Broken Promises

Chapter 17-Confrontation

I regret opening up to my father, I never asked for this. I just wanted to see if he still cared enough to respond, not to show up at my door without telling me. What the hell was he thinking coming in here like this. To my apartment. To my life. He's not getting a second chance that easy. My mind races. He interrupts me. "I know what you're thinking, I shouldn't have come here without telling you. I thought I'd surprise you."
"I'm not surprised, I'm shocked. And no you shouldn't have come. You have no right to."
"I'm sorry Katie. I just wanted to tell you that I still love you. I want to try and be the man in your life you always wanted me to be. I just thought maybe you'd understand if you..."
"Understand? Understand ?? Understand what? Understand that you LEFT. You left for her, because she was better than us? Better than your family? You didn't just cheat on my mother!! You cheated on me!! I was 11. Nine years and you left me without a father. I had to learn how to do things without you." A tear slid down the side of my face. "I don't even know you, you're like a stranger to me. There's been an empty hole in my heart since the day you left. And you can't just expect me to forgive you and be whole again. Because I can't. Dad. I can't."
"Katie I'm still the man who told you to be brave and strong when you were a little girl. I'm trying to be that better person again. I promise you I'll do whatever it takes."
"Don't make a promise you can't keep."
I held my hand out, ushering him to the door.
He gives me a sympathetic, sad, hurtful look of disappointment. I slam the door behind him. A painful reminder of the past. This time I told him to leave. I slumped my whole body against the smooth wooden door and shook. My head fell between my knees and the tears flew out. A mixture of emotions surged through me, regret, anger, feeling alone, feeling betrayed, hurt. In this moment, the Kate everyone loves and knows, is elsewhere.