Chapter 7: MEMORY LANE {2}

" It will be fine, everything will be fine," she said, hugging me tightly as I clutched onto my baseball cap, still sniffling trying to hold back my tears.

It was father's day and my dad wasn't here. I've been crying since I woke up and I wasn't ready to be pacified.

" Stop crying or you will have a headache" she cautioned. I didn't listen, I just sat there and kept crying.

She pulled my arm and dragged me with her as she walked away.

" We are we going to?" I asked irritably.

" You'll see" was all she said. I pulled my arm back and followed her, wiping my tears along the way.

We stopped once we got to her house, Andy was baking cookies and Mike was helping him.

" Hey princess, where have you been ?" Mike asked. Hannah brushed the question aside and walked up to them and they spoke in hushed tones and low voices.

Once they were done, Andy looked up at me and asked if I'll like to spend the entire day having fun with the best adults ever. I was sincerely taken aback, they were really serious about seeing me happy. I looked into his eyes expecting to see any form of pity, but there was none only respect and admiration. I knew Hannah asked them but I was sure he wasn't doing it out of sympathy but because he actually wanted to make sure I was happy and fine. I knew I was stuck with that family since then, or at least I thought I was stuck with their family. I was indebted to them, for not leaving me to wallow in pain and rage.

My mum remained forever grateful to them, she couldn't handle seeing me in pain anymore. I saw the look on her face every time I cried, frustrated, and confused. She was grieving and little me wasn't helping, I only added to what she was feeling, and made things worse.

I celebrated every father's day with her parents, Andy and Mike and they always did what I wanted, the park, Cinema, fair, as long as I requested.

She convinced Andy to go with me to our school's father-son dance.

Andy busted out his dance moves, allowing me to chuckle and laugh every time they played a different song.

I took a bathroom break in the middle of the dance and headed towards one of the bathroom stalls.

Once I was done, two boys walked towards me, I hadn't noticed they were there earlier so I was startled by their sudden appearance.

" He's not your real father," one of them said, referring to Andy, I wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.

I stared at them, I knew how it was going to end, they'll tell me I don't have a father, I will become upset and try to fight, they'll beat me up and I'll go home sulking.

" C'mon, I really don't have the strength to fight, " I told them. I just wanted to get this over with.

" We know that's not your Dad" they stated blatantly.

I crossed at, suddenly becoming defensive " And?"

" We didn't come here to fight, we just thought his dance moves were really good, he's having a great time"

I blinked a couple of times, open my mouth twice, and closed it having nothing to say. I gaped at them, unsure of what to say. This two have never spoken to me unless they wanted to get into a fistfight.

They walked out leaving me to wonder why they decided to start the conversation like that. " kids" I muttered to myself before walking out too.

On her first day of high school, Hannah held my hand protectively as we walked down the hallways, gaining us a few stares but she didn't seem to mind, rather she was really proud.

I lost my father but I gained two new parents and I cherished every moment I got to spend with them. I had a mother and two dads, I knew my real father looked down at me from heaven and was happy.

I started dating Hannah a few months before we graduated from college, it seemed right to date the person who has always been there for me, who will give up everything to see me happy and never left no matter how hard I tried to make her go. I didn't ask her out because I was indebted, I did because I was sure I was in line with her. After so many years, it finally made sense to me at the time.

Few months after we graduated from college Andy was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer of the lungs. He went for countless surgeries but he eventually passed away.

Hannah was mortified and left home, I couldn't find her anywhere so I checked the park. She sat on a bench with her head buried in her hands, looking dejected and crushed.

I sat beside her and held her in my arms as she broke down into tears, what she did for me every single year after my dad passed. No one could understand her pain better than I could, the pain of losing a parent.

Mike never found love again but he was happy, he spent Andy's last days with him and he got a chance to say goodbye properly.

Years back, it seemed as though I'll definitely end up with Hannah, but she walked away without even a proper goodbye or a logical explanation. We've spent years together, years that mattered to me more than anything in the world.

Now, all I had left were memories, bits, and pieces of the past.

Your past shouldn't be a determinant of your future, what you thought will happen doesn't always work out. Life is a journey, not the easiest but it will make sense in the end with the twists and turns, the smiles and tears.

I made my way out of the park feeling oddly satisfied with the voices of children gradually fading away with each step I took.