Songs to Stories

Daddy Issues by The Neighborhood

"He wants to see me," The smile on her face is prominent and he can't help but feel irritated.

"Why would you want to see that asshole of a father? All he did was fuck up your life," The words pour out of his mouth like toxic chemicals and she flinches.

"Why can't you just be happy for me? You're so fucking selfish," Her words are knives in his back and he walks over to her. He looks down at her and they both have anger in their eyes.

"Just because your dad hates you, that doesn't mean my dad hates me," Right when she says those words, his hand squeezes around her throat. Her eyes widen and she pulls at the hand wrapped around her neck.

"Watch who you're talking to," His voice is threatening as he watches tears fill her eyes.

He let's go of her throat and she falls to the floor, sobbing and gasping for air.

"Go ahead, cry, see if I care," He yells at her then stalks off. She can hear him typing away on his computer and she relaxes against the wall.

A couple minutes goes by when she hears her phone ring. She gets up slowly and grabs her phone off the coffee table.

"Hello?" Her voice is a bit scratchy.

"Hey it's me," When she recognizes her father's voice, she unintentionally straightens her posture. It's almost as if he walked in the room.

"Hi, did you need anythin-"

"You don't need to visit tomorrow, I just need you to drop off some things for me," His voice is monotone and calm, but she can feel her heart start to beat faster.

"You... You don't want me to visit? You just want my money?" Her voice is more clear now and there's a hint of anger in her words.

"No, no, but you're the only one who can provide me with the things I need. Just soap and a toothbrush, those kinds of things. Your mother won't speak to me," He sounds frantic, like he's in a hurry, and she shakes her head at the situation she's fallen into.

"You never wanted me to visit you! You just wanted to use me," She voices her realization and hangs up the phone. The air feels thick, like she can barely breathe.

"I told you so," His voice cuts through the air and she jumps in surprise.

"You don't have to tell me, I know," She tries to walk away but he grabs her wrist.

"You know I was just jealous. I don't even know my dad," He mumbles the last part and she pauses before pulling her wrist from his grasp.

"It's fine," She rubs her neck and walks to their room.

As she lays on the bed she realizes just how naive she was. How could she think her father would want to see her after all those years? I guess it was just wishful thinking.

She closes her eyes and ends up falling asleep. She only wakes up when she feels the bed dip beside her.

"Just go back to sleep," He tells her, getting under the covers.

They lay in silence for a while, the painful tension hanging in the air.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks him and he releases a breath.

"Whatever you're thinking about," He turns his head to look at her and she just looks away.

"Well then what am I thinking about?" She asks quietly.

"Your dad," His response sounds bitter and she doesn't ignore it.

"Why'd you say it like that?" He sighs at the response and looks back up at the ceiling.

"I'd be a much better dad. I will be a great dad someday," He nudges her lightly and she raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"How do you know we'll even be together that long?" She says hesitantly, not sure how he'll react.

"Why would you say that?" He asks, sounding calm but confused.

"We're not good for each other... You know that,"

No response, just a long minute of silence.

"When my dad left, I didn't cry at first. Now it affects me more than I ever thought it would. But I'm trying, okay?" He sounds frustrated, but so is she. So she just turns away from him and tries to ignore the swarming thoughts in her mind.