Daddy Daughter Story

Angel Heart was tired. His life has never been so out of control, and yet, here he was. He was divorced, he had no parents, he had no friends. What he did have? His daughter. A little girl who made him small without having to try. He would come home from a long day working at school and there she would be. His four year old daughter, Venus Heart.

Somedays he didn't want to get out of bed. Somedays he wished he could lie down in an eternal slumber. But everyday, he got up. He threw on his button down shirt and some black jeans today, a jacket over his shoulders and his hair messy with the part shaped like a heart. He walked out of his room, seeing his little girl dressed in her favorite mushroom dress and hat. She was adorable.

He laughed, calling out her name and watching her run to him. She was getting taller now, and her black eyes were always excited. Heart could barely believe that this child was his. He loved her with everything in him. In fact, she was the only thing he loved.

"Come here, baby, let me tell you todays quote." Heart spoke softly as his daughter waddled by him to sit in the couch. He pulled out some cookies and held them to her.

"Thank you, daddy!" She giggled as she ate her food.

"Venus, I want you to be a good girl. I want you to understand that people hurt sometimes, and we can't always heal the scars. But we can still make them hurt less each day, and that's all I need from you. I will take care of your wounds, my dear, if you take care of others."

"Make people happy, papa!"

Heart laughed, "yes, my love, make people happy."

He pulled her into his lap and kissed her head. Her long hair fell and she fed him some cookies as he gave her space buns. He had taken it upon himself to learn how to do hair and makeup for when she was ready for it. He would practice constantly until he found the things she liked. She wasn't a picky child either, anything her father did was like magic. She always looked up to the man.

After they were done, he picked her up and walked them out to the car where he had already placed all their things the night before. Buckling her into the booster seat, he gave her a few more kisses on her cheek and head, before starting to drive.

Today he was bringing her to work with him. No, he didn't want his four year old daughter in the presence of dumb high school kids, but his theater class had been begging to meet her. He adored those kids, that class, and everything to do with it. The children came to him for their problems, and they were always loud and happy in his classroom. They listened to every word he said with enthusiasm and always had something to say.

One of his whiter students, Ellis, had mentioned his love for babies. Angel joked about bringing Venus and his eyes lit up with the conversation. Now he had gotten permission from his superiors and was ready for her to see what he did.

He'd often been criticized for being a single dad with a job as a teacher. He hadn't even been away from home that long and was already receiving judgement. He was determined to show how good of a job he was doing, especially when Venus loved everything he did. She always told him she was gonna be a teacher too. She wanted to be just like her daddy.

Arriving at the school, he pulled the baby into his arms and told her all about his job. The two whispered softly to each other, most of Venus's words coming out as babbles. She waved to everyone who cooed at her and anyone who smiled at Angel. He was used to the attention by now, being a younger teacher. Although he wasn't ever a fan when the girls flirted with him throughout the day, he still kept a polite smile on his face.

Venus blew people kisses and giggled when someone asked her name and age. She had gotten attention from someone in each grade by the time they arrived to class. It was so sweet how people reacted to a little girl.

"Good morning class!" Angel greeted as he walked down the aisle through the auditorium.

"Mornin class!" Venus copied while blowing everyone kisses.

"Morning Mr. Heart and little Heart!" The entire class shouted, as if they had planned this beforehand. Angel couldn't help smiling at the students. There were only about nineteen kids in this class, and they were all fun to be around.

He hopped onto the stage, letting Venus wander around and say hi to some of the students while he talked about their plans for the next hour and a half. He then introduced Venus properly, to which Ellis stood up and grabbed her. He didn't move, watching him hug her. Venus looked at her dad and then kissed Ellis on the head, clapping her hands.

She danced around on the stage, even helping draw on the props as the class went on. Students played their improv with her and they all had fun. Of course, there were the kids who didn't like children, but even then it was nice having an energetic mood in the auditorium.

"What a pretty dress, Miss Venus!" One of the students complicated her.

"Daddy says it makes me look like a fairy!"

"Well, I just love fairies!"

By the end of the day, Angel had a new spark in his eyes. He wasn't so tired today. He even took Venus to get some ice cream and see a movie after school. She was more than happy.

And the years went by, and Venus would grow. It was when she turned ten that the world seemed to shift. Her moods were changing, she didn't like all the same things she did as a little girl. Angel found it harder to get along with the young lady, always feeling like he was doing something wrong.

Venus made friends easily, she'd always been social. She went to sleepovers, school parties, fairs and festivals. Angel didn't mind. He wanted her to find herself and be comfortable. He didn't want to watch his daughter go through what he did. High school was one of his biggest regrets, and she would be a teenager soon. He didn't want her to fall in love the way he did. A lie to keep everyone else happy.

She was grateful, of course. Her dad spoiled her despite not having so much money. She came home to food on the table, a warm bed with cold pillows, I love yous every night. She knew it was time to take care of her dad, despite her small resentments towards him. He never spoke of her mom, all she had was a picture of her when she was in high school. Her dad was popular. She didn't want to admit it, but she wished she lived with Lilly. Her mother would understand her.

Angel tried, sure, but he never got the whole thing. He struggled to accommodate to her needs most days. And yes, he taught high school students. He understood how to talk to children and listen to what they need. But when it came to Venus? She never wanted to talk. She just wanted to be left alone. And he let her have that. He never overstepped, and sometimes, she wished he would. She wished he would yell at her and tell her she needed to let her feelings out. She wished he would do what he did for everyone else.

And then one day, when she was walking home from school, she met someone. Or, well, something. A big dog, almost like a wolf, had been following her the whole way. It had purplish fur and eyes like a rainbow. Was that normal? She shrugged it off as she unlocked the door and entered. The dog just walked on in. She didn't say anything as her dad wasn't home yet. He usually stayed later to finish grading so he wouldn't have to do it at home. She decided to get onto her homework, and maybe feeding this stray.

Make everyone happy, right dad? She smiled to herself as she grabbed some leftover chicken, plating it and putting it in front of the dog. He sat in front of the table and quickly began eating. She put her homework down and started to work. She imagined this was what it was like to own a pet, feeding them everyday while they sit by your feet. She would give him a bath and make sure he was okay before sending him out. Hopefully her father wouldn't mind.

And he didn't. He came home an hour later while Venus was checking for fleas. Heart walked over and rubbed the dogs head, asking questions about where he'd come from. He said they would have to take the dog to the vet to check for rabies or illness, and that's when he howled. A loud howl that had Venus jumping towards her father. He laughed lightly and shook his head bringing the girl to her room and saying he was going to let the dog back outside. She agreed that it was for the best, as he wasn't theirs.

Venus didn't see the dog again after that, going about her life. However, the next day, a boy had appeared in their class. Purplish hair and eyes the color of the rainbow. He was annoyingly handsome and boyish, sarcastic remarks flying from his mouth whenever they could. Venus made it appoint not to befriend him.

Except, she did befriend him. She talked to him that first day, and every day after that. She wanted to know who he was and what he was doing. He was a mystery.

Angel took note of his daughter being more interested in hanging out with friends. He didn't mind, he never would. She had people who loved her. He was more than happy to let her be. Of course, this left him completely alone most of the time. He didn't have friends, not anymore. Everyone had sided with Lilly after the divorce and his coming out. They assumed it was his fault that they were divorced, and he didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. He hated that Lilly let everyone think she was a saint at the end of their relationship. She hated that she wasn't owning up to or regretting her choices. He took the blame, and it hurt.

It didn't feel good all the time, when he texted someone happy birthday or merry Christmas and they ignored him. He loved his old life, his old friends. Venus would never get to meet the only people he'd ever had growing up. He was an orphan, after all. He didn't have anyone to talk with.

That's why it was so important that Venus did have someone. She always had Angel, even if she didn't want him. Nobody wanted him for much. He wasn't the person people kept around. He wasn't the person people wanted by their sides. He was just the orphan boy who was too nice for his own good. That's all he ever was.

That's all he ever would be.