The Journey to Freedom: Path to WW3

Chapter VI

"It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father." Pope John XXIII

Two days have passed by and you can hear gunshots in the night, sometimes during the day, helicopters fly every few hours. I convinced my ex to let Genesis to stay with me at my grandparent's house with me, but she insisted that she stayed also. It's not like I was going to kidnap my own child. I mean I'm not as wicked as my father when he did the same to my mother when they were going through the custody battle of my sister's and me.

One weekend my sister went with my dad and on Sunday when we went to pick up my sister, my dad came out and told my mom that my sister decided to live with him instead. You could hear my sister yelling and crying inside the house and we could see his girlfriend holding back my sister from running out of the house. My mom called the police but my sister said that she wanted to stay with my dad and the police couldn't do anything about it and then there was a 4 year custody battle after that until there was a deal made for my sister, I would go in her place so that my sister would be with my mother. I did whatever I could so that my mother would be happy. Even if it meant sacrificing everything for her.

My daughter wakes up from me cooking breakfast and my ex wakes up from the couch. "Hola papi" my daughter tells me with a groggy voice.

I walk up to my daughter and pick her up and give her a good squeeze and say, "Buenos días mi niña preciosa. El almuerzo está listo. Ve ha lavarte la cara y cepillarse los dientes. Tu licuado de plátano va estar listo cuando ya salgas."

Elizabeth walks into the kitchen and says "Yo recuerdo un tiempo cuando me hablabas así. Me hicias mi almuerzo y me decías que me fuera a lavar y que mi licuado hiba estar listo cuando ya salga del bañó."

I reply "Elizabeth, eso fue hace muchísimo tiempo. Si me hubieras esperado, aún estuviéramos juntos. Pero no, no supiste esperarme."

She gets angry and starts to raise to her voice and I stop her and tell her to keep her voice down. The restroom door opens up and Genesis says "Ya papi. Y mi licuado?"

I reply, "Aquí está tu licuado mija."

I give her the smoothie and she takes a sip and then a gulp and you can see the smoothie mustache on her and she laughs and I ask her "Porque tanta risa mija?"

She tells me "Me da risa porque tus licuados saben bien ricos. Hace mucho mucho tiempo que no pruebo un licuado rico así papi."

I just smile at her and her mom replies "Ay Genesis por favor. Ya para de decir mentiras. Te hacemos licuados todo el tiempo. Y nunca te los acabas. Siempre los dejas en la mesa a medias."

She replies "Es que los de mi papi saben más ricos que los que tú mi abuelita hacen."

I ask my daughter if she knew why my smoothies tastes so good and still sipping she shakes her head, I tell her "Cuando yo tenía 10 años, tu bisabuela, mi abuelita me enseñó como hacer los licuados. Pero un rico licuado no se trata de los ingredientes. No, se trata de para quién se los vas hacer. Si haces algo para una persona que quieres, pues la comida no sale tan buena. Pero si se lo haces para alguien que amas con todo tu corazón. Todo sale con un sabor muy rico. Pero también al mismo tiempo, tu mami y tú abuela no saben cómo cocinar. Por eso mi comida sale muchísimo más mejor que el de ellas."

And Genesis laughs and says "Si. Mami nomás sabe cómo hacer arroz. Y mi abuelita hace todo lo demás."

Elizabeth barks at us "Basta! Ya fue mucho! Yo no voy a dejar que se estén burlando de mí y mucho menos de mi mamá."

I tell my ex "Elizabeth por favor. Es una niña. Ella no sabe. Además nomás estábamos jugando. Ella no sabe la diferencia de jugar y burlar."

And Elizabeth walks out of the door and sits outside.