Page 102 of Lupo

Her face falls immediately. The fork clatters onto her plate. "You're leaving?"

"Just for a little while," I interject quickly. "He has a job he needs to do. But he'll come back."

"When?"

Lupo and I exchange a glance. "I don't know exactly, sweetheart. But as soon as I can."

"How long is a little while?" Her voice is getting smaller. "Like when Mama goes to the market?"

"A bit longer than that," Lupo says gently.

"A week?" Her eyes are starting to fill with tears.

"Maybe longer. I'm not sure yet."

"But that's so long!" Her lower lip trembles. "Why do you have to go?"

"This is very important work," Lupo says, his voice steady but I can see the pain in his eyes. "Work that I have to do. But I promise I'll think about you every single day."

"But I don't want you to go!" Elena's voice breaks and the tears spill over. "You're my daddy! You just got here!"

The words destroy me. Destroy both of us.

Lupo stands and comes around the table, crouching beside her chair. "Elena, look at me."

She turns to him, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't want to leave," he says quietly. "Not even for a day. You and your mama are the most important people in the whole world to me. Do you understand that?"

She nods, sniffling.

"But sometimes grown-ups have to do things they don't want to do. Hard things. Because those things help keep the people they love safe." He wipes her tears with his thumb. "That's what I'm doing. I'm going away so I can make sure you and Mama stay safe. So that nobody can hurt you."

"Who would hurt us?"

"Nobody. Not while I'm around. That's why I have to do this work."

She thinks about this, her little mind working through the logic. "So you're going away to protect us?"

"Yes. Exactly."

"Like a superhero?"

Despite everything, Lupo smiles slightly. "Something like that."

"When do you have to go?"

He glances at me, then back to her. "Maybe today. Or very soon."

"Today?" Her voice rises in panic. "But that's—that's right now!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"But we didn't—we didn't get to do anything special! You can't go today!" She's crying harder now, her breath hitching. "You can't! Daddy, don’t go!"

"Elena, baby." I reach for her hand but she pulls away.

"No! He can't go! He has to stay!" She looks at Lupo desperately. "Please don't go, Daddy. Please stay."