DIAMOND KEYS

TWENTY-EIGHT

I was pacing round the kitchen thinking of how I was going to approach mum. I knew she was so angry at me. I couldn’t blame her, I was also angry at myself. Oh gosh! She must have felt so ashamed when she walked into the room with Nathan and they just stared at him like he was an alien.
    
Arrrrrh!

“Michele?”
    
I turned to see mum standing at the door “Mum.”
    
She walked closer and sat on a stool. “I know how you’re feeling now.”

“I’m so sorry mum, I …”

“It’s okay.” She interrupted. “I just want you to know that you’re not being fair with your dad. I honestly do not know what you want from him. He has come to stay abandoning his job, all for you. Isn’t that enough? What else do you want him to do Michele? Tell me.”
    
I could feel the tears rolling down from my eyes. I could not say a thing; I just stood rooted to the ground listening to her.

“You know how you feel about Logan, that’s the same way your dad feels about you. You act like you don’t remember him, like you don’t know him. You are not being fair for chrissake! He is your father!” She sighed and got up. “Think about it.” She concluded and walked out.

*                       *                            *

I lay on my bed that night thinking about the drastic turn my life had taken in the past few weeks- Nathan’s return, Claire’s death and Logan’s amnesia. My life was a wreck and what caused me the most pain was Logan’s amnesia.
    
Logan didn’t really remember me. It was just too much for me. He remembered Elise; that was what pained me the most. He had had a crush on her then and she had used it to take advantage of him. She must have heard by now and must be so thrilled.
    
And there was Nathan. Gosh! That was another problem on my list. Mum had placed so much guilt in my heart.  Now, I felt like a wicked and heartless person, ignoring him these past weeks, behaving like he didn’t exist, and upon it all, he behaved like he didn’t mind, his attitude towards me was yet to change, and he was still the kind and loving father I remembered. But it was too late now; I would look like a fool if I just forgave him. It would look like I had been fighting a useless battle.
    
My mind wandered to Claire’s letter, I remembered her words vividly. “...Michele baby, think about your dad and make sure you follow your heart on what to do, but honestly, I want you to forgive him…”
    
Oh Claire! I wished she was there with me.
    
I needed her that moment more than I had ever needed anyone. I remembered the day she died and I started crying. “Oh Claire, I miss you so much.” I sobbed out loud “Things are so different without you here. I wish you could come back. I need your comforting smile, I need to hear you say it’s gonna be alright, I love you so much.” My sobs increased and I felt my pillow beginning to get wet.

“Michele?”
    
I opened my eyes and saw Nathan walking towards me. “Get out!”
    
He ignored me and continued walking forward. “Why the tears honey?”
    
I picked up a pillow and threw it at him. “Get out” he didn’t relent and I just turned to the other side of the bed facing the wall.
    
I felt him sit on the bed before he spoke. “Why are you crying Michele?”

“Well if you haven’t noticed, I have a lot of things happening in my life right now that make me cry all the time.” I said coldly.

“If you need someone to talk to, I’m always here.”

“Go away Nathan.”
     I heard him flinch as I called his name and I felt a stab of guilt in my heart.
   
He took a deep breath before her spoke. “I’m your dad Michele; I can’t just go away because you say I should.”
    
Really?

“But you can go away when I say you shouldn’t? Like you did three years ago…”

“Michele I’m sorry,” I knew he was, “those three years were the worse three years of my life. I could manage the first year but when your mother started telling me how much you hate me, I felt like I was living in hell. I tried to resign countless of times but they just couldn’t let me go. It was when your mum visited this last time that I made up my mind and came back with her without writing to the bank to grant my resignation.”
    
Wow! I didn’t know all these. This was my first time of hearing it all, but what could that do, why didn’t he leave earlier? Why did he have to wait for three years?

“Michele, I…”

“Have you ever lost anybody close to you?” I asked before he spoke.

“Hmmm... I lost my parent some years back as you know. When I was younger, some of my friends lost their siblings in an auto crash, well yeah; I’ve lost so many people. But do you know the hardest and the most painful thing?”

“No.” I whispered.

“It’s when someone who you love is very alive yet dead. I mean when someone you love is alive but forgets you completely. It’s just like you are dead to the person.”   
    
His words struck me in the deepest part of my heart and I couldn’t help but turn into his arms and start sobbing. “I'm so sorry dad.”
    
Dad!  I finally said it. I was finally able to call him dad.

“Oh darling,” 

“I’m so sorry, I acted like a child. I tried to hate you for leaving us but I just couldn’t.  I couldn’t believe mum would forgive you and still pay visits to you. I thought she was acting like a child but now I know how it feels. Logan doesn’t remember me dad. He remembered everyone, even his ex, yet he doesn’t remember me; but I don’t hate him for it. I still love him and pray every day that he’ll regain his memory.”
    
He patted my shoulders. “It’s okay Elle.”
    
Oh goodness! I had forgotten that name, which was his nickname for me. Fresh tears began to flowing from my eyes as I recalled our years in London. We would play pranks on mum, hide when it was time for dinner, surprise her on her birthday and do all sorts of mysterious things
    
He had been my hero and role model, always ready to fight for me when mum was angry at me.  I remembered how I would hide when my American tutors came and how dad would come and get me and say “Elle, I have told you more than a million times that you are an American and the only reason I’m bringing these tutors is for you to be constantly reminded of where you are from. I don’t want you to speak like the British people with their accents.” Dad had been my father, my hero and my best friend.  These three years I had tried to deny all that, but I had been wasting my time. He was still the same man and he meant as much to me now as he had before.

“I love you so much Elle and I don’t want you to ever doubt that. I will try my best to make up for the last three years. I’m not leaving you again. I’m already looking for a job here. I promise we are going to go back to how things were before, the only thing that’s different is Maxwell, but that’s no problem.” He laughed and I laughed too.

“I love you too dad and I’m so sorry …”

“It’s okay.” He interrupted. “Now, if you are not yet sleepy, I’ll like to catch up on the last three years.”

“Oh I’m not sleepy. That won’t be a problem.”
    
I got up from the bed to get my laptop and Claire’s laptop, my photo album, my school report sheets and every other thing I could get.
    
I took them back to the bed and sat beside him, “This is going to be a long night dad.”
    
He placed his hands behind his head and crossed his legs. “I’m not in a hurry.”

Finally, Michele has forgiven her dad! I hope you guys are happy with this chapter, because I am.

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Love,
Prisca.