10. The Father
2.26.20
Kody's POV
"They told me that the Prince of Carbuos was coming, but I thought they were lying. Why are you here?" a man from behind a desk asked.
I looked at him, and I almost collapsed with the force of the memories. I looked at him, and everything from being a child came back to me. This man... Was my father. Sure he looked older and more tired, but he was definitely the person I remembered.
His blonde hair was still long, but it only reached his shoulders rather than the mid of his back. His eyes observed us cautiously, and I had to physically restrain myself from running to him. He was the life before my downfall.
"Well?" my father demanded again, and I realized that he didn't recognize me. How could I be so stupid! I had definitely changed a lot appearance wise since he last saw me.
"You can't just come in here on my only son's birthday and stand there like a stick in the mud! Say anything incompetent fool!"
I never knew when my birthday actually was, so I guessed it. I suppose that I was still 21 when I found James, so it wasn't as incredible.
"This is so much harder than I thought it would be," James murmured to himself. I rubbed the back of his hand with small, soothing strokes before putting my head on his arm. The tension in the room was reaching an uncomfortable level. I was about to just say it myself when James stepped up and declared, "I found your son."
The room stopped. I could see the gears turning in my father's mind, and he negated, "if my own men couldn't find him then how did someone as utterly useless as you do it."
"Well, it wasn't that hard to find Kody. He kind of walked into my life."
"What kind of creepy stalking did you have to do to find out that his name was Kody. I know that you're joking, so stop being so cruel and leave me to my grief."
I stepped forward. It's my turn, and I hardly knew what to say. It was like everything I had ever learned on the streets failed me, and my usual ability to remain on my toes was suddenly gone. My mouth had become drier than the desert, and I could hardly force a syllable out of my throat. I tried to force myself to say anything, but my voice only cracked.
"Okay, so we have useless Prince of Carbuos and the kid he brought with him that can't even talk. What a sad gang you two are," he commented coldly. My heart broke in my chest. My own father, whether or not he knew I was his son, though I was nothing. I worked so hard; I clung to the idea of love because of him.
The tears rushed to my face, and before I could stop them, they fell from my eyes. My entire world had gone dark in two seconds, and the image I had held was destructed.
"Oh, so he's sensitive too."
James rushed forward and held me tenderly against him. I wept into his shoulder with a lot of bitterness, and his hand gently caressed the back of my head. "Shhh... He's just bitter because he lost you. He'll warm up to you and everyone else when he knows you're alive."
"I don't think I can deal with that! I just want some love from the person I remember!" I cried out.
"Oi! What's wrong with you two!" my father exclaimed.
Then, something snapped inside of me. I was so tired of being shoved around by people, and this was the final straw.
"YOU'RE THE PROBLEM!" I shouted.
"What did I do?"
"You changed... So much!"
"Oh please, like you know me. You're Carbuos scum like the rest of them!"
"I'LL LEAVE!? YOU THINK I WON'T JUST LEAVE!"
"WELL GO! YOU HAVE NO REASON TO BE HERE!"
"I'M YOUR FUCKING SON!" I shouted with pure rage before sprinting out of the room. James ran after me quickly, but I was using my street pace. He couldn't catch me, and everyone was leaping out of my way. I was almost stopped at the gate, but I shoved through them like they were bowling pins. Then I was on the streets of Urina. It was shocking how much healthier the streets were here because they didn't feel dark and scary. I found a quiet, safe looking alley and collapsed to the ground in a heap of flesh and tears.
I don't know how, but James found me and sat down next to me. He gently rubbed my back while I hiccuped sadly.
"I should have brought you a different time. He's always horribly mean today. I guess I just don't realize how bad it would be," James apologized.
"It just helped me realize that he isn't the hero I thought that he would be. Not the man I remember."
"Sweety give him a chance. Imagine loving someone so much then losing them... Imagine if I was taken. You would be so sad that it would drive you insane. That's how he feels now."
"It just hurts."
"I know. You have the right to be upset, but don't let that encounter taint your heart."
I giggled. His advanced dialect was funny to me for some reason. He always sounded so posh. "We... We can try again tomorrow."
"Remember that I love you. I will never leave you intentionally. Whether or not he accepts you, I will hold you tight."
He lie down next to me with a gentle smile, and I curled up against him. I had become calmer with his reassurring. I just had to hope and believe that my father would come around.
***
I woke up with the sun. James was knocked out beside me, and I had a feeling that I needed to do this alone. I left at dawn and left a singular note. I pulled my hair out of its tie while I walked and enjoyed the pleasant wind blowing on my face. Once the gate came into view, my nerves grew. The guards totally recognized me and just barely let me through. I remembered the path from heart, and within a few minutes I was outside of his office. I could hear him crying through the door.
Maybe he wishes he could take back yesterday like I did. I knocked on the door hesitantly. There was a little bit of shuffling on the other side before it swung open. My father looked rough, and as soon as he looked up and saw me, he pulled me into his room and shut the door.
"I thought... I thought you would never come back after yesterday."
"James convinced me. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have if I was alone. Thank him."
"Where did you go for 17 years?" he murmured.
"Mum left me on the side of the street in Carbuos and never returned."
"So you grew up on the streets?"
"I did. It was honestly hard, but I learned a lot that I might not have. It told me to trust my gut instead of others. It taught me that giving trust too easily will get you killed."
"God, I'm so sorry. I should have tried harder instead of festering in my grief."
"You should have, but what do we do in families? Forgive and forget."