The Mechanic (2)

As Maryanne lay quietly there beside her mate, a long-forgotten memory occurred to her.

She tried to blush it off unsuccessfully, feeling it hit her bluntly. A memory of so many moons ago, one that she wouldn’t forget.

The memory of her first time seeing her daddy break down, something she had thought impossible. They had been sitting by a woolen mat at their Condos fireplace that particular Winter holiday.

She had just turned 14 a week earlier and was home enjoying the morning with her daddy. For most of their lives, they had spent just the two of them and had always been there for each other.

It was during this moment that curious, and she had asked her daddy what had made *Momma leave them. Tears flowing down his cheeks, her dad had quietly risen from where he sat and walked to a drawer in the corner. She watched in anticipation as he fumbled through an old file and walked towards her with a paper.

Maryanne accepted the old-looking clumsy