“Daddy bad.”
“I know. But, did anyone touch you? Hurt you? Hit you?”
With bated breath, I waited for her response. If she had given me any answer other than no, then I wasn’t going to be able to see them to bed. I’d be on my way to the warehouse to end thisnigga, but not before making him suffer for the shit he’d done to my family.
“No.” She shook her head.
“What about Essence?”
“Daddy hit Essence. She cry.”
“OK. If anyone ever hurts you, then you have to tell me, OK?”
“Daddy hit Mommy, too.”
“I know.”
“Daddy bad.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Can you be me Daddy?”
Though I was honored, I knew that her line of questioning wasn’t farfetched. She’d seen what type of person her biological father was and didn’t want anything to do with him. I didn’t blame her. What she didn’t understand was that I’d claimed her as mine the day I met her. Just like her mother, she had me mesmerized. I was so intrigued by her personality that I wanted to make her part of my world that same day, but I knew I had to practice patience. It was so worth the wait.
“I’m already your daddy, baby.”
“Can I call you daddy?”
“Yes. I’d love that… a lot.”
Her curiosity and intelligence was mind-blowing. She was always trying to figure shit out, always trying to get to the bottom of things.
“Are you Essence, too, Daddy?”
Her and those twisted words would get a smile out of me every time.
“Yes, baby. I’m Essence’s daddy, too.”
“You call me baby. You call Essence baby?”
“Yes, Emorey. I’ll call you both baby. Any more questions?”
“Can you cook me food?”
“If you’re hungry, sure. What do you want?”
“ABC.”
I knew from experience that she was referring to the meatballs and sauce cups she loved so much. Essence hated them. She preferred macaroni and cheese bowls or noodles.
“OK. Now arms up.”
I wrapped the towel around her when she lifted her arms up and then lifted her into my arms. Essence was finishing up her shower and wrapping herself in a towel, too. I grabbed her hand on the way out of the bathroom, and we all headed back into their bedroom.
Essence was the first to get dressed with Emorey and me coming in second place. With matching pajamas on, they marched down to the kitchen with me. It was pitch black when we entered, but I quickly flipped the light switch and illuminated the space.
“ABCs. I wan’ ABCs!” Emorey continued to shout.
