The Deal Breaker (Book II)

Chapter Eighteen - Daddy Issues

                                                   Chapter Eighteen

                                                      Daddy Issues

Before I knew it, I loaded Buddy in the truck along with three days’ worth of food and headed to Kentucky. I had no idea what would await for me. No, I didn't expect hugs and tears and apologies. I didn't expect even a handshake. But I hoped for one. I didn't plan on staying more than a day, though I prepared for it just in case. All I planned to do was see the man, even of it was just from a distance. I wanted to know what kind of man he was now. And, if he's a better man than he used to be, well then I'll call him "Dad." Was it wrong to hope for at least one parent to be sane? Or even show a bit of kindness? For some reason, I felt like I was asking too much.

Buddy hung his head out of the window as I drove down a country road. We still had quite a ways to go and I was already itching to get out. I hated sitting for too long. I had only half an hour's bit of sleep from when I first go home, so I wasn't in the greatest mindset. I gripped my thermos of coffee and listened to some obscure radio station discussing the latest developments in the county. If only my radio picked up more than stations within a mile or so away.

"In other news, there has been another shooting has occurred yet again in the southern part of Chicago. The crime rate in this particular area has gotten out of hand. Police haven't released the name of the victim, but they have confirmed it was drug related and the victim is in recovery," the man on the radio said in a chipper tone.

I cringed, my thoughts drifting towards someone who could have possibly been involved in the shooting. Surely my sister couldn’t have been the victim, right? There had to have been dozens of other people in the chaos of that part of Chicago. I shook the thought out of my head and promised to look into it after I deal with this insanity. One crazy thing at a time, right?

The drive was a complete blur, which should worry me some. I should have rested longer, but I couldn’t really sleep. Instead I would be in a daze as I drove, unaware of several things going on around me. It was Buddy’s bark that informed me I was about to hit the back of an old pickup truck going slow on the road. I blinked repeatedly, rubbed my eyes, and drove around the truck, ignoring the fact I probably shouldn’t be on the road with only a few hours of sleep in over a week.

Before I knew it I was parked outside of a simple, small house with nothing special about it. I leaned against the steering wheel and yawned as I observed the boring home. It wasn’t in the greatest neighbor, though that didn’t concern me in the least bit. The house was a little trashed, with bags of garbage left by the curb and weeds scattered all around. The light blue shutters were faded and had paint missing in areas, and there were several ash trays on the porch. I didn’t doubt this was the house.

I parked across the road and sat there with my head against the steering wheel, trying to think of what to do. My thoughts were a fog and, admittedly, I wasn’t thinking too rationally. I kept thinking it was a good idea to just walk up there and say, “Hey, I’m your daughter!” But another voice, much dimmer and barely there, advised against it. Another yawn, another cup of coffee, and I was out of the truck. I walked Buddy around the block, hoping the walk would clear my foggy mind. I knew I should have slept. I circled the area five times before settling against my truck, Buddy in the back.

Movement from the end of the block made me jump. It was a girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, shuffling towards the house in what had to be the shortest shorts I’ve ever witnessed. Her hair, dark and to her shoulders, was a mess of fuzz in the back. I was surprised to see a girl her age dress like that with bold red lips and thick eyeliner. She gave a glance towards me, her blue eyes intense even from where I stood, and then she went inside without a care. She must be the step-daughter.