Page 22 - Contrast2014

Maura Wesen

Daddy's Little Pumpkin

He never let her live down the day he saved all of their
lives, even though he only noticed the smoke because he
was going out for his last (I really mean it this time)
cigarette. He had quit smoking most of the time and he
thought he had her fooled, but he didn't account for the
smell, and she always knew. Now his little pumpkin is off
getting a degree somewhere and his (I think we'd be better
off not living together anymore) wife meets (the name's
Jeff) from the grocery store every week. Now he smokes a
pack a day because there's no one to tell him how bad it is
and his cough's gotten so loud it makes children stare.
The firemen had missed the girl because she got night
terrors and wasn't in her bed, but he knew all of her
hiding places (ma'am, your family is very lucky your
husband noticed the smoke when he did. It could have
been more than just possessions you lost tonight). He tells
the bartender the story every Saturday because it was the
last time his daughter saw him as a hero (he made my
mom move out and kept the house for himself). It didn't
matter anyway that the house burned (we'll just have to
make a new home, right daddy?) (We'll always have a
home with each other, pumpkin).

contrast I 20