Diary Dearest

Diary Dearest, 

Today is my birthday. And YOU are my present. I asked for a Barbie with different outfits to change up but I guess you will do. Nobody talks to me here or even at school so now I can tell YOU EVERYTHING! And you can’t say go away or call me Smelly Kelly or push me into the basketball pole on the playground. I asked Daddy for chocolate cake for my birthday but he said no. He says no to everything. He’s just the worst. AND he’s drinking again. I hate when he drinks because his face gets extra red and angry. I bet he doesn’t even know I turned 9 today. 

Diary Dearest, 

I made a friend today. She’s a new girl at school. Her name is Maria and she’s so nice to me! She’s so pretty too. Her hair is brown and curly and I wish my hair was curly too. She is super smart and can read any book in the library if she wanted to but mostly she likes books about horses. I told her I have a horse and it’s white so it looks like a unicorn and her name is Daffodil. I told her I can ride Daffodil any time I want and my brother can’t because he’s too mean. Like Daddy. They both don’t get to ride Daffodil but if I had a mom I bet she would be sweet as pumpkin pie and I would let her ride Daffodil. She would teach me how to braid hair and we could braid Daffodils tail. 

Diary Dearest, 

I sat with Maria again at lunch today and you will never believe what she did! She put a brownie on Jackie’s seat right before she sat down when nobody was looking and so it looked like Jackie made a huge mess in her pants and then EVERYONE was laughing and Jackie was crying and it was hilarious!! Nobody saw her do it except me and I didn’t tell on her even when Mrs. Shultz got crazy angry and told the class we HAD to tell her who did it. Zip it lock it put it in your pocket. That’s what I told Maria and then we laughed and laughed! I’m so glad Maria is my friend. She looks out for me. But I can’t ask her to come over. I don’t want her to meet Daddy. He smashed up the TV last night and then got angry that I didn’t clean it up fast enough. Charlie just stayed in his room and pretended he didn’t hear it. 

Diary Dearest, 

Me and Maria had fun again at school today. You know how our coat rack is right by the bathrooms in the hall? Well Maria thought it would be funny if we took Danny’s lunch box after recess and really quick went into the bathroom and dunked it in the toilet then put it back. At lunch he couldn’t even eat anything in his lunchbox because it smelled like toilets and was so gross! Danny tripped me in gym class yesterday and I hit my elbow so hard I cried and the other kids thought it was funny. But Maria didn’t laugh. She just looked at Danny and I KNEW she was hatching a plan. Sometimes I wonder if Maria was kicked out of her last school. She sure can get her paybacks to kids. But I don’t care. She’s my friend. 

Diary Dearest, 

Maria keeps asking to come over. I keep saying no but she may just follow me home one of these days. And then what if she asks Charlie about Daffodil and he’s all like who is Daffodil. She has to stay away. And maybe Daddy will be drunk too. No. She can’t come here. I hope she’s not mad at me. 

Diary Dearest, 

Well just like I knew, Maria followed me home anyway. She said she didn’t care what my house looked like or if Daddy was home, she’d hide and he wouldn’t see her anyway. So I said fine. But if he comes out swearing and hitting just run, like I do. She said she would and I believed her. And she did! Daddy was being rotten, Charlie was locked up in his room again ignoring it all, and then Maria left to go home and I got in bed to write and go to sleep. Goodnight! 

Diary Dearest, 

Maria came home with me again today. She said she doesn’t mind how Daddy is, she has a plan anyway. So I wondered what her plan was, but she wouldn’t tell me. Daddy was passed out on the couch when we got home. Charlie wasn’t around. Then Maria went into the kitchen and got one of the big knives from the drawer. She was smiling and then all of a sudden she just cut up Daddy’s throat and cut cut cut and there was red everywhere just like Daddy’s face when he drinks too much and gets angry. But Maria was smiling. She took the knife to the sink and washed it real good then asked me to show her where the shed was in the yard. I showed her and she buried the knife under the shed in the back real deep. Said nobody would look there anyway. Then we heard Charlie screaming so Maria said she’d see me in school tomorrow and ran off home and I went inside. Charlie was still screaming and then asked why I was laughing. I didn’t even know I was. Then the cops came and Charlie said he got home and found Daddy like that and that when I got home after him I must have been in shock to see Daddy like that. I know Maria won’t tell. Because best friends zip it lock it put it in my pocket. 

Diary Dearest, 

Maria wasn’t in school today. Nobody even seemed to notice she was gone but me. Me and Charlie stayed with Aunt Brenda last night. She’s really nice to us kids. She said we didn’t have to go to school today and Charlie stayed with her but I said why wouldn’t I go? But now Maria is gone. It’s ok though. I bet Maria will come back when I need her.