Memories of Darcy (Two)

iii.
I pretend I am asleep
on Friday nights after Mum leaves
for the night shift
and Daddy snores on the couch.

I pretend so I can see Darcy,
silent and sad,
prepare herself for the evening.
I watch her color her cheeks pink
and smear black on her eyes.

Her ritual is unknown
by all but me,
and I love the secret we share.

My nerves tingle in my belly
as Darcy climbs through the window
and is consumed by the night.

iv.
Sometimes
Daddy forgets her has to love his girls
too.

I see it in his eyes
when Rory smacks a baseball into the air,
so far away
no one bothers to chase it.

He calls out,
"That's my boy!"
clapping and beaming.

I sit in the grass beside him,
and draw in my notebook.

"See my pretty picture, Daddy?"

But he never hears me.