So Wrong, It's Right (Louis)

Chapter 23

Three weeks later:

"This one's rubbish." My mum said, handing over a shoebox she opened up quickly and shut. She didn't even open the box to look to see if there was anything inside of it.

"Are you sure?" I asked her carefully, taking the shoebox from her and biting down on my lip because I was the one unsure about throwing whatever was inside of it away. It had to mean something to her at some point.

Today marked the first day that we were packing up anything that belonged to my father, which also included anything that he's ever given my mum. Now, I have no idea what she'll do with her wedding and engagements rings but I was the last person who should bring that up to her.

She let out an amused chuckle, letting out a sharp breath right after. "Yeah, I'm sure. I've kept birthday cards and such from your father. I haven't received one from him since you were around six years-old." Her hand gently combed through my hair as she reached towards me.

It was true. We haven't celebrated many birthday or holidays since I was younger. I noticed other kids my age having all these family traditions and such. When we had to share with our school classes about what we did over holidays, I always made things up about how I wished I could spend a holiday or two. Then as I got older, and we didn't have to share anything I learned to ignore holidays and treat them as if they were nothing special.

It was how my father made me feel and I've looked at so many things in my life through his eyes.

"Plus, the therapist said that doing this could be helpful, you know?" She told me with a slight nod, believing in that herself.

Mum's been seeing a therapist and she's asked me a couple of times now if I wanted to join her for a few sessions so I could start healing the wounds from my father, ones that I knew would last forever but I wouldn't think about them everyday.

She wanted to rebuild herself and her family again and I was completely okay with the family just being her and I, and anyone else I've considered close family. I have no clue which relatives I'll never see again once word gets around that a divorce would be happening.

It's not just for my mum. I've never felt positive about this before, but I'm a little curious about where I could possibly go from here after all the things I've done. I could tell someone, other than my mum and Liam, about what I've gone through and how I reacted to in my repression. Maybe someone else could be there for me and understand my story. I've gone from this kid who never wanted to utter a word of it, not wanting any sort of redemption, to this boy who wanted more out of life.

Without asking her another question about it, I tossed the shoebox into our rubbish pile. There was plenty of it building up and then there were his boxes of things he was allowed to have back. My uncle was going to come by over the weekend to pick them up and send them off. He wasn't too happy with his brother so he was more than happy to deliver the bastard his shit. That's what he told my mum.

As I continued sorting the things she handed over to me, I heard my phone ringing. With one of my father's gold bracelets in my hands, I walked over to my mum's bed and looked to see who would be ringing me.

Liam

At that I immediately picked up my phone, the ringer still playing. "I've got to take this." I told her as I let out a breath, then looking up to her. "You'll be okay without me?" I asked her.

"Yeah, go on, love." She told me with a smile as she walked over to the shared closet that was all hers now. I left the room pretty quickly after that because I didn't want to catch my mum reminiscing over who my father once was by feeling or smelling his clothes. There was nothing to regret about her decision.