Page 22 of Black
“She has survived by working in a motel where the owner allowed her to sleep at night. That’s all I know.”
“Good.”
He was still writing when I remembered another detail. “Oh and she got through high school and didn’t want to be in a foster family because she said she didn’t want anyone to abuse her. She wouldn’t tell me, but I got the feeling that her mom abused her in some way.”
“Thank you.” He took a few moments to finish his notes before he looked up. “Now, Gabriel, your role will be the parent and since you’re male you’ll take the role of Cia’s father. Do you have any children?” he asked.
“No.”
“Did you have a good father yourself?”
“For the first five years I did.”
“Elaborate, please.”
“My biological father was awesome and fun. But he got killed in battle and then my mom married my stepdad, who isn’t a very nice man.”
Bruce tapped his chin. “What do you mean by that?”
I scoffed. “Well, to be frank, my stepdad is extremely self-centered and mentally tortured his children.”
“Including you?”
“No, mostly his own three kids. My mom always protected me, so I never got the worst of it like they did.”
“Did he hit them or abuse them sexually?”
“No, nothing like that. It was more about verbally demeaning them a lot. I mean, the guy is old school and believes in shame, blame, and punishment.”
“Physical punishment?”
“Yeah, but nothing extreme… just a quick spanking or a slap on the face. It’s mostly the hateful words that he masters.”
“All right. Now, with Cia, you should expect her to challenge you. Especially as we move her up in her years.”
“Years?”
“We’ll start her out as a baby and you’ll care for her.”
My brows shot up to my hairline and then I broke into a laugh. “Come again?”
Bruce didn’t even smile. “You will be assigned a cabin and it’s your job to offer Cia the care of a father.”
“But what does that mean exactly?” I asked, feeling perplexed.
“It varies depending on her age of course, but today you’ll start out by nurturing her as you would an infant.”
“I’ve never cared for an infant.”
“Well, it’s not complicated. Basically you make sure she gets fed, you put her to bed, sing her a good-night song, and take care of her needs.”
I scratched my neck and searched for something to say, but I couldn’t stop smiling, wondering if this was a prank of some kind.
“You understand that I met my niece yesterday, right? We don’t have a close relationship and even if we had, what you’re asking is bizarre.”
“As I said,” Bruce said dryly. “Our methods are hands-on and somewhat unorthodox, but the good news is that I’ll be following Cia’s progress closely and I’ll be here to support you. The more she cooperates and shows healthy behavior, the quicker she can progress to the next level.”
“And what is the next level?”
