Our Purpose

Chapter 9

Dib inhaled deeply, slowly walking toward the kitchen. It seemed like an eternity before he reached it, and as he stepped through the doorway, his father looked at him silently. 

He gestured for Dib to sit down in the chair across from him.

Dib hesitated, but put his backpack on the floor by the wall and slowly made his way over to sit in front of his father. 

His anxiety had risen to a level he'd never felt before, but he desperately wanted to know why his father had lied to him for so long.

Dib pulled the chair back and reluctantly sat down, not making eye contact with his father, but rather the table. His father was silent for a moment, but Dib's anxiety was as loud as ever. 

The Professor began to speak.

"I know that you're angry with me, son. But I want to just explain myself to you." He started, causing Dib to frown and stare harder at the table.

"From practically the moment you took your first breath you were chasing the paranormal. It didn't matter if it were ghosts, or bigfoot, or... vampire bees, you wanted to prove that it was true. You never stopped loving the paranormal. And then suddenly, Zim came along and now you were trying to prove that aliens were going to take over." The Professor paused as he took in a breath.

"At first, I only lied to you because I didn't want to ruin who you are. After Zim came along, it was to keep the world from finding out about us." He said solemnly, glancing at his son, who was now looking at him with an unreadable expression.

Dib was silent a moment.

Then, he started to speak in a voice that was just above a whisper, getting louder with each sentence. "You made me feel like I was insane. You humiliated me in front of millions of people, and for what? So that your stupid plan would succeed? If this plan is so much more important than us, then why did you even create us in the first place!?" He took deep breaths in and out, glaring at his father whose hands were clasped together firmly still.

Dib continued to glare, waiting for a response, but got none.

He scoffed. "What, you can't even defend yourself now? You manage to find time in your busy schedule, and you can't even tell me why you did this? You can't even-" 

He was cut off by his father's sudden words.

"Son, I've already been thrown out by my own species. I don't want to be kicked out by another one too!" Dib went silent, his father continuing. "I used to be respected, and then when I was sent here and realized it was exile, I had to start over again. I'd created you two to help me, but after I figured it all out, there was no need for your help. I didn't know what to do. But I figured after a while that maybe this planet could appreciate me just like my species used to. And they did."

The Professor paused a moment and glanced at the table before continuing. 

"I don't want them to know because I don't want to have to start over again, to feel like I can't become anything because those around me say that I don't fit in. I'm sorry that I made you feel so horrible because of it."

There was silence in the room. It lasted for a minute or so, both of them thinking over what to say.

The only thing Dib could think of saying was-

"I'm sorry too."

His father looked up at him. "You have no reason to be, son."

Dib shook his head. "No, I was just so hurt that you kept this from me that I didn't want to listen to why. It still sucks that you did, but I should have just let you explain..."