POWER: A Tale of Greatness

CHAPTER 39

Later that evening, Jessica finds herself striding down to the riverbank, seeing James' father staring at the other side of it.

"Uhm, sir."

"Oh! You're one of my son's friends, you are?"

"Jessica."

"Yes, Jessica. How may I help you?"

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but I wanted to ask you something about my mother." She started.

"Your mother?" Geronimo asked as he slowly stood up from the ground. "About what, miss?"

"About Linda San Jose-Gonzales."

Speechless, Geronimo slowly took a tiny step forward, looking at the woman in front of him. "How... did you... know her?" He asked. "T - That name, where did you get that?"

"Linda was my mother, and I am not Jessica... my birth name is..." Jessica's eyes began to shed tears. "Lily San Jose-Gonzales..."

"...Diaz."

Jessica wiped her eyes, "Is there... any chance... that you–"

With all of he has, Geronimo gave her the warmest embrace he could ever give, "Lily... I... forgive." Tears filled his faces as he collected his words together. "I thought... I thought I lost you."

"Are you... Gero?" She asked. "My father?"

"I am." He replied, whining so painfully. "Oh, my daughter, you look so much like Linda."

Jessica let go of her emotions and began to cry. She cannot understand, but even if she tried to stop her tears, they just won't stop flowing.

"Why did you leave us?" She asked after his father reclaims his arms.

Geronimo stepped back and bowed his head, "I never left you, I searched for you for ten years straight, even if it endangered my life knowing that humans kill our kind. Even if my father stripped me away from being his rightful heir, I looked for you at the city, from were I left your mother, at our house at the tenth street, at the Tourism distruct but I never found you. At the downtown, at the hills, at the riverside, but I never found you and came back home here." He looked at her eyes. "But I never gave up and–"

"You... you don't need to explain. It was for our own good." Jessica explained. "She... left us... fighting for you."

A wave of weakness washed away his joy pushing him down to his knees, bowing his head with sorrow and regret, "Lily, I'm sorry... for–"

"Mami wants me to be with you and she wants you to know that it wasn't your fault, and she even once said that if ever you start crying, all I need to do is hug you."

Jessica took his father's hands, encouraging him to stand and gave him her mother's shell bracelet, "I believe she wants you to have this back."

"And I want you to keep it," he took it and wore it on her left hand, "Lily, mija."

"We never got mad at you, Papi. We missed you so much!" They hugged each other once more because for the longest time, this is all they needed the most.

From a distant tree, James sits on a branch, watching them from the shadow. He smiled, wiping a tear from under his eye and breathed deeply, "Another family member, I guess."

About an hour ago...

James went to the tree hut where Jessica was taking some rest.

"Jessica." James called her out.

"Yes?" Jessica climbed down the tree house and asked James, "What is it?"

"Do you want to talk to my father, right?"