Fix Me

Chapter 12

We were all splattered with sauce and smelt like garlic. We all slipped when we moved too quickly due to the food on the floor but it was the greatest. It was so much fun to be here.

Eventually though we did have to leave so Cameron and I both gave Marco a hug and left, promising to go back and visit.

Once in the car Cameron turned to me with a smile on his face.

"So what did you think" he asked.

I just gave a little laugh. "That was so much fun. Thank you."

"It's not over yet"

***

~Cameron's P.O.V~

She's still trying to guess where I'm taking her. Bouncing up and down in her seat she looked 5. Right now we're driving by a lake. It's quiet, peaceful, almost no one around. After about the hundredth guess she made she gave up.

"Oh come on just tell me please" she whined stretching out the 'e' in please.

"No it's a surprise." I laughed.

It's just too much fun seeing her squirm.

I just continued to laugh at her attempts to get the location out of me.

***

It's now 1:00 am. We've been driving for about 2hours and Jade fell asleep. She's laying there so peacefully in the passenger seat. I think this is the first time since I met her that she didn't have a troubled look on her face. It's nice to know that she does have a place where she can escape. Even if that place is a dreamworld.

We arrived at our destination. When I stopped the car Jade moved in her seat. She woke up.

"Did we finally get to your secret place?" she said sleepily.

I gave her a playful smirk.

"Yes we're here. Are you good to walk or too sleepy?"

"No I'm good" she said and we got out of the car.

That's when she got a good look at where we were...the cottage me and my mom used to stay.

We walked in and I turned the lights on. It's just like it was from when I was 7, from the picture of my mom and dad when they were teens to the pictures of the two of us together. I haven't been here for so long.

I saw Jade walking into the den and stopping at the fire place. That's where a lot of our pictures were. I walked up behind her and saw she was looking at a picture of my mom, me, and my dad at the hospital the day I was born.

"Is that you" Jade asked. Except, it wasn't so much a question rather than her wanting me to confirm something she already knew.

"Yeah" I said.

"You look a lot like your dad. But you have your moms smile."

Now that I look closely at the picture I realize she's right.

Weird that I never noticed. I guess I never really paid attention. It's been just me and my mom, I never really bothered to pay close attention to my dad.

The only thing of him I have is a tattoo on my back of the three of our names.

"Come on. I wanna show you something."

I lead her over to the couch and took off my shirt and turned around so she could see it.

"What do you think?" I asked.

~Jade's P.O.V~

"What do you think?" he asked.

What I thought? I thought it was big, and artistic, and one of the sweetest things someone could do as memories if a better childhood.

It was a cross with his moms name, Mary, his dad's name, Jake, and his name, Cameron, engraved in it. It had a medieval look to it but what I found most interesting was a scroll like paper underneath with the saying " Family. We may not have it all together but together we have it all." written on cursive.

The best part about it was that even though his dad left him he still cared enough to call him family.

I traced my finger over all the names. It was so simple yet so complicated. It was amazing.

"I don't get it. He left you. He never came back and yet, you still call him family. Why?" I asked.

I didn't really expect him to answer considering it was a pretty personal question.

He got up and walked over to a bookshelf on the other side if the room. He came back with a bible that was worn out and looked like he'd had it for years.

He opened it and a letter fell out.

"I found this when I was packing up to leave for my first foster home when I was 10. I thought it was complete bullshit you know? Like, how could there be a God when my life has sucked so much? But then, I picked it up and this letter fell out. It was from my dad."

He handed me the letter and I read it.

"Dear Cameron,

I'm sorry I can't be here with you. I failed you as a father and don't expect you to forgive me but please just listen. Your mom and I had you when we were young. I was reckless and careless and I wasn't ready to be a father. I thought I was but I wasn't. I tried, I really did but things just became so toxic between your mother and I so I left. And to this day I regret not coming to see you. I'll always regret it. I'm sorry. I hope one day you can forgive me.

Love dad."

When I finished reading the letter I looked over to see Cameron with tears in his eyes.

"I don't know him and yet I miss him. Does that even make sense" he mumbled.

I didn't know. I don't know what it's like to love someone so much it hurts. I had my mom but she was gone way too soon so I don't really remember her.

Then Cameron stood up and extended his arm to me, "Come on it's getting late. Let's go to bed"

I smiled and took his hand.

Then we went and stayed in what I guessed to be his room from when he was a kid. It's exactly what you'd expect a 10 year old boys room to look like. I could almost imagine a little Cameron playing in here with his toy cars or watching spongebob when he stayed in sick.

It was nice being able to look into his past.