Edward exhaled, watching as the smoke vanished into the air of their apartment. It had been another long day at work, a day he found fit to relax with a cigarette. Edward was a man who knew how to manage his resources. Though a bottle of Tiny Brew would have been a good addition, he knew spreading it out would make it last longer.
As much as he wanted one, he would save that tomorrow. Why he might even spread it out even further than that. But for now, he smoked.
He got some stares at work due to his status as a spider, but that was normal. Spiders had a negative stereotype associated with them, it had been that way since he was a child, and with what was going on in the news, it was only getting worse.
The news reports were like a constant flow of bad information. The newly dubbed "Bad Guys" had been making headlines. Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, Mr. Piranha, and Ms. Tarantula. Though Edward had known her by a different name. Webs wasn't her real name, just like Legs wasn't his. Those were simply nicknames they had bestowed upon one another. Truth be told he called her "Webs" as a way of messing with her, and she likewise came up with the nickname "Legs" as a way of getting back at him. But the names stuck and soon they were calling each other that. And it persisted up to when the girls were born. Even when things were falling apart, they still referred to one another by their nicknames. Perhaps it was their attempt at trying to rekindle the love they once held for one another.
Still, had perhaps?
The more Edward thought about his ex-wife, the angrier he got, prompting him to drag his cigarette further. But he couldn't shake the thought. He supposed it was due to the fact his former wife was now spending time with four grown men. The divorce was never finalized. Normally it took two people to sign the papers right? Hard to get Webs to sign anything when she just simply left.
Either way, they were not together. She was living like a perpetual child, while he was stuck raising three girls. It was hard to believe two years had gone by since that fight. Two years of dealing with colds, doctor visits, scraped legs, and bedtime stories. But his girls were his life. Without them, he would have no meaning, and all he wanted to do was help them grow into productive adults, ones who would contribute to society.
"Daddy?"
Edward halted his cigarette mid-puff and looked to his left. Standing beside the couch was little Mary, her brown color standing out in the dimly lit room.
Concerned about why his daughter was doing out of bed, his thoughts ran with several assumptions. Did she have a bad dream? Did she wet the bed? A glass of water?
"Mary sweetie, what are you doing out of bed?" Edward asked, setting his cigarette down in the ashtray.
He made certain not to smoke so much around the girls. He wasn't entirely sure if secondhand smoke was super dangerous but he didn't want to take a risk. Nor did he want his daughters to think smoking was okay. Them potentially picking it up in their adult years was out his hands or legs, but for now, they were smoke-free.
Mary rubbed her arm, her look fully hesitant, "Can't sleep, had a question."
"A question?" Edward repeated.
Mary's hesitance was clear, but she asked showing a clear sign of trust in her father.
"Do we have a mommy?"
That question caught the breath in Edward's throat. The girls had never asked about their mother since they left. Edward wasn't even sure they remembered her. But here it was.
"Of course you do sweetie," Edward couldn't lie to his daughter. It wasn't as if he asexually reproduced.
"Well...where is she?" Mary asked.
Edward nearly choked. He needed to think of an answer, but how to tell his daughter without fully lying to her?
"Your mother…she's…away," Edward answered.
Mary's face wrinkled in confusion, "What does that mean?"
Edward racked his brain even further. This had to be the most difficult thing he had ever done. Even cracking that pharmaceutical company's firewall back in the good old days, seemed like child's play.
"Well honey...some people when they don't feel the same for each other anymore...decide to live apart," Edward explained, "Your mother and I had different life goals, and we just weren't happy with one another anymore."
"Oh?" Mary answered, but her face told Edward it wasn't done, "Does she still love me, Tiffany and Gia?"
Had Edward been drinking beer, he would have nearly spit it out at this point.
"Of course! Honey, your mother loves you and your sisters more than anything...does that answer your questions, honey?"
Mary held onto her arm and replied, "Yeah."
"Okay, now let's get you back into bed, we have a big day tomorrow," Edward said gesturing his daughter back into her bedroom.
He opened the door gently to not wake up Mary's sisters. Sure enough, Tiffany and Gia were sleeping away. Edward gently placed Mary back into bed, making sure she was tightly covered.
"I love you, daddy," Mary said.
Edward smiled and planted a kiss upon his daughter's forehead, "Love you too princess."
Before he closed the door, he took one final glance at his daughters. He wasn't sure about their mother, but he wanted the girls to know at least one parent loved them.
Webs may have been living the criminal lifestyle she glorified, but he was living the true dream. He knew this was only a band-aid. Once the girls got older, they would start asking more questions about their mother, and eventually, he would have to give more detailed answers. But for now, he would take the present moment, and hold it dear.
