"Judy, I told you three months ago about this trip," Mitchell said trying to keep his annoyance from his voice as his ex-wife sat across from him in their former kitchen along with the court ordered supervisor. "That is why I was telling you; you could have your monthly visitation on either weekend before Mollie and I leave."
"I don't care! You aren't taking my daughter overseas!" Judy said, slurring her words slamming her hands down on the table. Mitchell could smell the fumes of the booze seeping out of her pores.
"It's only for two weeks Judy. If you were so damn worried about missing time with Mollie, you had ample time to see your own daughter beforehand. But we are leaving in the morning and nothing you say will stop that," Mitchell said plainly. Her drinking was the cause of their divorce along with the cheating she had committed while in her intoxicated state. It was also the reason why he had sole custody of their only child. He might hate her for destroying the life they had made with each other, but he wasn't vindictive enough to keep her from seeing their daughter; which was why he offered Judy the chance to see Mollie under the watchful eye of the supervisor. Mitchell wasn't about to keep Mollie from seeing her own mother, yet Judy could never get her act together. She was always searching for the next bottle. "May I remind you, I have full custody of Mollie. Your visitations are by my good graces. You have no say in where I take my daughter that you practically abandoned to search out that worm at the bottom of whichever bottle you just crawled out of," Mitchell said rising from his seat, "now get the hell out of my house," he said, his welsh accent slipping into his words.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Mollie giggled calling out to him as she ran into their home. "Look what I did!" she said, holding up the finger painting she had done in her pre-k class. Her beautiful smile beamed up at her father, her light strawberry blonde hair bounced on her shoulders as she held out the sheet of paper for her father.
"Oh! Would you look at that!" Mitchell said, kneeling down in front of her. "I do believe we have an artist in our midst," he said lovingly, as he scooped Mollie into his arms.
"Mitchell don't patronize her," Judy said cruelly, "I've seen better paintings...," she burped and swayed on her feet. Not caring how her words harmed her own child as Mollie began to tear up, her lip trembling burying her face into her father's chest.
"Get. Out," Mitchell said, as calmly as he could rubbing his daughter's back. "If you ever want to see your daughter ever again, get your shit together," he said, narrowing his eyes at his ex-wife as the supervisor dragged Judy out of his house. "There, there baby," Mitchell said swaying Mollie, "your mom didn't mean it," he whispered growing tired of covering for her. "Come on, let's get you packed, okay?" Mitchell said, as Mollie nodded against his chest.
"Mollie, you can't pack all your stuffed animals," Mitchell said, smiling at his daughter as she ran around her room.
"But Daddy!" Mollie pouted. "I can't leave my friends behind! They'll get lonely!"
"Nah-uh," Mitchell said shaking his head, "they all will be here, so they won't get lonely. However, you may take one so he or she can tell the others about all the cool things the two of you will see." It has been years since Mitchell had been back to his homeland. Not that he was going to see his family, he just needed an escape from the crap his life had become lately; and he could think of no other place to lose his troubles than the green rolling hills of his home in Wales. He wondered how Mollie would take to his hometown of Solva. He wondered how much had changed since he fled his home when he was seventeen. Mitchell didn't know how he had managed to become a diplomat's aid to the British embassy in DC, yet he was glad he did. It was because of his former boss that he was able to get a green card to stay in the states once her tenure as ambassador was over. Although that did include meeting his ex-wife, however, all the heartache, all the fights, all the money Judy squandered paled in comparison as he stared at his daughter's beautiful face.
"But, but," Mollie said, plopping down on the floor in a huff.
"No buts little lady," Mitchell said sternly, "I promise all your friends will be fine until we get back," he said, trying not to smile at his daughter's antics. "How about this," Mitchell said holding up a finger, "I'll have your aunt come and make sure they are all taken care of, talked to, and played with, okay?"
"You promise?!"
"Of course," Mitchell nodded. Plus he was already going to call her to check on his house while they were gone.
"Okay," Mollie said climbing onto her bed. Arranging her stuffed animals just so at the head of her bed so they could all greet her once they returned. Settling on a foot long green frog modeled after a well-known Muppet. Mitchell had bought it for her the day Mollie was born. While it was a little worn, a little torn, Mollie loved that frog, nonetheless.
"Now whose hungry?" Mitchell asked, rising from her bed.
"Me!" Mollie giggled holding up her hand as she bounced on her knees.
*****
Mitchell carried his sleeping daughter through the gate as they left the plane. Glad she didn't put up much of a fuss when they were waiting on their plane and during the flight. Although he did notice how all the beautiful flight attendants made sure to visit them every half hour. The flight wasn't that booked so when they had time, they would hang out in the empty seats making his daughter smile. That in and of itself warmed Mitchell's heart. Now that he had gone through all the crap with Judy, he was a little apprehensive with dealing with women. He knew they weren't all like his ex-wife, yet he didn't want to bring a strange woman into his daughter's life only to watch said woman disappear as fast as she came. However, he wasn't about to let that stop his daughter from making some new friends on the flight. Setting his daughter down as she rubbed her eyes, he pulled out a cart to place their bags on. Smiling down at Mollie as she sat on their bags as he pushed the cart through the sliding doors.
"What's that smell?!" Mollie asked, covering her nose.
"England, sweetheart," Mitchell chuckled as he looked for a cab to take them to the B&B, he had reservations at. He wanted his daughter to enjoy the tastes of his childhood home while they were staying there, and what better way for his daughter to experience the food of his youth than to stay at a bed and breakfast. "Now which cab do you think we should take, hmm?" Mitchell asked, smiling at his daughter.
"That one!" Mollie said, pointing at the van that was covered in vinyl images of Dora the explorer.
"Baby, I don't think that's a cab," Mitchell said, brushing his fingers through her hair.
"Is too!" Mollie said, pointing at the light on the van's dashboard saying it was in service, the driver quickly getting out of her vehicle upon seeing Mollie point at her.
"Sir? By any chance are you looking for a ride?" the woman asked, in a very thick welsh accent which Mitchell had no trouble understanding.
"Yes," Mitchell said, eyeing the short haired, slightly chubby woman.
"Then why not take a ride," she said gesturing to her van, "I do have a car seat for your adorable little girl," she said, smiling down at Mollie.
"She talk's funny like you do," Mollie giggled smiling up at her father.
"Well,
cariad
, I am Welsh, as are you," Mitchell said, wiggling his nose at her using the welsh word for sweetheart. "We'll take you up on that ride," he said, smiling at the woman.
"So are you coming home to visit or...?" the woman asked, stowing their bags in the rear of the van as Mitchell buckled Mollie into the car seat.
"Well, I thought it was time for this little one to learn where her father came from," Mitchell lied he wasn't about to tell the woman he had come home to get away from the mess his wife left him.
"Ah," she said closing the rear door, "so where are we heading?" she asked, sliding into the driver's seat as Mitchell slid the side door closed.
"Haroldston House," Mitchell said, buckling himself in.
"That's a lovely place," the woman mused as she pulled out of the parking space.
"I hope so," Mitchell said, his finger brushing the back of his daughter's hand as Mollie stared out the window.
"Look Daddy, they drive on the wrong side of the road!" Mollie said, pointing at the cars passing them.
"This is England,
cariad
. They do that here," Mitchell said, smiling at her shocked look.
"No way!"` Mollie said in awe. Kicking her legs as she waved to the weird people that drove the wrong way giggling as they waved back.
"So were you born in Solva or just in Wales generally?" the woman asked, peering in the rear view mirror.
