At almost 8 years old, Carli was used to waking up to her father (she had graduated from calling him Daddy) and her mom crying. She stumbled out of bed and changed out of her pjs. She walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. Her father had a duffel in his hand and her mother had tears running down her face.
"Don't go!" Her mom screamed. She tried to grab his hand but he roughly shoved her away. She fell against the kitchen table.
"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do! I'm leaving. I'm sick of you! Of all of you!" He stomped out the house, got into his car and drove off.
Her mom fell to the floor and sobbed.
Carli shuffled up to her mother, "Mommy, don't cry. No mommy please."
"Why shouldn't I? The love of my life is gone." She cried into her hands.
Carli sat next to her, "Mommy, I'm still here."
"So? Is it even worth it? He's gone."
"But, Mommy, he wasn't nice. He was mean to me and he was mean to you."
The mother turned to her confused daughter, "Yes, he was very mean. But that didn't stop me from loving him."
"How can you love a meany?"
She smiled softly, "It's easy."
"How?"
"When I met him, I was already in love."
Carli cocked her head to the side, "How? Don't you have to know someone to love them?" young Carli didn't know much about love, but it made sense that you have to know someone to love them.
"No. I used to watch him during college. Him walking to class, him talking to his friends. I watched him doing everything. I fell in love with his actions. The way he treated people, even strangers. He always acted like he cared about every one, even strangers. But the key word is 'acted'." A smile crossed the crying woman's face as she remembered the beginning of her love story.
"That sounds like the beginning of a princess love story," Carli smiled for a second before frowning again, "What happened?"
"Well, he did act like he cared about me, at first. But slowly he began to care less... he would point out my flaws then laugh like it was a joke. The insults hurt but I didn't want to seem too serious so I laughed it off. Then he began to insult meanly. He was cruel. After a while he began to get rough. Grabbing my arm tight, so tight it left bruises. He'd shove me out of his way. Not long after that, he was yelling and drinking all the time. He began to hit me. I never left because I loved him. I still love him."
"Will you ever stop loving him?"
"Hopefully. For me he was Heaven and Hell. He was a Devil and an Angel. Now that he's left, its just hell. Heaven with out an Angel is nothing. Hell with out a Devil is still Hell. I'm stuck in hell with no heaven now."
"I'll stay with you though." Carli smiled at her mom and her mom smiled back.
"Maybe you can become my angel help me with hell."
"Whatever you want mommy."
"Thank you."
Carli wasn't sad that her daddy left, even if she should've been. Carli didn't know it but even when the Devil left, she too was still meant to be in Hell.