I'm home... (Short story)

I'm home...

I hear footsteps thundering down the hall. "If you don't like being here anymore, then just go back to that man of yours!" father bellowed from the master room. The thundering of footsteps came to a halt and there was a moment of silence before mother's voice filled my ears.
"Fine! Maybe I will!" she said.
My mother left the house that day and I watched her leave our house without even knowing the reason why she disappeared for all those days. After mother had left, father seemed to have lost part of his soul. He would howl about how mother had betrayed us and later moan about why she had to leave.
A few weeks later, Erica, a colleague of mother's came to our house. She revealed that mother has been going back to tend to her father. My grandfather was ill and mother has been going back and forth from our house. She had received news that my grandfather's health has improved and they had moved to another city.
Father was swallowed by guilt when he heard the truth; he had abandoned his true love and kicked her out. Later that night, father came home late with bloodshot eyes and body reeked of alcohol. He was nagging and sputtering nonsense. Life seemed to seep out of him little by little. It seemed as if he had lost the will to live.
Father has become more and more miserable every day. He has drowning in his own pool of guilt. We had wanted to go search for mother, but not knowing where they were was a wild goose chase. As days passed, father had become too depressed and couldn't work. I had to go find a part time job as my father was no longer able to feed us.
Year has gone by since mother left, father was still the miserable man he used to be except that he had become thinner and is easily infuriated. I had managed to graduate from high school and received a scholarship to Woodsherch University, meanwhile working as a part-time waitress.
It was the end of winter and spring was around the corner. Father was lying on the couch, while I was making breakfast. The doorbell chimed and distracted me from my work. "Heather, get the door?" my father groaned from the living room. I scurried over and opened the door. Cool air gushed into the room and I shivered. I gaped as my eyes landed on the figure before me.
My voice was caught in my throat, "M-"
"Who is it?" father asked from the living room. I couldn't answer him as even I couldn't believe my own eyes. Tears streamed across my cheeks as the woman before me smile lovingly.
"What are you doing? I said, 'who's at the door?'" father grumbled as he crept over to me. His footsteps paused as he glanced at the smiling figure before him.
"Seriously, I was gone for a year and look what happened!" the woman said.
"Zelene..." I heard father whispered. The figure at the door was no other than my mother! The feeling of longing flooded over me and my hands shoot up to hug her. But father beat me to it and mother was enveloped in a lovingly yet crushing embrace. I could see his arms trembled. Father has missed her terribly.
Mother beamed and chuckled a hearty laugh. "Welcome home." Father whispered in her ears.
"I'm home."