So here I am, waiting in a coffee shop for my teacher, Terresa Barkingson, a woman that knows something about my mother and father, something that nobody in my family wishes to tell me
After some time she was finally here, she wore a long dress, a very summer-like outfit
"I'm sorry that I made you wait, kid"
She said before sitting on the other side of the table
"No problem, I wasn't waiting for long"
"So you actually came? For you to come here must mean that you want to learn something new about your father right?"
She asked me as she signaled the waitress
"I will get two of the usual!"
She said before the waitress could arrive at our table
"It just happens that I have never heard of this story about you and my father so I wanted to learn more about it, that's all"
Terresa looked at me and smiled
"Has anyone said that you are very alike?"
"I know that, many people say that"
I knew she was talking about my resembles of my father
"So what exactly do you want to know, because a simple "love" story isn't probably what you want to hear... well I wish because I'm way too bored to explain it to you!"
She said as she laid back in her seat
"Can you tell me about how he used to be back there?" I asked
She nodded and then started explaining
"Your father came to Japan for a teens martial arts tournament which was a relatively huge event in the world of sports, back there he didn't know very good Japanese and didn't look very invested in fighting sports, he even tried telling us that he didn't like violence"
Midway through her story the waitress came back with two hot chocolates
Wait Terresa said her usual so does that mean she comes here to drink hot chocolate? And in summer too?
She then took a sip out of her smoking hot cholate and then continued
"So yeah, one day at school he and your mother got into a fight, oh I forgot to mention that your mother used to be in kick-boxing club so she knew how to throw hands, well one day the two of them fought over a break-up, your father's and mine, back then I was very sad and my best friend saw that so she went to comfort him, your mother was never good with her words so the situation quickly escalated into a fight, your mother was pushing and punching your father over and over again but he didn't fight back, this was very surprising for him since he used to fight anyone that made fun of him or hit him but he didn't hit her, so what do you think happened next?"
She asked with a smile on her face
"Dunno, probably something unexpected"
Terresa laughed
"It was very unexpected, your father confessed his feeling to your mother as blood was falling down his nose from all the punches, your mother was flattered and was very confused as to why he did that, turns out he had feeling for her the whole time and used me to get closer to her, back then I was stupid to realize it but it made complete sense, the funny thing is that every time we were together he would talk all the time with her"
"So what happened? Did she turn him down?"
I asked, I couldn't handle this back-and-forth type of storytelling Terresa had
"Turn him down? Are you insane? She was head over heels for him too, even if she didn't want to admit it I could easily tell, that the reason she hit him was to take out her anger for not being with her, and my breakup was the excuse to do it..."
"Damn that sounds very awkward for you"
I said as I laughed
"Shut up before I make you pay for the chocolate"
She said with a pissed face, seeing my teacher act like that is kind of satisfying, everyday in class she acted like a mysterious character from a video game but turns out to be the same level bully-able as Hikita
"So will you tell me about what you did after?"
"What do you want to hear? My friendship with your mother didn't change but the way I looked at this dog of a human being, changed a lot, how could he use a girl like that, the funny thing is he acted like we were friends after that, what an as*hole!"
She said as she drank her whole hot chocolate in a single sip, does she not get burned? I haven't even touched mine
"Sounds like you really loved my father... But being friends with my mother made me interested, I ask about her but I don't know a lot about her life here, and what happened after she left, so can you tell me that?"
I asked as I drank the hot chocolate, it was hard to do since it was summer
"Chaos, to say the least, at first I tried to meet her in her house but I received the news that she left, her younger sister handed me your mother's letter before leaving and I remember it like it was yesterday...
That's about everything she said, scary how people can disappear like that!"
Terresa said with a smile
"After that, her family hated her for doing that, you see their family was very traditional, well her father was the one that applied pressure to everyone, and Hana, your mother was the least liked kid, you know how a family treats the youngest with more love, it was something like that but more extreme, you know they never liked Domic, they couldn't let their "perfect" daughter go out with a not-so-perfect boy, they thought that this only downgraded her and them too" Terresa looked very angry saying that
"But one person in her family didn't hate her, that being her sister Yuoku, she supported them to be exact, because she liked your father and also managed to get ahold of you sometimes when you were here, I did too before you leave for years, you may even remember me if you try to recall"
What did she say? I was in Japan? My father told me that I never set foot in Japan...
"You said you remember me right?" I asked
"Of course, you were like six or seven, you had returned to Japan for your grandpa's death, your grandpa from your mother's side"
Eh? There is no way right? I have never been to Japan before, only when I was like a baby, I and my father lived with my mother to Biol all the time, I remember it...
Well, what do I remember really? After the incident that killed my mother, I remember taking some pills, mostly calming ones, and my father took some too, I remember him looking terrible, we were also on the road, OH WAIT, I remember my mother there too, why is everything coming back so suddenly? I remember them screaming at each other, my mother was screaming at my father more I don't remember anything though
And all of a sudden, everything went black and I remember my father and me living happily in Biol, but did it really happen like that?
"You look shocked! I assume you don't remember a thing right? Well, trauma can cause memory loss so I don't blame you, anyway, your chocolate is over so how about we walk around the town?"
She asked me, I didn't realize that I even drank it
"S-Sure..."
Teressa then paid for everything and we went for a quiet walk around the park, Terresa didn't speak to me, maybe she understands my situation, and for her to notice then it must really show
But now what do I do? Who do I ask? My father? If he didn't tell me at the start then when would he have told me?
"Do you want to speak a little? Take your mind off your problems for a little?"
"Not really, I don't have anything else to talk with you about"
Terresa looked insulted
"Come on meanie! Summer camp is coming, are you thinking of going there?"
She asked me as she cracked a smile
"I don't know, it would be nice but I don't think it is the right time to do something like that"
"Really? Because I feel completely different from you, taking some time alone in the mountain will help your mind calm down, I also heard that your father will be coming here so it would be the perfect moment for you to learn everything from him"
What Terresa told me is very true but I don't know about it, but running away from the problem for a little turns out to be the easiest and most effective way of dealing with the problem
"Wouldn't it be awkward for all of you if you meet my father again after all these years?"
"Of course, it will but his main problem is his sister-in-law, not us, after what happened to Hana Yuoku will hardly ever forgive him..."
Terresa made me realize everything now, that's why Hikita hates me, I would hate me too...
"Thank you for everything, Miss Terresa! I will now head back into my home, summer break is approaching after all..."
I told her, and judging by her smile she understood that I was glad
"Then see you in the camp..."
She said as she walked away, I walked away too...