I stood motionless, feeling numb as I stared at a smile stretch across his face joyfully. I wanted to scream at him in rage, or completely break down crying, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything, I was trapped in my own thoughts as I stared at him in confusion.
He looked better than I hoped he would've been, he looked, happy.
He was carrying a briefcase and wore a clean suit, seeming to have just been passing by the park on his way to work.
He was slim and tall, his blond hair beginning to grey and his clear blue eyes settling over with contentment.
"H-how did you get here? How've you been? How's your mother?" He blurted elatedly, his features all showing how shocked he was.
I wondered how he even knew what I looked like, after all he had left me and my mum before I was even born.
"She's dead." I replied coldly, glaring at him intensely too angry to say anything else.
I could see in the corner of my eye George stood close beside me, his face expressing the same emotions I had.
"Wh-" My father began, his face dropping to sorrow.
"She overdosed on her medication, I was ten." I replied simply, trying not to completely lash out on him.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He looked down at his feet with a slight frown.
"Are you, Dad? Because I don't remember ever receiving a telephone call once for twenty years. God, how did you even know what I look like? It's not like I've ever met you in person before, only in the crummy photographs I have of you and my mother." I said becoming slightly hysterical, unable to hold my anger back.
George grabbed my hand comfortingly to try and calm me down, seeing how angry I was becoming. I swallowed hard and bowed my head slightly, deciding against yelling at him more, even though I thought he deserved it.
"Your mother used to send me pictures." He spoke fishing into his pocket and pulling out his wallet, opening it and turning it to me.
I stared at the photo of my mother and I months before she had died in his wallet, my heart pounding hard against my ribs furiously.
"I, never got the chance to reply." He spoke with regret evident in his words.
"Pity." I choked sarcastically, feeling tears begin to rise out of pure frustration, I had hoped I'd never have to see my father ever in my lifetime, yet here we were.
"I'm really sorry to cut in, but I really think we should get back to the flat." George interrupted trying to help me get away from my dad before I did something I would regret later. He still remained in disguise, although his dark glasses were put into his pocket.
"Is this the boyfriend?" He asked lightheartedly, making me slip my hand from George's.
He cleared his throat nervously seeing I had no sliver of joy to be seen.
"No." I replied coldly. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as I said it, but I pushed it aside because I knew it wasn't the top priority at the moment.
"Oh, well anyway, maybe we could go to dinner sometime? Here's my card." He said grabbing the business card from his pocket and extending it towards me.
I looked it over gritting my teeth before George nudged me slightly, making me grab the stupid thing uninterestedly.
"I will see you again Penelope, won't I?" He asked me solemnly, staring into my eyes with a slight hopefulness in his eyes.
I sighed deeply prying my eyes off of him and looking down at his business card.
"Maybe." I mumbled reading the card, Frank Green, Lawyer, Green Law firm.
I looked at the address and phone number contemplating on wether of not to rip it up in front of him and throw it to the ground like a voice told me I should be doing in my head.
"I'll see you soon then." He smiled warmly, making my stomach twist in an unsettling way.
"Bye." George replied, grabbing onto my shoulders turning us both walk away in the other direction.
I was shaking in pure rage. I had no idea what to think, I had never expected to ever see him, and I had never expected that if I did he would know what I looked like.
Why had my mother even sent him those pictures, seeing the one of my mother and I months before she passed made me start grieving all over again.
"Should we go back to the flat?" George asked quietly, knowing I was completely distraught and suddenly in a terrible mood.
"Yes please." I replied quietly taking my eyes off of the card and looking up to him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked kindly, soft spoken knowing this was an extremely sensitive topic for me.
I contemplated it in my head for a moment trying to fully comprehend what had just happened.
"He's a lawyer." I handed him the card, swallowing hard.
"Does he own the firm?" George asked after reading the card, seemingly as baffled as I was.
"He must." I breathed out in disbelief.
We walked back quietly to the street where George hailed another cab to take us back.
It was a silent car ride, I really didn't feel all that well.
When we arrived to the door of the flat house I realized I had been crying silently as I stared out the window, making me quickly brush them away and leave the cab as George paid for the trip.
He had taken off his disguise in the taxi, suddenly seeming to not care whether we were swarmed or not, putting his dark glasses and moustache in his coat pocket and removing the hat.
"I'll walk you up." George spoke softly as he caught up to me.
I turned to him wordlessly and brought him into a hug, feeling him return it immediately, wrapping his arms around my back. I desperately needed it, my head was spinning out of control with thoughts and emotions. I had so many questions and old memories that were being brought up suddenly, I just wanted to forget it all.
He rubbed his hands over my back soothingly as I sniffled into his chest.
"I'm sorry I ruined your free day. I'm sure you would've rather spent the day with Pattie." I laughed through the sniffling, wiping underneath my eyes.
I unraveled myself from the hug shyly, remembering that George wasn't mine anymore and that things weren't the same as they once were.
"I enjoyed spending time with you." He assured me with a thoughtful gaze, the corners of his lips turning upwards.
I cleared my throat and looked at my feet.
"Well, It's a pity that's the only time I'll ever see my father, I would've liked to have yelled more." I sighed looking back up, trying to change the subject.
"What d'you mean? You aren't going to call him?" George asked extending the card to me he had held onto during the cab ride.
"No, I'm going back to Liverpool." I said beginning to walk into the building to the elevators.
"Already? You can't just, leave, you only just arrived." He grabbed onto my arm as I was about to get on the elevator, stopping me from doing so.
"Why shouldn't I? I don't want to see my father, and everyone else has moved on and forgotten about me anyway, I don't belong here." I cried out without thinking, wanting swallow my words seeing the hurt look on his face.
"Is that really how you feel?" He released my arm stepping back.
"Yes. Maybe, I-I don't know." I bit my lip with reddened cheeks.
"Oh." Was all he muttered, reaching for the elevator button to go up.
I gulped and walked into the elevator with George, standing beside him in an awkward silence until we reached Brian's floor.
We both stepped out and George walked beside me, George looking to be in deep thought.
I unlocked the door, crossing my fingers that Brian wasn't home yet and I was still home free.
"Penelope." I suddenly heard Brian yell sweetly. I tensed up, I had already let him down once in under a week. I looked back at George who was grimacing, we both knew we were in deep trouble, Brian didn't take his job lightly.
George and I walked over shamefully to the living room where we heard him from, seeing that Brian was sitting with none other than Pattie Boyd, her usual sweet grin twisted downwards into a scowl.