Link Dane

FORTY-TWO (finale)

I sucked in a breath. My Father caught my reaction immediately.

"Don't worry, she won't come near you." He told me. When he saw that didn't do it for me he added, "you have my word."

I nodded at him again. I hoped to God she wouldn't barge in here and try to do something.

"I have something to give to you," he started to say, walking towards his desk.

"I know you're packing and I don't know where you going. But please," he lifted up a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Take this and take care of yourself."

I looked and saw it was a cheque. A five figure cheque, closing to six.

"No," I gasped out.

"No." I repeated again to make myself sound more firm. "I don't need-"

"I don't care whether you need it or not. Take it." He seemed to think that was the finality of it but I opened my mouth to argue again.

"Please Orianna," his voice dropped to a new low. "I know what your Mother has been doing for months but I didn't say anything for the sake of keeping whatever we had left as a family. I was never the dad you wanted to be and I have no excuse for it. All I want for you is to be happy and I want you to do it in a way that's best for you. I see it's going away and I want to ensure that nothing can stop you by giving you something to keep you going until you can pick yourself up. For now, let me be the dad I never was and hold you up."

I swallowed something thick in my throat and silently tucked the cheque closer to my chest. "I'm sorry," I started to say for some unknown reason when my Father cut me off.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Mother-" Again, I didn't know what I wanted to say about her.

"She's waiting to get her piece of my hard-earned money but she isn't getting anything of it. I'll give her something I should have given her a long time ago." I didn't want to know how he was going to do that so I kept silent yet again.

"Finish packing, I'll make sure she won't come near you."

"Thank you Dad." I said in a small voice. It didn't go past both of us that I called my Father 'Dad' since I stopped doing that years ago. Around the time I slowly started losing my dad and had a stranger in replace. Something flashed in his eyes before he nodded in acknowledged. It also didn't go past us both that I was saying thank you for more than one thing.

I didn't stay after that. Turned on my heel and scurried out the room.

****

I was all packed and ready to go. I drove to Palmers tagged I left my house and thankfully, everyone was there.
Thomas, Nolan, Ryan, Versa and Palmer. Thomas seemed far away and one punch on his arm snapped him right out the thoughts I knew he had brewing. His twin beat me up. Not for one second did I blame him or see Brandon in him. They were too different people and my love for Thomas outweighed the hate I had for Brandon. He was a good friend, who we even bonded I didn't know, but we did and it was good.

I had one more stop to go.

I pulled my car into parking near the spot I was meant to be. I got out the car and hurried along the path until I came to the spot near the end of the bushes and to the river. I couldn't even remember the amount of times I had come to this park but the last one would forever be marked on this spot.

"Where we shared our first kiss?"

I flicked around so quickly which I instantly regretted as a dull pain came to my sides. Not good. So not good when I was going to be driving.