For My Convicted Father

Part 5

Thank god, Ibu Syirah is not home. I can go and return unnoticed.

Khalid pulled the front door open. His arms jerked causing him to lose grip on the handle but he recovered fast. In time before the door slammed shut on Syirah's face.

"Where are you going?" Syirah questioned him in a stern voice.

"Out for some fresh air." Khalid scuttled before she could utter another word.

Closer to the park, Khalid trudged along but he was drenched in sweat. It could be from his earlier pace. Or it could be from the heat and humidity of Singapore weather. Most likely from the certainty of meeting his father for the first time in his life.

Khalid noticed a slim but muscular Malay man standing near a bench looking around. He stole a good look at his father before approaching. Zaryn had a stunning athletic physique and a proud posture. There wasn't much about him that indicated his maturity apart from the strands of grey-white hair. It made Khalid a little proud.

"Bapak."

Zaryn turned around. He placed his left hand on Khalid's shoulder and initiated a handshake with his right hand. They resembled two peas in a pod except one is the young version and the other twice older. They donned the same executive contour haircut. Their cheekbone and jawline structure were identical. Blessed with muscles at all the right places likely developed through exercise.

"Khalid, I cannot believe my eyes that I am seeing you. My grown-up son. I've thought about you every single day for the past 25 years. Your mother kept you away from me. There was nothing I could do except to live with the pain of not being with you, watching you grow and telling you that I love you."

A thousand questions floated around in Khalid's head.

Where was my father all these years? Why did Mama Ros and Ibu Syirah keep him away from me? How is it possible that he has been alive all these years and I never knew? Is this man my father? He must be because he looks exactly like the photos nenek showed me. Why didn't nenek tell me that her son is alive? Did nenek know?

None of the questions came out of Khalid's mouth. He glared at Zaryn with a furrowed brow and a mystified expression.

"I know son, you need answers. Come sit."

They sat and spoke until the sun went down. Zaryn told Khalid as much as he could and answered all his questions. That he was happily married to Rosnani. That Syirah, his boss at that time, harassed him, seduced him and got herself pregnant. That she ruined his marriage and forced him to divorce Rosnani to marry her. That Syirah almost aborted Khalid but Zaryn stopped her. That Syirah beat him to the position of the head of Corporate Communications at Shelly Holdings using underhanded means. That Syirah embezzled money and sold corporate secrets to Leofield Global. That Syirah planted evidence to implicate Zaryn. That Syirah convinced everyone Zaryn was guilty, ostracized him and landed him in jail. That Syirah refused to let Zaryn have any relationship with Khalid and persuaded everyone to stick to the dead father story. Syirah abandoned Khalid anyway and gave him up to Rosnani.

Khalid saw flashing spots and bent his neck to avoid the light. His head throbbed like a knife pierced through his skull. God seems to like intervening in his whirlwind of emotions. A thunder reverberated and echoed across the darkened clouds. The wind howled and large drops of rain splattered abruptly. Zaryn sprung from his seat and grabbed Khalid's arms to move towards a shelter. Khalid pulled away from his grip and ran as fast as he could.

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