A Dream Within A Dream

Chapter - 43

My heart clenched seeing him. He was standing right in front of me with my mom and my aunt at the back with the whole squad and some other friends from my neighborhood and college as well.

A sudden silence took over. "How?" I asked, my voice choking as I inhaled a deep breath to calm my senses. New tears ran down my cheeks, I didn't even realize when the old one came and dried up too.

"Josephine, my little girl," my dad spoke, and hearing his voice after so long pierced through my heart. "Stop, don't come any closer," I said, but I knew I didn't mean it.

A part of me wanted to turn back, open the door and just leave from here and not see his face again. I accept, I accept the fact that I was mad at him. So mad. But another part of me wanted to run toward him and hug him tight and never leave him.

I want to help. Go and hug him. Before I lose my temper, patience and cry out loud.

I heard my inner voice and without thinking I took a step toward him. Before I could reach him, he engulfed me in his embrace and stroked my head multiple times. "My daughter, Happy birthday, my daughter," he said in his wrinkly voice. The sound of me crying could be easily heard as I couldn't stop myself from falling apart. The feeling of his hug felt different yet familiar, it felt new yet old. I felt at home yet begging him to not seal the home forever.

It's been years since he left mom and me. How was he here? What would mom think? I thought and immediately spoke out loud, "Mom?!" I shouted and broke the hug. I looked at her, who was trying to control her tears, but was failing miserably at it.

"How?" I asked. I didn't care if these many people were there, but I just wanted to know everything. Where was he all this time? Why did he leave us? So many questions were in my mind that I couldn't agree on which one to ask first.

"I'm sorry Josephine, our company got bankrupt, I had nowhere to be, it was for the best to leave you to be so that the lenders wouldn't annoy you. I had to leave. Please, forgive me," he started to explain.

What even... is this even a valid reason to leave their wife and daughter?

"We were in this together, dad," I spoke, looking at the light above my head. I didn't want eye contact with anyone at that point.

"Why are you back now?" I asked, trying to compose myself. The anger that was building within me got out of control, making me drop venom out of my mouth. It was not how I wanted to behave especially on this day in front of everyone, yet all those emotions kept hidden in the corner of a small place of my heart wanted to suddenly blow out like there was no tomorrow.

"I thought you couldn't find me here, so I took a flight with the leftover money and reached Sweden. A few days back, I was at the convenience store working my shift when a guy approached me, he knew me. But I didn't. He knew I was your father and brought me here." He explained.

"Please forgive me, please, I knew I made a mistake, but I got afraid, I never wanted to break our family," he pleaded and folded his hands in front of mom and me in guilt. He was genuinely speaking because I know dad couldn't lie. He doesn't know how to lie. He could never.

"I have forgiven him, Jo, but I won't force you into this. Listen to your heart." Mom said and held dad's hand with her eyes sparkling with tears yet a small smile tugging at her lips.

A few minutes passed of them looking at me and me at the other people who were oblivious to the fact that I just reunited with my father.
I smiled at him, and we did a family hug. Xavier squished himself in, and we all cried while laughing.

"Who is this guy? Your boyfriend?" Dad asked me, playfully wriggling his eyes at me after I hugged him again.

"No, he's Xavier, after you left, he took care of me and mom, sometimes like an elder brother, sometimes like a best friend, and sometimes like a nagging younger brother," I told him smacking at Xav's arm.