«Hello, Dad, I’ve come for my gift,» the woman announced as she stepped inside.
John and Emily were halfway through their quiet Sunday roast when the front door swung open. A disheveled woman strode in, tossing a battered rucksack into the corner. «Alright then, old man,» she said, arms wide for an embrace.
John choked on his food, coughing violently. Emilys eyes flashed with fury. «Who the hell are you? And what do you mean, old man?»
The woman smirked. «Keep your knickers on, love. Im not here for youIm here for my dad.» She turned back to John, feigning a sob. «Dont tell me youve forgotten your own daughter? Its me, Dad. Your little girl, Rebecca. Twenty years, and I still couldnt stop wonderinghows my dear old dad doing? Not poorly, I hope?»
John finally found his voice. «Why?» Another cough seized him. «Why are you here?»
«Like I saidfor my gift.» Rebeccas grin was sharp. «The doll you promised me two decades ago.»
Her mother had died when she was seven. John lasted six months before bringing home Emilyand her two sons. The first thing Emily did was move Rebecca out of her bedroom. «The boys need it more,» John had muttered, avoiding her eyes. The lads were older, and cruelripping her schoolbooks to shreds, forcing her to rewrite assignments by moonlight after Emily forbade wasting electricity.
Then, on her eighth birthday, John took her to an orphanage. «Its only for a little while, sweetheart. Ill visit every weekend. And Ill bring you that dollthe one in the shop window, remember?»
She waited. He never came.
Rebecca dropped into a chair. «Go on then, Auntiedish me up some of that soup. Starving, I am. Nowhere decent to kip these days.» She laughed at her own joke. Emily silently slapped a ladleful into a bowl. Rebecca scoffed. «Same old tightfisted cow, eh? Come on, more than that!»
She turned to John. «Right then, Dadbreak out the savings. Lets have a drink to celebrate.» He glanced at Emily, who hissed through clenched teeth, «We dont drink.»
Rebecca slapped her knee. «Course not. But unlike my dear old dad, I dont turn up empty-handed. Auntie, fetch my bag.»
Emily bristled. «Get it yourself!»
Rebecca arched a brow. «Youre not hearing me, love. I didnt just come for a visit. Im moving in. Fairs fairyou kicked me out once. Sent me to rot in some institution. Now its your turn. Sod off, or behave, and I might let you stay.»
Emilys voice shook with rage. «John, are you just going to sit there? Shes mocking me!»
He shifted uncomfortably. «Becky, dont be like that. Emilys the lady of the house.»
Rebecca sighed. «Christ, youve let her ruin you, havent you? Dont worry, Dad. Me and Auntie here will sort it out.»
Emily shrieked, «Im calling my son! Hell toss you out!»
Rebecca smirked. «Tommy? Hed sell you for a pint. Bad luck with your boys, eh? The eldest drank himself to death, didnt he? And the younger ones heading the same way.»
Emily wailed. «Leave them out of this! Look at youliving in squalor!»
«Thanks to you,» Rebecca spat. «You swooped in on a widower, stole his home, shipped his daughter off. Bet you never gave me a second thought. But Im back. And Ill make your life hell. Got big plans, I have. My blokes out in a weekthree stretches inside. Well all live here together. Grandkids, too. Proper family reunion, eh, Dad? Bet you missed me.»
John nodded, eyes down. Rebecca grinned at Emily. «See? Now, make up a bed. Im knackered. And light the boiler laterI need a proper scrub.»
She pretended to sleep, eavesdropping as Emily hissed, «You spineless git! Shes moving in with some convict! Theyll rob us blind! Throw her out!»
John mumbled, «Shes my daughter. I wont. You made me abandon her onceI wont do it again.»
Rebecca smiled inwardly. So he had a shred of guilt left.
A rustling made her tense. She cracked an eyeEmily stood over her, clutching a pillow.
«Theyll lock you up, Auntie,» Rebecca said brightly. Emily jumped. «II brought you this. For your head.»
Rebecca laughed. «Cheers. For a second, I thought you were up to no good. Boiler lit yet?»
Emily fussed. «Your dads doing it. Hungry? I made pancakes.»
Rebecca narrowed her eyes. «Bit bloody nice all of a sudden. Poison, is it? Wont work. Stomach like a dustbin, me. And I dont trust you. Snake then, snake now.»
For a week, Rebecca made Emilys life miserableuntil the woman broke. «Have mercy, love. Im not young anymore.»
Rebeccas voice was ice. «Where was your mercy when you tore a little girl from her home? Too ashamed to answer? Well, Im not. Youll pay for every tear.»
Emily sank to her knees. «Forgive me, for Gods sake! Havent I suffered enough?»
Rebecca waved her off. «Get up. Youve had your taste. Stay if you want. Im leaving. No gift, eh, Dad?»
John jumped up. «Ill give you moneybuy whatever you like!»
Rebecca shook her head. «You still dont get it. I didnt come for money. Just one wordthat you loved me. But no. Goodbye.»
She slung her rucksack over her shoulder and walked out. No one followed.
A car waited beyond the village. She climbed in and sobbed like a child. Her husband pulled her close. «Told you it was a bad idea. Why dig up the past when youve got everything now?»
Rebecca looked up, tear-streaked. «I thought he loved me. That hed take me back, no matter what. They never even remembered me.»
He held her tighter. «Shouldve listened to me, Becky. Kids are asking for you. Lets go home.»
She wiped her eyes. «Ive missed them too. But firsta shower. Wash it all away. And lets stop by Mums grave. I picked flowers on the way. As for Dad» She took a shaky breath. «Never had him, dont need him. Ive got you and the kids. Thats enough.»
She leaned back as the car pulled away. «You were right. But I had to try. Gods will, I suppose. The engine hummed softly as the village faded in the rearview mirror. Rain began to fall, gentle at first, then steady, washing the dust from the windshield like tears cleaning a long-dulled mirror. Rebecca watched the droplets blur the world outside, her reflection merging with the passing trees and sky. She didnt look back.
