MARCETTA DAVIS - HOW TO SAVE MY LIFE

Marcetta Davis is currently living in small town of Live Oak, Florida.  She currently is in college studying Creative writing at Full Sail University in Orlando, Fl.  She works during the day as a preschool teacher and at night goes to college online.  Her dreams is to put out stories for Pixar, Disney and Lucus films.  Her influences are Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, and George Lucus.  Marcetta enjoys the Golden Age of Hollywood and inspires her constantly.  She hopes to someday see her stories come to the silver screens around the world.

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                            How to Save My Life
 
          It was a cold and dank morning in New York City, when Alexander and his energetic five year old daughter crossed the street.  It was a day that Alexander had been dreading for months, he was facing his now ex-wife Ava and the son he thought was his.    As they entered the Apartment complex, Lilly  grabbed his hand and just smiled totally oblivious to the situation that would someday present itself.  They entered the elevator with a walk of dread for one and a light bounce of excitement for the other.
      "Daddy, which floor are we going to again?"  Lilly asked in a needy voice.  She was so excited to see her mother and her brother.  The excitement was essentially killing her on the inside. While the first question left her small occupied brain, she wondered  how many floors high this building was.  In her mind this was seeming like forever. She then looked at the buttons on the elevator fingering them " Do you think Jacob will like the cars that I picked out?"
        Alexander  looked down at his little girl that he loved with all his heart. " I think he will love to have the cars and playdoh for his birthday."  He loved the way that Lilly was a perfect blend of Ava and him.  He had sat down with her and talked with her about what was going on. He wondered exactly how much Jacob and Lilly understood of the situation.  He knew one day he was going to have to tell Lilly about Jacob. He knew the dark secret could destroy them all in one blow.
        Lilly looked at the elevator buttons changing before her eyes and this seemed to calm her down. In a quiet tone,  she innocently asked "How long are we going to live like this Daddy? Don’t you miss Mommy and Jacob?  I don’t like two houses."  She had a million questions running through her little mind.  If you could open her brain you would see a hamster on a hamster wheel running wild.
      Alexander was taken with the questions.  How do you tell a five year old that this is permanent and that you can not forgive her mother. He was now watching her make silly faces and trying to entertain herself in the elevator. "  Sweet girl, this is forever.  There is a lot that you will know later but not right now. But I do love your mother, she gave me the best gift in the whole world."
      "What is that, Daddy?"  Lilly said with a toothy grin that stretched across her face.
 
       "It is you, you are the best thing that your mother could have given me."  He looked at the little girl tugging at her red coat and reached for her little hand. He shifted the gifts in his tired arms. He softly sang to her " You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. When your not happy my skies are grey.  You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away."  
       The little girl looked at the man that was now looking weary and worn by the world.  His starch white collar and blood red tie that matched his tear stained face.  She knew that her daddy's heart was broken into a million pieces and it was displayed on his face.  She hugged his leg and held on for dear life "I love you  Daddy and it will be ok, I promise" Lilly said in a mumble.
        He did see a ray of light in his little Lilly's eyes and he fell in love again.  Lilly had the same chocolate brown eyes as her mother, Ava.  She had the same overgrown heart, in fact he always told Ava that what she was.  The ultimate thing that hurt him was the fact that Ava was unfaithful to his commitment and their family.  Then  she lied about Jacob and he had his heart about like Lilly did.  It crushed his world when Jacob's father turned up trying to be the Father of the year.   His whole world rose and set on Lilly and that is all that mattered to him.
The elevator gave a sudden jolt as if to bring reality to his execution feeling of a mind frame.  His world no longer seemed so dreadful and horrible, it actually was brighter.  He realized that the little girl beside him was not actually sent for him to love, but she was actually sent to save him.  He glanced and looked at the little girl bouncing around the elevator singing her ABC's.  He knew one day that he would have to explain to her the real truth about her parent's relationship and Jacob, but it was not today.  It was a new day and she was his breath of fresh air. The cold steel doors opened up as if to say it is your new day.   He reached over and grabbed  the small white gloved hands and the walked toward Ava's new apartment.  He smiled at her and happily thought  " We are going to be ok."