I had been startled out of my sleep that morning by the sounds of dishes shattering against the wall downstairs.

My mother and father had been fighting for what seemed like forever. It had become almost second nature to me by then, but nothing could prepare me for the news that was coming that morning.

My mother came into my room, looking heavy and weary. She sat down at the edge of my bed, cradling her head in her hands.

"I can't take it anymore, Elizabeth." She had sobbed to me; "I'm filing for divorce this timeI just can't live with that man anymore."

"Mom!" I cried, getting up quickly from my bed, and standing in front of her, looking at her in utter disbelief, "That man is my FATHER!"

She nodded sadly.

"I know that, Liz." She said, "But, can you blame me?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, "Yeah...yeah I can!"

She looked up at me, her face redher eyes bloodshot.

"How can you say that?" She demanded, "The man is an ANIMAL! He's out `till all hours of the morning, drinking and doing god knows what with god knows whom! He treats you and your sister like DIRT!"

I began to cry. She was right, life with my father had never been a picnic. But he was my FATHER...my DADDY. She couldn't just up and tear our family apart! No matter how "unconventional" it may have been.

"Listen, Liz." She said, standing up and looking me square in the eye, "If I had any other alternative. I would use it, but I've had enough. And I am NOT going to sit around and watch him destroy our lives any further! It's OVER! The abuse has to end somewhere, and dammit, it's ending HERE!"

She left my room in a hurry. Dropping her head in what almost seemed like shame. I threw myself down on my bed and cried.

That evening, my father carried his things out of the house in boxes. He loaded them into his truck, and sped off into the night. My little sister, Kathleen and I sat in the window seat in my bedroom, watching him leave us behind.

My mom had left not long before that, refusing to sit around and listen to him banging things around as he packed. She made Kat and I promise that we would stay in my room, no matter what happened, we did.

I held Kat in my arms until she had cried herself to sleep. Then I lay a blanket over her, and went to the phone beside my bed to call Lance, it was all I could think of that would possibly make me feel any better.

I told him the story through tears and sobs. He told me that he would be right over.

When he got there, I was sitting on the couch, holding a picture of my family that had been taken earlier that year-We all looked so damned happy, so carefree, what had happened in such a short time?

Lance didn't say anything. He just came to me, and took me into his arms. The concern that glowed in his eyes was comforting enough.

I cried for a while in the shelter of his arms. Soaking through the front of his white T-shirt completely before I lifted my head, and looked into his eyes.

He put one hand at the side of my face, and stared into me.

"Are you all right?" He asked, reaching up to wipe a strand of hair off my face.

I found myself thinking about how much I loved listening to him speak. His voice was deep and gentle. There was a softly spoken twang to it, a part of his southern heritage. Lance rarely yelled, not out of anger anywayhis smile made him look constantly on the verge of laughter.

I realized all at once how selfish it was of me to be thinking about that at that particular moment.

"Lance, why is this happening to me? Us? Why is this happening?" I pleaded, running my hands back through my hair, nervously.

He shook his head, "I can't tell you, Princess...but it's all right, I know a lot of people whose parents are divorced."

"They're not divorced!" I cried, standing up, "They're just separated!"

He stood up behind me and pulled me into his arms, "It's gonna be okay, Lizzy." He promised me, "Things will work out the way that they're supposed to."

Lance had always been a big believer in the power of fate. He was a deeply spiritual personhad faith in angels, Godeverything that at the moment, I wasn't too sure about.

There was a quiet cough from the stairway behind us, and we turned at the same time to find my little sister, Kathleen standing there, looking bewildered.

"Hey Kat!" Lance beamed, putting on a smile and trying to cheer things up for her.

My sister always adored Lance. They got along famously. Kathleen was nine at the time, and she had known Lance since she was seven. They were buddies. And if Lance was at our house, you rarely found him without Kat perched in his lap, laughing at his every word.

"Hey." She said sadly, sitting down on the steps and resting her chin in her hand.

Lance sat down beside her, and motioned for me to come over.

He hugged Kat close, and took my hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

"I wish there was something I could do to cheer up my two favorite girls" He said thoughtfully, "Hmm...How about ice cream?"

Kat shook her head.

"I gotta do better than ice cream, huh?" He drawled, "How about a movie?"

Again, Kat shook her head, making her honey blonde hair shimmy.

Lance looked up at me with that half-smile of his, and I managed a tiny smirk in return.

"How about hunting hippopotamus in Africa?" He said into her ear.

She looked up at him queerly, a smile threatening to take over her face.

"What?" He asked, grinning at her goofily, "Ya got somethin' against hippos?"

She laughed then, her smile revealing her missing front teeth.

"There it is!" He smiled, tickling her sides, making her shriek.

I smiled softly, shaking my head. It was amazing to me how he could change moods...he was magical.

He pulled Kat into his lap, still holding onto my hand.

"Now, how about that ice cream?" He asked, nuzzling her cheek.

"Can I have three scoops?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

He nodded, "For you, beautiful? Anything!"

He stood up, picking Kat up as he did.

"What do you say that we make a night of it?" He asked, "My treat?"

I smiled at him, and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

He nodded in understanding, and offered me a sweet smile.

Lance took my sister and I out for ice cream and then to a movie. I know that my father's leaving never really left her mind...mine either for that matter. But Lance, in all his infinite wonderfulness, at the very least made it a little easier on us both.