Nefarious Reunited

This is a story of a girl meeting her father for the first time...

             “He shouldn’t be here, you of all people should realize that Mom,” I muttered exasperated.

            “You can’t let the past get to you. What’s done is done; he really has changed. Haven’t you even read the letters that he’s written to you? Besides it’s Christmas, time for family.”

            “Those letters were never meant for me, and you know it.”

            My Mother’s eyes began to water and I hated to see her cry. It had been years since a man had shown her affection; so when that letter came she fell, and she fell hard. Only problem was that letter came sixteen years late, and I had no longing to finally meet him. He was my mother’s first love, father of two, and an abusive heroin junkie.

I strolled to the back steps to have a smoke, leaving my Mother to her thoughts. There was my brother, pacing back and forth. He had this daunting expression that worried me.

            “Hey Kevin, remember the last time we saw him.”

            “How could I forget,” he said under his breath.

            I laughed for a moment, “Remember us making that stupid tape to send to Ralph.”

            He nodded and cracked a smile.

            “We wanted to show Mom and Mark but…”

            “But he was too busy pounding her head against the pavement!”

            “I can’t believe we recorded the whole thing; put him away for a while huh?”

            “F**k this! Why is he coming here, how dare him for even trying to work things out with Mom.”

            He tossed his cigarette and walked away. I couldn’t blame him; he wanted to help her so badly but he was just a boy. He had to live with that guilt; for that I always felt remorse for him. I took my last drag from my cigarette and gazed up to see a yellow taxi pulling in. I panicked and scampered inside where my family sat bewildered at my stunned expression.

            “He’s here,” the words barely escaped my lips.

            My Mother stood up and adjusted her dress, “Well let’s go.”

            My Mother was the first out the door, then my brother, and lastly myself shaking uncontrollably. He got out of the cab and began to pace over to us with a grin on his face. It’s funny; I had always wondered what he would look like. Perhaps Jim Morrison, but he was just a stranger. The monster whom I had always feared, but I realized that he was merely a weak old man. I however was now a woman, he couldn’t hurt me ever again. His skin was decrepit and his teeth rotten. I knew it would hurt to meet him, why couldn’t he of just let it be. He ran to my mother and embraced her, as if not a single day had passed. I cringed at the sight, I felt nauseated.

            Then he walked to my brother; I saw Kevin’s fists clinch tightly. To my amazement my brother held his head down low, weeping as Mark held him in his arms repeating the same words, “I’m so sorry.” It felt like an eternity before he released Kevin and turned to me. I didn’t sob, I wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to feel the years of agony we were subjected to. He held his arms out to hug me, but it was all too soon. I backed away and walked back inside, slamming the door behind me.

            My mother came in shortly after me. She wrapped her arms around me and rested her cheek on my shoulder. I abruptly jerked away from her, feeling betrayed.

            “Susie, what the hell is wrong with you? Just give him a second chance, everyone deserves a second chance.”

            “How could you say that when you know what he did to me, and he almost killed you Mom?”

            “Susie, drugs do that to people. That wasn’t him; he’s clean now and loves you very much.”

            “No, he’s obsessed with you Mom. Do you remember the night he choked you in front of me and Kevin? Well this time he just might finish the job, remember that.”

            “You just can’t let me be happy can you Susie?”

            “Is everything ok in here,” called an unfamiliar voice.

            My Mother turned to him, “Everything is fine; she’s just got the jitters.”

            “Wow you really turned out beautiful Susie Q,” he said disturbingly.

            I shook from the chills overwhelming me. He grabbed my Mother’s hand and I cracked. I knew it wouldn’t be long before the chaos pursued. I walked passed them to go smoke another cigarette. I planned to spend the whole day out there; I wanted to be anywhere away from this monster.

            Hours passed, my throat was getting hoarse. I decided to go inside to get some liquid courage. I didn’t see him as I walked in; I peeked around the hallway and saw him walking out the front door. I gently walked out the back door to examine him. He was talking on his phone as he chugged his beer. I tip toed a little closer to ease drop on his conversation. What I heard made my stomach drop.

            “Yea Dave, I’m here now. It was so easy to swindle this stupid b***h. I should have your money by around eight-ish. No man, it’s a done deal just give me a little more time to work her. Later man.”

            As he flipped his phone off he cut his eyes towards me. I panicked and ran inside to my brother.

            “He’s playing Mom, I heard him outside saying horrible things about her!”

            “What’s going on,” my Mother asked as she returned from the kitchen.

            “Mom I heard him, he called you a stupid b***h.”

            My Mother just stood there emotionless.

            “Susie, I know you still have a lot of animosity towards me but don’t tell your mother absurd things like that,” Mark said calmly walking into the room.

            Kevin looked at me, then to Mark.

            “Susie wouldn’t lie about that, and is it really so far-fetched? Why did you decide to come around after all these years? Lastly never talk to her like you’re her father, you’re just a scumbag who chose meth over your children. F**k you!”

            My Mother looked to him with tears in her eyes, “Is this true Mark?”

            “Oh s**t Lisa, why would I want you? You’re a dumb b***h, and you got fat!”

            I caught my Mother as she fell to the floor, emotionally destroyed. Before she could even hit the ground Kevin had broken his nose, almost beating him into unconsciousness. Finally defending his Mothers pride, but he would have killed him if I hadn’t of pulled him off. Kevin pulled him by his arms out into the gloomy night. I opened his luggage and found a bag of blow in the side pocket. I flushed it down the toilet and threw his s**t out in the road with him. He screamed obscenities and laughed maliciously. We all watched through the blinds to be certain he was gone. Ultimately he arose to his feet and began to stumble slowly down the barren street.

            I held my Mother as she cried and apologized. I felt her pain and it hurt, it burned deep inside. I wanted more; I wanted him lifeless as we had been for so many years. We saw headlights coming from just over the hillside and jokingly spoke of him getting ran over; he didn’t. Mark turned as he saw the headlights coming and fell to his knees, obviously wasted. The car stopped, the headlights glistening on his beaten and bloodied body. A bulky man stepped out of the car casually; holding a baseball bat in his left hand, slightly swaying it from side to side.

            “Dave, hey man listen my w***e of a daughter fucked things up for me. I don’t have the money right now but I will get it, I promise man,” Mark begged nervously.

            “Where’s my s**t? I want my money or my s**t; now!”

            Mark began to rummage through his duffle bag and began to stutter.

            “I swear Dave, I wouldn’t do you wrong. I don’t know where it is man, I swear.”

            My family and I watched anxiously to see what would happen next, holding each other tightly.

            “Well if this was the first, or even the second time this happened I would let you off the hook. This is the third time you son of a b***h!”

            Mark began to sob and grab at the large mans ankles, but he kicked him off.

            “Sit up straight and put your head down,” said Dave.

            “Please, please, my ex lives right there; rob her!”

            “Head down!”

            Mark finally obliged and held his head down clenching his eyes shut. The first strike left him unconscious; the next ten left him unidentifiable. We all covered our mouths and looked away, crying silently. The cops finally came later that night and took the body away. I still look outside my window sometimes and wonder if he deserved it; absolutely.