Past
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The multicolored night light casts colored shadows into the living room. I unlocked the door to my and my girlfriend's, Blake, apartment quietly. My ears are met with anguished cries from my youngest daughter, Rose. I approached the girl's room, stopping at the doorway to see Cecelia hugging her little sister as she tries to console her.
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As I left the bedroom, I noticed that the master bedroom door is slightly ajar. I was expecting to find Blake, asleep in our room. I pushed the door open, "Blake didn't you hear-," I stop myself as I find the room empty and everything in place as when I left for work. My mind races as I send a text out to Blake asking where she was and how long ago did she leave. She's never left the girls by themselves.
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My heart began to pound in my chest, as there is no reply.
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I pressed on Blake's number over and over again, all that greets me are unanswered rings. A deep sense of dread begins to settle in the pit of my stomach.
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I go back to my daughters' room. "Stay with your sister," I state with no emotion.
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"Daddy, what's wrong?" Cecelia asks.
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Cecelia looks at up at me with concern in her hazel eyes as I remain unresponsive. She tries again to get my attention, placing a gentle hand on my arm.
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I step out of the room for a moment and dials 911. As I wait for the operator to answer, I can still hear Rose crying in the background. I tried to stay calm as I explained the situation to the operator. The operator tells me to wait, not enough hours has passed to file Blake missing yet.
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"Fuck!" I yelled as I throws his phone at the wall in the hallway. I rubbed my face with my hands and fell against the wall sliding down. I just sat there in a daze.
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After some time, Cecelia sits down beside me. "Is your sister asleep?" I ask quietly.
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Cecelia nods.
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"Daddy, where's mommy?" Cecelia says quietly.
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I looked at Cecelia with a heavy heart. I knew that I had to be honest with her, but I also doesn't want to break her heart that I have no idea where Blake was . I took a deep breath and gently, gathering my wording before I answered Cecelia's question. "Mommy had to go away for a little while," I says gently.
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Cecelia's eyes widened with confusion, "Where did she go?"
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I felt a lump form in my throat as I tried to find the right words to explain the situation to her. I hesitated for a moment before replying, "I don't know," I said with no emotion. I regretted the words as soon as they left my lips, I saw the sadness and confusion on Cecelia's face. Deep down, I knew that it wasn't going to be easy to explain their mother's absence. I added, "but she loves you both very much and she will come back as soon as she can. In the meantime, we will take care of each other and we can plan fun things for you and Mommy to do when she gets back."
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Cecelia's eyes light up at the mention of doing fun things with Mommy. I was relieved to see a glimmer of hope in her eyes. I hugged tightly and whispers, "We'll be okay, I promise."—
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As the day wears on, I felt my anxiety increase, and now that the girls had fallen asleep. A quietness fell upon the house and that seemed to my anxiety worse. I kept my eyes glued to the screen of my phone, hoping for a call or a message from Blake. As I inhaled the smoke from a cigarette, I thought about all the possible scenarios of where Blake could be and what could have happened to her. I tried to remember if Blake mentioned anything about going out or having someone babysit for the girls, but I couldn't recall anything.
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As I waited, I absentmindedly flicked the ash off the cigarette, adding to the growing pile at my feet. I abruptly rose to my feet, wanting to splash water on my face to snap me out of the daze I was in.
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I turn on the faucet and splash on my face. As I stand in front of the mirror, I stare in disbelief at the words written on the mirror. My mouth goes dry and the thoughts disappear from my mind. I can't believe what I am reading in the mirror. I slowly back away from the mirror, still in shock, and all I can do is stand there, unable to move or speak. I felt like I've been punched in the stomach and I am not sure how I am supposed to react... In big letters written in red lipstick in Blake's handwriting, I read "I'm done, I'm leaving."
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I let out a laugh in anger, "Fuck you too Blake."
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Super excited to write an adaptation of a story I wrote in middle school. Hope you enjoy!
Margo 🙂
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