Extended Space

Extended Space

Heart pounding, head throbbing, Morgan inhaled deeply as she extended her arms to meet the grimy window sill.  Her arms quivered as she pulled her head and torso into the dark hole.  As she brought her legs through the empty space, a sudden brightness pierced her eyes, sending her crashing down onto the worn out carpet.  

“Did you have a good time?”  A flash of panic followed by a flood of annoyance bombarded Morgan’s system, toxin coursing through her veins.  She lifted her eyes to meet those of her father.  He was leaning against the wall, trying to seem calm, but the edge in his voice and the glint in his eyes betrayed him.  “Who is he to question me?”

“It’s not what you think, “ Morgan mumbled as she rose to her full stature.  “And even if it was, it’s not that big of a deal, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m exhausted and I want to go to bed.”  As Morgan prepared to make the few steps across the cluttered room to the bathroom, he stopped her.

“No, Morgan, we need to talk about this.  Where were you?  Who were you with?  Have you done this more than once, for Christ’s sake, what the hell were you thinking?  You’re sixteen, Morgan, you’re still a child.  Children shouldn't be out at two in the morning.”  Silence filled the room, the only sound generated from the bells that rang in Morgan’s ears.  “I expected more from you.”  His voice rose, the slight tremors at the end of his sentences allowed Morgan to gauge just how mad he was.

“Just back off, okay?” Morgan spoke with confidence, matching her father’s tone, a skill she picked up from her brothers.  “I’m responsible, you know that, and so are my friends.  I’m home and I’m obviously fine, no harm has been done here, so it doesn't matter what I was doing or who I was with.  Just leave me alone.  I can take care of myself.  I've been doing it for years.”  

Morgan’s words were becoming more slurred, and she hastily moved towards the bathroom, swaying as if she were at sea.  The earth took a sharp turn to the right, falling out from beneath her.  Her frame stiffened as she tried to fight the fall,  but her body ignored the desires of her mind, and she crumbled to the floor for a second time.  Laying on the ground with her limbs sprawled out around her, Morgan’s cheeks burned a deep shade of crimson as she felt the eyes of her father boring a hole into her back.  She pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet, face hidden in the crevice between her bent knees, hands pressed firmly into the floor.  They anchored Morgan in place as she resisted the movements of the earth.  

“It’s evident that you can’t take care of yourself.  If you could, you wouldn't be in this position, making yourself feel this way.”  Watching his daughter collapse, his worst fears were confirmed, turning his stomach to lead.   

“You don’t know what I’m feeling, you don’t know me at all.”  

“I don’t know you?  I know more about you than you think, in fact, I know things about you that you haven’t even realized yourself.  And as to how you’re feeling, Morgan, someday I’ll tell you about my reckless nights.”  Morgan’s father waited for Morgan to give up, acknowledge the truth he spoke, and go back to being the girl she had been a year ago.  His mind took him back to Morgan’s fifth birthday, when he taught her how to ride a bike.  The memories he cherished from Morgan’s childhood comforted his soul, allowing him to ignore the stranger his daughter had become.

Morgan’s erratic movements shattered the memory he had called upon, and the past abandoned him leaving only the present to deal with.  “Oh, really?” Morgan sarcastically retorts, her dry tone made her father’s skin crawl.  “Some day?  I highly doubt that.  How are you going to have time to tell me stories when all you do is work and spend time with Mark and David?”  Morgan paused, swallowing repeatedly to get rid of the tightness that constricted her vocal chords.  “That’s right, I forgot.  This is just another one of your empty promises.  I’m done with them, so stop wasting my time.”  

Morgan’s voice cracked as she turned away from her father and lurched towards the bathroom for the final time. Heart aching, head screaming, Morgan gulped for air as she extended her arms to meet the brass doorknob.