A Change of Heart

The father realizes the mistake he has made.

 

Serenity knocked on his doors and waited for him to say “come in”, but instead he opened it. Serenity looked up at her father in shock. He hadn’t opened the door for her since she was a toddler, running to keep up with him. Ever since she had turned four years of age, when her brother died, he expected her to keep up with him and do everything on her own. She never would have survived if it hadn’t been for Madam Tarras…and her mother.

           “Serenity,” her father said, stepping back to let her in. His voice was filled with sadness and disappointment, but the same disappointment he showed toward her earlier. It was a different kind of disappointment, maybe disappointment in himself? She couldn’t tell, but it made her feel sorry for him. After everything she had ever thought about him, she realized then that she still loved him with all of her heart. She always would, and now she knew that.

            “Father,” she said, unsure of what she wanted to say to him. It just seemed fitting that she say something. He looked at her square in the eyes, something he had never done before, and she saw…something in his eyes. It wasn’t anger like usual, but…it was sadness? She couldn’t believe it, and yet, she couldn’t take her eyes away from his.

            “Serenity Maia; my daughter, my first born, my only child,” he said, still looking solemnly into her eyes. It seemed that he couldn’t move his eyes away, or maybe he just didn’t want to. Maybe he had to prove something to her. Either way, it was something new to Serenity, and she didn’t know just how to react. She stood in front of him, keeping eye contact with him, but not saying a word. What was she supposed to say anyway? She had no idea what he was talking about, so she stood before him and listened.

            “Sit, my dear daughter,” he said, waving his arm towards the big bed. “I have much to tell you.” She sat, still staring in awe at her father. “Serenity, I know that in the past things have been… rocky… between us, but I assure that I have always loved you. You’re my only child; you’re the only person I have left in my life now. I suppose that’s why I’ve been so harsh on you. I was scared to lose you, after your brother and mother passed away. I didn’t know what else to do, so I vowed to protect you from all harm.”

            “You haven’t been protecting me though,” Serenity suddenly interrupted. “You haven’t been letting me do anything. I can’t even look out the window without getting yelled at anymore!” She stood, suddenly outraged. She expected her father to rise up and strike her like he would any other time, but it caught her by surprise when he stayed seated and looked up at her calmly.

            “I know that now Maia, but I never realized what I was doing to you until today when you walked out of her after I yelled at you again,” he told her. He was hiding the emotion from his face, but she somehow knew what he was hiding back… tears. “It just hit me that I wasn’t protecting you anymore… I was pushing you further and further away. You had already become distant from me after what happened to your brother and mother, and I was just adding fuel to the fire.”

            “Father,” she said, calmer now and sitting down next to him again. “What, may I ask, are you trying to say?”

            “I—,” he began, then stopped. What he was trying to say was something he had never said in his entire life, and he never thought he would have to. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m…I’m—.” He stopped there, unable to continue. It was almost like a new word to him, and he wasn’t sure if he was using it in the correct context. Except, he knew that he was using it correctly; he just couldn’t make the word come out through his lips.

            “Father, are you trying to say—,” Serenity started to say, but he held up his hand to stop her.

            “Serenity, I’m… I’m sorry,” he said, breaking eye contact with her for the first time. He looked down, and she knew immediately that he couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer. She thought she saw a tear drip down his face on to his pant leg, or maybe she was just imagining it.

            “Daddy,” Serenity said, without knowing exactly what she wanted to say. He looked up at her, not bothering to hide the fresh tears in his eyes.

            “Serenity,” he said softly, his voice cracking from the emotion. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him for the first time since she was no more than four years of age; over ten years since father and daughter had hugged. He seemed shocked, like he didn’t know what to do at first, but he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. He sighed in relief to himself as he held her in his embrace, regretting the past of not being the best father to her.

            “I love you Daddy,” she told him.

            “I-I love you, too Serenity,” he replied. “I know I haven’t really been the best father in the world these past years…not even close really, but I was scared. I was afraid of losing you like your brother, and then your mother. You’re the world to me.”

            Serenity didn’t say anything more, but stayed in her father’s embrace as tears of joy ran down her face. Everything was finally back the way it should be. Her father was her daddy again.

Reviews

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This is good. I like the character development. It has a good plot. I hope you write more!

[NCPanthersgurl]

Still good =] lol, I can't wait to read more, this intrigues me.