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"It see" "And she hasn't been back since?"

"I'm not sure," he said

"Oh, Daddy You know you have to keep better tabs on her You promised you would"

I took hold of his right aruided him around the chair and toward the door He looked like he was in pain when he walked on that leg

"Are you sure you don't want to see the doctor today, Daddy?"

"I'ht," he said "You don't have to hold onto me, Olivia"

"Okay I' up to see if Belinda returned," I said and marched ahead of him

The door to Belinda's bedroom was open and a quick perusa

l of her bed and the room revealed she hadn't been there for a while I heard Daddy talking below and returned to the stairway Carmelita had joined him at the foot of the stairway

"Is that you, Miss Olivia?" she asked looking up at me "I didn't know you had come home," she said

"I just arrived Do you knohere my sister is?"

"I haven't seen her for days," Carmelita said

Daddy struggled on the stairs, pulling himself up on the balustrade: I hurried down to help hiht behind hiainst his lower back to support and guide him She looked at me and shook her head

We got him up to his room and he went into the bathroom to undress and wash his bruises

"How long has he been like that?" I asked her