Broken Silence ✔️

A Run To Ibaleterm (Part 5)

"I can't tell you." I said after a few seconds, trying to find the right words.

"Excuse me?" Ann asked.

"It happened to her, and she should be the one to tell you, only if she wants to though." I told her.

"Kyle, punching Poppy's nose isn't something to play around about. Also saying you hate her isn't nice ether, hate is a strong word. She told me her half, saying you did it to her without any reason. I have a feeling your side of the story is different, but if you don't tell me, I might have to kick you out." Ann told me.

"Isn't that Tom's choice?" I asked her. I haven't seen Tom around much. He wasn't here when I was usually volunteering. I haven't seen him for a few weeks now.

"Tom is barely around now a days, he takes a few pets and sells them at dog shows and fairs all year long." Ann told me. "I would start talking or you'll be gone at the snap of my fingers." I took a deep breath a debated what I was going to do.

"I'm sorry, it's not my place to say any details. All I can say is that Poppy beat Melody up. Her and three other girls." I decided to say.

"Very different from what Poppy told me." Ann said. "Please get Melody here, if you won't talk you better be praying she does." Ann told me. Oh I'm praying, but for another reason. I walked out in the room Melody was in there. She had found paper in my backpack and was writing things down. She pulled out a folded paper and unfolded it.

"I didn't know you wrote this." Melody said. I see that she had been crying. "I didn't know, I really didn't." She told me. I looked over at the paper and realized what paper it was. When I was in the hospital back in January I had written a bunch of letters to a bunch of people. The last one I had folded up and hide it in my backpack. I didn't think anyone would find it, but Melody did. I took the letter from Melody and read it again.

Dear Dad,

I miss you. I miss you a lot. I miss making pasta with you for diner, I miss pretending that I didn't understand the math problem, just so you would explain it again. Just so I could spend more time with you. I miss running around in the rain with mom and Alice. I miss, you always teasing Alice and I for being jam and peanut butter. I miss you stealing my stuff just to get a laugh out of me. I miss all your terrible jokes you used to tell. I miss you bringing flowers home for mom on Valentine's Day or her birthdays. I miss you being overprotective. I miss you screaming and clapping the loudest at all of Alice's performances. I miss every day I had with you. I wish I had one last chance to hug you. I miss you. I miss you so much, more each day.

They say time heals you, and they say as time goes by you'll forget. I haven't forgotten, and I'm still crying, and I'm still in pain. I didn't talk for four years after you died. I moved from Montana to Illinois with mom and her new husband. That didn't help me, it hurt more, yet time had passed. They're wrong. Time doesn't heal you and time doesn't help you forget. It gets better, a tiny bit, but it doesn't heal you. There will always be a part of me missing you each day, every moment of my life.

But time has brought new joys too. I have come to Michigan with Alice. I have people that care about me, I'm still getting in fights and I'm in trouble sometimes, but I'm ok. I'm doing fine though. I have a best friend now, her name is Melody. And Dad, she reminds me of you sometimes. She's a little crazy, she's weird, but she's one of the best people I've ever met. She's like me too, she's had bad things happen to her too. But then we go different, she knows how to put it all behind her and put a smile on her face. I don't, I hold on to it, and don't do anything to fix the problem.

As time goes on, I hope time will work in my favor and let me still be friends with Melody. I hope that I can learn from her, like I learned from you.