Angels and Demons

New Beginnings

- Chapter Fourteen -

The grass wet with dew soaks into the bend of your knees as you settle on the back of your heels. Inhaling a deep breath, you reach out toward the grey headstone, tracing the lettering of your father's name.

Although his picture is old and weathered by time and age, his smile is still shining bright, the crows of his feet showing his age and happiness. He was happy.

A heaving sob leaves you. You bend forward to lay your head against the cold stone, eyes shut tight as your heart tears itself apart. 

They had found him, Douglas, and Mr. Davenport. Douglas did his research and dug through many archives to find the information about your father and the night of the fire. He first found the newspaper, which led him to find the whereabouts of his gravesite and the information about your family. 

Your father was dead, and his brother - your uncle - died only a few years after a heart attack. Not much was found on extended family, little or so distant family members that were left were living in another country. From some reports, they didn't attempt to come to either funeral nor did they care to do so. 

You were more or less the last one standing. 

After what felt like an eternity, you pull yourself up on your haunches to look at his picture. Your smile wobbles and your throat aches as you trace his face again. "I-I miss you. I miss you so much." Your voice wavers and it lodges in your throat. You push on. "I think of you all the time. I wish you were here. I love you, dad."

The sky is overcast, thick grey clouds shielding the sun away from shining. The wind brushes past, seeming to brush away the cooling tears left on your cheeks. You close your eyes and inhale the chilly air. 

Father and daughter, reunited at last. 

You stay there for a few minutes, adding a bouquet to the flower pot that embeds the earth before the gravestone. You maneuver and fluff the flowers, sniffing and wiping your sleeve underneath your nose. Afterward, you sit back and look for a moment before you're moving into a crouch. "I'll come back and visit. I'll always come back." Pressing a kiss to your fingers, you press it to the stone before you stand up.

You take one last glance before you walk down the grass where Tasha waits, her arms wrapped around herself to fend off the cold weather.

Once you're close, she touches your elbow. "You okay, honey?"

You lean into her, and she pulls you into her arms and holds you. After a moment, you pull away and sniff. "Thank you for coming here."

"Of course, I'll come. I'm honored to be here with you."

Once finding the location of where your father was buried, you decided that you wanted only Tasha to come along and take you there. You were worried about not inviting the others, but they understood wholeheartedly why and they wanted to honor your wishes. 

"I'm nervous." You had told Chase, as you waited by the front doors of the tower for Tasha to pick you up. Chase had walked you outside. 

"You'll be okay. We'll all be here for you when you get back."

Mrs. Morales, your therapist, suggested that you visit your father when you told her that they found him. "You haven't had the closure of saying goodbye, of finding him and being with him. To move forward, we must visit the past and make amends before moving on. Only when you feel ready should you visit him. We only move forward at your own pace when you're ready."

Leaving your session, you knew you wanted to visit him as soon as possible. You called Tasha and decided that once her schedule was free that you both would go. Your stomach was twisting in on itself after the date was set, but you wanted to go so desperately.