I hear Ellie and Piper upstairs giggling and instantly forget where I’m going with this recipe.
Ellie knows how her mom died. She was in that car herself—not like she can remember anything. She sometimes asks me about her mom, so we talk briefly about what happened and move on.
A piece of me has always wished that Piper was her mom.
That would’ve made things one hell of a lot simpler…
Single-parenting treats me well for the most part. My next-door neighbor Grace babysits when I’m on shift—and for a reduced rate that’s most likely discounted because of my face.
Ellie and I clicked when I first moved back to Long Island to take custody of her, and things have been on an upward trajectory ever since.
Something had to give, and that was my dating life. Aside from a casual hookup here and there, it doesn’t really exist. But it stopped filling my cup years ago, and I’d much prefer to spend days off with my daughter, since she’s the only thing that brings joy into my life.
Her cheeky smile.
Her inquisitiveness about the world around her.
Her freakishly good art skills.
Her heartwarming laugh.
Piper and Ellie have only been acquainted for an afternoon, and already they’re close.
But that isn’t shocking. Piper has always had that warm, infectious energy.
It’s a June morning in Maine. A balmy breeze blows in over the docks as I walk. A dark cloud hangs over my head—a permanent one that not even high UV exposure could incinerate.
Holly gave birth to our daughter last week…
And took off as soon as she got discharged from the hospital.
With our daughter.
The one I’ll never get to meet.
I only found out about Ellie’s birth through Holly’s mother…before her whole family went ghost.
Just like her.
My girlfriend.
Now ex-girlfriend.
Things between us weren’t working. We had nothing in common and were considering a breakup when she got pregnant. Holly, having gone through her parents’ divorce when she was just a child, insisted we stay together for the sake of the baby. To ensure the best possible future for our child.
I agreed. This kiddo needed both parents.
Nine months later, Holly goes against her word and takes off.
I traced her down for days and managed to get in contact with some loose family connections.
“Holly wants to raise her daughter alone and cut all ties.”
I didn’t leave the house for five days…
Until today, I decided to fly into Portland, Maine.
I might as well feel like a piece of shit somewhere nice. Why feel like garbage, isolated away in my house, when I could be down in the dumps with a nice view?
