Chapter 27

Ray is quiet on the drive to drops Zaria off at school. Half way there, Zaria prods him for answers. “Daddy, did I do something wrong?”

“We’re both doing something wrong,” he answers with a huff. “What we’re doing is dangerous and it’s completely my fault.” He steals a glance at the girl, seeing her face drooped and confused. “Listen, Zaria. I love you as much as any parent can love their child, but I’ve crossed a line that I can’t uncross. All I can think about is you. When you’re away, I’m depressed and empty. When you’re with me, I can’t keep my dick in my pants. The more we play around like this, the greater chance we get caught.” He pauses to shake his head. “Not only is it illegal for a parent to have sex with their child, but you’re an Ish, and that is not why the program exists. You could end up pregnant. Both our lives could be ruined. I hate to say it, but this has to stop.”

“But Daddy, I love you ... I’m in love with you,” she protests sternly. “I want to be with you all the time. Fuck Mom.” Ray looks over at his daughter again in surprise at her outburst. Zaria begins to cry. “All she cares about is work. She has never wanted me, only you have. She treats us like shit. She’s always gone and only wants sex when she wants it.” She looks up at the man that has raised her, practically all by himself, through tear-filled eyes... “Just the other night she complained that you don’t cum for her anymore. Then she bragged how she got hers. She doesn’t care about you, only herself.” Then she smiles halfheartedly, behind the veil of sadness. “You don’t cum for her because you cum for me. It’s because you want me, because you love me. I keep you going and you’re the one that I love.”

“Now, let’s give your mother some credit,” he counters. “Without her salary, we couldn’t afford to send you to school, or the house or the cars.”

“But you own a business,” she counters his counter.

“Yes,” Ray agrees with a nod. “But the money we get from the store is unreliable. It’s not the same in the winter as the summer. I would be afraid to not be able to pay the bills.” He sighs, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. “One thing you have to realize, regardless of what the situation is between me and your mother, we need her to keep our lives on track and running.”

“Fine, Daddy,” Zaria says, folding her arms across her chest. “But just know that I’m the one that’s here for you. When she can’t keep you happy I will.”

The rest of the drive is spent in silence, but Zaria’s tears continue to flow. When Ray pulls up to her dorm, the Ish immediately springs from the car.

“Zaria!” the man shouts after her, but any of his attempts to stop her and talk to her go unanswered.

Zaria opens the back door and retrieves her suitcase. She slams the door shut and heads down the sidewalk. Ray grunts his anger and squeals the tires, driving off in frustration.