Struggles of a Single Father (Book 1 of the Struggle Puff Series)

Chapter 17

Edited 02/25/2020

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It had been almost ten minutes since dad left and I was still standing there, with wide eyes. Mom ran out of this house after him, telling me that she'll fix everything and that I shouldn't worry.

Despite what she said, I was still concerned.

How could I be so stupid? I just sacrificed my daughter's well being just so I could take a few potshots.

After scolding myself some more, I went upstairs to check on Tilisia. She was probably upset and confused about what happened.

"Tilisia?" I spoke softly as I cracked the door open. I looked around and saw no one.

Of course, that meant there was only one place she could be.

Walking away from her room, I made my way to mine and beelined for the closet where I heard gentle sniffling. I knocked on the door twice before opening it. There I saw Tilisia with her knees curled into her chest, crying.

"Love, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Does... does grandpa hate me?" she sniffled out.

Suddenly I felt my stomach turn as the weight of the situation finally hit me. She thought she was the problem, and I didn't even consider that she would think that.

I sat down next to her and put my arm around her small frame.

"Of course, he doesn't hate you. Nobody could." Except for Julia, apparently.

"T-then why i-is he so mean t-to you?" Her sobbing was starting to break up her words and I fought to understand them.

"Well, that's a loaded question." I mutter, "Grandpa and I don't get along because..." I didn't know what to say, to be honest. He hated me because I got Kim pregnant and the byproduct of that was Tilisia.

"Uh... well, I made a big mistake a few years ago and it made him very... sad." Sometimes you have to simplify feelings, "But now that mistake has turned into a wonderful thing and he doesn't like that I'm not being held down because of it."

I looked down at her and she nodded along to what I was saying as if she understood what I was getting at.

"I'm sorry, Tilisia." She looked at me with curiosity and tears brimming in her eyes, "I'm sorry we said any of that in front of you. That wasn't nice of us. Even if you only heard part of it, we still shouldn't have done it. Especially not today. I didn't want your Christmas to be like this."

"It's okay, daddy." She leaned her head on my arm. "Are you gon' stop talking to me too?"

"Of course, not! I enjoy our conversations way too much to do that."

"Pinky promise? Even if I make a misses-stake?" She was holding out her pinky and staring at me intently.

I stared at her for a moment, thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong, but I still smiled.

"I pinky promise that I won't ever stop talking to you. No matter what you do, I'll always be there for you." I locked my pinky with hers before pulling her in for a hug.

Despite every scenario I ran through in my head, I wasn't worried about her. She would make a few mistakes along the way, but that wouldn't stop me from loving her.

.

.

It had been an hour since my parents left, and I was packing my clothes into a suitcase, preparing for the worst. I had already run to my job to grab a few moving boxes and packed most of Tilisia's room up. She still wasn't quite sure why we were leaving, but she didn't argue with me.