Saying Goodbye

Rian hated days like today. He hated more than anything when he was about to take his daughter back to her mother.

His daughter, Isabella, is the pride and joy of his life. He spends as much time with her as her mother would allow. Which, was usually only the weekends. They didn’t live too far a part, but her mother, Lydia, isn’t Rian’s biggest fan anymore, so she punishes him by taking his daughter from him.

Today is Sunday. And Rian is taking his Isabella to meet her mother, and say goodbye to her. He hates saying goodbye to Isabella.

She’s playing with barbies in the backseat of his car, strapped into her booster seat. And every chance he can, without being unsafe, he’s looking in his rear view mirror smiling at her, because she is his everything now, and he loves her with all her heart.

When they pull up to the meeting spot, he looks for Lydia’s car, but doesn’t see it, and he’s thankful, even if he’s only spending time in his car with Isabella, he’s happy.

“Issy?”
“Yeah, daddy?”
“Watcha doing?”
“Playing dolls, duh,” she says. She has a smart mouth like her mother already, but he doesn’t mind.
“Want daddy to play?”
“No.”
“Wanna play I spy?”
“Sure! I spy something pink.”
“Your shirt?”
“Nope,” Isabella says popping the p.
“Um, the sky?”
“The sky’s not pink, daddy!” She laughs.
“I don’t know then, I give up.”
“My barbie’s dress!”
“Ah, should’ve known,” Rian chuckles.
“Your turn!”
“I spy something white.”
“The car?”
“No.”
“The clouds!” She practically screams bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Yup! Your turn.”
“I spy something, um, red!”
“The gas station?”
“No!”
And then Rian looks to where his daughter is looking. “Oh, mommy’s car.”
“Yeah,” Isabella says deflated.
“Let’s go, Issy.”
“If I have to.”

When they get out of the car, Isabella attaches herself to Rian’s leg, and this is where it gets hard for Rian. He doesn’t want to let his daughter go, but he has to, because its a court custody agreement, and yeah, he could go to jail if he doesn’t follow it.

“Daddy?”
“Yeah, Issy?”
“I don’t wanna go,” she whispers.
“I know, pumpkin, but you have to,” he whispers back.
“I love you, daddy.”
“I love you, too, Issy.”

“C’mon Isabella,” Lydia says, motioning to her daughter. Rian bends down and gives his seven year old a tight hug, and kisses her cheek, and she kisses his, and walks over to her mother.

Isabella’s mother slings an arm over her right shoulder, stating, “Say goodbye to your father.”
Tears trickle down her cheeks, as she waves, and says “Bye, daddy.”
“Bye, Issy. I’ll see you soon, darling.”

As Rian is getting back into his car Isabella yells out for him, so he stops and turns around. She runs to him and he crouches down again, giving her a big hug.

“What’s wrong?”
“I hate mommy. I don’t want to go with her!”
“Isabella Leigh, get back here, now!” Her mother yells.
“Don’t make me go, daddy.”
“You have to go Issy, I’m sorry.”
“You hate me!”
“Isabella, you know that’s not true. Daddy loves you, but you have to go with mommy.”
“But I don’t wanna!”
“Isabella,” Lydia says walking over and grabbing her daughter’s arm, “Let’s go.”
“I hate you!” She screams at her mother.
“Isabella, you can’t tell your mom you hate her. C’mon, I’ll put you in her car.”
“Fine,” Isabella states coldly, stomping her feet loudly the whole way back to her mother’s car. Rian straps her into her booster seat in her mother’s car.
“Love you, Issy,” Rian says again, kissing her forehead, but he doesn’t get a response from her this time.

As he gets back into his car, he feels like he’s going to cry, but he holds it together, until he sees Isabella turned around in her seat and blowing him a kiss. He catches it pushes his hand to his cheek and blows one back, beginning to tear up. But he’s composed until he gets home.

When he gets home and is cleaning up his daughters toys around his house, that’s when he starts crying. To the point where he’s sitting on her bed holding a stuffed dog of hers. He misses her more than anything, and he just said goodbye less than an hour ago.