Piloting 101

Chapter 8: Don't lie to me

As the day rolled to a close I decided I would visit my fathers house, Rooster said he would join us later even though, he had a grudge against my dad. I knocked on the wooden door lightly, the lock clicked and the door swung open
"Sweetie!" My father pulled me into a hug

"Hey dad!"

"Come in, come in!" He smiled.
I looked around seeing the same childhood memories and pictures spread around the white-painted walls, I placed myself on the nearest velvet chair and waited.
"The coffee arrives" my dad sat down placing the coffee on the hard board table

"Thank you dad" I smiled.
We talked contently for a couple of minutes and then I brought up Rooster arriving  "dad?"

"Yes sweetie"

"Rooster, um, Bradley said he wanted to speak to you"
My father took a sip of his cup and looked upwards

"To me? And why all of a sudden are you talking to him? I thought he hated the Mitchell's"

"Yeah.. thats what I thought, plus the Mitchell's sounds like a TV drama" I laughed

"You're right! Anyway I would love your boyfriend to visit"

"How did you?-"

"I can tell, it's like that boy when you were 8-"
The doorbell rang, I sat up to get it but my father beat me to it
"I should do this" he smiled.

I could hear the conversation from the living room, mostly kind but I knew deep down Rooster would forgive him.
Rooster sat down beside me and grabbed my hand tightly
"Hey love" he whispered in my ear
"Hey Brad" I smiled.

"Pete, can I just cut the bullshit, I came here to talk about my father"

"Alright, I will"

"Look I understand what happend on that plane wasn't your fault and I want to apologize for making you seem like the villain, I know how much you loved my father"
I turned away and couldn't help but smile, this was the first time Rooster had tried to resolve the tension between my father and him.

"Thank you, I understand your thoughts on how it was my fault and I respect your opinion, so thank you for apologizing, it means a lot," just then my father looked at me "I have felt so much pain from loss in my life, I suppose Amy must've felt like that when your mother, Charlie passed."
It suddenly hit me that the childhood trauma Rooster had was the same as mine, we had felt the same pain at such a young age and caused by loss.