Xerox copies... A story

This wasn't my daughter. How suddenly and crystal clear things had become in that simple comment. A comment tossed into the air like it was nothing more than words. Not really meaning to reveal the truth like a confession, but it did. It became as clear as possible. There it was, the truth.

" I hate the piano.. I don't want to play it any more.!"

I had been a fool, I had been tricked, bamboozled like a country bumpkin. Betrayed by my own child. She had fooled me, chosen to go with the bumbling wreck she called father.

He was a fool, i had found it charming when i had married him. such sweet ineptness, and innocents. What a waste of a man, I should never had been so foolish as to belive that he would grow, that he would become what i needed. But he was ever incompetent, and i had been chained to an idiot.

The only consolation was my daughter, my darling perfection who graced my every day with her being. she was everything to me. Filled with talent that no one could ever understand. I attended each recital, watching her play with passion that was never appreciated by anyone but me. Her fingers running over the keys, she did not miss a note, she improved it! Watching her play with baited breath, hushing the idiots who didn't understand. Who dared to snicker, only showing their ignorance at her genuis.

I was the one who fought for her, the one who struggled against every teacher. They didn't know, didn't understand. They did not see the perfection before them.

But what did it get me...

Betrayed.

Fooled.

The Idiot had pleaded to take her out of those classes.. that she had no talent but I could see his true motives. Jealousy that oozed from his ever action. He was not trying to spare My daughter he was trying to ruin her. Bring her down to his level of failure.

Well we couldn't have that... now could we.

The divorce was fast, of course. Why wouldn't it be? Anyone who met the fool would see why i couldn't remain married to him. He ruined everything for me. For me and my daughter.

The judge saw this.

But it wasn't that simple. This was a new century, a new time. We were two parents with one child. I would never share. Never submit my daughter to having anything to do with a parent like him. But there were new laws, new rules, and that stupid son of a bitch wouldn't let go.

Now there was a quick and easy solution for custody battles. Two parents, one child, no problem! licketty split things could be copied, perfect cloning, like so much xerox.

Once the copy was complete the parents would arrive at the court room, your child would enter a room. They would tell the court which parent they wanted to be with, the copy would go with the other, and out would come two identical beings dressed in matching grey gowns. One would go with one parent the other with the other parent.

She was suppose to pick me.

But i had been fooled.

Tricked.

Betrayed.

It was funny, almost.

The copy had been so convincing. But looking down at it the dead eyes staring at me from the floor, I could see it was not changed. The eyes had been dead even when it had drawn breath. The knife had slide so easily into the phony flesh.

Imitation screams, false blood.

It felt warm.. realistic..

But no longer was I fooled by this thing.

This fallacy

It was a xerox copy.

Nothing more.

It was so well done..

This thing..

Even the fingers had calluses on the tips from playing music..

How had they cloned calluses...

Because i had been tricked..

Fooled..

betrayed..

right?