Someday, Who Knows?

Chapter 26: Unexpected News

The semester had ended with a blur of goodbyes and promises to stay in touch, but Ellie woke one morning to a gentle knock on her bedroom door. It was her father, Robert. "Ellie," he began quietly, "get ready. We're going somewhere."

Confused but trusting her father's tone, Ellie quickly dressed and joined him in the car. The drive was quiet, the early morning sunlight casting a serene glow over the town they were leaving behind. After a while, Robert turned onto a familiar path that led to the quiet cemetery where Ellie's mother and younger brother rested.

As they walked among the gravestones, the soft morning light filtering through the trees, Robert guided Ellie to a quiet corner where his wife, Ellie's mother, lay at rest.

Robert's voice trembled with emotion as he finally spoke, his hand lightly resting on the cold marble of his wife's gravestone.

"Ellie, I need to tell you something." He paused; his eyes threatened with tears. Since her mother died his father was an emotional wreck but in a way, Ellie was thankful that he was expressing himself more rather than bottling it all up.

She remembered that her father never shed a tear when her brother Ryan, died.

Ellie looked up and stood beside Robert, her own heart heavy with the weight of their shared grief. She listened intently, knowing this was a moment of profound vulnerability for her father.

"I've been consumed by grief, blaming myself and your mother for what happened to your little brother. I couldn't protect him, and I couldn't save your mother either. I've failed them both."

Ellie listened intently, her own heart heavy with his words. She too had carried her guilt for years, believing somehow, she was to blame for the accident that took her brother away, she didn't know that Robert was filled with these thoughts all this time.

"I'm sorry, Ellie," Robert continued, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry for everything, I couldn't see clearly because I was lost in my pain. I neglected you, but thankfully, you stayed strong. You held us together when I couldn't." He sounded strained as he finally voiced the depths of his sorrow and regret.

Ellie reached out and took her father's hand, her own eyes brimming with tears. "Dad," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "It's not your fault. None of it is. We've all been hurting."

He smiled sadly.

Robert stood before his wife's gravestone, his hand trembling slightly as he traced the engraved letters of his wife's name. Ellie stood a few steps away, giving him space but staying close enough to offer support if he needed it.

"I'm sorry, Lyra," Robert began quietly. "I'm sorry for making you feel alone in those final months. I was so wrapped up in my struggles, in my grief and guilt, that I didn't see how much you needed me." He paused and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry for giving up on your suffering."

He paused, memories flooding his mind of moments missed and words left unspoken.

"I should have been there for you more," Robert continued, his voice cracking with emotion. "I should have listened better and supported you through everything. But I let my struggles cloud my judgment, and for that, I'm so deeply sorry."

Robert had never said these words aloud before, never dared to confront the uncertainty that lingered in his heart.

Ellie watched her father, her heart breaking for him. Seeing him confront his regrets and apologize was both heart-wrenching and cathartic, standing a few feet away, she felt a lump form in her throat. She knew her father's love for her mother had been deep and unwavering, but grief had a way of distorting memories and leaving doubts in its wake. They almost gave up on their marriage before, throwing those wonderful years together, and forgetting what they meant to each other. That's probably why her father was feeling more weight on his shoulders because of that fact.