He Left Our Daughter To Drown But I Saved The Footage Chapter 28
They were eight years old.
One had been abandoned by her father.
The other had been used by her mother as a pawn to extract money and guilt from men.
The problems of adults had nearly crushed them both.
Sadie stuffed the wristband into her pocket. Her voice was barely a whisper.
“I didn’t know you were still at home that day.”
Maisie’s shoulders trembled.
“My mom said Evan was supposed to come back for you. I thought he was coming back for me, too.”
Sadie paused.
“I’m sorry.”
Maisie didn’t say it was okay.
And I didn’t prompt her to.
After a long moment, she took a small step to the side, clearing a path to the easels.
“You can stay for class.”
“But I don’t want to sit with you right now.”
Sadie nodded immediately.
“Okay.”
She chose a seat at the far end of the room.
That day’s theme was “A Safe Place.”
Sadie painted a tightly shut door.
Maisie painted our second-floor apartment. She drew the star-shaped night-light in the window, the stuffed rabbit on the bed, and me, sitting by the door.
At the very end, she added a tiny soccer ball on the grass outside.
I was a little surprised.
“Why did you draw the soccer ball again?”
Holding a green crayon, she carefully colored in the lawn.
“The soccer ball didn’t do anything wrong.”
After class, Sadie didn’t try to approach us.
She shouldered her bag and left with her father.
At the door, she took off the faded blue wristband and dropped it in the trash can.
Maisie saw, but she didn’t say anything.
On the way home, she asked me suddenly,
“Can I still sign up for soccer at school next month?”
“Of course you can.”
“Dad isn’t the coach anymore, right?”
“That’s right.”
She looked down, kicking at a loose stone on the sidewalk.
“Then I want to play again.”
She looked up at me.
“But not for him.”