, when are you going to let it go?" She says and takes another puff of her cigarette. "Let what go, exactly?" I ask and turn towards her.
"Zayn Malik, Alyssa is not our daughter. Alyssa isn't even her name. You did not create her." She says. Annie is convinced that Alyssa was not a gift to us. She just doesn't like the fact that she's not he center of attention anymore. She used to play with Alyssa and take part. I don't know what happened after that.
"She is our daughter. Her name is Alyssa Malik. And she is my daughter. Your dad didn't create you but he's still your father." I bark at her. Annie was thirteen when her mother told her that her dad was actually her stepdad. Annie has always has parental problems after that.
"Zayn, I can't do this anymore." She says and puts her cigarette out. "What do you mean?" I stand up and grab her arm. "I mean I'm leaving, you don't have time for me anymore, you don't care, and it's always.. Alyssa, Alyssa, Alyssa. I never even asked for a kid, Zayn." She states in defense.
"So you're just going to leave. Just like that. Alyssa needs her mother in her life." I say and point to the door. Annie grabs her hair in frustration. "Zayn, you are mentally not there are you?" She pokes my head over and over. "Zayn, you're obsessed with this child. SHES NOT YOURS." She shouts. I shush he to keep Alyssa asleep.
"I'm starting to wonder if she's not that missing child in TV. " Annie mumbles. I turn to her and glare. "What?"
"You heard me." She says
"She may not be mine, but I would never ever do that to a family."
"Wouldn't shock me if you did."
"Leave, Annie. Don't come back." I say last
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"Good morning, daddy." Alyssa jumps on the bed. "Someone's hyper." I say and rub my eyes. "I'm hungry." She rubs her small toddler tummy. I poke her belly button and she giggles hysterically. I pick her up and hoist her on my waist. We make our way to the kitchen.
"Pick a fruit any fruit." I say like a magician she would see on he TV shows. "Strawberries." She screams. Alyssa has always loved strawberries. When she was a baby she would always hide them in her cheeks and ask for more. "So strawberry pancakes?" I say and set her down next to the oven.
She squeals and claps her hands. Her joy makes me smile. I love how small and innocent to the world she is. I love how she doesn't have a clue and lives in her little imaginary world with princesses and faeries and Magic. "Daddy, make lots of pancakes. Please. Please. Please. Please." She chants and slaps her hand down on the hot eye of the stove without knowing.
A loud high pitched screams leaves her mouth and I go into panic mode. "Alyssa!" I say and turn off the oven. Alyssa cries while I go get the aloe out of the fridge and turn the cold water in the sink on. I put aloe on my hand and go to touch her but she screams. "That stuff burns!" She exclaims and jerks her hand back.
"Baby, I haven't touched you yet. You know how in the summer. Daddy took you to the beach and it was really hot outside, so we went back inside where it was cold and it all felt better?" I ask her to see if she remembers, even though she probably doesn't because she's so young.
"Uh huh." She sniffles and wipes her face. "Well this is going to feel like that, okay. It'll make it all better." I say and gently rub the aloe on her hand. "I promise, that if you do what daddy tells you and you watch out, and that you always stay with me, no one will hurt you." I say and kiss her head. "What about mommy?" She asks and looks at me with her tear filled eyes.
"Just you and me. Always safe. Always." I hug her
