Sucker Punched by Love

Curses are Real

I stared at the package with distaste. It's pink shiny wrapper glistened as I tilted it at different angles, and I hated feeling curious about what lay inside. The silver bow was wrapped perfectly, perhaps too perfectly indicating that he probably had his secretary put it together for him. I scoffed. He didn't even have the decency of saying he tried.

I'd found the gift sitting outside the front porch when I got home from school. Thankfully my mom was still at work and hadn't seen him drop it off, otherwise it would have ruin her day. There was a letter safely tucked underneath the bow, and in the front he'd written: To my dearest Lizzy, love Dad. I tossed the gift back onto my desk, staring at it nervously as I bit my nail in contemplation. Just as I was going to reach for it again the door flew open, and I snatched my hand back in surprise.

"Hey-o," Lian barged into the room, not waiting for an invitation. I narrowed my eyes at him playfully, swiveling my chair towards him.

"Do you ever knock? Or did you lose all sense of manners while I was gone?" I joked.

Lian glared, taking a few steps backwards and closing the door halfway. A knock followed his dramatic exit. I rolled my eyes holding back a laugh and beckoned him inside.

"Come innn," I sing songed wanting to get on his nerves. I needed someone to vent my energy to, and right now Lian fit the bill.

"And you call me dramatic," he scoffed, walking in and settling on a bean bag I had in the corner of my room.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I drawled, going back to the gift.

"Is that...'' Lian asked with inquisitiveness in his voice.

"Dad's sorry attempt to get me on his side?" I gave Lian a knowing look. "You bet it is,"

He sighed, reaching up to my desk and pulling down a random notebook and pen to doodle on. It was a habit he always had whenever he stopped by to chat.

"Yeah, I know how that feels. I was there myself just a few months ago, until he finally got the point and backed off."

"What did you do?" I questioned with interest. Lian had never been one to get into conflict with dad. They were like the typical father and son that agreed on everything. Most of the time it was mom and I who found ourselves going up against both of them for anything such as what movie we were going to watch or what was on the menu for dinner. I couldn't actually imagine Lian standing his ground against dad, it was a strange thought.

"Well, after his poor attempts at bribing me with tickets to bands I liked, and even a new car, I told him that nothing would change the fact that he'd left us. He knows he'll always be our dad, but it won't ever be the same. We just have to learn to move on." Lian said it all too calmly. To someone who didn't know him like I did it would appear like he had gotten over the fact that our father abandoned my mother; but I knew him like the back of my hand and I could see that he felt betrayed.

"I know what you mean,"

When I found out about my parents divorce I was halfway across the world. All I could do was pick up the phone and check in. With school and all, I didn't have time to register my own thoughts and feelings, so this was the first time I was able to really talk to anyone about it.

"I keep wondering if maybe things would have been different if I stayed..." Lian stopped doodling and gazed up at me. The corners of his lips dipped down as he set the pen on the notepad.

"Don't Liz. You can't really believe that you had anything to do with what happened. That was on him, not on you." His grim tone reminded me of our dad and it made me shiver just how much they were alike, although I didn't think Lian would appreciate that thought.