“Everything we have depends on me making friends with this man,” my daddy stood up and fixed his pants. They had been unbuttoned.
“I’m scared,” I told him.
“Of what princess,” my father asked. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”
“But, but…”
“Ivy! Stop! I promise everything will be fine.”
Hours later my father had packed his suitcase, and he kissed my mother goodbye, whispering to her stomach. She offered him a smile and then he was gone. I stood beside her holding her hand and we watched him get in a car heading off to the airport. Rex was going with him and the babysitter was staying with us.
“Alright, my Diamond…lets go have a snack and read Madeline” my mommy had smiled down at me, her hand resting on her tummy.
I looked up into her face. She was the prettiest woman in the whole world. She had pearl earrings in her ear that gave off a hazy glow. One day, I was going to wear pearls in my ears like her. My eyes watched the town car with my father in it turn the corner and disappear.
Daylight turned into moonlight. My mother was standing in my bedroom door. The white gown she was wearing had blood coming through. She didn’t look like herself. She looked so scared and I was worried.
“Mommy!”
“Shhh,” she offered a weak smile. “It’s okay. But I need you to get dressed. Can you do that?”
A cry came loose from her lips.
“Yes, mommy I can do it,” I replied.
My little body flounced out of bed. I knew even in my four-year-old mind that something was happening. Something was very, very wrong. Blood. I could smell it in the air.
“Can I wear my yellow rainboots?” I’d asked.
She was sweating, her brow furrowed in concentration. “Yes,” a tight smile graced her lips.
I was quick. I was the quickest, my teacher had told me so. I threw on my clothes in a flash, and my yellow rain boots.
“Where are we going?”
“To the hospital, my Diamond,” she said.
The babysitter was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. A panicked look was painted on her face, the keys jingling in her hand. She even tried to offer a few words of encouragement. I didn’t like her voice and I wanted to ask my mommy why she was in Daddy’s office earlier. No one was allowed in but me…
“Mrs. Knowles, it’s going to be okay,” she said.
My mother stopped on the stairs, she let go of my hand in favor of the wooden bannister. Blood was still pooling. She took a deep breath.
“The hospital is just ten minutes away,” she said through gritted teeth. “Yes, everything is going to be fine.”
The entire ride to the hospital my mother hummed a song. Nautica would glance over and finally she asked her. “What are you singing?”
“Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral,” my mother replied. “Something my mother use to hum to me when I was a child. It’s an Irish lullabye…”
Chapter 30
My eyes opened and I took in the ceiling first thing. It was hard to focus at first but eventually everything began to clear. That was when I took notice of lights dancing. Blue and red lights were swirling all around.
Checking my limbs, I saw they were all still working but something was in my hand. Bringing it up to my face, I saw a butcher knife. Shocked, I flung it away from me without even taking into account exactly what it was.
“Wha….what is going on?” I sat up rubbing at my face.
I was still at my old home.
