Beware of the Neighborhood.

15 - Finally the Truth spilled out

"My dad Peter, and Megan were old friends, Best friends as a matter of fact. Went to school together, were even in the same college, they were inseparable" he began, looking exhausted even before the story began.

"They never dated though. My dad said that they decided to try it out once but it didn't work out and he thought they were definitely better off as friends. Finally after Graduation, my dad started dating my mom and soon they got married. It was the time when Megan moved to England to study further. That's where she met your father and they started to date. Megan had just finished her studies and returned from England when I was born. My parents had made her my God mother. She was so happy; said that it was the best thing that could have happened to her. Soon Megan too got married to your dad and moved to England with him for good. But the friendship my dad shared with her remained intact. I was about five years old when my mom died, she had caught pneumonia. Around that time Megan called my dad and told him that she had got work as a journalist in the Today Magazine and would be moving back here with her husband.

Since then I started seeing Megan more often. She came to our house almost every day. Took care of me, played with me, she was the closest I had to a mother. Finally after a couple of years when she was expecting you the visits became less and less frequent. Although she would come to meet me it won't be that often or she would be in a hurry to get home." He said.

"Did my dad know?" Kevin asked.

"Of course he did. Nice fellow. He used to come with her sometimes, but mostly he had to be away on business trips" Richard answered.

"Typical dad!" muttered Kevin.

"Yea so" he continued "then finally she had you. I was invited for your christening; I still remember how happy she was. I had never seen her happier. She loved you Kev, more than anything. Once or twice when she was really sick, my dad drove me to her house. As my dad would talk to her, I remember playing with you for hours. Of course, you were very young and I don't think you remember any of that"

Kevin shook his head saying no.

"So, as the years went on she moved out of wheeler Falls main town to Wheeler falls on the other side of the woods which was much quieter. She said that she wanted to raise her son away from the city. That was when I knew that I would never see her that often. My dad was okay with it, he said that she was his friend and he was happy if she was. But I couldn't pretend that everything was okay. I had started to think of her as my mother, I shared everything with her, she was my closest friend. But I knew that she had to move on with her life, she had a family now.

I will never know what came over me that time. As I went to high school, I started rebelling. Breaking rules, stealing stuff, motorbikes without helmet, shoplifting, I even tried smoking. I was rude with the teachers, started bullying. I had no idea what was wrong. I needed someone to talk to. My dad was mostly busy with work and I didn't have many friends. That was the time when dad announced that Megan had, after all these years, joined the wheeler times where my dad was working. I couldn't believe it! After so many years I was finally going to meet her. She did visit us, spent time with me and I felt myself change a little, every day. But she wasn't here for me! She was on some work. I picked up enough information to know what they were working together on the house of Dr. Dawson, A.k.a my great grandfather. My dad had always told me the legend since I was a kid. How dr. Hugo Dawson was a scientist and his ghost haunted the house."

"Did you find out what they were working on?" Jason asked.

"Umm, how about I'll tell you if you stop interrupting" he answered.

"Keep quite Jason" I muttered.

"Yea, go on Richard" Kevin said.

"So once, when I really needed money, I broke into my dad's room, I was searching for his wallet when I found this big file! It was like a Biography of Dr. Dawson. I knew that I had stumbled onto the research of my dad. I wasn't interested in the file that time. I just needed money and wanted to get out. I would have got out had I not heard footsteps outside. I knew I was in trouble. My dad was very secretive person. Kept his room locked, didn't talk about this work or any such topic. He never even allowed me to enter his room and I knew if he came in and noticed me standing there, with his research file, he would freak out. I had no choice. I dropped the file and hiding myself in the cupboard I closed the door behind me and waited. I had planned to hide inside till my dad went to bed and then escape before he noticed. But as the door opened, I heard two voices. One was my dad of course, and the second was, unmistakably, Megan's. I slowly opened the door, a centimetre at a time and peered out. My dad was at his desk, clearing away his stuff while Megan stood behind him, peering over his shoulder, looking very serious and worried for some reason.