The Shadowed Truths of the Son of a Hero

Learning To Know Better

Mum tells me that dads a hero, a man before his time that just struggles to fit in a bit, someone who has fought in wars and ultimately saved the world more than once, that that is the reason he has to spend so much time away from home. She says that that is more than enough to make up for his distorted past and makes sure to let me know that none of anything that happened to him or what he did was or is his fault.

But the kids at school don't want to know me. They say that I'm going to end up like my father, who in their eyes they see as a criminal, a bad man who deserves to be locked away forever for all of the destruction he has caused over the years and that the reason he isn't home a lot of the time is because he's being contained in a psych ward for the safety of the public. However they don't know the full story, but then again, neither do I.

And whenever I try to ask dad about it - that is whenever I actually get to see him - well, he just doesn't want to talk about it. In fact, sometimes I'm not sure if it's his story or actually me that's the problem. Sometimes I feel like he resents me. It's not just that he avoids the subject, it's almost like he seems to avoid spending any of the limited time we have together with me at all. Everything between us is so secretive. I hardly know a thing about him apart from what everyone else already knows, and considering he's my father that doesn't seem right.

Mum says that it's just because he feels guilty about his past, that he loves me very much but doesn't want to hurt me, that he's worried it will change my views of him. But I find that hard to believe a lot of the time when he's brushing me off constantly. And whenever I ask her what happened to him she tells me it's not her place to say, it's something that he needs to tell me himself because not even she fully understands it; he hardly does himself.

~~~~

Five Years Old

Harper's Point of View:

Just as I pretty much expected it would, my cellphone starts ringing the minute I walk home through the door. When I look at the name on the screen I can't help but huff, fed up and unsurprised.

Buck 💞.

I can't not answer. I need to talk to him and as frustrating as it is I know it's not his fault.

"Hey," I say as I pick up the phone trying to sound normal.

"Hey," his voice replies sheepishly. "Is Alex there?"

"No Buck he's not. You missed him. Remember I said you'd have to call before eight thirty? He's already there," I state.

I hear him exhale deeply from the other end of the phone. "Damn it." He mumbles. "Look, I'm really sorry, we got caught up in some last minute trouble this morning and time got away from me. Can you please tell him I've been wishing him luck all day and I'm really sorry and that I hope he's had a wonderful day when he gets home? I wanted to be there but there's just no way I could've left early, the team needed me here."

"Of course I can Buck and I know you can't and it's not your fault but it was his first ever day of school. That's a huge milestone and even though he knew you couldn't be here he was really hoping for and looking forward to at least a phone call," I say unimpressed.

There is silence on the other end for a few seconds.

"What was he like?" He asks and I can hear how guilty he feels.