Page 5 of Marvelous

He jerked up his chin. “Got your back.”

But not before I had my first session to remove that stupid tattoo.

‘They say the only man a girl can trust is her daddy, obviously, they haven’t met mine.’

– Cassie’s Secret Thoughts.

Prologue II

Cassie

6 Years Ago

“I ain’t paying for shit,” my dad grumbled.

I shook my head and said, “You don’t have to pay for anything.”

He laughed sardonically, “Yeah, there you go. Thinking this world is going to give you something for nothing. It doesn’t work like that. Been trying to tell you that for years. But just like your momma. Fucking stupid.”

It was my turn to laugh sardonically at the man, “Well, this fucking stupid woman has the third highest GPA in our graduating class. This fucking stupid woman got college offers. Full rides.”

And with that, I shook my head, headed to my room, and got my things.

All the while, I could feel his eyes on me.

And for the first time in eighteen years, he had stopped himself before taking another drink.

I had everything loaded down in my old Ford Taurus as I looked up at the sun that was cresting behind the trees.

Then I heard the old creak of the screen porch door and sighed.

Then I turned my head to look at my father.

He was coming down the steps, and the moment he made it to me, I held up a hand, “I’m not in the mood for another one of your lectures.”

He nodded, then he pushed his hair back, and I watched.

Watched as he winced when his fingers came back greasy.

Then he looked at me.

And there... For the first time in as long as I could remember, I saw it. Shame.

Oh.

He put his hands in his old jeans’ pockets, then he looked down at himself and sighed, “Thought about driving you. Helping you get set up. But didn’t realize how bad off I was.”

I nodded.

What could I say to that?

You hadn’t realized how bad off you are?

You didn’t know that I knew you had gone to wearing your underwear inside out because you were too drunk off your ass to realize you had crapped on yourself?

You didn’t realize that you were so bad off that you thought the bottle of cleaner I was using was perfume?

I didn’t say any of that, though.