Piano Man (Sequel to Isn't She Lovely) -h.s-

Piano Man - Chapter 19

 

“Robby..and Darcy...I can explain” Following that sentence there was a huge silence, in which my heart dropped and nervous butterflies grew in my stomach. I was standing here in front of my dad, someone I saw everyday I worked here and someone who I had confided in and denied being my dad multiple times. Part of me was happy  I found him, but the other part was anxious and worried. What if his answer wasn’t good enough for me to accept or what if his answer simply was that he didn’t want me in his life. Part of me was anxious because I knew that we found him and I’d have to tell my mom, someone who also went to great lengths to make sure that my father was never found. I knew there was some mystery behind my dad’s disappearance but I never knew that it layered this deep and that I’d actually find him. For a while it was a wild goose chase and maybe I liked it that way. I liked looking for him, and learning stuff about him and maybe I was okay with never getting any closer to finding him ‘cause deep down I didn’t want to. He had abandoned my family and I, and no matter how you explain that, there is not really a good excuse in the world.

I started to think about what Noah had told me about his dad and how  he obsessed over not being able to find Harry, and how that affected Shawna’s and his relationship as well as the upbringing of Gabriella and Noah. My dad was being selfish when he left, he didn’t realize how many people loved him. The boys had grown up into men but they still missed their best mate. Especially Louis, I am pretty sure that’s why he wasn’t so keen to help us find him. He’s hurt, and who can blame him. When someone leaves without saying goodbye, it’s like saying they never loved you, and maybe that’s the truth. Maybe I meant nothing to my dad.

“I think you two should sit down”  my dad finally managed to get words out of his mouth while he pushed his hair back out of his face. He looked flabbergasted. I was glad we caught him off guard so he didn’t have time to prepare more lies, and with Robby on my side who can help see through his lies. Robby and I both looked at each other speechless and shocked as well and took a seat. “Where would you like me to begin?” He asked. He spoke slowly and this time his posh British accent shone through his old rugged one.

“Why’d you leave mom?” I asked quietly and then realised I just didn’t want to know that. “How could you leave mom? How could you leave Robby and I? And how could you leave your best friends like we all meant nothing to you?” I asked with my lip trembling and tears swimming down my cheeks. Robby moved closer to me, patting my back in comfort. My dad looked speechless and in pain, as he bit his lip.

“First off I want you to know  that I’ve tried making contact over the years, I wrote letter to you kids but you guys never responded, and I know that’s no excuse but a man can only try so many times” he explained. I looked to Robby confused because I had never gotten any letters from our dad. Mom must have been hiding them from us. I didn’t just need answers from my dad but I needed answers from my mom too. “And second to why I left...Did your mother ever tell you much about our relationship?” he looked from my eyes to Robby’s

“No, we never talked about you”  I answered him.

“When we were little and would ask what happened mom would act like she didn’t hear me, and then she’d go and cry in her room, thinking we couldn’t hear her” Robby added to my answer.

“Well we had quite a few bumps in the road” a small smile grew upon his face as he thought back to the memories in his head. “ Management being one of them, surely you must know about how controlling management is with celebrities these days” My dad looked to us again and once we nodded he looked back down to his twiddling thumbs. “When management found out I had you Robby, they were furious but I loved you and your mother with all my heart, still do. They wanted me to choose the band or you and your mom, I told them they would be losing one of the new pop sensations then, and well they agreed for me to stay. After though I went behind their back and proposed to your mother on stage and after that they confronted me. I simply explained we were expanding the family and wanted to be married this time.” My dad took a breathe. “This time they were serious when they gave me the two options, leave the band and  disappear with my family, or leave my family and act as if it never happened while I toured with my band” Harry stopped twiddling his thumbs and moved them up to rub his eyes. I could tell he was trying to fight the tears. “ The boys were my best friends, they were family too but you two and your mom were my actual family. How does one choose that? And even if I did choose you, how is it fair to you guys that you have to live under the radar and that your mom couldn’t see any of her best friends anymore either. So I made my own option..I disappeared on my own. I didn’t tell a soul”