WALLFLOWER

CHAPTER 17

I am sitting with my dad in a park. It's been a week after that confrontation with my mom. I heard my dad's story from my sister. She went and talked to him after that day and my dad said everything without any hesitation. She said it was as if he was waiting for some one to ask him these questions. It was as if he wanted to tell all these to someone. He wanted someone to at least give him a chance to defend himself.

He and mom studied in same college but he never loved her at that time. He was in love with another girl from the same Collage. He never knew my mom loved him or wanted to marry him.

When is came to know, he politely rejected her as he was in love with someone else and wanted to marry her. She was from a humble background just like him.

But after few days that girl just vanished. He didn't know what happened and he was in pain without knowing what happened to her and why or where she left. He tried to find her but only to be met with dead end.

After few months he got a call from her saying she moved on and is engaged to someone wealthier. She asked him to forget her and move on. It crushed him. My mom stayed with him at that time and helped him with his depression as a friend. He fell in love with my mom gradually and married her after their graduation.

They led a very happy life and had my sister and me. After years, one day he saw that woman again, she was his patient, seriously ill. She was on the last stage if her life. She was struggling but she was happy ... very happy.

She died after few months. After her funeral her family returned back. But before going back her husband met with dad and told him all the truth.

He told him how my mom threatened her and her family. When she didn't comply to my moms wishes, she tried to kill her in an accident in which she was seriously injured and she was in hospital for few months. After that, due to the fear for her and her families life she made that phone call to dad and left the country forever.

She got married after a few years and had a child. They lived happily until she was diagnosed with illness. They came back to the country for her treatment.

When She saw my dad as her doctor, she was very happy.

Her husband said that she never wanted my dad to find out all these as he was happily married but he didn't want my dad to hate her even in his subconscious mind as she didn't deserve it and he think that my dad deserved the truth even if that truth may spoil his life. That, he wanted to give my dad the choice.

Dad manipulated the information regarding her family before confronting mom in fear of their safety. After the confrontation and fallout between them, mom cooked up all these stories about dad cheating on her to keep us from dad, for making us not believe in whatever dad says. In which she succeeded all these years.

"Bright, son" I was jerked back to reality by his voice.

I looked at him sadly.

"Dad, I am sorry. I didn't know. I am sorry that, I didn't give you a chance. Sorry for everything." I was crying.

"It's OK Bright. I know you both loves your mom dearly. It's not your fault, it was never your fault. I never blamed you or Achara. Let's forget about the past." He patted my shoulder awkwardly.

We sat there in silence for a long time. I was not able to talk to him like before. It's been years. I understand this awkward situation and I understand that it's our mistake.

I smiled looking at him. I was not knowing what else to do. He opened his mouth then closed again as if he wants to say something but was having an internal war.