Learning to Live

Chapter 43

It's been an hour since the party's been over. Since then Mark hardly said a word to anyone. He sits on the couch and rests his elbows on knees. He was quiet, too quiet, almost like a volcano not knowing when it's going to explode. I'm not use to him not having an opinion. That's all this guy as ever done since I've met him, is to have an opinion about Shana and I being in a relationship, but now he found out that his estranged dad is back, and is the one walking Shana down the aisle and now he has nothing to say?

"Mark? Please say something." Shana finally said, breaking this huge glacier.

Daryl steps forward. "Son, I didn't want this..."

"Nah, don't call me that. I'm not your son." Mark got up and proceeded to pace back and forth in the middle of the living room. His eyes glued to the floor. "So let me get this straight. Shana you found out where he was by a letter he sent you and you willingly flew all the way to Atlanta to meet him? Knowing what he has done to us?"

"I wanted to find out what happen."

"What you mean you wanna find out what happened?! He left us Shana! High and dry, that's all. Especially when we needed him the most." Mark gives Daryl an angry side eye. His nose flared like a bull, If Daryl once decided to touch him I know there would be a fight tonight.

"I never wanted this." Shana presses her hand against the sides of her head, "That's why I never told you because you'd get this upset."

"It's his fault."

The air felt so tense that I wanted to escape and take Shana with me. She has been through too much already and she doesn't need any added stress, but this needed to be resolved. I don't want to leave my baby in a family with a bickering grandpa and uncle.

"Shana, Ian, can you give me some time to talk to Mark alone please?"

Mark shook his head, "No, whatever you have to say you can say it in front of them. I want them to see who you really are. Which is a coward. You are a coward!"

"I can't with this right now. It's late, I'm tired." Shana throws up her hands and walks off.

I feel her pain, like literally. My gut hurt at the sight of her sadness. I want to hug her and comfort her, tell her that I could make all her problems go away like a narcotic but I'm not a drug. I'm just a man in the middle of this fiasco. I followed her but Mark's deep echoing voice stops me, "Ian, stay. Please. I want you to hear what type of a man your child is going to call grandpa."

His tone was so commanding that I had to stay. I took a seat further away from them. I didn't want to be a part of this. Of course a relationship between a father and his son is important. Look at me and Greg, we finally talked to each other and bonded like we never did before and I felt like a massive hole in my heart was filled. I would like Mark to experience that since he didn't have Daryl to give him advice or to pat him on the back when he's down, all he got was Shana, who was his little rock and his will to push on.

"I love you guys so much. You have no idea." Daryl with tears in his eyes, "but you don't understand, your mom was dangerous she tried to kill me."

"Oh I knew...and I found out the hard way cause when you left us with her she locked Shana in the closet for a day and a half for god's sake!"

"Shana told me, I'm sorry."

"But you knew what she did to me?" Mark's voice breaking and shaky, "She would tell me she loves me and then have these violent out breaks, throwing pans at me or knives even. You had no idea what it was like to be in that house with her since you left! I could have ran away like you did but I stayed. I stayed for Shana. That's what love is. If you had loved us you would have stayed and fought for us and helped her." Mark walked to the door and slams it.

Daryl buried his head to the floor. He glanced at me. I should have said something but what could I say to make things any less awkward?

Sorry you were a deadbeat dad?

No, the old me would have said that or even worse but I'm learning to be kind, so I just gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Tell Shana I'm going back to the hotel. Goodnight Ian." He opened the door and left.

All I could think about is my Shana in the bedroom probably hurting from all of this. All she wanted was to have a stable family for our little one to grow up in, but what happened today between Mark and Daryl, it looks like that won't be a reality.