END OF THE BEGINNING

34: Let Him In

'Let Him In'

A hand tapped me on my shoulder. "Florence, we've arrived."

I yawned and stretched out my arms above my head before glancing at Sebastian who was still behind the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry for sleeping off like that." I apologized, taking in the familiar view of my house.

He smiled in his own gentle manner. "You needed it, I could tell."

I smiled back at him before opening the car door. Then I felt Sebastian's hand on my right shoulder and snapped my eyes back to him. "You know I I'll always be there for you right?"

The scorch in his eyes made me realize how sincere he was. "I know that. Thank you for what you did for me today. I mean, you left work and everything to ensure my happiness. It means a lot you know?"

Sebastian's lips moved upwards in a beautiful smile then he extended his right hand towards me and I placed my fingers in it. "Some things never change Florence, they never do."

I didn't need an interpreter to notify me of what he meant. It was too obvious.

***

"Why would you want to go visit your dad?" Mom demanded with a frown.

"Mom, I need to speak to him." I rose from the space beside her on my bed.

Mom shook her head, probably not understanding what was going on with me. "I'm going to respect your status an adult. Go visit him if you wish, but don't be fooled by his smooth words."

Many hours later, I was seating before my dad at the prison. He wore an expressionless face so it was hard to figure out if my visit pleased him or not. Judging from the grey streaks in his hair, I knew he had been stressed out.

"Seeing that I tortured your family at some point, I didn't expect you'd be visiting me." Dad spoke after minutes of fruitless silence. He clasped his fingers together on the table separating us.

I stopped a strand of my hair from getting into my eyes. "Dad, that's in the past."

He raised an eyebrow. "Dad? So, you've forgiven me then?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Then why are you here?" He asked. I could see the guilt passing through his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at the edge of the metallic table which was smeared with some black substance. "I don't know."

Conversation was getting really awkward. You can't blame either of us. Dad stumbled out of my life a decade ago and then flew back in  like that. I wasn't expecting us to whip up a pleasant dialogue.

Dad sighed and glanced at the guard standing in the corner as stiff as rock. "How is your mother and sister?"

I raised my left hand to shield my eyes so dad wouldn't see the tears escaping my tear ducts. He would possibly be wondering why I started acting weird. "She's gone, she died."

My chest suddenly became constricted but I managed to breath when my eyes swam to my dad. His face had paled and his mouth was hanging open.

"God! Florence, I didn't mean to hurt her. Why was I so stupid? Why?" He gritted his teeth and stared down at his fingers.

"It's not your fault dad. She was shot on her wedding day. My sister got killed on her freaking wedding day!" I shouted, glad that the walls were soundproof. Dad was silent as he watched me weep for my lost sister.

Then I realized why I had come here, I needed someone to pour my heart out to. Sebastian wasn't enough and neither was mom. I needed my dad. But then I made a mistake, I shouldn't have come here to a man who had a few years left of his  three years jail term.