"So what did we learn today?" Manny said as he carried his daughter home on top of his shoulders.
"Don't leave the school until you come to pick me up." Alexa said.
"Right and why is that?"
"Because I could get hurt or lost or taken."
"Right again now remember that okay?"
"I will."
He opened the door to their apartment and went inside only to find his ex girlfriend and Alexa's mother waiting for them. During high school Manny and Zoe had started dating but they broke up because he caught her cheating on him with one of the Golden Eagle twins, Carlito. Later found out she was pregnant with his child and she tried to have an abortion but Manny stopped her but when Alexa was a baby, Zoe dropped her off at Manny's place.
"Alexa go upstairs to your room." Manny said.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
She did as she was told and went to her room leaving her parents alone.
"Today's my day to visit." She said.
"Right I forgot."
"Good now if you'll excuse me."
She went upstairs into Alexa's room. An hour later she came back down and got ready to leave.
"You know she can't read right?" She said applying black lipstick. "I asked her to read me one of her books and she could hardly read the first word. God is she dumb?"
"Zoe why the hell do you keep visiting us?" Manny snapped.
"To see my baby."
"Oh don't give me that crap. Like you give a damn about her."
"I do."
"No you don't! You always insult her and talk to her like she's an idiot. You never cared about her and you never wanted her! You would've aborted her if me and your mother hadn't of stopped you. And when she was born you dumped her in a box at my place!"
"I was going through a very emotional time."
"Bull!"
"You have no right to keep her from me."
"I sure as hell do."
"I'm her mother."
"You didn't seem to care about that when you dumped her here."
"Oh and you're such a good father? I did my research that hero business of yours keeps you real busy so much so that one time you left her home alone and she accidentally started a fire."
"That was three years ago and I had a baby sitter who happened to think getting coffee was more important than watching my daughter."
"I have a right to see her."
"Not while I'm alive."
"Oh no? Fine keep her from me and I'll just call the police and sue you for custody."
"You wouldn't."
"I think we both know I would."
"Zoe you don't want her! You just wanna make me pay for dumping you!"
"I'm hurt that you would actually accuse me of that."
"Get out of my house!"
"Fine until next week."
She grabbed her bag and waltzed out. When she was gone he took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh of frustration. Then he went upstairs to his daughter's bedroom, she was sitting in bed while looking intensely at a book page.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"I'm trying to read."
"You look like your head is about to explode. So did you like talking to Mom?"
"I guess."
"You guess? What did she say?"
"She says when I get older I have to join the Flock of Fury."
"Do you want to?"
"No."
"Then you don't have to."
"But she says I have to because I'm her daughter and it's tradition that every daughter join."
"Well your my daughter too and I say that if you don't want to you don't have to. I'm not gonna to do you what my family did to me."
"What they do?"
"Now I love your grandfather and your great grandfather very much but as a kid they would always try to force me to either be good or evil, they never let me make my own choices at least not until I was eighteen. But I'm gonna give you a choice okay?"
"Okay."
"Alexa?"
"Yeah."
"Are you happy living with me?"
"Yes."
"Do you ever want to go live with your mother? I won't be mad if you want to."
"No I want to stay with you."
"You're not just saying that right?"
"No."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Now let's go eat."
He cooked dinner, helped Alexa with her homework, watched a little TV with her, then tucked her into bed. He read her a story, they said their prayers, then kissed her goodnight.
"Hey Dad."
"Yeah?"
"Who's Frida?"
"Oh...Her. She's a girl I used to know. We had been best friends since we were kids but when we became teenagers we drifted apart."
"What happened?"
"Well when your mother and I were still together she was very jealous of Frida was paranoid that I might be cheating on her with Frida so she insisted that I stop seeing her."
"Did you?"
"Yeah I did and to make matters worse I did something really bad to her. It broke her heart."
"Are you going to try to be friends with her again?"
"I don't think so hija. She swore that she would never forgive me for that."
"She might change her mind. I once swore that I'd never forgive you for forgetting my birthday last year."
Manny chuckled.
"That's because I made up for it by taking you to the amusement park."
"Just do that with her."
"It's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"You'll understand when you're older."
"So what happened to her?"
"After high school she ran off with a boyfriend of hers to become a singer and before today I never saw her again after that."
"I like her she seems nice."
"Yeah she does. Good night hija."
"Goodnight Papa."
He turned off the lights to her room, quietly closed her door, and left her room. He then went to the kitchen to clean up. As he did this he couldn't help but think about Frida. He hadn't seen her in eight years and now seeing her again made him lost in thought. She hadn't changed in size but definitely in body appearance. She had developed curves, a medium set of breasts, and longer hair. No doubt she was a beautiful woman but an angry beautiful woman. Angry over what happened between them not that he blamed her. He had wanted apologize for what had happened for years but she didn't want anything to do with him after that so he figured it would be best to leave her alone.
...
"Why can't you just move in with us Frida?" Emiliano said.
"Dad I appreciate your help but I came back to fix my life on my own." Frida said.
"But you're my daughter. I can't let you sleep in the park, at least stay for one night."
"Fine."
She loved her parents and appreciated them wanting to help her but she didn't want to depend on them to fix her problems. She was twenty-five years old, she didn't need them. That night she was tormented by nightmares of Django beating her with a broken beer bottle.
"No! No! Stop! Stop it!" She woke up screaming which alerted her mother who rushed in and held her while she cried.
"It's okay Frida." Carmela comforted.
"Mom! He's there! He's beating me!"
"There's no one there honey. It's just me, it's alright. I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Oh Mom." She sobbed into her shoulder.
"I know hija, I know." She just kept holding her and let her cry.