Chapter 2 Jessie
For once, Jonny has a good idea. So many things have happened in my life so it makes it somewhat hard to pick a few. Wait! There is one event that sticks out in my mind! I was five then but it seems like it was just yesterday.
I huddled in the corner of my closet in our New York apartment. Mommy and Daddy were fighting again. When they fight, it scares me. I held tightly to Jenny, my teddy that Daddy got me when he went to another country while I was still a baby. I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
Suddenly, I heard the door slam. I knew what had happened. Mommy left to go see my Gramma. I slowly got out of the closet and made my way to the living room. I was still holding on to Jenny. I saw my daddy sitting on the couch. He looked angry but when he saw me he smiled.
"Hey Ponchita. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he said.
"I heard you and Mommy arguing." I said as I climbed on to his lap. He held me tight.
"We didn't mean to wake you, kiddo. Next time we'll try to keep it down." He kissed my forehead. He stood up and carried me to my bed and lay down beside me. I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"I love you Daddy." I whispered before I fell asleep.
"I love you, too, Jess."
The next day was Saturday. Mommy came home around noon that day while Daddy was making lunch for us.
"Mommy!" I ran to her and hugged her.
"Hey, Angel!" She held me tight. "I need to talk to your Daddy really quick. Why don't you go to your room and play with your dolls ok?"
"I'll let you know when lunch is ready, Jessie." Daddy said.
"Ok" I ran to my room, but I didn't play with my dolls like Mommy had asked. I just waited to hear the yelling again. But it never came. A few minutes later, Daddy and Mommy came it.
"Jessie?" Mommy sat down beside me. "We need to talk to you." Daddy sat on the other side of me.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Uhhh, this isn't going to be easy, Estella." Daddy said.
"I know that." Mommy replied. "But we have to tell her."
"Jessie," Daddy grabbed my hand. "Your Mommy and I don't love each other any more. That's why we've been fighting so much."
"Honey. Your Daddy and I are getting a divorce." Mommy finished for Daddy.
"What's a divorce? Do you still love me?" I asked.
"A divorce is a way of saying that we are ending our marriage. And yes, Jessie, we still love you so much." Mommy said.
"In other words, either Mommy or Daddy is going to have to move out." Explained Daddy.
"Who will I live with?" I asked, squeezing Jenny.
"I don't know Honey," said Mommy. "That's up for the courts to decide."
"Courts?" I repeated. For the next half hour Mommy and Daddy explained to me everything about divorce. At the end, I wasn't quite sure I understood it all. I made Mommy and Daddy think that I did.
About a month later, Daddy had to leave, not just because of the divorce, but he had been offered a job as a bodyguard for a family that lived in another state.
"You be good, Ponchita." Daddy said as he hugged me tight.
"Don't go Daddy." I cried. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here's where you can reach me, Sweetheart." It had an address and a phone number on it. "I got to go, Ponchita." I grabbed his hand as he stood up. He knelt back down. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I love you a lot, Daddy" I whispered.
He kissed me and held me tight. "I love you, too, my little one."
"You better get going, Race, or you're going to miss your flight." Mommy said to Daddy.
"Yeah, alright." Daddy stood up and gave Mommy a quick hug. "Take good care of our angel." I heard him say.
"You know I will," Mommy said. Daddy picked up his bag and placed a hand on my head.
"Bye Daddy" I said.
"Bye Jessie" he said than turned to go.
Mommy let me watch Daddy's plane as it took off. I watched as it disappeared from sight.
For once, Jonny has a good idea. So many things have happened in my life so it makes it somewhat hard to pick a few. Wait! There is one event that sticks out in my mind! I was five then but it seems like it was just yesterday.
I huddled in the corner of my closet in our New York apartment. Mommy and Daddy were fighting again. When they fight, it scares me. I held tightly to Jenny, my teddy that Daddy got me when he went to another country while I was still a baby. I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
Suddenly, I heard the door slam. I knew what had happened. Mommy left to go see my Gramma. I slowly got out of the closet and made my way to the living room. I was still holding on to Jenny. I saw my daddy sitting on the couch. He looked angry but when he saw me he smiled.
"Hey Ponchita. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he said.
"I heard you and Mommy arguing." I said as I climbed on to his lap. He held me tight.
"We didn't mean to wake you, kiddo. Next time we'll try to keep it down." He kissed my forehead. He stood up and carried me to my bed and lay down beside me. I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"I love you Daddy." I whispered before I fell asleep.
"I love you, too, Jess."
The next day was Saturday. Mommy came home around noon that day while Daddy was making lunch for us.
"Mommy!" I ran to her and hugged her.
"Hey, Angel!" She held me tight. "I need to talk to your Daddy really quick. Why don't you go to your room and play with your dolls ok?"
"I'll let you know when lunch is ready, Jessie." Daddy said.
"Ok" I ran to my room, but I didn't play with my dolls like Mommy had asked. I just waited to hear the yelling again. But it never came. A few minutes later, Daddy and Mommy came it.
"Jessie?" Mommy sat down beside me. "We need to talk to you." Daddy sat on the other side of me.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Uhhh, this isn't going to be easy, Estella." Daddy said.
"I know that." Mommy replied. "But we have to tell her."
"Jessie," Daddy grabbed my hand. "Your Mommy and I don't love each other any more. That's why we've been fighting so much."
"Honey. Your Daddy and I are getting a divorce." Mommy finished for Daddy.
"What's a divorce? Do you still love me?" I asked.
"A divorce is a way of saying that we are ending our marriage. And yes, Jessie, we still love you so much." Mommy said.
"In other words, either Mommy or Daddy is going to have to move out." Explained Daddy.
"Who will I live with?" I asked, squeezing Jenny.
"I don't know Honey," said Mommy. "That's up for the courts to decide."
"Courts?" I repeated. For the next half hour Mommy and Daddy explained to me everything about divorce. At the end, I wasn't quite sure I understood it all. I made Mommy and Daddy think that I did.
About a month later, Daddy had to leave, not just because of the divorce, but he had been offered a job as a bodyguard for a family that lived in another state.
"You be good, Ponchita." Daddy said as he hugged me tight.
"Don't go Daddy." I cried. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here's where you can reach me, Sweetheart." It had an address and a phone number on it. "I got to go, Ponchita." I grabbed his hand as he stood up. He knelt back down. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I love you a lot, Daddy" I whispered.
He kissed me and held me tight. "I love you, too, my little one."
"You better get going, Race, or you're going to miss your flight." Mommy said to Daddy.
"Yeah, alright." Daddy stood up and gave Mommy a quick hug. "Take good care of our angel." I heard him say.
"You know I will," Mommy said. Daddy picked up his bag and placed a hand on my head.
"Bye Daddy" I said.
"Bye Jessie" he said than turned to go.
Mommy let me watch Daddy's plane as it took off. I watched as it disappeared from sight.