My Father's Debt *Major Changes

Chapter 1- Oaths at Olives

Chapter 1 - Oaths at Olives

I sat at a booth in Olives constantly checking my phone for Jackson to text me. Olives' Diner sign was supposed to be lit in colourful neon lates but most of the lights had died out and the owners hadn't bothered to change it. Olives was a small 50's diner with pink and indigo coloured booths, checkered floors and old movie posters and music record aligned the wall. A 5 foot Marilyn Monroe silver statue sat at the entrance next to the cardboard cut out of Elvis Presley. The restaurant was tacky to him but cute nonetheless. The diner used to be even more corny with all female waitresses in polka dot tops short shorts and roller skates. The female church ministry put an end to that real quick once her daughter and her friends attempted to apply for a job here.

My distaste for the diner begun during Junior High when all my friends wanted to do after school was going to Olives. You were apparently seen as cool back then if your parents let you walk from school to Olives. Once Highschool began much to my relief we stopped going to Olives because of older folks, and families with little kids when their allot. Since Olives was no longer considered cool LARKS was opened. LARKS became the new it place for young people, it was located in an old bar underground. My friend Jackson's older brother and his girlfriend were the ones to open it so my group of friend were the first to start hanging out there.

I looked at my phone again, I had no clue why Jackson said he wanted to meet at Olives and not LARKS. A mother was trying to shush her child as he wouldn't stop crying. A group of girls from junior-high kept staring at me and looking away as I made eye contact. I took up a menu to hide the annoyance on my face.

"Hello, my name is Sarah I will be your waitress this afternoon, are you ready to order?"

I stare at the bubbly waitress with blonde hair.

"One more person is coming" I waved her off.

"Can I start you off with a drink until your friend gets here?" She said still smiling at me widely.

I ordered a coffee and she nodded still giving me a wide smile.

Minutes later Sarah the waitress came back with my coffee. I looked up from where I was sitting and instantly took out my wallet to pay and leave. I was so angry I was shaking as I tried to pull wads of cash out my wallet. It was too late to do anything about he was already sitting down. My father stretched his long frame out, there was no missing the resemblance between us we both have dark hair, tall, sharp facial features. The only thing we did not have in common was eye colour and skin colour, his eyes were grey while mines were brown and his skin was pale and ashen and I was olive skinned because of my mother who was Indian.

"Ethan sit" he ordered.

I looked around at people who were staring at our table so I sat down putting my hands in my lap to stop them from shaking. The waitress came back and took our order, I sat there silently staring at the James Dean Rebel Without A Cause poster on the far- wall from our table. My dad ordered the meal I always ordered we didn't speak I was afraid if I spoke I would say something crass. When our food came I just stared at my plate not giving him the satisfaction of seeing me enjoy the food.

"Is that not what you wanted Ethan?" He asked through his mug of hot coffee.

He knew it was what I wanted he was calling me out my act.

"When I was six" I responded.

I was staring at my food deciding if I was more angry or hungry. Then my stomach decided for me by growling. My father gave me a smug look and said "Looks like you're hungry Ethan eat up"

"My friends are coming," I said taking up a couple of onion ring and placing them in my burger and taking a bite.

"Your friends aren't coming, I know you, Ethan, if I had called you to ask for this meeting you would have hung up the phone and ignored me. So I did the normal fatherly thing, I hacked into your friend's phone and pretended it was Jackson asking you to come here. And tada it worked."

Hacked into my friend's phone, of course, he did he had to pry into everyone's lives especially the people around me. I knew my father had been watching me.

It was already suspicious enough that my mom had not heard of any of my school fights or pranks as of yet. Because if Mrs Singh had heard about me misbehaving she would come on campus drag me by the ear and whoop my ass not caring who saw. I loved my mom because she was the strongest women I knew and did take shit from anyone including my father. I would honestly do anything for my mother and deep down I knew my father would as well.

"You forgot the pickles," I said after a while.

"Ethan we need to talk" my father was not smiling anymore his face stone cold and serious.

"You are to stay on campus, the farthest you can come is Olives that it okays"

"What!" I yelled.

Everyone looked over at us and the waiter next to us nearly jumped out of his pants.

I lowered my voice this time "You can't just get up and leave for three years barely call and then come dictate what I can and cannot do, you're not my mom."

"I know I'm not your mom because I actually take your attitude." He pushed his plate aside and leaned in close.

"This time Ethan I am telling you what to do and you will not defy me. If you know what's good for you-you'll stay at the campus. I've hired some people undercover to watch you."

My father's tone switch from serious to desperate he was begging me. For the first time in awhile my father looked his age small grey hairs bristled through his hair, wrinkles crinkled under his eyes and cheeks. He was getting flustered losing his composure but why?

"Ethan pleases if anything were to happen" He froze his eyes glossed over and his expression softened.

"Dad... What did you do?" I replied.

I have never seen my father so frustrated before whatever happened to my father it was out of his control, my dad was always in control of everything in his life it was one of the reasons I despised him so much.

"If you are in trouble Ethan, feel like someone or something might be after you Ethan go to the Home Depot on Bay Street-"

I cut him off "Who would be following me, dad, what.."

"There is going to be this girl named Sadie, okay if she's not at the register ask for her at the back. She is an African-American female 5.'9 just ask."

He looked at his phone and said one last thing before I could ask any other question. "I have to go."

He raised his hand asking for the bill. He paid with cash and stood up. I stood up as well. I needed to ask him why he was worried about me. "I love you Ethan he kissed my head and walked across the street to his car."

A man started walking in my direction when my father cut him off pushing him against the nearest wall. A waitress screamed as the men rustled on the floor. A shot ran out, and one of the servers ran to the phone probably to dial 911.

"Ethan campus now!" my father shouted and for once I listened to my old man.