Prologue
Building Castles
Daisy
“You’re a lunatic!”
“You didn’t think that when I had my mouth wrapped aroundyour dick!”
“That’s because you couldn’t use it to talk!”
“Kiss my ass!”
“Not anymore, babe.We’re done.”
“Like I care.”
“You’ll care when you got no one’s dick to suck to pay yourcable bill.”
My eyes were closed.I was lying alone in my dark room, onmy back in my twin bed.
My bed was lumpy, seeing as Momma bought it from a yardsale, but I didn’t feel that.
And my room was small and it didn’t smell all that great,this coming mostly from the carpet.It smelled like that from all the way backwhen, when we first moved in.Momma didn’t bother to do anything and got madwhen I complained about it, so I’d tried to clean it myself, three times.Butthat smell just wouldn’t go away.
I didn’t smell the smell either.
And I could hear the words but even though they were comingfrom just down the hall, I was somewhere else.
I was building castles.
“Do not go there!”
“Fuck off.”
“I’mtellin’ you,do not gothere!”
The door to my bedroom opened and so did my eyes, thebeautiful castle I was building melting clean away.
I could smell the smell.
I could feel the lumps.
I could sense the closeness of the room, its thin walls, itsfading, ripped-in-places wallpaper, the ceiling light I never turned on becausethe cover had been shattered on a night I didn’t like to remember and now itmade it too bright when I turned on the light.
“Daisy, sweetheart?”he called.
I looked to the door.
He was in shadows, those caused by the dark of my room andthe hall.The only light was coming from somewhere else, probably her bedroom,because it was real late.
Tall, he had a beer belly but he also had broad shoulders.
I liked his shoulders.And his eyes.They were alwaystwinkling when they looked at me.Even when he was mad at Momma, he’d look atme and it was like he forced the ugly out so all he’d ever give me was just thetwinkle.
And he always used that soft voice when he talked to me.
Always, even when he was fighting with Momma, like justthen.
