She looked at him with those big brown eyes. Victoria's eyes, but filled with a trust Victoria had never earned. "Are we going to be okay?" The question hit Marcus like a punch to the gut. She was 6 years old, six.
She shouldn't have to ask questions like this. Shouldn't have to worry about whether her family was going to stay together. Of course, we are, sweetheart. Why would you ask that? Lily's lower lip trembled.
Mommy called today when you were at work. Marcus went cold. What? She called Mrs. Patterson's phone. She said she said I might have to come live with her, that you can't take care of me properly.
Rage flared in Marcus' chest, hot and immediate. Victoria had called, had talked to Lily directly. She wasn't supposed to do that. The lawyers had agreed no direct contact until after the hearing, but he pushed the anger down. Lily didn't need to see that.
She needed reassurance. Lily, listen to me. Marcus took her hands in his. Your mommy is wrong. I can take care of you.
I will always take care of you no matter what anyone says. But she said, "I don't care what she said." Marcus's voice was firm but gentle. You're my daughter. I love you more than anything in this world, and nobody nobody is going to take you away from me.
Tears welled up in Lily's eyes. I don't want to leave you, Daddy. You won't. He pulled her into a hug, holding her tight against his chest. I promise you, baby, you won't.
It was a promise he had no idea if he could keep. The hearing was in 3 days. Victoria had money, had a lawyer, had a case built on the cruel arithmetic of poverty. The idea that dollars in a bank account mattered more than love in a heart. But as Marcus held his daughter in their small, shabby apartment, rain still pattering against the windows, he made a vow to himself.
He would fight with everything he had, with every ounce of strength left in his body. He would fight for her, always for her. Marcus didn't sleep that night. He sat at the tiny kitchen table after putting Lily to bed, surrounded by paperwork, financial statements, character references from neighbors and co-workers, report cards, and attendance records from Lily's school, anything and everything that might prove he was a fit father. It wasn't much.
The numbers told a brutal story. His income was barely above the poverty line. His savings account had less than $400 in it. He was behind on his electric bill current on rent only because his landlord had a soft spot for Lily and gave them extensions. On paper, he looked like exactly what Victoria's lawyer was going to say.
He was a struggling single father who couldn't provide. But paper couldn't show everything. paper. Couldn't show the nights Marcus had stayed up with Lily when she was sick. Couldn't show the hours he'd spent helping her learn to read. Couldn't show the Sunday mornings at the park or the bedtime stories he made up just for her.
Paper couldn't show love. Marcus rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. 3:47 a.m. He needed to be at the auto shop in 4 hours. Get some sleep, Mr. Warren had said. You need to look sharp.