He said he would be home by 9

I sat at the kitchen table, small legs dangling from the chair, facing the closed bedroom door. Waiting. Listening. Although the sound was muffled, I could hear their angry whispering punctuated by the occasional --

“Kathryn….”

“Theo…”

It wasn’t yet dark though the light from the kitchen window shown orange and red on the floor before me. I tried to catch fairies flitting and floating along the sun’s rays, as I waited for the voices to stop hurting.

The door flew open, and I jumped as it banged against the wall.

“Look what Daddy did to Mommy,” she said, kneeling before me, her upper arm red and blue.

Daddy was already on his way out the door. He always went to work at night. His was the first face I saw in the morning. He made me breakfast before the bus for preschool came to pick me up, and lunch when it brought me home. Then, he would take me to the babysitter before going to work and Mommy would pick me up there.

But it was Saturday.

Mommy gave me a bath and brushed my teeth, but she didn’t sing me to sleep that night. She just tucked me in, kissed my forehead and turned out the light before closing the door.

I fell asleep soon enough, but sometime later I woke up. I stared into the darkness, holding my teddy bear close and the blanket just under my eyes as the shadows came to life, silent monsters with sharp nails and teeth, and massive arms looming ever larger…

I leapt from the bed and ran to the door. Opening it onto the empty kitchen, I turned left into the living room and then right into the open door of my parents’ bedroom. Their bed was empty. I stopped short.

“Mommy?” I whispered. Silence.

“Daddy?” I whispered. Nothing.

For a long moment, I just stood there in the doorway, listening to sounds of the night. I turned back to the living room. The moon lit the room a little and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Looking towards the kitchen I could see the table. A chair. The edge of the refrigerator, its daytime hum silent. No monsters were peaking from my room. The bathroom was awash in darkness and shadows. I didn’t stare too long lest I see something separate and come my way. I tiptoed to the couch and climbed up to turn on the light. I sat on the couch, legs stretched before me, just long enough for my feet to touch the edge of the cushion.

At some point, I heard a car. I started to climb down and head towards the window, but it didn’t stop.

I sat back down.

A little while later, I heard another car that seemed to stop. When I heard voices, I dragged a chair to the window and climbed up. I listened. Three floors below, sitting in a car with the window open and smoke billowing out, I heard what sounded like Daddy’s voice.

“Daddy?”

The voices stopped speaking.

“Daddy!” I repeated, louder.

“Baby?”

“Daddy, you get up here right now!”

I watched as he opened the door and got out of the car, looking up towards our apartment. The car was pulling away from the curb when I heard him say, “I’m coming, baby.”