Jaemi stood quietly by the doorway, too afraid to make any slight noise. The only sound that could be heard throughout the large house was the ticking of a grandfather clock and the chirping of the waking birds outside. Jaemi had always been a light sleeper and had a strange habit of waking up very early. However, the same could not be said about her daddy. He who liked his sleep immensely, would never get out of bed unless if he had to go to work. So when Jaemi woke up to find that her dad was already awake on his day off, she was very perplexed. Although she was only five years old, she was old enough to recognize the signs, that something was wrong.

She watched wordlessly as her dad emptied his closet, madly, as if the apocalypse would befall them tomorrow. Hurriedly, he packed away his clothes and tossed other essentials into a large duffel bag.

His strange behaviour was not completely out of nowhere. All Jaemi knew was that there was a fight the previous night, between him and Mommy. It was times like these when Jaemi felt uneasy because he was completely unlike the warm and caring father that she knew. His temper was unpredictable but lately it has been constantly present.

She followed him around the house as he hastily retrieved all of his belongings. They went like this, with her trailing after him from room to room before finally arriving at his study. He stormed over to his desk and rummaged around in a drawer. Jaemi saw him take out several items including his car keys, and a wad of money which he stuffed into his jeans pocket. Then, he pushed past her out of the study without giving her a single glance.

Seeing her daddy acting so rashly, Jaemi clutched harder on her plush bunny seeking some comfort. She watched the back figure of her dad walking out the front door with the duffel bag slung around his shoulder. With the sudden realization that he was leaving, panic set in and she ran to catch up with him. The stuffed bunny fell onto the floor, forgotten.

Little Jaemi clung desperately onto the leather sleeve of his jacket. "But where are you going Daddy?" She asked with a shaky voice. He didn't answer so Jaemi tried again, this time more firmly. "When will you be back?"

Perhaps he noticed her demanding tone because her dad sighed and kneeled down to look her in the eyes. I’m sorry, Jaemi, my daughter. Someday you will understand.

Jaemi's eyes widened. She was sure that she heard Daddy say something but his lips hadn’t parted from its grim line at all. Being young didn't make her an idiot; obviously hearing his voice even though he hadn’t spoken was a strange phenomenon. Her father took in her startled expression and smiled. And without a word he left disappearing with the setting sun that sunk below the horizon.

Jaemi stared helplessly after her father, wondering if he had discussed his leave with Mommy the previous night. Perhaps he needed a break from them to cool off.

Little did she know that that was the last time she would ever see her daddy. And that afternoon, it was Jaemi who discovered her mom lying unconscious in the bed of her parents’ shared bedroom. From then on everything went crumbling downhill.