Homecoming

I’m glad my father just sees me as somebody to take pity upon. It’s like he doesn’t realize that I have taken care of myself for a very long time and can definitely do so for as long I physically can, which I hope is forever. I know I will have to go back to that house eventually to at least get some of my belongings but I don’t know if I can face them yet. Maybe my mom was right for once, maybe I should’ve gotten away from him and he isn’t that great of a guy. I mean he didn’t even try to come around for 13 YEARS! It’s not like he tried that hard to get ahold of his only daughter.

I have been sitting at this park for what seems like forever just thinking things through as well as crying my eyes out. I don’t think I made it very far from his house which kind of sucks since you know I don’t want to face them or anything but I haven’t been able to physically will myself to move once I got here. It’s dusk now and I have come to realize that I may be spending a lot of time out here freezing my tush off until I can sneak back to that house; unless they find me first of course.

“Kennadee? Is that you over there?” I hear a small voice call out to me. Oh great who did he call to come get me? That better not be his bitch of a wife. I decide it would be best not to answer.

Then the voice seems closer and louder then it seemed before. The woman says, “excuse me miss; have you seen a petite girl with copper hair?”

I couldn’t ignore her anymore. “Nope, I am the only girl with that hair color that I have seen today,” I say as I turn to her. This lady was beautiful and definitely not the bitch I lived with for only 2 hours. She was petite like me and had brown hair and awesome tattoos. She looked like the biggest sweetheart ever.

“You must be Kenna; I’m Cassadee, Rian’s wife. Everybody is worried sick about you!”

“Yeah, everyone but my dad;” I reply with a sad look. “Please don’t tell anyone you found me. I came out here to think and to be alone.”

“Oh honey! I’m not going to make you go home. You are your father’s daughter and will just leave if I do that I can tell. But how about we get you out of the cold November weather. There is a motel down the street, how about we go get you a room for the night.”

“I don’t have my money with me so that won’t work.”

“Oh I will pay for it; Alex already owes me anyway,” she replied with a smile. Well I guess there is no getting out of this one. Cassadee is quite a persistent lady. “Lets stop at my house first to get you some dry clothes and we’ll head over, okay?”

“Sounds good; thank you!”

We drive for a few minutes and make it to a modest house on the other side of town. When we walk inside I take the home in as we walk toward her room. As we are walking towards that room I notice an acoustic guitar in the corner of their family room. I stop and go towards the guitar to look it over more carefully.

“Kenna, are you coming?” I hear from a distance. She then walks into the room and says, “oh you found my guitar.”

I snap out of my daze. “Oh, yeah, sorry. It’s so much nicer than mine,” I answer nervously.

“You play?”

“Yeah, it helps me think.”

“How about we go to a club around the corner and you show me your skills at their open mic night?” she asks playfully.

“Um... I’ve never done that before.”

“Please?”

“Okay, why not?”

Cassadee then grabs her guitar and it’s case then leads me out towards her car. As we drive towards the club I begin to think about this week’s happenings and the lyrics just pop into my head. Cassadee pays my cover to get me in for mic night and I sign up for the last slot of the night. We listen to the other artists for about an hour before I head backstage to set up for my two song set. When my back is turned Cassadee takes out her phone and texts somebody. I get up on stage and begin my first song, “Tied Together With A Smile,” by Taylor Swift. I see Cass get up from the table we were at on her phone.

“Alex?!”

“Oh my God, Cass did you find her?”

“Yes... I called to tell you guys to get down to the Cat’s Cradle fast. I want you to see something. HURRY!”

“Okay we are all on our way.”

As I finish the last chord I look up to see my dad, Cass and the rest of the gang beginning to sit down at our table. This is when I began to get more nervous. I was going to sing a song I wrote about my parents and I was not ready for my dad to hear. But here goes nothing.

“The second song I am going to play for you guys is called ‘Wonderful’. I hope you guys enjoy,” I say as I begin to play the first string of the song.

I close my eyes when I get too sad
I think thoughts that I know are bad
Close my eyes and I count to ten
Hope it's over when I open them

Promises mean everything when you're little
And the world's so big
I just don't understand how
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes
Tell me everything is wonderful now

Please don't tell me everything is wonderful now

Promises mean everything when you're little
And the world is so big
I just don't understand how
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes
When you tell me everything is wonderful now

Some days I hate everything
I hate everything
Everyone and everything
Please don't tell me everything is wonderful now...
I don't wanna hear you tell me everything is wonderful now

“Thank you all so much!” I say after I finish the song with tears in my eyes.

After leaving the stage I put Cassadee’s guitar in its case and run to a back room with a lock. I’ve lost everything now and that is really scary for me. It was all looking up and now it’s all fallen apart again. I don’t think I can do this much longer. Life is not worth this much pain just because I am such a burden on every person I come into contact with. I hear a small knock on the door so I get up and unlock it. I fall into his arms and just ball my eyes out.

“Shh... it’s okay baby...It’ll all be okay,” he says, “daddy’s here now. Daddy’s here to protect you.”

Notes