Jessica Strong

Protagonist Jessica Parton - "Too Young to Remember Her"

                    Protagonist Jessica Parton
                   “Too Young to Remember Her”

     Seven-year-old Jessica Parton looks up at the picture of
her mother on top of the fireplace in her living room. She can
barely see it. She’s small for her age. Jessica reaches up to
grab the picture, but even on her tiptoes, she can reach it. Her
height isn’t the only thing that’s small. So are her arms.

     Jessica looks around that large living room. It’s huge, but
there isn’t too much furniture in it. She looks at each piece
that is there, though. There a couch, two recliners on both
sides of the sofa, end tables between the couch and recliners, a
coffee table in front of the sofa, and a big seventy-two-inch
tv. Jessica walks over to the nearest end table. She takes the
lamp off that table and takes it over to the fireplace.

     Using that table Jessica reach for the picture. This time
she grabs it and holds it to her chest as she gets off the
table. Jessica uses one hand to hold the picture and the other
one to wipe some tears running down her cheek. A few seconds
later she does the same thing with her other hand and cheek.

     “I miss you, mommy. Especially this time of year. It’s
almost the day that you died and left me alone.”

     “You’re not alone,” says her daddy, Carl, from behind her.
“You never will be until I die too, and I’m not going to do that
for a very long time.”

     Jessica looks over at the couch to see her daddy sitting
there. He’s not there. She knows that. It just helps her to
think that he is. “I know that you are here with me when you are
here. It’s just hard for me to understand why she died only a
few days after our birthday.”

     “I was so young when she died I don’t even remember her too
much. If it wasn’t for these pictures all around our houses and
you talking about her daily, I wouldn’t even remember her at
all. Thank you for the millionth time for doing that daddy. It
really does help me to remember her.”

     Just then the front door opens. That snaps Jessica out of
her imagination. She puts the picture of her mother on the end
table just as her daddy walks into the room so that she can run
and jump into his outstretched arms. “You’re home, daddy. I
missed you so much.”

     Carl hugs her back. “I missed you too. Have you behaving
yourself?”

     “Of course, I have. It hasn’t been easy, though. Social
Services have come by on a surprise visit twice this week so far.
I heard them say they will come back in a couple of days.”

     “You didn’t let them in here, did you?” Carl asks as he
puts Jessica down.

     Jessica looks shocked. “You know me better than that. Of
course, I didn’t do that. I hide in the hidden room like I
always do.”

     “That’s my daughter.” Carl goes over to the couch and sits
down. Jessica in right behind him to sit beside him.

     Suddenly, Carl looks at Jessica. “If you were in hiding how
do you know what they said about another visit?”

     Jessica looks back at her daddy still a little shocked. “I
heard them after they came in here.”

     This time Carl is the one who looks shocked. “They did
what! They’re not supposed to do that unless they have a search
warrant. Did you hear them say they had a search warrant?”

     “No, I didn’t hear them say anything like that. They didn’t
say much of anything while they looked for me here.”

     Carl’s face gets even redder. “Did you say they were
looking just for you?”

     “I think they know about our living arrangement. They might
not know everything about it, but if we keep living like this
they probably will sooner or later. I’ve got a feeling it’s
going to be sooner.”

     “It looks like we are going to have to move again. I’ll
start looking for a new house tomorrow. Maybe in one of the
nearby towns. That should slow down Social Services for at least
a little while.”

     Carl gets up and starts walking out of that room. “I’m
hungry. What is there here to eat?”

     “I was about to order me a pizza. You can still do that, or
we can go out somewhere.”

     “We can order a pizza. I don’t really feel like going out
tonight.”

     Carl starts to pull out his cell from his front pocket. As he does that
he notices the picture of his dead wife, Susan, on
the table that’s in the wrong place in that room. “I see you
have been looking at your mother’s picture again. I’m not
surprised. Tomorrow is the day that she died.”

     “You weren’t here for my birthday this year. You’re always
here for it. Why weren’t you here this year?”

     “I’m sorry about that. I tried to get back, but my last
Assignment took a lot longer than I thought that it would.”

     Carl leaves that room. He returns a few seconds later with
his hands behind his back. “I didn’t forget your birthday. I’ve
got a present for you, but you have to guess what it is before I
give it to you.”

     Jessica starts getting excited. She begins jumping around.
Hopping from one foot then the other. Jessica cocks her head
from side to side trying to see what he’s hiding. Carl shifts to
avoid detection. “Stop cheating, and start guessing. You’rees
seven this year. So, you have seven guesses before I take it
back.

     “I don’t even need two of them.” Jessica smiles. “That’s
because I already know what it is. I saw it in the hallway
mirror. It’s the doll that I asked for.”

     Carl produces the doll for Jessica. He hands it to he
excited waving hands. Jessica hugs the doll. A few seconds later
Jessica hugs her daddy too. “Thank you, daddy. That almost makes
up for you not being here for it.”

     “I’ve already apologized to you for that. I’m here now.
Doesn’t that count for anything?” Carl asks as he goes back and
picks of the picture of Jessica’s mother.

     “Of course, it does. Especially since you are here for
tomorrow. You are going to be here tomorrow, aren’t you?”

     “Yes, I’m going to be here. Nothing is going to keep me
away from you ever again. That’s a promise.”

     Just then Carl’s cell phone starts ringing. Three rings in
Jessica sighs. “Aren’t you going to answer it? That is the ring
that you use to get your Assignments, isn’t it?”

     “No, I’m not. I just told you I’m not going anywhere
anymore.”

     Carl throws his cell phone into the fireplace against its
back wall. It breaks into several small pieces. “Don’t go near
that until I get it cleaned up.”

     “Aren’t you going to get into a lot of trouble doing that?”
Jessica asks.

     “I don’t care about that anymore. You are all that I care
about now.” Carl throws a lite match into the fireplace. A few
seconds later the cell phone is engulfed in flames.

     Jessica smiles. “I’m happy to hear that. I am curious about
something, though. What happened in your last Assignment that
made you change your mind about me?”

     “A little girl a couple of years older than you. She was my
Assignment.”

     “What does that mean, daddy?” Jessica asks.

     Carl smiles. “You know I can’t tell you that. If I did
that, I would have to kill you, and I don’t want to do that.”

     “Aren’t you ever going to tell me what you have been doing
to make a living? Isn’t that what you call it?” Jessica asks.

     Patting Jessica on her head, Carl smiles again. “Someday I
probably will. I’m just not ready to do it right now.”


Word Count = 1,320
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