Page 67 of Until the Ink Dries

“You see what you’ve done! Now my daughter doesn’t even recognize me. That’s alright, we gone fix that. Come to your mom, Charlie, now!” she yelled.

Charlie glanced up at me. I could clearly see the fear in her eyes. Tears were now rolling down her cheeks, and she shook her head no, then took a few steps back. Her movements caused Tierra to snatch the knife from the ground and grab Charlie’s arm.

She turned and pointed the knife at me while Charlie screamed.

“Back the fuck up, Benny! You’re going to give me some space. I’m taking my daughter! You wanted me to spend time with her and that’s what I’m going to do. Charlie, shut the hell up with all that screaming!”

“Mommy, no, please let me go. Daddy, I don’t want to go! Please, daddy.” She cried as snot was coming down, mixing in with her tears.

I kept moving towards Tierra, not trying to make any sudden moves that would scare her into hurting Charlie. I said a silent prayer, asking that God got my child out of this unharmed. It was my fault that my baby was going through this. If I had just waited to have a baby with a woman who actually wanted her, this wouldn’t be happening. The sound of my baby pleading with me would be burned into my brain forever.

“Benny, stop fucking moving! I don’t want to stab you, but I will!” Tierra yelled.

“Mommy, no!” Charlie cried.

Tierra gripped Charlie’s wrist harder and shook her. “Shut up!”

“You aren’t even mad at her. It’s me, so let her go and focus on me. I’m the one who made you have a baby. I’m the reason you’re on drugs, right? I’m the one who has moved on while you’re struggling,” I said in the calmest tone I could muster.

I noticed that Tierra’s grip on Charlie’s wrist visibly loosened.

“You hear that, T? It’s sirens. How can we fix this if you don’t run now? You can’t take Charlie with you, you’ll be caught. Just go now,” I told her.

Her wild eyes searched mine until she saw what she wanted to see. She glanced down at Charlie, then dropped the knife and ran. I rushed over to Charlie and pulled her to my chest. Her body shook lightly as she cried into my shoulder. For the first time since all this started, I could breathe easier. Unfortunately, I knew we had a long road ahead of us.

The sound of footsteps pounding on the stairs had me ready to pull my gun until I saw it was Tami.

“Charlie! There you are!” She panted heavily, her face visibly concerned. “I’m so sorry, Benny. I took my eyes off her for a second to go to the bathroom and?—”

I held up a hand to silence her. I couldn’t say anything because if I did, I couldn’t take it back. The cops appeared in the doorway, looking around at the big ass mess of an apartment.

“Charlie, baby, go with Ms. Tami. I promise I’ll be right there once I talk to the police.”

“Please don’t leave me!” she begged. “What if she comes back!”

“I’ll sit in the living room with her,” Tami offered. “That way you can keep an eye on him, Charlie. Okay?”

She was hesitant to go to Tami, but her grip loosened and she reached for her. Tami carried her into the living room and sat on the couch, rocking her from side to side. I turned to the officers with a heavy sigh, ready to get this over with.

* * *

We finally made it back to my parents’ house with the few things Tierra hadn’t ruined. It wasn’t much, so I knew I would have to buy all new things soon. Charlie cried the entire way to my parents’ place until she fell asleep. I parked in the driveway and grabbed Charlie from the backseat. I decided I would come back out to get our things since we were staying here for a while.

Before I could ring the doorbell, the door was pulled open. My parents looked as angry as I felt. They stepped out of my way and then my mom led me to the back room.

“I pulled a few towels out for you to get cleaned up.” My mom said.

The moment I laid Charlie on the bed, her eyes peeled open, searching the room frantically.

“I’m right here, baby.” I told her.

I took a seat on the edge of the bed and brushed back her hair. Then leaned forward to place a kiss against her cheeks, then her forehead. She snuggled deeper into the blankets and closed her eyes again. I couldn’t move from my place next to her, even if I tried. Today was a close call my baby would pay for.

I hadn’t realized my mother was still in the room until she tapped my shoulder and nodded her head for me to leave the room. Then, she took the seat I had previously occupied. I took each step down to the living room slowly; I knew I was running on autopilot. The moment I stepped into the living room, my father was on the couch with two glasses of bourbon in front of him. No words needed. I took the seat beside him and lifted my glass.

We sat in silence, sharing space and acknowledgment. My father had always been this way, allowing me to find my words without pushing. I couldn’t look up at him as the words that had become burned into my head came out of my mouth.

“I couldn’t protect my child, dad. For the first time, I didn’t have the answers that a father was supposed to have. My child’s life was in danger because of me.”

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