✶☾Nightingale☽✶

Ch.12 For the Love Of a Daughter

I took several deep breaths while I stood in the kitchen. He, my dad i guess, sat on the couch waiting patiently for me. I stood in the far corner where he couldnt see as I tried to get myself together.

How did he know where I live? Where was he for the past 15 years? Why the hell was he showing up now?

So many questions roared through my head. I grabbed a water bottle out the fridge and returned to where he sat.

I handed it to him wordlessly and he mumbled a thank you. With another deep breath, I sat on the couch opposite him and tired not to make eye contact.

He cleared his throat. "Um.. I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask me...", he countered and I raised my eyebrows. A lot is an understatement. "But", he continued, " I just wanna say how beautiful you are. You're all grown up. I missed so much." His voice cracked at the last part and I saw him turn away before a little tear came down. Anger welled up inside me.

Who the fuck does he think he is? He leaves me and my mother then shows up out of the blue crying because of how much of my life he's missed out on?!? That's his fucking fault for leaving!

I sat with my arms folded while I waited for him to get himself together. I could feel no sympathy for this stranger in front of me.

"Are you done now?", I asked impatiently. He glanced up and i saw a shadow of pain cross his features, but i didnt care. He nodded wordlessly. "Okay, well, first of all how did you find out where I live?"

"Your mother."

"WHAT?", I said unbelievingly.

There was no way. Absolutely no fucking way. My mother hasn't talked to him in almost 20 years. He's lying. He has to be.

He nodded again. "I went to the house and she finally let me in. I asked her about you and she told me to come here."

Finally let him in? What the hell is he talking about?

"Well you can go ahead and leave because i dont need someone who was absent from all of my life here now."

"Mia-"

"Save it. I dont care." Anger and hurt surged through me. I wanted to scream and cry. How could he just show up like this? Disturbing my already confusing life? I dont need this. I dont need him.

"Mia, you don't know the whole story."

"I think i do!", I yelled. "You left us. You left my mother to drink her life away. You left me to be the one to provide for our family. I've spent my life wanting to die because of you and now you just show up out of nowhere. I dont care about anything you have to say because it'll never fix what you did!"

His face was wiped clean of any happiness and his eyes turned a dark shade of sadness. I didnt care. If he thought that he could just show up and i would forget everything and run to his arms he was completely wrong.

"Mia", he began. I placed my lips to tell him once and for all to leave but his next words surprised me. "I left because your mom made me."

My eyebrows bunched up in confusion and disbelief. "What?"

"Like I said, you don't know the whole story. But I will tell you."

He took a deep breath before beginning.

"A couple months after your 5th birthday, I had just got a job working at the airport. It had been going strong for about a week by then. I got off early one day and decided to surprise your mom. I brought her flowers and chocolates. It wasnt for a reason, just because I wanted to. But when i opened the door to our apartment, I found her on the couch, having sex with our next door neighbor." He paused for a moment and then continued.