One Day At A Time

Prologue

"Daddy please stop" I screamed for him to stop but he kept hitting me.

Over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

I was used to him hitting me like this now. It never stopped.

"Daddy please stop I'm sorry!" I flinched, realizing what I just said.

"The fuck did you just say to me?" He yelled in my ear and then started to twist my arm.

"You know how much I hate that word!" He kept twisting my arm.  Further and further and further, each time causing me to scream more in pain.

There was a crack, but he kept going.

"Daddy please stop! Please I won't do it again" I choked out the last word and the room started spinning.

"This will teach you a lesson for disrespecting me you bastard!" He took the cigarette out of his mouth and stuck it into my arm. I was frantically trying to get out of his hold but he was stronger than me.

I didn't mean to spill his beer.

I didn't want him to be mad at me again.

I deserve this. This is all my fault.

He burned me repeatedly with the cigarette up my arm.

"Your mother should have aborted you, you worthless piece of shit!" He was right. I am worthless and mommy should have gotten rid of me.

"She never loved you and you're the reason she's dead!" He finally got off of me and walked over to the kitchen, opened the fridge and grabbed another beer.

I felt my stomach twist and turn. The room was still spinning.

I wanted to cover my eyes and hide myself from him but I couldn't move either of my arms. I wanted to hug my mom again but she died and it's all my fault. I gave her cancer. That's what daddy told me.

I didn't mean to make mommy sick. I wish she was here with me. If she was then daddy would love me again.

Daddy started walking toward me and reached out to grab my arm. I screamed out  as he took the broken one. He dragged me outside and I stopped crying. I knew what it meant if I cried outside. I did it once before and when daddy brought me back inside he hit my legs with a baseball bat. I wasn't able to walk for awhile.

We walked a long time before daddy stopped.

He turned around and bent down to look me in the eyes.

"I hope you die."

Everything went black.

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When I opened my eyes again it was dark and I couldn't find daddy.

He left me.

Tears fell out of my eyes and I tried to wipe them away in case someone saw them.

I looked around and there was a light at the end of the road. I tried to get up but my arms didn't work.

The light was getting closer.

Mommy used to tell me that light came whenever you died. Was I going to die?

Is this what mommy saw?

I wasn't afraid. Daddy would be happy now just like he used to be.

"Can you get up?" An older man flashed the light on me. He looked afraid.

"No. My arms hurt." He reached down and looked at my arms. He grabbed the one with burns on it.

"Jesus,  what the hell happened? Who did this to you?"

"I made daddy mad. I didn't mean to."

"What's your name?"

"Logan River."

"Why don't you come with me Logan? I'll get you some bandages."

"Daddy might be mad at me if I leave..."

"I'll help you get back to your dad, does that sound alright?"

"Okay Mr.... uh what's your name?"

"Donald. Donald Ray, call me pops for now okay?"

"Okay pops."

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Pops' house was really big. He had one of those fancy water things out front.

He brought me to a big living room with a fireplace and giant tv. There was a tall old man who let us in, he smiled at me... the only time daddy smiled at me was when he was going to hurt me.

Were they going to hurt me?

"You can sit here while I call a doctor okay? Is there anything you want to watch?"

"Do you have sponge bob?"

"Lucky for you I do." He turned on sponge bob and left. It was the episode where sponge bob wanted to be a grown up. I wondered what I would be like when I grew up.

When the episode was over pops came back into the room.

"The doctor will be here shortly. Are you hungry?"

"I already ate this morning... daddy said I can only eat once a day."

"Oh um... well he's not here right now so I won't tell him if you want something to eat. We have hamburgers and brownies?"

"What's a brownie?"

"It's like a chocolatey treat... you have never had one before?"

"No daddy says I'm not allowed to have chocolate anymore."

"Well I'm sure you will love them, Ronnie please get Logan here a hamburger and some brownies please."

The tall old man from the door shook his head and left.

The doctor came and he asked me what happened.

He looked scared, but I told him not to worry because it happens a lot. I don't think that worked. The doctor said I had a broken bone and gave me medicine for the burns.

Pops gave me my food and went to the door to talk to the doctor again.

After Pops walked him out he came and sat next to me.

"Logan would you like to stay here with me?"

"I can't do that... daddy will be mad."

"What if I can protect you from him? He won't hurt you anymore."

Daddy wouldn't hurt me anymore?

"But what if he finds me. He'll hurt me really bad again."

"Well I'll just teach you to hurt him back."

"How will I do that?"

"I'm going to tell you a secret Logan. I run a secret organization, we are kinda like spies. We take down the bad guys that cops can't and it sounds to me that your daddy is one of them."

"Woahhhh can I be a spy?"  He laughed at my answer. He was smiling.

"Yes I can train you but you have to agree to stay with me first."

"Okay! I'm gonna be the best spy there ever was." I went to hug him but I accidentally hit the orange juice Mr. Ronnie gave me earlier.

"I'm sorry." Oh no... I said it again. I tried to hug myself before he hit me and flinched when he walked over to me.

"Woah woah calm down it's just a little spill it's alright. Here let's go get you cleaned up and in bed okay?"

He didn't hit me... he wasn't going to hurt me.

When will he tell me to die like daddy did?