18 Years of Bonnie & Clyde

[18] Father and Son

Year 3...

FP got ready for work and took the last bite from his sandwich, before shrugging on his jacket. They had a long day waiting for them at Andrews Constructions, but when you worked closely with your best friends, day's like that were actually fun.

It was a job Fred had offered him instantly after graduation and two years later their agreement was still growing strong. He made a table income for Charles and Alice, who worked parttime at Pop's when she wasn't taking care of their son.

"Don't count on me with dinner!" He called through the trailer, to reach the bedroom of is father.

He always waited for a response, but this time he didn't receive a grumble back from his Dad. Though they weren't particularly close, they always said one another goodbye. Which is why it was suspicious that there came nothing but silence from his father's room. FP turned around to find out if his father was even home, just to check.

"Dad?" He walked into the room and saw his father laying in bed, not moving a single muscle. The blood disappeared out of his face. He could feel in his bones that this was bad news.

"Dad... say something. Dad!" He took the man's shoulders to wake him up, but it was a losing game. He felt cold and there was no sign of life left.

FP immediately ran towards the landline to dial the number that he had come to learn by heart, the one person from who he was sure knew what to do.

"Al... something's wrong." He croaked, as soon as she picked up.

She made her way towards his trailer instantly and confirmed what FP had felt. Forsythe Pendelton The First had passed away. The father that had been his biggest enemy throughout his life died peacefully in his sleep.

According to the paramedics they had called, it was due to his alcohol addiction. It had become too much for his old body. But FP hadn't heard a word of what they were trying to tell him.

He felt paralyzed.

The world shifted, and yet it turned just the same as it did yesterday. He felt completely lost.

**

The week after that went by as a total blur. Alice had taken most of the responsibilities to arrange the funeral, as FP seemed unable to do so. Luckily she still had Serpent blood in her, meaning that she knew exactly how Forsythe senior would have wanted it. After all, he died as Serpent King and the Serpents wanted to honor him as such.

FP didn't share that sentiment. All his life, he had resented his father. He took everything that was him dear and changed his life path for good. His father didn't deserve his tears, but yet FP was there crying as he saw the casket being lowered into the ground.

Alice had held his hand through it all. As always, she proved to be his rock, the one he could count on even in the hard and difficult times. If she hadn't been there, he wouldn't even be sure he would have gone.

The funeral and reception passed by as nothing more than what he would call a vague memory. Being back in the trailer, FP sat in a chair around his dinner table with a apathetic look on his face. He felt so many things at once and yet he also felt incredibly empty. Charles sat on his lap and gestured with his tiny hands towards FP. He held him even tighter.

"I'm so sorry, FP." Alice stroked his arm up and down to give him some comfort, as she swallowed her own tears. She hadn't been particularly fond of Forsythe Senior, the opposite actually, but seeing FP like this was almost worse than him crying.

"Don't be. He was a nasty drunk." FP said plainly, the emotion he had at the funeral completely vanished.

"It's okay to admit that you care." She told him softly.