“Do you love me?” His voice cracked with sadness, as if he were asking for forgiveness.
I hesitated, then nodded.
“Huh?” He sniffled, squeezing me tighter. The stubble on his chin pressed hard into my cheek. “Do you love Daddy?” Tears dripped from his face onto the back of my neck.
I nodded again.
“Say it for me. Tell Daddy you love him.”
His breathing became heavier. I tried to move away, but he pinned my arms to my sides. His body shuddered as another tear hit my neck, and panic swelled inside me. Seeing and hearing my father cry scared me. I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me and was terrified of giving him the wrong answer. “I love you, Daddy,” I said.
“Oh God …” he moaned, kissing me again and again.
I swallowed and stood still, letting my body relax in his grip. Part of my face was squished against his chest, but out of the corner of one eye I could see the map and the Sea of Success. My eye followed the dotted line from island to island, all the way to the buried treasure.
An earlier version of the story is featured in
Adelaide Literary Magazine.