The Cover Up

~35~

*Aniyah's P.O.V*
We're just now leaving the hospital and I guess we're headed home. Well, to my fathers house. I know everyone is probably wondering why haven't I tried to escape yet. I had a thousand and one chances to but I didn't. Which is really weird because if you're being kid napped then you should try to do everything to escape, right?

For some reason I feel safe around him. I can't even begin to explain it but I need to stay here especially if I'm in trouble or someone is trying to kill me. Now don't get me wrong I'm so ready to go home but I'm trying to stay for the safety of myself. Even though I can clearly take care of myself. I need more information about what's going on first.

"Aniyah?" Dave said

"Yes?" I responded

"What's on your mind? I can tell something is wrong." He said

"Well other than the fact that I had to be kidnapped by my father that I haven't talk to, seen or even knew about for years and years at a time in order to keep me safe from these heartless people, cruel world and let's not forget the street life. Or the fact that someone wants to kill me and my family and they even tried to get to my mother in order to get to me. Which one do you think it is?" I responded

"Look Aniyah I'm sorry about all of this, I promise I am. I haven't been here for you at all and I know that nothing in this world can replace that but time and unfortunately we can't get time back. I thought about you and your brother everyday, and let's not forget about how much I loved your mother. I loved that woman with everything in me and still do but when I got out of trouble she wanted nothing to do with me. We had the best times together. I would rather leave my family than to put there lives in danger. You might say it was very selfish of me to leave but it would be even more selfish of me to stay there and get everyone including me killed. I wouldn't risk the ones I love like that. I tried coming back but it was too late I had already messed up what I wanted and that was my family back. I even thought of leaving this earth because I was so depressed but then I knew I definitely wouldn't have had the chance to see you again. I bet you're thinking why not just come back before it was all too late. Well, after the first day I left I couldn't come back I had already messed things up with your mother. I wrote her love letters everyday as if I was really in prison and was never going to see her again. But of course I got treated like I was non-existent still."

"Oh wow cute story but what happened so bad that you had to leave your family. Leave us stranded and in this world without a father and he was always a couple blocks away. Huh? What was so bad that you couldn't come and visit, check up on us after all these years. We're grown now. If you really wanted a relationship with us you would have made one. I wanted to ask about you everyday. I actually wanted a relationship with you after you just abandoned us and I actually went out and found out a little more about you and I was so close to finding you. Then I thought about it, you could put in the same amount of effort to find me that I did to find you. Do you know what happened? Do you know what I've been dealing with for years and I probably would never have the chance at it again in my life. My motherhood has been ripped away from me. That's all I wanted to be when I was younger. You think this hospital shit is my first rodeo? It's not, and it may not even be my last. You can't say anything about wanting to leave this earth because of depression. Ive been damaged for years and it's not your fault but it does have something to do with you and your absence. I've felt less of a person and even feel like I failed as a daughter just because you up and left us all alone. I've tried drinking, drugs, and even a little of therapy but that didn't work at all. So save it, I don't even care just take me home."

"A-Aniyah I never knew any of those things. I don't want you to feel that way about yourself. I love you and never stopped loving you and even after all of this is done and you still don't want me to be apart of your life I will still love you. But you have to believe me I never wanted to hurt you. I left to protect you... I just wish you would fucking understand that!! Aniyah I never wanted to hurt you, just protect you!!" He yelled as he beat on the steering will

He really scared me and even though he do scare me at times. I can tell he really cares about me. I can feel the love when I'm around him even though it's always something going on to where I can never enjoy him and see him as who he really is, a father. Every father messes up sometimes he just needs a chance and I'm going to give him one. I just wish there was another way this could have happened. But he still has to answer my questions first. I just want to know why.

"David it's okay just take her home. She needs to rest and wash this day off of her. Right Aniyah?" Aaron asked me

"Y-yeah. Th-that's all I need to do. I'll be f-fine." I said still shook up by the way he was acting.

"Aniyah st-" he tried to reach out and touch my face but I just flinched which caused him to get even more upset. But he didn't react violently this time. He just simply sighed and gave up.

"Aniyah I love you and I would never hurt you intentionally. All the hurt I caused over the years was never my intention. I promised myself to never let anyone hurt you. Not only did I fail at that I was the main one to hurt you. I'm sorry. I really do love you." He told me

"Okay" I sighed

"Let's head home." Aaron said

"Agreed, I need a well needed nap." Dave said

It was silent for at least 5 minutes before I decided to finally speak.

"David can you please tell me what happened?" I asked

"I might as well I have to tell you one day. Well back then there were street gang ranks and I was number one of course."

"Wait this already doesn't make sense... if you were number one then why would you have to run away from your problems?" I asked

"First off, I didn't run away. I just got it away from my family so they wouldn't get hurt. And second.... do you want me to finish or not?" He asked

"Fine you can finish" I told him

"Okay thank you....now where was I? Okay and I was number one or whatever you wanna call it. And I literally had everything but I still had problems in and outside the street life. My mother and brother had just died. Well my brother didn't die he just died to me. His name was Travis, I don't think you'll ever meet him. Your mother hasn't even met him yet. But anyways I also had my whole team turn on me because they wanted my life so bad."

"Wait, so I have a Uncle Travis that I know nothing about?"

"Yes hush Aniyah." Aaron said as I kept quiet

"Thank you Aaron. They wanted to be me and live the life I lived because I had the perfect family and the perfect life and just lived so perfect in everyone else's eyes. Them boys was my family but they wanted to take my spot, they wanted my family and my spot as a matter of fact. But long story short I killed a lot of people to get to where I am today."

"And where are you today?" I asked

"I'm alive. Everyone knew exactly who killed them. I killed the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rank in order to handle what needed to be done. I know that word might scare you or even make you scared of me but I had to do what I had to do."

"That still doesn't answer why you left."

"I left because I had a lot of people after me and one thing I never did was let them know who my family was. They didn't know that much about me. They were eventually gonna find out so I had to leave... I had no other choice. They end up finding me but they didn't make it out to tell the story. They were going to find y'all by any means necessary. I couldn't risk it all for something I did and something that could have been avoided."

"Well now I understand a little bit better."

"Thank you for understanding now let's go inside baby." He said as he pulled up into the driveway.

"Ok. I'm sorry about me being difficult I just didn't understand why. I do a little more now and it makes a huge difference." I told him

"Awwwee so sweet." Aaron said fake crying

"You just had to ruin it didn't you." I said as we laughed and went inside