Page 147 of The Design of Goodbye
“I can’t sleep.” I sat down next to him, and the porch swing creaked loudly. It creaked anytime we moved. The swing was old, but we were both attached to it and didn’t have the heart to replace it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, giving me his full attention.
“I need to talk to you.” I thought of all Liam’s bruises and shuddered. “It’s important.”
“You can tell me what’s going on,” he said, sensing my hesitation. “We’ll figure it out.”
I couldn’t continue. My throat felt so tight I was surprised I was still able to breathe. I stared at our backyard. At the trees lining the back of our lot. At the wooden playhouse my dad had built when I was seven. At the yard he’d tried to teach me how to play baseball on.
“What’s going on, honey?”
“Liam’s here.” There. I’d said something. Progress.
My dad glanced over his shoulder, as if expecting Liam to be standing by the back door. “Where is he?”
“Sleeping.”
“He spent the night?”
I nodded. “He showed up around one in the morning.”
His eyes filled with unanswered questions. “Is he feeling better?”
“He wasn’t sick.”
He leaned forward, and the swing creaked. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“About a month ago...”I struggled to find the right words, but there were none for what I had to say. “I saw Liam’s dad hurt him.”
My dad’s jaw clenched. “Hurt him how?”
“Hitting...”I remembered how Liam’s dad had kicked Liam in the stomach—like his son meant nothing. Was nothing. “And stuff.”
He took off his beanie and balled it in his hands. “I should’ve made it a priority to talk to him more.” He sighed. “I had a feeling something wasn’t right at home.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “I never suspected it was physical, but I guess I was wrong. I should’ve tried harder to talk to him. Maybe,” he continued, “if I would have he—”
“He wouldn’t have told you. He made me promise to keep it a secret,” I said, wanting my dad to understand why I’d waited. “But after last night, I couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. I don’t want to lose him, but he needs your help. He’s not safe.”
“I don’t think you’ll lose him. At least, not in the way you think.”
So, I’d lose Liam but not forever?
I reminisced to when I was younger and the hardest choice I had to make was choosing between the red or purple popsicle. “I wish making the right choice wasn’t so hard.”
“You’re growing up,” he said, sounding nostalgic. “I’m afraid that’s part of life.”
“I hope life isn’t always this hard.”
“It won’t be. But life wouldn’t be good without the bad. Try to always remember that.” He pulled me into a side hug. “I’m proud of you, Madison.” He ruffled my hair. “So proud.”
My breath caught. My heart soared. “You are?”
“I always am.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes this time. “I’m going to fix this,” he said. “When Liam wakes up, I’ll talk to him. But is there anything else I should know?”
“Yeah, Dad. I think there is.”
