• Yells were heard in the kitchen, quickly followed by the sounds of plates colliding with the floor with a loud crash.
    "YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING! YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING FOR THIS FAMILY" a feminine and teary voice shouted with the sounds of more porcelain breaking.
    "WHAT ABOUT YOU?! IT'S NOT ALL MY FAULT" a gruff voice yelled back. The noises continued as a small girl hugged her little teddy bear tighter. Small tears ran down her pale cheeks, her dark eyes tightly closed shut. The little nightgown she wore did nothing to shield her from the cold as she shivered slightly from the slight breeze. Father had come home with messed up clothes and a drunken walk, leaving the door open mistakenly. The cold winter breeze infiltrated the house and chilled the small girl huddled in the hallway.
    "Daddy..." her frail voice almost whimpered as more tears dropped onto Mr.Bear's chocolate brown fur. Father suddenly crashed out of the kitchen, an infuriated expression on his face.
    "IF YOU WANT ME TO LEAVE SO BADLY THEN I'LL GRANT YOUR WISH!" he shouted angrily as he completely ignored the small girl.
    "Daddy why are you leaving?" she cried before throwing Mr.Bear at him with all the strength in her tiny body.
    "I want you to stay" she buried her face in her hands while sobs racked her body. The only response she got was the sound of a door being slammed shut.

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    tab The stars twinkled dully in the sky as mother carried the little girl back up to her room. A light kiss on the forehead was the action as she closed the door slowly on the slumbering child. In contrast to the tiny hands that clutched the bear, thin and almost tired hands picked the stuffed animal up slowly. A folded piece of paper stuck out of Mr.Bear's back, showing the location of the hidden pocket. Tears splashed onto the now unfolded paper, it's message loud and clear. Mother collapsed onto the hard wood floor, her tears silent while she cried for her young daughter. The little scribble was so tiny it was almost unnoticeable but it's letters and message were as clear as day.

    I wish Mommy and Daddy stopped fighting

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    I wish the story would end happily. With the idea that the father would come home and apologize to his wife and child. That he would stop drinking and stop fighting. That the little girl would grow up with a dad and mom in a sweet, happy and full family
    Sadly, most stories do not end that way. Some end with the mother eventually divorcing the father and taking the child. Some end with the father taking the child. This certain story ends with the mother taking care of her child, assuring her that it wasn't her fault. Assuring her that father didn't hate her, he only didn't want to come home anymore. Assuring her that they could survive without him and that mommy would always love her, now and forever. And she kept that promise. She still kept it whenever the little girl came home crying from her first heart break. She still kept it when the little girl left for college to live on her own. She still kept it on her daughter's wedding when the little girl's grandfather walked her up the aisle. She kept it until her last day where she passed away in her sleep silently, her wrinkled and old hands grasping the tiny teddy bear. The little girl shed no bitter tears at her funeral, only tears of sadness and happiness that mommy died with no regrets. No regrets at all.