Going home to talk to my mother about my father being my substitute teacher was not something I ever thought I would have to do.

Sara and I had reached home and started approaching the house, where there was a black ford escape in the driveway. A car that did not belong to our mother. When we got inside, my mother was laughing with my father next to her on the couch. With the red wine glasses on the table, I could only assume the worst.

“Mom?”

“Ally, Sara,” she said getting up to straighten her clothes that had exposed her cleavage. “I didn’t think you guys would be home so soon.”

“How did you beat the bus to the house?” I stared at my father for answers.

“As soon as I talked to you, I quickly left. Your mother called me and asked me to come over.”

“Well,” I started, “Since Sara and I are back home. You are not need here.”

“You should really just leave,” Sara stepped in front of me and stood near Mom. She and I, both, hoped he would just listen to us.

“Girls,” Mom looked us both in the eyes. “Your father will be moving in. He will be staying in the guest room in the back.”

Sara and I looked at each other and then at her, “WHAT?!”

“Girls, he changed his ways, and he needs a place to stay.”

“I don’t care,” Sara started. Sara had a stronghold to our mother. “He left us. He hurt us, Mom. That is unforgivable.”

“Sara,” she softly said. “I can’t just let him stay in the streets.”

“He has money from that mistress he left you for, right?”

“I do not,” with firmness my father’s voice took a grab on my sisters’ weak soul.

“Mom,” I started, “It’s us or him.”

She took a deep breath and water started dripping from her eyes. I could not help it. He does not get to come back and take over our home. Our home is what we have rebuild because of him. “Girls,” she sobbed, “Please let your father stay.”

That fact that it was her crying and not him begging for us to let him stay is what made me say, “Why? He does not love us. Look, Mom, he’s making you beg us. He puts you down, and you deserve better Mom. So, please, don’t bring him back into our lives.” I walked towards her. Her tears fell faster, and her sobbing was out of control. I bent down to her, “Mom, you told us that we were a team. Let us pick you back up from this. We are the ones,” I reached for her checks, “that have been here for you. We are a team, Mom. We love you,” I could feel water running down my cheeks. “Mom,” I started sobbing, “please, don’t let us have to deal with this again.”

She reached for my check, “I’m sorry, but he can stay until he can get on his feet.” Sara ran upstairs. “SARA,” she cried after my sister.

“If he’s staying, I will not,” she screamed on her way upstairs.

“Lynn, if the girls do not want me here, I should go somewhere else.”

She looked at my father, “Nick, are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he said walking towards my mother. I stepped in between them.

“That’s close enough.” I pointed at him, “Sara, may have been too young to know what happened, but I remember really well.” He looked at me and started to walk out. My mother chases after him, but before she could do that, I grabbed her arm, “Mom!”

“Allison, let me go.”

“No, he will hurt us again. I can not let that happen to us.”

She pulled her arm away and ran after him. Why? She knows what he did, and why does she want that back?