STARKID Don't You

Chapter 13

Madison

We entered Kentucky, I didn't want to take this way, but Darren forced me to. So many bad memories are here.

"Okay, okay pull over." Darren said after an hour of driving. I did as he said, even though I didn't want to.

I pulled over and got out and helped Darren out and into the drivers side.

"Darren are you sure you can drive?" I asked him as I got in the passenger side.

"No but we are 3 miles out I'm sure I can make it that far." He said. We drove for a couple of minutes and then I saw it the signs entering you into hell, or Bardstown.

"Darren, what are you doing." I asked him as I seriously debated jumping out of the car.

"Please just trust me." He said in a calming tone.

"Please just tell me that we are just passing through." Darren was silent. We entered the square, so many memories of me walking to our store flooded my head. And then he did it, he parked in front of the hell shop.

"Go in." He said.

"No. Nope not gonna happen."

"Madison please, look when all this happened I came to your dad first, he told me that he was so sorry for what he did to you, and that all he wanted me to do is save his little girl. Go in and make amends."

"Darren, for years this man he, he, he beat me, and now you expect me to go an say everything is okay." I tried not to yell at him.

"Madison please just give the man 5 minutes."

I looked at Darren and rolled my eyes. Then took a deep breath. Darren risked his life to save me, I guess I can go in for five minutes.

"Fine." I said then got out of the truck. I walked up to the door and looked back at Darren, he gave me a thumbs up. I pushed on the door and went inside. The old musty smell has gotten worse, it dosent look like anyone has been in here for ages. I began walking up to the register. Behind it sat my father nose deep in Fishers Weekly. He put the magazine down and looked up at me with awe.

"Madison?" He said softly. I took a deep breath and held my head up high and nodded yes. "You know that Darren he is a keeper."

"I know." I replied.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked in a sincere tone.

"I'm fine."

"Well I guess I better bite the bullet and just do it. Madison I have dreamed of this day ever since you left. I relised that I was wrong what I did was wrong, I should have never hurt you I should have loved you, because that is what you needed, it was what I needed to, but I was to blind to see it."

Am I crying? I wiped the tear off my face.

"Why did you?" I choked out. I looked at the sorrow in my father's eyes he was also crying.

"Your mother was my life, and when you were born you were my world but then when we found out about your problem, well money got tight, I became over worked, stressed out. I would come home drunk and take my anger out on your mother. But when she passed it got worse, I took it out on the one person I should have been there for, you. Madison I'm so sorry, I would do anything to redo those years. I see how wrong I was please forgive me."

Being at Crickets was a living hell, I was there for two weeks and couldn't take it. But my father has been living a living hell for years. He was looking at me trying to keep his cool and not burst into tears but it wasn't working he was crying, I could see how sorry he was. And I forgive him.

"I forgive you." I said then he came up and gave me the one thing I have wanted since mom died, a hug. We both broke down into each other and cried. Our broken family has been fixed, and I know mom is crying with us, tears of joy, that her family is together again.