AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What are you doing in Mr. Ahmad’s room?” she asked.
“Nothing, baby. Hey, you wanna take a trip today?”
“But Mr. Ahmad said we can’t leave the house without him.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be with you, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Mommy really needs a break, baby.”
“Well… okay. Where are we going?”
“I don’t know yet, but you can help me pack a bag for us while I figure it out.”
“Okay.”
We headed back to our room and packed a duffel bag with our essential items. I also packed the gun and the money he’d left me with. Prayerfully, I wouldn’t have to use the gun. Once we were all packed, I grabbed the crutches, and we headed back downstairs. I got Kari busy with coloring while I looked up a cab company. After locating one, I called and booked the service. I made sure to delete the call log and the picture I took of the address.
While waiting for it to get here, I sat on the couch watching my baby in her own little world. Even though she didn’t know him, I thought about what freedom from Slim meant for her. She’d only ever asked about her father once. It was about a year ago when her school was having a father-daughter dance. My parents flew all the way to Cali so my father could escort her.
As I was getting her ready, she looked at me curiously.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, baby?”
“How come your daddy had to come take me to the dance? Where’s my own daddy?”
I stopped messing with the bow on her dress and looked up at her. She waited patiently for an answer while I tried to find the words.
“Well… you have a daddy. He just… he wasn’t very nice to Mommy, and I didn’t want him to be mean to you. That’s why you don’t see him.”
“Oh… Well, I don’t want a mean daddy, anyway.”
She hadn’t asked me anything about him since. Watching her with Ahmad made me wish things were different. She deserved a good father. I wasn’t saying I wanted that to be him, but she deserved a good one in general. She was such a happy, bubbly child who never gave me any problems. I knew the love of a good father, and more than anything, I wanted my baby to know that too.
The sound of a horn blowing interrupted my thoughts. I stood from the couch and grabbed our bag, placing the burner on the coffee table.
“Come on, baby.”
Kari hopped up from the floor and followed me to the front door. After ensuring that it was locked, we took the steps down to the cab. The cabbie got out and greeted us with a smile as he took my bag.
“Good morning, ladies.”
“Good morning,” I said as Kari waved.
He opened the door and allowed us to climb inside. Popping the trunk, he put our bag in the back before rounding the driver side and climbing in himself.
“Where to, ma’am?”
“Back into town. I’ll let you know from there.”
He pulled out of the driveway, and I watched the house disappear into the background. Thirty minutes later we were pulling into town limits. We passed a couple gas stations and restaurants before crossing over a bridge into the small town. I had the driver take us to what looked like a nice motel and told him to wait.
Climbing out the car with Kari in tow, I headed to the front desk, instructing her to remain quiet. There stood an older woman who looked to be my mother’s age. When she saw Kari, she smiled.
“Well, hey, pretty girl.” Kari shyly hid behind my leg, causing the woman to chuckle. “She’s adorable.”
“Thank you.”
“How can I help you, sugar?”
