What Her Father Gave Poem by David Welch

I.
Carmen Hastings had lived with her father
ever since she was just two months old,
they resided outside Nashville, where her dad
made a living with used cars, bought and sold.

Carmen did not look much like her dad, Chuck,
he would smile at her, and then would say,
"Those dark eyes and hair, and that olive skin,
they're fine gifts that your mother gave."

Chuck loved his daughter, she could make him smile,
and that was never an easy thing to do,
he hadn't always been the fatherly type,
caused more than his share of trouble in youth.

He never married, never even dated,
his little Carmen was his life's concern,
when it came to looks, brains, and business sense,
he'd just say, "That's a gift from your mother."

It became something of a running joke,
since Carmen knew not the truth of it,
she'd just smile, say, "Now dad, come on,
you've got to five yourself a little credit."

Although alone, Chuck gave her a good life,
until one day when Carmen was seventeen,
Chuck fell faint, then collapsed in the hall,
Carmen called for the ambulance hurriedly.

At the hospital doctors gave a hard truth,
Pancreatic Cancer, and very advanced.
There was nothing to do, Carmen buried her head,
crying softly there into her hands.

Chuck managed to make it another six months,
died a week short of Carmen's eighteenth birthday,
instead of presents, and partying with friends,
to the funeral Carmen made her way.

She had no idea what she would do next,
she had nothing left to offer but tears,
but as the preacher spoke she saw a woman,
could be her twin! Give or take twenty years…

She knew who it was before the woman spoke:
"Hello Carmen, I'm Fileena, your mom.
I know it's a sad day, but I'm happy to
look upon you…it's been so very long."

After all the ceremonies had ended
the two walked down to a coffee shop,
Fileena said, "I'm sorry, for your dad,
and I know meeting you like this is a lot.

"It wasn't you that made me stay away,
I wish I could have rocked you at night,
but I had you so young…and was into drugs,
you father knew I could not raise you right.

"But I'm not that person, now own my own fire,
please let me help you in this trying time.
Let me give you a job, pay will be good,
if you say yes then I think you will find

"that even if I cannot be the mother
who bandaged knees and put you to bed,
I can help you get a foothold in the world,
either through experience, or money for college."

II.
Carmen had no other family left,
and said, "I guess I can give it a try."
Her mother beamed. "I live in Miami,
I'll pay for some movers to come by! "

That was how Carmen found herself living
in the guest home of her mother's mansion,
it was almost as large as her old house,
but was much more ornate and well-done.

The first day Fileena was hugs and smiles,
she helped Carmen unpack all her things,
before she left, she said, "I'm so excited!
Tomorrow I'll show you where you're working! "

When morning came they drove down in a Benz,
Carmen expected to see a large office,
but Fileena pulled up to an aging warehouse,
said, "Doesn't look like much, but here it is."

Inside they passed stacks of packaged powder
as they walked to her mom's office suite,
Carmen said, "Mom, what do you do here? "
Fileena said, "Isn't is obvious, sweety?

"Not an ounce of product passes this town
without first being shunted my way,
and given how this country is going
it'll be legalized one of these days.

"That's what I intend to pass on to you,
when the time comes for me to retire,
you'll want for nothing, the riches you'll have,
most people for their whole lives just aspire."

Carmen said, "This is a lot to take in…
it's all come as such a big surprise.
Can I maybe go home and think about it? "
Said Fileena, "Sure hon, take your time."

Carmen did not go straight to the guest house,
she spent hours wandering about to think
about her few choices, the gravity of it all…
should she go along, or call the precinct?

She puzzled over it a great deal that day,
weighing her situation and her hopes,
she went to the mansion early the next morn,
said, "Mom, I want you to show me the ropes."

Fileena smiled, and they spent the whole day
moving around the warehouse on a tour,
half-way through said Fileena, "In coming years,
I'm going to teach you about so much more."

Carmen saw everything she need to,
she saw the basement where the product was made,
saw the chemists hired by Fileena
to specialize the drugs by their grades.

She saw the dealers as they came in,
to give Fileena her cut, and resupply,
she even met the thugs who reminded folks
that to cheat Fileena was to die.

III.
The following day Carmen sat with her mom,
learning how to cook the books and more,
when suddenly there came a thundering smash,
that ripped right through the main office door.

In came a SWAT team, four dozen-large,
fanning out as cold panic set in,
one went to Fileena, gun covering her,
said, "Puts your hands up or we start shooting! "

Fileena was stunned, and threw up her palms,
said, "I-Impossible, how did you find us? "
Carmen then said, "Mom, it wasn't that hard,
I told them all they would need for this bust.

"It wasn't that hard, cameras can be so small,
small enough to disguise as a broach,
the kind that I've worm since I was a girl,
all that I saw yesterday, they now know."

Fileena looked over to her daughter,
said, "But why would you do this to me? ! "
Carmen's stare darkened as she replied:
"Well mother, you made it very easy.

"Did you really think that I would forget
those seventeen years that transpired,
where you decided not to be my mother
so you could go build a damn drug empire? !

"Did you really think I would just accept
a life living as criminal scum?
That I wouldn't see my future in a jail cell,
dressed in orange, under a guard's gun?

"If dad had told me, back when I was a kid,
I would not have believed it to be the truth,
but now that I've met you, it's become clear,
he did the right thing hiding me from you.

"Do all of your riches excuse all this,
the great damage that your ‘product' inflicts?
Does dressing it up like some legit firm
save the life of those miserable addicts?

"You know damn well that your drugs will kill,
that they fuel nothing but violence and crime,
and yet you still do it, feel no remorse,
for that you deserve endless hard time! "

"You ungrateful bitch! "Fileena did scream,
as two cops wrestled her to the ground.
"After all that I did to rescue you…
I regret that I ever pushed you out! "

Carmen shook her head at the whole scene,
said, "You think you were helping me here?
making me a felon, a filthy drug lord,
forced to spend my whole live spreading fear?

"You may have given me my brains and looks,
at least that's what dad always use to say,
but as for my morals, my conscience, my soul…
Those are fine gifts that my father gave."