Deadbeat

I laid on my tattered sheets, staring at the ceiling. My dinner of warm beer and cornflakes is starting to catch up with me; I can feel my eyes getting heavy. My eyes begin to flutter as I hear a knock at the door. I pause, preparing for what could meet me on the other side. I’ve been lucky in that there hasn’t been much looting in my neighborhood, but I never say never. I stood to answer the door, when the knock on the other side sounded again, more hurriedly. I cracked the door open and saw my ex, Sandra, standing next to my daughter Lacelle. My heart began pounding as I quickly slid the chain latch off of the lock and opened the door wider. “S-Sandy, Lacey!” I uttered. Sandra spoke up before I could say anything else. “Don’t get excited, jackass. We’re just here grabbing Lacey’s shit before we leave. Go, grab your things, honey.” I looked at her inquisitively. “Leave? Where are you going?” Sandra scoffed. “Have you seen what’s going on? The world is going to shit. I’m taking Lacey and we’re catching the next LunaRide. She isn’t going to be here while the Earth crumbles and the idiots left fight over the dirt, and I damn sure ain’t gonna be here.” She looked over at the kitchen table, littered with the remains of a six pack from last week. “Figures. You’ve been too busy staring at the bottom of a beer can.” She turned her head to the back of the house, yelling, “Lace! Come on, scooch your caboose!” I looked back up at her, trying to hide my hurt. “I know what’s going on, Sandy. I just didn’t expect you to just… leave, I guess.” Sandra looked towards me sternly. “First of all, don’t call me Sandy. I don’t like you, and I never will again. Only my friends get to call me Sandy. And second off, what makes you think I would keep my daughter in this kind of environment? I can’t believe you would even consider her staying on this garbage heap. It’s a good thing I’m getting her away from you too, she’d probably die if I left her here with you.” I was taken aback, and rose from my seat on the bed. “How dare you- SHIT-!” I exclaimed, falling on my ass from getting up so quickly. Lacelle walked into the living room, seeing me on the floor and her mother standing over me. “Dad, are you okay? You said a bad word and you’re on the floor!” Sandra grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. “Come on, Lacey, you don’t have to worry about him anymore. We’re leaving.” I scrambled to my knees, crying “Wait! Lacey, hold on!” as I reached for my nightstand. My little girl turned and looked at me expectantly. I opened the top drawer and pulled out a small heart-shaped locket. “This is for you, baby.” I handed her the small necklace, her eyes widening. “I was going to wait till your birthday, but I want you to have it now. It’s a locket. See?” I took the small pendant in my hands, struggling to catch the tiny clasp handle with my fingernail. I opened it, and showed her the pictures it held - one of me and one of her. Her eyes glittered, and she turned to me grinning ear to ear. “Thank you dad!!” she exclaimed. As we shared a smile and a hug, Sandra pulled the chain from Lacey’s hand and carefully examined the pictures inside. “How dare you, you fucking sleaze!” she shouted at me, throwing the necklace in my face. Sandra yanked Lacey back and began storming out the door. Amidst Lacey and I’s cries to wait, the pair walked out and the door slammed behind them. At the door slamming I woke up, sitting in the same position. It must’ve been a nightmare. I slowly rose to my feet, and went for my phone to see if I could get a call through to Sandra and Lacey, maybe see if I could come see them just in case they really were leaving. As I stood up, I noticed two things. One, my phone and my TV were gone, and the door was cracked. Fuck. The second thing I noticed was the sound of the locket hitting the floor.

As I looked down to see what just fell from my lap, my eyes widened. There wouldn’t be a reason for the locket to be out unless… unless it wasn’t a nightmare? I went to the back room. All of Lacey’s things were gone. I checked under her bed, and sighed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t taken her laptop for school, meaning I could check the date and time. I pulled it out and opened it, thanking my stars that it still had some juice. It had been about a day since they’d left. Maybe I could get on a trip and meet them? I slid the locket in my pocket and checked behind my bed for my wallet. Still there, perfect. I flipped through my cards and cash, I had about $74 in cash, and probably something like $1200 in my bank account. I opened the laptop’s browser to log into my bank account, but when it didn’t load, I realized the thieves had taken the router too. Bastards. I realized I’d just have to wing it. The LunaRide station wasn’t too far away, maybe like 3 miles, so I pocketed my wallet, slid a better looking shirt over my head, and strode out the door.

As I trekked down empty and demolished streets, I was in awe. Since the divorce, I’d really had the blinders on. Sandra was the love of my life and hated my guts. She was the mother of my child, and she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. She was strong, and confident. The room went silent when she walked in. And Lacelle had luckily gotten her looks from her mother. She was a gorgeous little lady, and I was so proud to be her dad. I still am. Before the public school system shut down, every report card looked like the beginning of the dictionary, a’s after a’s. I remember pinning every single one up on the fridge, which irritated the hell out of Sandra. She did interior design, and hated clutter. When I think about it, we really were polar opposites. Everything she did spewed class, she was neat and tidy, and she was prompt. She was always the breadwinner, while I stayed home with Lacey. I kept the house clean enough for living, but not for Sandra. She hated seeing Lacey’s toys on the floor and was constantly reminding the two of us to pick up after ourselves. It makes sense why we split, and it makes sense why she took Lacey. The world around us was being torn apart, and neither of us wanted Lacey to have to deal with it. I just kind of wish she took me too. As I walked up to the LunaRide, the blinding brightness of the white paint on the ship and the depot building hit me, sitting amongst the rest of the city going to crap around it. I walked up to the window. “Hello, how much for a seat on the next ride?” The young woman smiled at me, replying, “One adult? One way is $950, round trip is $1700. Which would you like?” I swallowed. I only had enough for one way. All I had was my wallet and the locket, and I had no idea on how I’d be able to get back. I paused. “One way, please.” I slid my card (which thankfully worked) and she handed me the ticket and a pamphlet for first-time space travelers. “Enjoy the trip sir, we hope you have a pleasant flight! You can go ahead and begin boarding, if you need help just ask one of our friendly Astro-Attendants, and we thank you for choosing LunaRide!” I went and found my cabin in the ship, sinking into the red, soft, bench seating. I slid my hand into my pocket, feeling the cool metal of Lacey’s locket against my fingertips. A soft ding, and then a voice came over the intercom. “Attention passengers, this is your Captain Trace speaking. First and foremost thank you for flying with us at LunaRide. We will be commencing liftoff in about 15 minutes, but before we do, our Astro-Attendants will be coming around to ensure that everyone is briefed on the proper safety procedures. During this time we ask that you fasten your seatbelts and remain seated until the liftoff is completed.It’s a 3-day trip, so if you have any needs at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. Please have a wonderful ride, and thank you for joining us through the stars.” As the ship powered beneath me and the attendants walked through the cabin hold, I let my eyes close and the generic twinkling music filled my mind. The ship began moving, and I sank into my seat, falling asleep dreaming of my daughter.