I Erased You for My Daughter

Summary

In preschool, the teacher asked the kids to draw their "Family Tree."

While the other children drew three thick branches, Lucy drew only two.

"Where is your daddy?" the teacher asked.

Lucy pointed to the very bottom of the page, where the roots met the dirt. "My daddy is buried in the mud. He never comes home, so he’s basically dead."

Later, the teacher pulled a sketchbook from her backpack. It was filled with pages of tally marks.

"Every time Daddy promises to come home but doesn't, I draw a line," Lucy had explained.

Twelve groups of tallies. Sixty times.