Jason left work a little earlier than usual that Friday afternoon.
"Where're you in a hurry to go to mate? You're usually among the last of us to pack up and leave. I was starting to think you were a workaholic." One of his co-workers said, making the others laugh. They were all picking up their bags to head off.
Jason had been running away but when he heard this he turned around and took slower steps back. "I've got . . . an appointment."
The other men looked at each other. "What appointment?" one of them asked.
"It's personal. Sorry. Uh . . . see you lads on Monday alright? Good weekend to you all." He waved and then ran as fast as he could down the sidewalk. This could go one of two ways. Leigh-Anne could either cry and scream when she saw him and start hitting her head against a wall like she did when she was little or they could actually have a good conversation in person together. She says she'll be with her therapist so in case it goes south there'll be someone there to help out. He was pretty nervous about meeting her because he just wanted it to work. The longest conversation they had via text was when she had messaged him the week before and he had enjoyed talking to her. Even though it feels like I didn't deserve to feel that good but . . .
He ran up the stairs to his apartment and dashed into his space.
The man took a shower and then picked out the best clothes he could find in his closet. He didn't have that many. He probably only owned a total of seven outfits. One for every day of the week.
He looked in the mirror at his black shirt, jeans and beanie and tried to judge whether it was appropriate or not. It's fine. He looked decent and not menacing right?
He shook his head and pulled out a jacket to wear before pulling on his black sneakers.
Once he was dressed he grabbed his bag from the living room and hurried to the kitchen to pick up a teddy bear he had been resting there. It was a gift for Leigh-Anne. If she'll have it that is. She was a teenage girl. They liked stuff like this right? I'd never buy Sairah a bear though. He may not have been the best father to them when they were younger but he remembered their personalities . . . more or less. Sierra was sweet, helpful, caring and honest while Sairah was angry and aggressive, mischievous. And Leigh . . . He remembered her crying and screaming a lot but when she wasn't she would usually be with Sierra. I know she liked reading. She'd asked him for a new book once and . . . It didn't go well. He shook his head before walking to the door.
"Bye Matthew," he waved at his dog who was panting happily in his bed.
Matthew didn't really react but he imagined him saying goodbye back.
"Bye Dee," He waved at his deceased girlfriend's picture on his TV stand. He heard her say her goodbye before he left.
Leigh-Anne had said that she would meet him at a particular dog park so that was where he was headed.
When he got there, he looked around at all the people hanging out and walking their dogs. Some people were having picnics with their pets and others were interacting and watching their pets play. He liked it here. It was peaceful. If I'm hard to look at she can take a look at the dogs instead. This was a great place to meet.
He spotted a bench that looked nice and decided to sit there.
The man tapped his thumbs nervously as he tried to think of how this would go. Should I talk in a higher pitch? His voice was pretty deep. He didn't want to scare her just by talking. But she has male friends so it won't be so bad. He should just be himself right? Who's that? He spent so many of his days alone but he still wasn't sure. He guessed more than anything else that he was just a broken man trying to live with the things he'd done. Not much of a personality huh? Maybe it was best to not think on a depressive wavelength before meeting his daughter after so many years. He was not good when depressed. He made bad choices. Right. Had he been this nervous about seeing Sairah? Sairah's always been tough around me but Leigh-Anne . . . she's one of the ones who got the brunt of my abuse. They all did but Leigh was the only living person who showed obvious outward suffering. Based on what Sairah said anyway. And what I've seen.
