"Slowly , but things do change"
Part-Two
All my happiness flew away when I saw that horrified expression on Jake's face.
Before I could ask him that why he had called me, he looked up to me and then motioned me in a frantic way to go in to my office.
I looked at him bewildered and then made my way to my office.
As the door opened, I couldn't help but gape at the person standing in front of me, looking at the photo frame I keep my desk. He was in my office or...his office?
He looked up and smiled. The smile I last saw when...I don't even remember.
"Dad?" It came out more like a question.
"Derek." He said with a firm nod, acknowledging my presence.
I made my way to him and took the frame from his hand that he was holding and before placing it, I looked at it. It was of my mother, the only thing I had left of her...except the memories that was imprinted on my heart.
He looked at the frame in my hand and he sighed and then stood in a posture, but not the posture I have always seen him in, with his head held high and shoulders stretched as well, like a king. Today, instead of that posture, he had a different one, his head was hung low and shoulders were slumped, he was looking defeated, not something I had thought I would ever see. The bags under his eyes were enough for me to comprehend that he has not been sleeping enough, however I didn't knew about his drinking problem. I had several questions to ask him but the most prominent question of all was about his presence in my office.
"You look different," he said putting his hand on my shoulder looking at me with the emotion I couldn't decipher.
I didn't answer, I just gaped at him. Why is he here after 7 years? All the questions regarding his presence started invading my head. Why has he come after so many years?
Last, I heard of him was when he came to Manhattan which was around three months back. Even then, he didn't come to meet me. He just stayed at home, for I don't know how many days, then he left again. But why now?
He looked at me, and I looked back at him. The man standing in front of me is not my father, not the father I grew up with, he was rather, a guy I barely recognized. His eyes were sad, they were holding tears, he was broken.
Suddenly I had a urge to hug him, I don't know why, but I just did. I have never seen him like this and honestly, I never intended to.
He sighed, as a tear crept through his eyes.
I hugged him hard. Well that's among my first, as I've never had a fatherly relationship with my father. The one every child have with his father. My relationship with my father could be classified under formal category, of an employee and a boss where you talk, but not much then required where your sentences should only consist answers, not questions.
I let him go and stood there awkwardly, the silence seemed to be growing between us. He finally spoke,
"I found your mother's journals."
"What?" I questioned.
"I know. I shouldn't have read them," he said looking away, "-but that's the only thing closely related to your mother," he said and moved towards the glass wall that gave the view of Manhattan.
"Dad...Don't dig skeletons, you will only get hurt," I said.
"What happened is in the past, okay? It cannot make any difference to our present or future." I said moving towards him and standing beside him.
"All my life, and even after your mother's death, I thought that I am a man without flaws, the one who couldn't make mistakes and did everything that was right. But I was mistaken, whatever I thought as my prized possessions were in reality, the biggest mistakes of my life."
"Do you know, why I treated you like shit after your mother died?"
I didn't say anything, just stood there. This moment...I'd never thought even in my wildest dreams that this could ever happen, but it is happening.
"That day, when your mother met with an accident. That day when you left our house and moved out, I had a terrible fight with her after you had left. A fight that led to a question, question that changed it all..." He continued.
"So you think its my mistake...?" Gerald shouted.
"Who else it could be, you are pressurizing him. He is just a kid," She said as she slumped on the couch near her.
"I am his God damn father."
He said rubbing his temples
"Then act like one..." She said sobbingly.
"Don't you tell me how to act," he said pointing his index finger at her.
"I am not telling you. Please, Gerald resolve everything with him. He is your son..." She said with tears in her eyes.
"Have you seen the way he was talking to me?" He asked her agitated.
"Because he saw me hurt..." She said as she wiped the tears on her face from the back of her hand.
"So, now you too think, that I am a freaking asshole, who doesn't care..." He said looking fiercely at her.
"I didn't say that..."
"But you mean it."
"Gerald..."
"Rose."
"Zane needs his brother, he is too young..."
"I am here for him..." He said moving back and forth now.
"Like you were, for Derek?" She asked and then stood up to face him.
"What do you mean?" He said coming to a halt.
"You know Gerald. You are busy with your work, you can't give Zane what he wants." She said moving forward and holding his hand in her hand.
"Rose stop making me feel like I am shit..." He jerked her hand away and moved away from her.
"Gerald, call Derek back, he has left," she pleaded as tears crept through her eyes.
"He will come around when he will be broke..." He said as he pour himself a drink.
"Why are you like this to him? He is your son." She asked.
"I am like nothing to him, and I know he is my son." He said as he sipped from his glass.
She breathed deeply and said.
"If you don't call him back, then I am leaving..."
"What?" He asked as he put the glass on the table.
"Yes, you heard it right. I will pick up Zane from school and I am leaving to Derek's place..." She said.
"You are choosing him over me." He asked moving towards her.
"Choosing...what? He is my son and you...you are my husband. There is no choosing."
"Yes, you are choosing. Leave. I said leave..." Gerald shouted.
"She chose you..." He murmured.
"What?" I asked bewildered.
"The reason I treated you like that after your mother died was because she chose you, she left me. At that time, I was so naïve that I blamed you, because if she hadn't chosen you, then she wouldn't have left...and wouldn't have met with an accident."
"I blamed you." He continues.
"Dad..." I exasperated.
"Son," he interrupted.
"I am here to make myself right, let me speak," he sighed.
"I have never been a dad to you, rather a strict teacher. I pressurized you at every step of your life. I pressurized you to be perfect, but son, you should know, in my heart I've always loved you but was so stupid to show it. I used to train you like the CEO of this company, the one that would follow my footsteps, that's why I thought that its necessary to push you to your limits and I did it. I was blind to not see how this thing was affecting our relationship, the fragile bond we had as a relationship of a father and a son, I broke it by being a CEO of this company. It took me years to bring this company on top and I wanted the same when you came into power so I did what I thought was right, but unfortunately I was wrong."
"I got so indulged in making this company number one, that I forgot I had a family, and as a result, we grew further apart, but your mother always became that link which binded us together, even after so much cracks. I never thanked her for that. I never..."
"But when your mother died and you left... Loneliness haunted me and I came to the conclusion that running is the only option. I found solace in alcohol and surrendered myself to it, home reminded me of your mother and the mistakes I had made, so I chose to leave and give up my company to you because I knew you were the rightful heir, though I never showed you. I kept on pushing you down so that you could pull me, you did son but I never acknowledged that and I self-drowned into the pit that I even shoved you and Zane away and fled. I realized how I was, all this time I was taking you all for granted, every night when I came back from office, I saw your mother waiting for me, for dinner so I never appreciated her for that, I never appreciated what I had. I just kept running after what I didn't have. But after your mom died, I realized what a stupid man I am, I was looking for happiness in this money where the true happiness waited for me every night at the dinning table, where a true happiness was being called dad. People are right, you don't realize its worth until its gone."
"You...your mother...the love, everything is gone. And I didn't even fight for it. I realized what a stupid man I was, but then I chose to runaway from all the problems. I didn't know what to do so I chose to leave, that's when I decided to call my lawyer and make you the official heir. But then after years, the maids found your mother's journals and gave it to me. I carried them with me, and read everything that I was running from, and then I realized that running was never an option, it just make things worse, so son, I am here to make things better."
"I am here, to say sorry ," He turned around to face me.
"Forgive me, please."
He said pleadingly.
★♥★♥★♥★
Helloooooo... My lovely readers ♥
So this is Part-two :D
So tell me what you think of Derek's father?
And and..
I am reading this book named "The book thief."
It's awesome. I just loved it ♥
So tell me have you read it? If not then I suggest you should.
Loads of love,
_autumngirl_