Back To December

Chapter 6

My father and my mom were seated on the sofa, side by side, laughing at something as they held each other's hands.

My chest tightened at the sight. Never in my entire life did I think that I'll be witnessing something like this. I'd made up my mind a long time ago that Dad was never going to come back in our lives and that it would always be just me and mom. But now looking at the both of them as if the all those years of sadness never happened, I can't help but wonder why was he back in our lives.

"Kiera!" My mom gasped and pulled away from dad as if guilty of something.

"Hey mom, sorry for storming about like that." I replied ignoring dad's gaze and sat on the opposite sofa.

Mom sighed and looked at dad before looking back at me. "It's alright honey, but I think you need to talk to your dad and apologize for your behaviour."

I felt anger rising within me but tried to control myself. "About that." I started as I looked at his face that resembled mine a lot. "Why are you back after all these years?"

Mom started to say something but dad took her hand and squeezed it. I looked at their joined hands and clenched my jaw. He doesn't deserve to hold her hand.

Dad looked into my eyes. "The both of us were very young, your mom and I. We had an entire future planned for ourselves but all of that was put to a stop when we accidentally had you and we weren't even married, I was just 20 years old and your mom 18."

My eyes widened at his words. I never knew that! I always thought that I was born after my parents had married, now knowing that my existence wasn't actually planned stung.

"Anyway," Dad continued in a small voice. "Your mom knew that I wasn't ready for settling down at that point in my life so she didn't force me into marrying her, but her folks were adamant that I marry her anyhow and kept pressuring me. We had no choice but to marry. At first everything was okay and I felt that maybe I was ready for this after all, but as the years went on, I became more and more bitter towards everything and had started blaming your mother for trapping into this marriage. She knew and even I knew that I didn't actually mean what I said, because I loved your mom and you with all my heart but she understood that I couldn't stay anymore and pretend to be happy with my little family, because I was not. I was so young when I was forced to marry your mother that I became angry and bitter after a few years and I had to leave, so I left. Your mother understood where my bitterness was coming from and allowed me to go away and live my life, become something, only with a promise that I'd come back to her, come back home, so here I am. We never divorced because the both of us knew that I'd come back home. The years that I spent away from your mother and you were so torturous. I never once forgot about you guys and I missed you even more as the years passed. Your mom kept sending me your pictures on your every birthday and the more I looked at them the more I hated myself for walking away. I knew you'd never forgive me for walking away without even saying goodbye and I was sure that you would not want me back in your life. I knew that I didn't deserve to be a part of your life after leaving you guys, so I stayed away. But I couldn't stay away any longer and I felt like my soul was being ripped into two everytime that I thought about you and your mother and I knew that I had to come back. I had to come back and ask for your forgiveness, I just had to. I love the both of you and have never stopped loving you both and I hope that you'll forgive me oneday."

By the time he finished speaking, tears were flowing down my face and dad was kneeling in front of me holding my hands in his large once as tears were streaming down his face too. Mom was crying silently with her head down.

I couldn't take it all. It was just too much. Too much to handle so I got up and ran upstairs to my room and locked the door behind me. I sat down in the corner as I hugged myself and broke down even more.