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Instead, he ignoredup another section of the dress He was hu to himself, some melody I knew but couldn’t quite place, and his hands treh a list of possible things I could’ve done wrong, but ca for dinner?" I asked, trying to coax him into a conversation as I placed the yearbook down on the kitchen counter He didn’t respond I gathered up his paintbrushes scattered on the dining table and dropped them back into the brush jar with a clatter then wiped the table clean with a dalies of dice and cards and a syn

It read, -3,290

"Dad?" I asked "What’s this?"

"It’s nothing," he replied without turning around

I didn’t understand yet that it was a ga, but I did knohat a hed loudly "Dad You said you’re not supposed to be spending money like that"

"I knohat I said"

"You said you’d stop"

"E in his voice "You pro to have "

His voice cracked like a whip I froze, ue, my face turned up in shock at my father’s expression His eyes had finally found ht in the In a flash, I knehat had happened There was only one thing that could turn ry and cruel

He’d heard froht had started to ebb fro his head as if confused "Eer had risen now Before Dad could say anything else, I took a step away and tightened ed you, didn’t she? What’d she say to you this time? That she misses you?"

"Emika" He reached fortowardechoed inI saw before I sla there before his half creation, alone, shoulders sloped, his figure turned in an to cry

Hours passed Later that night, my door creaked open an inch and I saw h with pizza "May I?" he said quietly

I glared at him from under my blankets as he came in and shut the door behind him Dark circles rimmed his eyes For the first time, I realized how exhausted he looked, that he e of my bed and held the plate out at rowled at the sedposition and reached for a slice

"Your yearbook looks stunning, Eave me a weary sed, still not ready to let hirabbed a second slice of pizza "So what happened to you today?" I gru moment

"What did she want this time?" I asked But I already knew Every six months or so, my mother would contact hiain She never ain, Dad finally took out his phone He held it out toI peered down at it

My er was a large dia, cut into a brilliant square

I looked back up at my father’s tired eyes

She was so beautiful But beauty can ive a thousand cruelties

We sat for a while without saying a word Then I touched Dad’s hand quietly with my own He looked doay from me, ashamed to meet my eyes "I’m sorry, Emi," he said in a small voice "I’m so sorry I’m a fool"

I just shook my head And when I wrappedto piece back together the lives she’d left behind

• • • • •

I STIR FROM my dream, my hands clenched into fists The time on my phone reads 3:34 ah the news

I lie still in the silence It takes a long tiainst the bed I watch the neithout paying much attention to it The reporter has already started discussing the Wardraft runners-up wild cards ill replace me and Ren