Daddy Forgot About Me Today

It starts as one thing, but always ends up another.

My daddy forgot about me today. This morning we were laughing and being silly until his phone rang. He stopped laughing and told me to be quiet. When his phone rings he ignores me. When I try to get his attention, he shoos me away. He goes to the other room to yell at his phone, so I sit down in his dirty recliner and try to find cartoons with the remote.

 

My daddy forgot about me this afternoon. He rented me movies and made me watch them so he didn’t have to watch me. I even watched one of them twice because daddy never lets me get a movie if I’ve seen it before. Sometimes I like to watch a movie more than one time because it’s better the second time. When daddy gets me movies he gets movies for himself too. His movies are always scary but he still makes me watch them. He laughs when I get scared. He also likes to lock me in my dark room until I scream so loud I can’t think. I don’t stop, I scream until I can’t barely breathe anymore and he finally lets me out. If I shut up I can sit on the floor and watch tv with him.

 

My daddy forgot about me tonight. There are more empty bottles and cans than I can count. When he’s done with all the cans he pours something from a bigger bottle into his soda. He always mixes it with his finger and goes outside to his grill. Daddy’s been cooking for two hours and I’m hungry. He gets distracted when he cooks. Daddy always gets drunk and forgets what he was doing. He’s not the same at night, he cries to me about his problems. But I’m a good listener. Daddy also likes to play games when he’s drunk. He likes to play with his guns and lay on the floor and pretend he’s dead. He does it until I cry. I always cry because I love my daddy and don’t want him to be dead.

 

My daddy never forgets me at bedtime. When he can barely walk and is passed out in his recliner I know it’s almost bedtime. After he turns everything off I follow him. I have my own room, but I can’t sleep in it. I crawl into daddy’s bed in only my underwear. Daddy says it’s okay cause that’s all he wears too. I hope he lets me wear a shirt when I get older though. He holds me at night and I feel protected, but I always wish that I can fall asleep first. I always wake up before him in the morning hoping its Sunday. I jump on him and try to wake him up, but he has a headache and tells me to go watch tv, so he can sleep.

 

My daddy forgot about me today. He tells me he loves me, but he lies so much I don’t know when he’s telling the truth anymore.

 

Author's Note

I'm not good at this sort of thing...story wise.
But, ignore the grammar, it is from a child's point of view.

Reviews

[CthulhuTheDread]

Great read compared to what else I've read today. My only 2 cents would be that the intro should be longer and more intricate. It quickly goes from an innocent intro to very deep and complex real quick. I'd suggest a longer more complex intro that doesn't give itself away too quickly, so when you get to the climax of the story, it'll really slap you right in the face. But very good

[An owl on the moon]

This is so beautiful and bittersweet... As a father with a daughter myself, it is almost painful to read; knowing how sometimes I fail to be the father she needs me to be. Thank you for your words. I would say you are actually exceptional "at this sort of thing..."

[DF]

Great concept with the "Daddy forgot about me" intros to each section and suggests a complexity of conflicting emotions for the young child. The child's voice seems real as well, but I wonder if, as the author, you might wish to convey more subtleties of emotion through her words, so that the work separates itself from daytime shock talk shows. This is a fantastic idea that I hope you will continue to pursue. Good job!