Inching Closer to the Edge

A short Story about Family, and what the true meaning of it is

“New synthetics make possible the impossible. Years ago, the cutting edge technology that made Ark Synthetics the forerunner of medical technology and repl..” 
“Grandpa!” my granddaughter yelled as she ran through my front door. Behind her, my son, carrying her toys, followed, with a smile on his face. I quickly turn of the television. I picked up the girl and sat her on my knee. She gave me a hug, and I gave her one back. 
“How’s my little butterfly today?” I asked her. She look up at me and smiled.
“I’m great! Daddy and I had so much fun today!” she said. I looked at my son and smiled.
“Yeah we did,” he said, and set her stuff down beside my chair. He went into the kitchen and asked if I’d like something to drink.
“I’m not that old yet!” I said, and heard a laugh come from the room. I sat my granddaughter down and walked into the kitchen. My son was putting ice into two glasses when I walked in. 
“How’ve you been? Sorry we haven’t been able to visit more, works been rough,” he explained. I patted him on the back.
“That’s fine, I understand. How’s the little cyclone?” I asked, and just as I did the little girl ran into the kitchen and past us, into the bathroom. 
“Energetic as ever,” he said and laughed. “It’s been hard by myself, but I’ll make it,” he said with a sigh. I patted him on the back and gave him a sympathetic look. He smiled weakly and walked to the fridge and pulled out synthetic orange juice.
We walked back into the living room and took a seat on the couch beside each other. I took a drink of the juice and set it down on the table. 
“Have you told her yet?” I asked him. He took a long drink of the juice. He set it down, but still didn’t look at me. He shook his head. 
“I’m not sure if I can, not yet anyway,” He said to me. He leaned on the counter and sighed. 
“It’s important she learns it from you son. She’ll find out eventually, it has to be from you,” I told him. A shriek of laughter could be heard from the living room.
“How can you tell a little girl she’s not real! That she’s nothing but metal and wires, based on a real little girl!” my son firmly said to me, finally facing me, tears welled in his eyes. A look of anger and sadness broached his faced, barely containing his tears. I put a hand on his shoulder. 
“I know since you lost your wife things have been hard, and losing your daughter with her is a pain I can’t even begin to imagine,” I said to him calmly. A few tears streamed down his face. “When I lost your mother, I thought life was over, but we all have to learn to bounce back.”
“Yeah,” he said weakly. He wiped his face dry and took another drink of the juice. He cleared his throat and looked at me. “I’ll tell her soon, maybe her next birthday, maybe then.”
We walked back into the living room and found my granddaughter playing with a doll that was hosting a tea party for dinosaurs. My son and I watched her play for a while longer before he said they had to leave. My granddaughter gave another hug, and I held her tight. I kissed her on the forehead and told her I loved her. She smiled and said she loved me too. I smiled and gave my son a hug. He hugged me back and smiled weakly, before gathering up the girl’s things and left. I sat back down on the couch and turned the TV back on. Another commercial for Ark Synthetics played. It made me wonder when I’ll tell my son. Perhaps on his next birthday. That’d probably be best.

Author's Note

This is a rough(ish) draft, and a story of a much larger work that will be hopefully be posted as a series. I'm not a really serious writer, I simply write when the mood strikes me and for fun occasionally.