WHEN I NEEDED YOU. ( Lesbian Slow Updates.)

24

Anele was grateful for Kyoko for keeping her brother away from her but she did not want to be around the  Himura's, all of them, any minute longer. Bai, her girlfriend was not answering her phone and her brother could not come pick her up because he was away with friends. As she stood, leaning on one of the expensive cars in her parents driveway, she heard the front door open.

" Nene?"

This was the pet name her dad used to use for her before their relationship went south after she fell pregnant at sixteen. Hearing this name made her quickly look up, wonder who it was and her dad gave her an awkward, but big smile. Unfortunately she was too hurt to return it. Hurt by the years of being scolded because of the Himura's lies.  Her father's smile dropped but he understood that he was the cause of Anele's attitude.

" My child forgive."

He reached out a hand, silently pleading for forgiveness, but she couldn't bring herself to take it. The pain and resentment ran too deep, leaving a chasm between them that seemed impossible to bridge. She had spent years feeling abandoned and betrayed, left to face the harsh realities of life on her own and now, with a simple nickname, her father expected all of that to be forgotten.

" Dad I'm tired and don't have the strength to do this with you."

Anele could not forget, it was not that easy. The wounds were too fresh, too raw. She had built walls around her heart to protect herself from further disappointment. As much as she longed for a reconciliation with her father, she couldn't allow herself to let him back in so easily.

"I can't just forget everything, Dad,"

She whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of pain and anger.

"You were never there when I needed you. You left me to bear the weight of my mistakes alone. Mistakes I made by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can't believe I'm calling the twins mistakes."

She mumbled the last part but the siblings heard her and turned to each other shocked. Her father's eyes filled with regret, his own pain evident.

"I know, Nene,"

he murmured, his voice heavy with emotion.

"I can never undo the past, but I want to make it right. I want to earn your forgiveness."

Anele stared at him, torn between wanting to believe his words and protecting herself from further heartache. She knew deep down that forgiveness was a powerful force, one that could heal wounds and bring about reconciliation. She also knew that forgiveness had to be earned, and that it couldn't be given freely in the hopes of a quick fix.

" What's changed?"

Silence hung in the air, the tension between them palpable. Anele could see the desperation in her father's eyes, and a part of her softened. She wanted to believe that he truly wanted to change, that he wanted to be the father she had always wished for.

" After what I saw today, honey I'd be a fool to still believe that you lied to us. Honey I was wrong_ we were wrong."

Her mother appeared next to her father. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke, her voice filled with determination.

" Your father's right hun, we were wrong."

Anele's mother said, holding her husband's hand.

" I don't know dad."

Anele didn't know if she could fully trust her parents again, she was afraid. Perhaps, with time, wounds could heal and a new relationship could emerge from the ashes of their broken past but for now, all they had was a nickname and a glimmer of hope. Maybe, that would be enough to begin their journey towards forgiveness and healing.