My Sweet Little Reminder

Back from the dead?

"Finnick,my boy."
My heart jumps. It's my dad.
"Dad?"
I'll admit,I'm contemplating whether I'm crazy or not right now. Just like...well,I hate to say it,but like my poor grieving widow of a mother.
It's really hard having to tell yourself that the person who raised you and helped build you into who you are,is crumbling into broken pieces of debris right before you.
As a son,I can't say I'm crazy about having to diagnose my mother with some delusional disorder. But I will say I'm crazy if I think my dad is really here.
"Dad?" I ask again.
He just stands there,his eyes sad and brimming with...guilt?
I get off the tiki looking,wicker chair.
And we just stare at each other. I run my hand through hair,feeling like I should do something. He's my dad,and he's practically like,resurrected right now and all I can do is awkwardly loom in his presence speechless.
Then I think about it. If he's alive,truly alive,and he just left....
The desolate feeling of abandonment consumes me. I no longer feel like running into my father's arms.
"What the hell? You're supposed to be dead."
He looks at me,his face twisting evermore with that sadness mingled with guilt.
He clenches his hands then unclenches them and holds them out towards me as if trying to release or transmit an idea.
"Listen."
I don't give any indignation that I will. But I don't try to argue either.
"I have a lot of dreams for us Finn. Dreams of a world where you wouldn't have to be doing this right now."
I can't help but look at him skeptically.
"And how do I know that's not a lot of crap?"
"Hey." He says,obviously offended.
" This happens to be my life work that we're talking about."
I roll my eyes,lick my lips and sit down.
"I guess this life's work of yours was more important to you than us."
"Hey." He says,in a gentle,fatherly tone I haven't heard from a man in years.
Despite everything, I soften up to him a little after that.
"You guys will always,you hear me? Always,be my top priority." I can tell from the way the light glistens off his eyes that he's tearing up. "Finnick,I'm so sorry buddy." He sits in the chair across from me and looks me in the eyes.
"I'm so sorry." He apologizes sincerely. It's the most sincere apology I've ever gotten. And not just that,it's the one I needed to hear the most. I nod.
"I forgive you. But I'm not the only one who needs to hear this." I tell him.
He nods,tells me I'm probably right.
"Now not to be rude,it's nice to see you after years of -" I try not to say abandonment. Not the best word choice. "After not seeing you,but I mean,why show up now?"
He laughs in disbelief.
"At a loss of tact,Finn. But I mean,you are kind of being sent off to your death here."
I stand up from where I'm sitting abruptly to push over the chair I'm sitting on,kicking it across the room.
"You bastard,how dare you."
He looks at me with his mouth agape.
"Finnick,I didn't mean to upset you."
"Well you did. Get out."
He leaves.