My Ward My Woman

“When did you become such an asshole? Or did I just miss it all these years?” She whooped and took off running when I stood up from my chair. I should’ve left shit alone but no way was I going to allow her to talk like that, let alone to me. I should’ve homeschooled her ass. Where the fuck did she pick up that language? Surely not at that over priced prep-school she goes to.

“Get back down here right now.” I stood at the foot of the stairs looking up, waiting for her to show her face. I heard a door slam and then that infernal noise started up again, shaking the whole damn house.

I didn’t stop to think what I was doing, or what doors I would open other than the obvious. Instead I let my infamous anger, something I’ve shielded her from all these years, rule me. I flew up the stairs and banged on her door to no avail.

“Alexandra, open this door.” No answer, fine. I put my shoulder to the frame and pushed hard until wood splintered and I was standing inside her room.

She screamed and rushed across to the other side of the bed away from me. I don’t know why I did it; don’t know what the hell I was thinking. But it seemed like the past few weeks, months, whatever, had finally caught up with me and I’d had enough.

I stepped up on her bed instead of playing her game of cat and mouse and snatched her hand. She struggled as I pulled her across the bed and sat on the edge before pulling her down across my lap.

“No uncle Sol what’re you doing?” Now she calls me that shit when she hasn’t in weeks. I didn’t let that stop me though, or the sound of shock in her voice.

I brought my hand down hard five times before pushing her off my lap. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that again. Don’t ever let me hear you speak like that again period or you’ll get worse.”

I almost caved at the little girl hurt look on her face and the beginning of tears I saw gathered in her eyes. So as not to, I got up and left the room. Her sobs damn near broke my heart but I kept going down the stairs and ignored her.

It was hours later before I stopped hating myself enough to go check on her. I have to call someone to come fix the damn door. Or maybe I’ll let her move into the room next to mine that she’s been scheming for since she was thirteen. She claims this one is too small, plus the other one has its own bathroom.

“Baby are you in here?” I looked around the room, no sign of her. Of course, I’d told her to go swim. I headed down to the indoor pool but it didn’t look like anyone had been there. I used the intercom to call her but there was no answer.

I had a mini heart attack as I picked up the phone to call her detail. They didn’t work on Saturdays since I ran herd on her on the weekends so I wasn’t surprised when they hadn’t seen or heard from her.

“She’s not on the premises, find her.” I was looking at the grounds on the monitor so knew she wasn’t walking in the gardens, which is another one of her favorite pastimes.

I wanted to head out to search for her myself but thought it best I stay here. I was in knots pacing back and forth like a caged beast. I can’t believe she’d put me through this, two days in a row. If she’d gone back… Shit, of course.

I called her detail and told them where to look first. “I’ll kill her.” I grabbed my keys but stopped at the door just in the off chance that I was wrong and she hadn’t defied me and gone back to that place. “Where are you doll?” Did she know that this would tear me up inside? Am I being unreasonable?

With every hour that went by without a word I grew more and more tense. I would call the cops but they couldn’t do anything more than my people I was sure of it. I’d sent everyone out after her and had stopped calling an hour ago accepting that they’d let me know as soon as they found her. Still I couldn’t stand still and paced the house in what I knew to be fear but refused to give in.

I sat with my head in my hands and tried to think what was going on with her. Did she leave because I spanked her? What about yesterday and the days leading up to it? She’s been acting up a lot lately and not just with the disappearing acts, with everything.