randomWalks

Suddenly Nina brightened. It was as if she grasped that her father couldn't tolerate the view of himself that her panic reflected. ''Wanna hear a song?'' Nina asked. Toney squinted, as if he had suddenly recognized her voice from far away. Then she sang. Her father was smitten by her performance until she said, ''That's Che Che's daddy's song,'' referring to the father of her half-sister, and puncturing the moment. Toney looked away stonily. Toney often smarted at reminders of Lolli's infidelity, but solitary confinement magnified his need for a reliable family.

originally posted by xowie