[2] FAR FROM HIM // t.stark

Chapter One

Weekend. No school, no curricular activities, a lot of procrastination though free time and family day.

My parents we always busy ever since I was young. I remember being sent to a nursery while Mom and Dad worked and if it weren't because of Happy to pick me up, I'd be staying at the nursery overnights. But they'd always make up some time on weekend to spend the day with me. I'd be lying if there weren't times when they had to cancel our family day. I used to be angry at them, but as I grew up, the last minute cancelling our family day is normal to me and I understand their works and their status for their job so when we couldn't hang out together, I'd go out with Happy.

Often, when my parents were free and when we'd get out hang out for the whole day, Mom thinks we should be home early so that I'd have time to finish my homework, but Dad being Dad, he never took it seriously. We would be home past midnight, sometimes, either with Mom or without Mom.

We tried to continue the routine, make it a tradition to have family time on weekends. It was hard the first few weeks after Dad died. Mom worked harder although she didn't have to. With Mom's status to the company, with Dad's money, with whatever Dad's left for us, were actually more then enough for us now. I tried telling her that. She heard me, but quickly dismissed it and said that I don't understand what it feels like.

But, if Morgan and I were lucky, Mom would take a one-day leave to bring us picnic where Mom, Dad and I used to have picnic many months ago. It's always the picnic. Well, like I said, we tried. Truth is, neither Mom nor me were ready to have family time on weekends after Dad died. Everything we do keeps bringing us back to the memory of Dad.

"It's not fair for Morgan," Happy once told me while we were sitting together at the dock, fishing-but-not-really-fishing. Mom and Morgan were out for grocery shopping at a nearby supermarket so we had the cabin and the lake to ourselves without worrying anyone eavesdropping. "She doesn't really understand what's actually happening. She keeps asking when will Tony come home."

"She asks me the same question every night when I tuck her to sleep," I agreed. "But I don't really have the answer, Hap. Does she even understand the word "dead" or "died"? Does she know that those words mean that the person isn't going to come back?"

I was frustrated. I wanted to cry in front of Happy, but I have no tears left. I cried every night alone in my room after tucking Morgan to sleep. I cried at school in the washroom because everybody's talking about Dad at school, let it be positive or negative thing they said about Dad. People don't care over the fact that Stark's daughter is studying in a small state. They just talk. I cried every time I saw the garage where Dad used to work in. Though the cabin looked lonely, but I know Dad loved it so much because he had the whole acres for him to build his working garage as big as he dreamed of. The Mansion or the Tower can't compete with the Cabin.

It's been a while since I walked down the memory lane. It hurts badly by mere looking at the garage, but this time I tried to ignore the resistance. Maybe, my sadness will be gone after I paid a visit on Dad's possession even without Dad.

I put on my black sweater and slipped on my shoes. Grabbing a small carton of milk, I quickly exited the Cabin and snuck into the garage, not wanting to attract Morgan's attention. Truth is, I've never really been into the garage. Not once. Dad built the garage when I wasn't "home". Morgan, unlike me, likes techs and she knows every little thing about technologies just like Dad, but no matter how much she had begged me to show her Dad's garage, I couldn't do it. Maybe I'm selfish because I can't see the garage myself without seeing ghost of Dad working.