A Dark Past

memories

It was three weeks since the graveyard incident and things in the household hadn't improved. They had never exactly been brilliant but she usually got along with an awkward hello or small talk. Now sitting in the dining room was more painful than being at a funeral pretending to be grieve stricken when you didn't even know the person who was dead. She recalled the week before the graveyard incident when her and her mother had their awful fight, the worst they'd ever had. She couldn't remember exactly how it had started but once it had it was in full flow. Now  the tension between her and her mother was tangible in the air, John tried to help talking to both of them but god help him he wasn't really doing much good.

John had been around for a while now and even though he was perfectly civil to her and tried to find some common interests between them the truth was after all this time it still didn't feel right for him to be living in their house. It felt like her mum had given up on her dad like she had forgotten all the good times they had. She wouldn't have looked twice at someone like John if he was still around. He could make her laugh at some of the most inappropriate moments and Kat too. She remembered one time when she was nine and they were at a "apparently very important talk" her school was giving. All throughout the principals big speech on the importance of parent involvement in their child's education her dad kept pointing out funny things about the people in the audience which had mum almost exploding with laughter.

Kat got dirty looks from the principal and teachers for weeks after that and for once her mum didn't care what others thought of her. Kat sighed she missed those times and sometimes she wished she could go back in time and change it all but it was way too late for that. She gasped tears suddenly gushing down her face. She was surprised she hadn't meant to break like that, to snap with just a blurry memory but it was the simple things that mattered and the ordinary days that she remembered best. 

John coming up the stairs at first couldn't distinguish the noise that was coming from Kats room but coming closer he could see through the half open door the tears rushing down her face. He faltered on the landing not sure what to do, he couldn't just leave and pretend it never happened but she wouldn't exactly welcome his presence. He allowed himself a quick sigh, he never realised when he married Holly what he was marrying into and the destruction it created in her life as well as Kats. He never had to worry about stuff like that with Sara but then again she was just your typical teenage girl.

"Kat"? he called hesitantly. She quickly dried her tears and turned away from him. 

"What do you want?" she barely whispered

"I just wanted to know if you're all right, you seemed a bit upset everything is O.K isn't it?" 

She curled her hand into a fist. She wished he would just go away and mind his own business. "Everything is fine, It's just..." she broke off not wanting to talk to him scared she would break down again. She didn't need him to see how weak she really was talking to her stepdad of all people.

"It's just what Kat?, do you want me to get your mother?"

"It's just that I miss my dad, I want to see him" she said finally turning to face him.

"I don't know Kat, I'm not sure that's such a good idea"

"Please?"

He knew she was serious when she said that, she never said please to anyone least of all him. There was a few seconds of silence that seemed to last a lifetime then "O.K I'll see what I can do". She smiled at him tears still in her eyes. "Thank you I appreciate this" He nodded curtly and left saying on the way out "I'll keep this between us".