What Kaydence Knows

A few days ago, I had my first-ever sit-down conversation with my 7 year old niece.  I had seen her only once in person and mostly in pictures Bassy sent of her.  My own kids were at daycare or at school.
I'll step back and let her tell the story, she can tell it far better than I can.

 

"While I was -- I was living at our house in Starlight Shores, I used to love going outside on a clear night, sometimes to get in the pool, and sometimes just to look at the stars."

 

 

"When I was a baby in mommy's arms I thought everything was gonna be okay."

 

 

"My daddy used to dress up in all these cool costumes and not come home for days at a time."

 

 

"Mommy was always on the phone talking about going to sing at different places.  I used to love hearing mommy sing.  She had a pretty voice."

 

"Everyone thought we were this happy little family.  But it was all for show.  The only time mommy ever kissed me, she did it while the cameras were flashing."

 

"When daddy used to cook at home, mommy was on the phone with her people."

 

"One evening while mommy was off singing somewhere I walked in from riding my bike..."

 

 

"...and I saw my daddy talking to Marie, my nanny.  Soon after that, I saw him hug her and kiss her on the lips."

 

 

"I was so upset, I could have run away right then and there.  But I knew Marie would call the cops."

"Why didn't you say this in court?" I asked her after she finished.
"I was scared," she told me, "my mommy and my daddy were there and I didn't want them to hate me."
"They won't ever hate you," I tried to reassure her, "they love you.  They're just doing a lot of stupid things right now."

If I'm to believe Kady, and I do, Bassy, my darling baby brother, was having an affair with his daughter's nanny.  What the hell was he thinking?  Even my dad wouldn't stoop that low -- and he did it with my mom's best friend.   

Even at her young age, Kady knew that what her dad was doing was wrong.

The fact of the matter is, my baby brother has not yet grown up, and it's high time he does so.  He's got two kids and he's not really raising either of them.  Poor Kady is raising herself practically and Aaron - I have to believe he's in better hands with his mother than he ever would be with my brother. It's sad that Kady, at 7 years old, is more grown up than he is.

I've come to the conclusion that, you know, the magistrate is right.  Neither one of them deserve Kady.  Kady's a sharp cookie.  She knows what's going on.   I know I won't be winning any mother of the year contests any time soon, what with my 15 year old daughter so out of control she's about to go to reform school, but these two couldn't screw up a kid more if they'd starved her and left her on the side of the road. 

Neither one of them should have been parents.