Broken Descent (Bruno Mars)

Day 3: Numb

Charlotte had been in the car for three days. In between sitting in the car, she slept on blankets on floors of motel rooms. She didn't sleep so much as lay there. Her hair had gotten greasy and matted. Her dress, her favorite dress, was dirty. She had circles under her eyes.

"You haven't talked much," the blond haired man said.

Holding her bird, Charlotte spoke for the first time in a while. The more she talked the harder it was to talk. "I miss my daddy."

Charlotte looked up for sympathy and got nothing from either of the men.

"I really," she whimpered again with quivering lips. "I really miss my daddy."

"Bruno?"

Charlotte nodded.

"He's very mad at you right now."

Charlotte stuttered. "He....he is?"

"You were supposed to stay close...and you didn't..."

"But...but..."

"You should know that Bruno's not your dad..."

Charlotte knew that already so she went quiet a little. The man knelt next to her as she sat on the floor, too close for her comfort. A tray of food and a drink sat beside her but she wasn't interested. He pulled out a picture and handed it to her.

"This is a picture of you and me a couple hours after you were born."

Charlotte's hands shook, holding the picture tightly with both hands.

"See," he said pointing to his head in the photo. "You have my hair...and my eyes...and that makes me your dad. My name is Ian. Right now we're going to go meet your mommy."

Charlotte's attention didn't leave the picture for a very long time. A permanent lump in her throat, sadness, and confusion all prevented her from speaking anymore.

Bruno came back home after a long day of trying to avoid the pains he was feeling in his chest. He hurt so much that after a while, it felt like nothing. He felt empty inside. He couldn't stand being in the house all day. He gently set the many bottles on the counter, pulling out a glass.

He drank the whole glass in just a few gulps before grabbing the entire bottle of whiskey and finished it very quickly before grabbing another one. He heard a voice halfway through the second bottle.

"Bruno what the hell are you doing?" Phil asked. Eric was beside him.

With the smell of alcohol spewing out of his breath, he was too drunk to get off the stool.

"Get outta here," he cried with bloodshot eyes.

"Bruno we know you're hurting but you need to find another way to cope."

"I'm not hurting anymore..." Bruno whined. "I don't...feel...anything...I feel absolutely nothing. I need to feel something again. I feel empty."

Eric walked up to him, reaching for the bottle. Bruno pulled away. Phil grabbed the bag of remaining bottles from the counter.

"Give me the bottle," Eric scolded.

"Give me my daughter! Give me my baby!" Bruno cried and screamed. "Oh wait...you can't...because she's gone..."

"Bruno don't give up hope," Phil said.

"Do you know the chances of finding a missing kid after 36 hours? Well we're past that..."

"You hear what you just said? You said chance. Someone's going to see her and know she's your kid and they'll take her to the police."

"What if..." Bruno sniffled, "what if she's gone? What if they never find her? I thought...I thought we'd find her by now...I thought she'd be back..."

Phil and Eric had nothing to say to him, which only compounded the severity of the situation. With no new information and no leads whatsoever, there was nothing to say. There were no words of comfort.

"Daddy!" Bruno heard.

He sprinted off the stool toward the sound of her voice. It faded the closer he got. He chased it faster as if it would make a difference. Phil and Eric just looked at each other as they followed him. Standing in front of the aquarium, Bruno spun around many times, looking for her.

"Bruno..." Eric said. "Bruno you should sit down."

With whiskey boiling with his blood, Bruno built up full-blown rage, swinging his arms around. To him it was like the bubbles in the fish tank were taunting him. Insanity took over his brain as a coping mechanism. His numbness turned back into pain.

Bruno had so much energy built up from the day that he found enough force to push the large aquarium off its stand . A wave of water exploded from the glass as it hit the floor. The fish and all the decorations became scattered on the carpet. It took Bruno a second to realize what he'd done. They weren't just fish; they were a symbol of one of the most joyful things in Charlotte's life, and because of that, they were a part of his life too.

"Daddy the fishies!"

"I know, peanut. Do you like them?"

"Yes!"

"Now Charlotte, you have to remember that we need to feed them every morning and every night. I'll help you, but you have to remind me. That's your job. Do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy! I can do it!"

Phil and Eric sprinted into the kitchen to get glasses with water for the fish. Bruno was too panicked to do anything. The three of them began to scoop the fish off the floor and put them into the glasses.

"Stupid...fucking...fish...can't lose you! Don't die on me!" Bruno yelled as he scooped the last three up on the floor.

Once the fish were saved, Bruno took a breather in the kitchen to soothe his pounding head while Phil arranged for a new aquarium.

"I just...I just..." Bruno cried.

"We know, bro," Phil said, patting his shoulder. "We know."

"I'd give anything to have her back right now. I'd...I'd give up my career...the big house...the expensive car..." Bruno whined. He hadn't written a single lyric, played a single note, or even listened to one song since Charlotte disappeared.

Gritting his teeth, Bruno cried some more.

"I'd give up everything. I just want her back...she's all I want...please...I can't handle this anymore."