In the Eyes of My Beholder

Chapter 4: Amidst Trees and Reminiscing Comes a Man Rather Mean

Here's Chapter 4! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: Amidst Trees and Reminiscing Comes a Man Rather Mean

Crunch...

Crunch...

Crunch....

I was currently going out of my way to step on the crunchy leaves. It was finally the weekend, and I wanted to do something other than lounge around the house all day. Mom wasn’t home; she went to seal the deal with the buyers, which meant that I’d be on my own for a while. I took the opportunity to go around town, and to get to know my surroundings. I’d been out for a few hours now, walking around aimlessly, and somehow, I had ended up in the woods.

The air smelled fresh and crisp, which meant winter would soon be approaching. This was my favorite time of the year. Mid-autumn. Earth always seemed the most serene in autumn. The leaves were dying and surrendering to nature, the animals departing in song as they enter new spring. My father would always take me out for walks when I was little, especially this season. We’d go to the park, and he’d sit me down. He would point to the trees, and he’d say that everything died to be born again. That saying of his lived with me for a long time, but since he left, I found myself believing it less.

I sat against the leaves, and let my mind drift as I stared up at the sky. The clouds were rolling in as the sun moved west. I allowed myself to reminisce on my father, and on his new life. I’d be lying if I didn’t question whether his decision to leave us was perhaps my fault, but I don’t know what I could’ve possibly done wrong. Until a couple years ago, I had always been closer to my father. But that all went down the drain once he started lying and sneaking around, until one day mom walked in on him sucking face with woman young enough to be my older sister! God knows why I wasn’t home when it happened, but I can only imagine what I would’ve done if I was. When I did come home though, my father was sleeping on the couch. The next day, when I came back home from school, all of his belongings were gone, and the house was left half empty.

Since that day, I haven’t seen or spoken to him, and that was a little over a year ago. Mom had gotten hold of him a couple times, but it wasn’t anything satisfactory. The few times they spoke, dad made it pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with my mother. He told her that his new woman “gets him.”

Mom didn’t want to be his enemy, and that was the excuse she used every time she called him. I constantly reminded her that the only true way she could mend her heart was by letting go and moving on, but she wasn’t having it. I was patient with her though; I knew that she would soon realize that she deserved better, and she’d let their story be just that, a story.

Just then, I saw a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

“Damn…”

My phone vibrated in pocket, startling me.

“Hello?”

“Hi, honey. I need a favor. I’m not gonna be home for another five hours, and Mr. Elleswood is on his way to drop off a file. Just take it from him for me, and put it on my desk?”

I stood up, and dusted the crushed leaves off my clothes, “I’m not home.” I turned to look around me, trying to remember which way led me here.