Come Turning of the Tide

AN: I HAVE SURVIVED MY FIRST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE!!!! I am more or less sure that I passed all my finals too! WHOO HOO!!!

Johnny returned with the paper bags. The kids were sitting at the table; Charity was washing her hands at the kitchen sink. Lily-Rose was sulking at him underneath his bangs, but he decided the best course of action would be to not say anything at all. Best to let her get over it on her own time.

He dealt out McNuggets and French fries, passed out the Cokes he decided to let them have just this once. Jack dug in, but his daughter only nibbled. Charity ate her food, trying to keep up the conversation, but she looked exhausted.

Once Jack was done, he put his garbage away. Charity checked her watch.

“I think it’s time for Jack to get a bath.” She announced. Johnny braced himself for a fight. To his surprise, his son jumped up and clapped his hands.

“You have it, right?!?” he sounded almost like he was asking about crack. But Charity just giggled and produced a bottle of bubble bath. Oh, so that was her trick. Clever girl.

Jack skipped up the stairs, Charity close behind. Lily-Rose took a sip of her Coke. Johnny got up from the table, stopping to drop a kiss on top of his daughter’s head. She reached out and grabbed his fingers. Patiently, he stopped and turned towards her, kneeling down.

The girl reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight. Johnny held her back, burying his face in her hair. Neither one of them spoke for a few minutes.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.” She mumbled into his shoulder. “I’ll be a good girl, I promise. I hate it when we fight.”

“I do, too, Princess.” He squeezed her tightly. “But I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”

“You’re not?”

“No. You need to tell Charity that you’re sorry for treating her the way you did. Can you be Daddy’s big girl and go do that?”

**

I was sitting outside the bathroom, listening to make sure Jack didn’t hurt himself. Another little body came creeping towards me and stopped just short of me. I didn’t look up from the book I had squirreled away in my purse.

“Charity?” a tiny voice asked.

“Mmm? Hi, Lily-Rose.” I smiled. “What’s up?” She dropped down to her knees next to me.

“I want to apologize.” She said softly. I tilted my head to the side. “I was mean to you, and I shouldn’t have been. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Thank you, darling.” I opened my arms, hoping that she would want a hug. To my joy, she crawled into my arms, nestled against my chest. I hugged her tightly to me.

She was hurting. This girl was aching. I could feel it in every heartbeat. I started to ache for her. I regretted all the harsh things I had said and done to her that day. I knew that things wouldn’t be perfect, but this was going to be a first step.

“I’ll be good.” She nuzzled my hair.

“I’ll be patient.”