One night in Manhattan

Is That you Diddy?

Zac walked into the visiting area and sat with his back facing the wall waiting for his father to enter the waiting area. It was only his third time there, and he was still uncomfortable being there. He looked around the room at the rest of the people in the room, some with their family, some friends. There were kids at a few of the tables and his eyes couldn't help but focus on them. Two of the children were seated together at a table while the third child was visiting another inmate, but all of the kids had one thing in common, they all looked terrified. For a moment, he wondered if he would have looked like them visiting his father as a child, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the alarm alerting the room to an incoming inmate. Unlike the previous times he visited, Zac wasn't overcome with emotions. This time he just wanted to see what his father wanted so that he could get back home to his daughter.

"wassup? Zac greeting Chris.

"Hey Zac."

They sat across from each other at the metal picnic table on the far side of the room, neither of them speaking for a while. "alright Chris, wassup? Zac asked growing impatient with the uncomfortable silence.

"Well I need a favor. I haven't been able to reach my brother in a few weeks. I know you two haven't spoken in a while, but could you please stop by his house? It's just unlike him to go missing and not give me a heads up."

Zac's face screwed up. "You made me drive all these hours for something you could have asked me over the phone?"

"I know but I.. I also wanted to see you." Chris hesitated.

"Why?" Chris's confession was the last thing Zac expected of him.

"Because I owe you an apology. I owe you more than that, but right now, I don't have much to give."

"well, thanks." Zac didn't know what to say but he didn't want to be an asshole either."

Chris cleared his throat. "I'm getting out next week. I was hoping, once the dust settled, we could maybe get to know one another again." Chris said nervously.

"Listen, I'll go check on your brother. But I don't know about the rest." Zac answered. "I have a lot going on right now." He began explaining further.

"I heard you have a daughter and she's the spitting image of you."

Zac was caught off guard. "How would you know that?"

"An old friend saw you and told your uncle, he told me."

He couldn't figure out why, but it felt like his privacy was violated. He wasn't trying to hide his daughter at all, but how dare you talk about my daughter when you didn't even want your own son calling you dad. "Yea, I do." Zac answered, not offering any more information. "listen, I'm glad you're getting out of here, and I'll stop by your brother's house and let you know. Call me in a few days." He readied himself to leave but Chris stopped him.