Yearner Girl

Anya just snapping around like PAPA LOVES ME????

Having to bite her tongue and Not say it back because he's looking at her Real confused and he'll know she's a mind reader if she just starts saying that back or him at the park.

Biting her tongue and waiting. Wanting to say it back to him. Eager for the opportunity.

Him getting nervous because She's clearly nervous about something and He doesn't know what.

Yor knowing something is off all of the sudden but not knowing what. Loid expressing his own concern and confusion. Maybe Yor can ask her? Anya clams up when he does.

But she can't tell Mama. Because what if Mama thinks it's weird she's so eager to say I Love You to her Papa who has always been hers. (Except not really)

Almost saying it at dinner. But is that strange when they never said it before? It's not hamburger steak. If she said I love you after hamburger steak they'd understand.

Not wanting to say it at all during homework time.

Sitting next to him on the couch while they read spy wars together as they have so many nights before and wanting to say it. Him wondering why she's so distracted.

Her bringing out a book at bedtime and asking him to read it. "That one's short enough. I suppose. Just the one book, it's getting late."

Watching him the whole time because she wants to hear Him say it again and she's so nervous. Him closing the book and sitting next to her on the bed and asking her in that gentle tone of his what's wrong.

"I love you Papa." Forcing it out because she's still so scared to say it. Almost incomprehensible as she buries it in his thigh as she clings to him.

But he understands. She hears him echo it. She... Loves me? "I... I love you too." And there is no lie in his head as he pets hers. Even if it hurts him to say like it hurt her a little to say.

Pops her head up. "I love you Papa!" Meets his eyes.

"I love you Anya." He echoes back. Like they are practicing saying it. Which they are. Unfamiliar words. Words for Yor and Anya but not him.

Throws her arms around his neck and hugs him. "I love you. I love you Papa."

He holds her back. Those words are so hard to say. Terrifying and horrible and certainly mean the end for him. Squeezes her tight to his chest. How did she know? Did she? Or is this just his adopted daughter being so much braver than him. Than he could ever be?

"I love you Anya." There are tears and a smile that is too real for his face. "I love you."

- sneezed wrong

- turned your neck a little too fast

- slept weird

- took the trash out to the curb and stepped at a slightly different angle than usual

- breathed

- failed to breathe properly

- breathed in the wrong stuff. Allergy time

- looked too hard at something too far away

the procedure to remove me is medically and legally a late term abortion. i was aborted, and it saved my life. if they hadn’t aborted me, my mother and i would both be dead, my siblings would have been left with a dead mother, and i would have never even gotten a chance to live a single day. and now, people are being denied this procedure and dying because it’s literally an abortion!! mothers and their babies are being killed because their doctors are not allowed to perform life-saving abortions.

on the same note, my sister was recently denied an abortion. which is to say, cleaning out the already dead fetus after she had a miscarriage from a wanted pregnancy. they refused treatment unless the DEAD fetus was actively killing her, because the procedure to remove it is medically and legally an abortion. they basically said to her “come back when you’re dying of an infection or sepsis or something, until then you just have to bleed out.” my sister could have died from this, people HAVE died from being denied abortions after having a miscarriage. if she was one of these people, my sister would have been dead, my mother would have to live the rest of her life without her daughter, and my nephew would have had to live the rest of his life without a mother.

"on the wrong side of 40" "huh, which side is that?"