Time to Play
Prologue
Simone listened to her mother yell at her father. She held her teddy close as their argument rose in pitch. At five years old she knew her parents were not perfect. She heard her mother calling her father a ‘cheating scumbag’ all the time. Daniel came into the room. At fifteen, he was much older than she.
“You all right?” he asked.
She nodded her head.
“Why can’t you leave the women alone? You’re the one who wanted me, not the other way around,” her mother screamed.
“It’s getting bad,” she said.
“They argue all the time.” Daniel joined her on the bed. He opened his arms, and she crawled into his warm embrace. She loved her brother when she got to see him. Their father made him go to boarding school, and she didn’t get much time with him.
Her father rarely had any time for her. Being wealthy and adored meant everything to the man she barely knew. Malcolm Allusifa was a man to be reckoned with. He hated seeing her.
“Maybe I’d come home if you looked decent enough. Since you had that girl you’ve let yourself go.”
“Don’t you dare bring Simone into this! She’s precious and your daughter.”
Simone tensed when the argument turned to her. Everything was her fault. Mother and Daniel always said otherwise, but she knew it was why her father was bad.
“Don’t listen to him, Simone. You’re perfect, and never let anyone else tell you otherwise.”
He rocked her in her arms as their father continued to fight with her mother.
Did he even know it was her birthday? She was five today.
****
One year later
Simone stared at her birthday cake. Daniel hadn’t been allowed to come to her party. There had been exams at his school. She stared at the cake wishing someone from her family had been present. Her friends sat around munching on cake as her mother kept phoning her father.
He was supposed to have been to this one. Her mother had said he’d come. She folded her arms over her chest and looked at other mummies and daddies. Why couldn’t hers be like that? She loved her mother and wished they were as caring as the other parents.
When the party was over, her mother took her to daddy’s office. She recognised the building from the picture he kept in his study of it. She’d stared at the building wondering why it was so important to him that he wouldn’t come home.
Her mother held her hand as they climbed into the elevator. She stared at her pigtails on either side, proud of how pretty she looked in her pink dress. Her father would be happy with how she looked. She knew neatness meant a great deal to him, even at a young age.
The moment they entered his office, Simone knew her mother had made a huge mistake. He wasn’t happy. In fact he was angrier than anything she could have imagined.
“Why did you bring that blasted kid with you?” he said, coming around the desk.
Simone hid behind her mother.
“I thought you’d like to see your six year old daughter, or is there another bitch hanging off your every word? You can’t keep it in your pants, can you?”
She didn’t know what her daddy had in his pants. Whatever it was, it kept getting him into trouble.
“You’re going to keep throwing it in my face? If I kept it in my pants you wouldn’t be where you are now,” he said.
Her mother gasped. “How dare you! I wanted you, Malcolm, because I loved you.”
“Yeah, you’ve given me a son, but what good is a girl to me? Waste of space, and you’ve let yourself go.”
Simone pressed her fingers into her ears not wanting to hear any more. When they left she stayed in the living room. The next thing she heard was the sound of suitcases crashing into the hallway. Simone got up from her seat to see her mother throwing her father’s things out onto the drive.
Daddy didn’t come home that night. Or the next. When the cameras began to flash outside of the window, her mother told her they were going on vacation.
****
Everything changed after that day. After spending a great deal of time travelling through Europe they finally came home. They no longer lived in daddy’s house. Her mother had a new house with new memories to make.
Simone never saw her father unless she had to. Daniel stayed with them a few weeks a year. At the age of eight, Simone promised herself she’d find a good, kind man, and they’d get married, and he’d never do anything wrong with the thing in his pants.
She told Daniel her plan. Her brother laughed, ruffling her curls. The years passed, and Simone grew accustomed to her life. She loved the new world her mother had created. There were no more servants shouting at her to be good or keep her noise down.
Her mother played dolls with her, and her friends were allowed to come over all the time. However, there were times she saw her mother crying over a newspaper. When her mother was still in bed, Simone would look at what had caused her parent so much heartache. Pictures of her father, splashed across the news with another woman always made her mother cry.
Simone listened to her mother yell at her father. She held her teddy close as their argument rose in pitch. At five years old she knew her parents were not perfect. She heard her mother calling her father a ‘cheating scumbag’ all the time. Daniel came into the room. At fifteen, he was much older than she.
“You all right?” he asked.
She nodded her head.
“Why can’t you leave the women alone? You’re the one who wanted me, not the other way around,” her mother screamed.
“It’s getting bad,” she said.
“They argue all the time.” Daniel joined her on the bed. He opened his arms, and she crawled into his warm embrace. She loved her brother when she got to see him. Their father made him go to boarding school, and she didn’t get much time with him.
Her father rarely had any time for her. Being wealthy and adored meant everything to the man she barely knew. Malcolm Allusifa was a man to be reckoned with. He hated seeing her.
“Maybe I’d come home if you looked decent enough. Since you had that girl you’ve let yourself go.”
“Don’t you dare bring Simone into this! She’s precious and your daughter.”
Simone tensed when the argument turned to her. Everything was her fault. Mother and Daniel always said otherwise, but she knew it was why her father was bad.
“Don’t listen to him, Simone. You’re perfect, and never let anyone else tell you otherwise.”
He rocked her in her arms as their father continued to fight with her mother.
Did he even know it was her birthday? She was five today.
****
One year later
Simone stared at her birthday cake. Daniel hadn’t been allowed to come to her party. There had been exams at his school. She stared at the cake wishing someone from her family had been present. Her friends sat around munching on cake as her mother kept phoning her father.
He was supposed to have been to this one. Her mother had said he’d come. She folded her arms over her chest and looked at other mummies and daddies. Why couldn’t hers be like that? She loved her mother and wished they were as caring as the other parents.
When the party was over, her mother took her to daddy’s office. She recognised the building from the picture he kept in his study of it. She’d stared at the building wondering why it was so important to him that he wouldn’t come home.
Her mother held her hand as they climbed into the elevator. She stared at her pigtails on either side, proud of how pretty she looked in her pink dress. Her father would be happy with how she looked. She knew neatness meant a great deal to him, even at a young age.
The moment they entered his office, Simone knew her mother had made a huge mistake. He wasn’t happy. In fact he was angrier than anything she could have imagined.
“Why did you bring that blasted kid with you?” he said, coming around the desk.
Simone hid behind her mother.
“I thought you’d like to see your six year old daughter, or is there another bitch hanging off your every word? You can’t keep it in your pants, can you?”
She didn’t know what her daddy had in his pants. Whatever it was, it kept getting him into trouble.
“You’re going to keep throwing it in my face? If I kept it in my pants you wouldn’t be where you are now,” he said.
Her mother gasped. “How dare you! I wanted you, Malcolm, because I loved you.”
“Yeah, you’ve given me a son, but what good is a girl to me? Waste of space, and you’ve let yourself go.”
Simone pressed her fingers into her ears not wanting to hear any more. When they left she stayed in the living room. The next thing she heard was the sound of suitcases crashing into the hallway. Simone got up from her seat to see her mother throwing her father’s things out onto the drive.
Daddy didn’t come home that night. Or the next. When the cameras began to flash outside of the window, her mother told her they were going on vacation.
****
Everything changed after that day. After spending a great deal of time travelling through Europe they finally came home. They no longer lived in daddy’s house. Her mother had a new house with new memories to make.
Simone never saw her father unless she had to. Daniel stayed with them a few weeks a year. At the age of eight, Simone promised herself she’d find a good, kind man, and they’d get married, and he’d never do anything wrong with the thing in his pants.
She told Daniel her plan. Her brother laughed, ruffling her curls. The years passed, and Simone grew accustomed to her life. She loved the new world her mother had created. There were no more servants shouting at her to be good or keep her noise down.
Her mother played dolls with her, and her friends were allowed to come over all the time. However, there were times she saw her mother crying over a newspaper. When her mother was still in bed, Simone would look at what had caused her parent so much heartache. Pictures of her father, splashed across the news with another woman always made her mother cry.