At Midnight

Chapter 34

Raising a child can be exhausting and taxing. I'm no expert but I strongly feel that the proper way to raise children is to shower them with affection while teaching them what is wrong and what is right, exposing them to different things in order for their character to grow and encouraging them through tough times. Taking on the role of a parent also means being their emotional pillar of support.

When I was younger and I watched all those television sitcoms, I often wondered what it would be like to sit with both my parents on the couch and talk about our day. Or having dinner with them after a long day of work and school. Or even going to parks for a Sunday afternoon stroll. My schoolmates had families that were exactly like those shown on the TV. That was no solace.

I wouldn't say that I grew up in the harshest of conditions but having either a dad or mum around would have been more helpful and endearing. I was alone for most of my life and my parents didn't give me much of a say in how the family was going to be like.

My dad left my mother and I and I hated to admit it but part of me blamed him for the lack of affection and attention I received from the both of them. For years, I held him accountable for my mother's business and my unhappiness.

My broken family was what made me realize the difference between a 'home' and a 'house'. A home was where you felt safe especially with the unconditional love from family members whereas a house was merely an object and shelter. Knowing such a thing at the age of seven was like receiving a tight slap on my cheeks.

I was absolutely upset when my father decided to show up in our living room that day, claiming that he wanted to be the father he was supposed to be. After disappearing for all those years, cutting off all contact and neglecting us, leaving us in a mess and forcing us to make ends meet by ourselves, replacing us with a new family, and suddenly reappearing into our lives again.

I remembered how furious I was because he thought that he could just come and go as and when he liked and be part of my life again despite all that has happened. I was also terrified that he'd leave again even though he promised he wouldn't. I wasn't sure I could trust that man.

That was why mum was flabbergasted when I called her, instructing her to meet dad and I at a restaurant near the pier. It was a seafood restaurant, the one we used to go to all the time before dad left, as so I was told by my mother.

It was dinnertime and the place was packed with costumers dressed in the latest designer goods. I was the first to reach the classy restaurant. I could feel chills on the spine as I waited in anticipation. I was a little worried about how the dinner would turn out considering the fact that my parents could never have a normal conversation without arguing or screaming at each other. I pressed my long nails into the palm of my hands, scanning the room for any familiar faces.

And I saw them. They were smiling at one another and laughing. My mother was in a gorgeous gown that complimented her eyes, which were what made my father fell for her in the first place. Following suit was my father in a dashing suite and I have never seen him so handsome before. His brown strands of hair were still intact and it was as if he hadn't aged at all.

I knew that they were trying their best to make the night a memorable one for me. With a sigh of relief, I relaxed my hands that had been clenching into fists underneath the table. It was then that I noticed the blood oozing out from my palms. In a hurry, I wiped them on my black dress and stood up, hugging both of my parents as they approached the table.

We sat around the table, both of them across me, and we ordered our meals. After the waiter left, Dad was the first one to speak. " It's so good to see you Mia. How have you been?" He sounded like a real father – one who didn't walk out on his family and acted like the head of the house.