Page 57 of Daddy to Go

“I want you to be very, very clear in your answer to me. I’m going to ask you this question only one more time, and if you lie to me, I will know. I can promise you that this new Abby has zero patience for liars, cheaters, and people who don’t treat me with the kind of respect that I deserve. I’m not afraid of you Melody, and I’m not afraid to make your life a living hell. So let me ask you one last time:did you receive a letter postmarked from Ryder and addressed to me?”

Her finger paused again and she shot me a disgusted look. “Are you deaf? I told you no.”

I watched her lip as it twitched slightly. Then her right eyebrow rocketed upwards, and I knew right away she was lying. The one thing she could never do was look somebody in the eye and keep a straight face, especially when she was telling a lie that she really wanted to hide.

I leaned back, shocked. I didn’t want to believe it was true, yet Melody’s tells were too obvious. There could only be one conclusion. I took a deep breath, and I stood up slowly while scooting Mattie out of the way. I didn’t want under any circumstances for my sister to flip out and accidentally trip over my child.

I glanced up to make sure that Melody wasn’t looking at me and then with a quick movement I took off, running down the hall to Melody’s room. I knew there was a shoebox beneath her bed. I knew that’s where she hid everything, from her childhood letters to her gold heart locket.

What she didn’t realize is that I had found her secret stash years before but never said anything about it because I knew that she needed some privacy. But really, a shoebox under her bed? It was obvious. I was starting to wonder if she wasn’t dropped on her head as a baby.

I rushed inside and slammed the door shut, trying to buy myself at least a couple seconds to grab the box out from underneath the bed. I could hear Melody stomping down the hallway screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Get out of my room! You have no right to go in there! So, help me God, if you’re touching any of my stuff, I will beat the hell out of you. I don’t care if you’re my sister or not!”

Judging from her tone, things were about to get violent. But I had a feeling deep in my gut that my sister was lying, and had hidden the letter in her special box. Could it be? My mom always wanted us to get along, but this time, Melody’s depravities had gone too far. What would cause her to act this way? We had the same childhood, but I didn’t turn out to be a masochist. Now, my sister was hateful and vicious. I didn’t know if she had a mental issue or if she was on some sort of drug, but she clearly didn’t give a shit about anyone else’s health or happiness.

I bent down and grabbed the shoebox just as she barged through the door. I threw the top at her to slow her down and sure enough, sitting right there in front of me was a letter addressed to me from Ryder. Melody stopped in her tracks, her face a mixture of horror and anger. I put my fingers around the envelope and dropped the rest of the box on the floor, its contents scattering. All I could do was stand there and stare at the envelope.

“How could you?” I managed in a tearful tone. “When you knew how much I was hurting?”

Everything I had hoped for my sister went down the drain. It was true. Melody reallywasthat bad. She had the letter and seeing that the envelope was open and the paper was wrinkled, she had obviously read it and cackled with glee over my misery.

A barrage of emotions ran through my mind. My chest felt tight and I couldn’t even bring myself to look over at my sister. I was so ashamed to even know her. It was one thing if she was protecting me, but she wasn’t. She was trying to hurt me, and in doing so, she was hurting my son.

How could my own sister betray me like this? And what did this mean for Ryder, the baby, and our lives going forward?

29

Abby

Both of us stood there, breathless, staring at the letter that was in my hand. My eyes shifted toward her, and I knew she wasn’t done. Melody lunged at me and I held the letter out of her reach, thrusting my other hand straight into her chest. I shoved her hard, with tears flooding down my face. Unfortunately, Melody was angry. She came right back and charged me, but I was stronger and heavier than her.

Reaching back with my left hand I slapped her hard across the face, knocking her to the ground. She looked at me wildly, holding her cheek. I pointed and gritted my teeth.

“Get down on the ground and stay down or I will knock you unconscious.”

She clasped her cheek, looking at me with wild eyes while huddling on the floor. All I knew in that moment was that I was so angry I didn’t even trust myself. Had she made another move, I was pretty sure I would’ve knocked her through the wall. All I could think about was this huge mess we were in. Ryder, writing the letter but hearing nothing in return. Me, thinking he’d ghosted me when he’d actually tried to reach out. And most of all, our son, with his parents rent apart.

Slowly, Melody got to her feet and backed up with her hands in the air.

“I won’t touch you,” she whispered with fear in her eyes.

I stared while putting the letter in my pocket. There was no way she was ever getting it back. There is no way she was ever gettingmeback, or building a relationship with my son. That was very obvious.

Still, I wanted answers. I shook my head and stared at her.

“Why? Why would you do this to me? I have been your sister your whole life. When you were little, I took care of you. When you were scared, I let you sleep in my bed. When you didn’t understand why Daddy left us, I was there to dry your tears. I dealt with every bit of your teenage angst, including when you were rude and abrupt. I dealt with the fact that you thought you were better than everyone else, and that you are spoiled and selfish even today. But this is going beyond the pale.Why, Melody?”

My heart was broken, and any faith I had was long gone. Meanwhile, my sister was a piece of work. She sneered at me and spit blood onto the floor.

“You deserve it, bitch. You deserve every single bit of it. You deserved never to find that letter and to live the rest of your life in agony. Your son is collateral damage and you can thank yourself for that.”

I wrinkled my forehead and shook my head wildly.

“What you talking about? Why do I deserve this? I’ve never done anything to you.”

Melody’s lip curled and she gritted her teeth. I took a stance, ready just in case she tried to charge me again. I could see the anger and hate bubbling inside her.