She always was an unusual girl. She refused to cry for her first day of life, which had the doctors (as well as her mother and I) quite worried, but she was fine, just determined to be different.
Her mother, Anna, always thought there was something odd about her, and often refused to hold her. I pencilled it in to post-natal depression, but she refused to get over it, and her interactions with our little Madeline were always a little strained. I guess I tried to make up for this lack of parental support by heaping more attention and love on our little girl, which put a bit of a strain on our relationship.
Madeline didn't speak until she was three. We had her tested for hearing impairments, learning difficulties and a variety of other possible causes. We needn't have worried, as she suddenly, without warning, one day said, "Daddy, how come Uncle Joey only visits when you are not here?"
Unsurprisingly, this opened up a huge can of worms. Anna cried and started throwing blame every which way. I tried to get her to talk it through, but she said she didn't love me anymore, and couldn't stand her daughter, who always looks at her strangely and acts so strangely.
So, I got sole custody of Madeline, and we watched Anna pack her things, get into 'Uncle Joey's' car and drive off, not once looking at us. I stood there at a loss, wondering how this could have happened, and a small hand snuck into my own. I looked down at my daughter, a smile lit up her bright green eyes, and she said, "Don't be sad, daddy. I will still be here to look after you." She was completely unfazed with her mother leaving.
As she grew up, she continued to do odd things. She had an invisible friend, who apparently liked to stack things, which lead to odd piles of books, often 6 feet high (I never worked out how she managed this). I would wake, and she would be standing by the bed, staring at me, her face inches from my own. She would say that she was 'protecting my sleep', whatever that meant. Her drawings would be unbelievably detailed, even from a young age, and would be things like evil princesses kidnapping poor monsters, or strange amalgamations of different animals, which she each gave names and a detailed backstory to.
As she got older she was always a bit of a loner. This wasn't because she had trouble making friends, she just never seemed to want to, or even see the point of them. One day she did make a friend, and they became really close for a time, only for Madeline to call the friendship off, as it had only been an 'experiment'.
She grew older still, and still remained odd. She always seemed not quite there, as if she lived in her own little world. She wore oversized baggy clothes that hid her body, even in summer, and wore her pretty blonde hair way back in a ponytail. She wore large glasses all the time, even though she only really needed them for reading.
Even though I could see she was odd, I still loved her. She would tell me everything about her days, and we would work on the car together, or watch movies, and she became a friend as much as a daughter. She also enjoyed sitting in the corner during my fortnightly poker games with my friends, just listening to us joke around. Looking back, I think that was where the big problem may have begun.
Big Al was a big of a braggart, and liked to make fun of us all, in a good natured way. He also had just taken a large hand off of me, throwing down a full house over my three two's.
"Damn, Harry," he said, "What is with you today? Did you forget to charge your poker brain before the game? I am taking everything form you!"
"Give it a rest, Al," I replied, feeling grumpy about the loss. "Not in the mood."
"Everything okay, Harry?" asked Little Al. Little Al was very short, barely reaching 5 feet tall. He is quiet and sensitive, and a real friend to have around.
"He's alright, just having a bad run of it, right, mate?" added Chuck, our fourth player, and one of my closest friends.
"I'll say, a bad run in everything, including the ladies!" laughed Big Al. "That's what you need, Harry, a nice, warm pussy to take away all your stress!"
"You could do with getting out, and finding someone," put in Chuck. "You might be a bit happier with a new lass, despite how much I hate agreeing with Al."
"Not a new lass! Pussy! PUSSY! It will kill all of that stress, and you will find your life a happier, calmer place, and it will even chase off heart disease. Hell, that is why a guy my size still hasn't kicked the bucket!"
We all laughed, until I caught sight of Madeline off to the side, still silent, with one of those thoughtful expressions on her face.
"Cool it guys, don't forget we have an audience."
"Oops, sorry Mads, forgot you were there. I guess you are the closest thing to a girl your dad's ever gonna get, huh?"
+++++++++++++++++++++
Our lives continued, and Madeline continued to go her odd way. She started going to a local college, going for a degree in advanced science, but stayed living with me. Her eighteenth birthday came and we celebrated with a nice bottle of red wine, talking for aged. Afterwards I felt exhausted, so staggered back to bed and collapsed on to it, asleep before my head hit the pillow.
When I woke, I saw Madeline standing next to my bed staring at me she was wearing her over-large white robe, but her hair was still dry in her ponytail, so she hadn't just gotten out of the shower. I struggled back to awakedness, suddenly struck by how pretty she had become. Her skin was flawless, her face finely shaped, and her eyes those amazing pools of green. With a start I saw she was wearing make-up, which I had never seen her bother with before.
