Sick Little Games

Lucy Murphy didn’t know how to feel about Alex Gaskarth. She didn’t understand him to say the least; she hardly ever thought about her dad to begin with, who he was never crossed her mind. It was weird to think about how someone she didn’t even know was really a part of her family. She thought it was funny that neither one of them even acknowledged the fact when they were near each other. That’s not what families are supposed to do, is it? Or is it? Lucy didn’t know for sure.

Katherine came home late that night. As soon as she walked through the door of her mother’s house, she immediately went in to check on Lucy, surprised to find her awake in the dark.

“What’re you doing awake?” Katherine questioned, but Lucy just shrugged. She was always one to stay up late that it didn’t really surprise anyone anymore when she did. It was easily inherited from Katherine… or Alex. “So what’d you do today?”

Lucy didn’t know how to form the sentence she was about to let escape from her mouth. She wasn’t upset that Alex was her father, nor was she upset that she wasn’t told, and she knew her mother would take it one of the two ways. Lucy was just curious like any other child her age would be… or any person in general, really. She wanted to know about Alex. She wanted to be around him. She wanted to sew their puzzle piece of a family back together. She didn’t know how to tell Katherine she knew what she did, and she felt like she should.

“Gram and I looked through the old picture album,” Lucy said softly. Katherine smiled at her daughter as she talked about the memories she wasn’t even alive for. Lucy knew an incredible amount for how tiny was, and everyone, including Lucy, was aware. That was her personality; she liked to find things out and research them to her full potential. She never stopped asking why and she had the memory of an elephant.

“There was a picture of Alex in there,” Lucy started, looking into her mother’s eyes. She looked a little shocked as she signed, nodding for Lucy to continue her thought. “Is it okay if I call him ‘dad’?”

-----

Katherine Murphy was shocked to say the least. She didn’t know how to react, so she just nodded. “Go to sleep,” she whispered and left the room Lucy was sleeping in, and practically ran to hers.

Immediately, she pulled out her cell phone. There was only one personal she could talk to about this, and that was Christine. Technically, she could talk about it to Alex too, but Katherine immediately shook that thought from her brain as she scrolled past his name in her contacts.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

“Hello?” Katherine heard from the other line.

“Lucy knows,” she spoke quietly.

“Mind you, it’s almost two in the morning and I’m half asleep. You’re going to have to elaborate.”

“Lucy knows about Alex! She asked if she could call him ‘dad’!” Katherine whisper-yelled, on the verge of tears now, “What do I do?”

“Oh shit,” Christine replied. “I really think it’s time to tell Alex. As much as I know you don’t want to, the guilt is going to eat you alive until you do. You know that.”

Katherine sighed. “I know, I just… can’t get myself to do it. Ugh, I’ll figure something out. Get some sleep, Chris.”

“Thank you!” she yawned, “I would very much enjoy that. Bye!”

Click.

The truth is, Katherine probably wouldn’t figure something out. Not that night, at least. She knew she wasn’t going to fall asleep any time soon, though, so she did what she was good at: she ran. Metaphorically of course, because really, she walked to the nearest park, staring at her converses. There was something calming about it. She couldn’t count the number of times she used to sneak out when she was younger, just to sit on the bench in the middle of it. The bench went through everything with her, and she knew she needed it now.

Reaching her destination, she plopped down on the bench, clutching the bottom of it with both hands, hanging on for dear life. She hardly noticed when she started crying even, she was too preoccupied with staring into space. It was dark. It was silent, aside from a car every now and then speeding by. It was kind of creepy, but Katherine enjoyed it.

As soon as it started to calm her though, something sighed, and looking next to her, she noticed a presence. “What’s wrong?” it asked, tiredness and concern coating its voice.

“N-n-nothing,” she stuttered, still looking in front of her, secretly praying this stranger would leave. What was she thinking? Leaving the house at two in the morning? Was she crazy? She could so easily be kidnapped, or something worse.

“Wait, Katherine?” The voice questioned.

For the first time, Katherine turned to look at the face of the person sitting next to her.

It was Alex.