Trying to apologize

Garrick climbed up to the second floor and walked slowly down the hallway. It was the next day after his return and he thought it was the right time to do what was necessary. He was looking for Clarisse and he knew that she was up there because he could not only perceive her scent but could also hear her heartbeat.

He followed the sound of her heartbeat up the stairs to the second floor. Garrick wanted to talk to his daughter; he wanted to explain to her why he had left and also ask for her forgiveness.

She was the major reason why he had come back and now that he was here, he would never leave again. He believed this child was given to him as a gift by nature, probably for some good work he had done in the recent past. He was going to make the best out of nature's blessing.

Garrick arrived at the door and sighed, he raised his hand to knock but then he paused. He wasn't confident and he didn't even know what to say if she opened up. He was never that good at expressing his feelings; he wondered how he was able to convince Claire that his feelings for her back then were real.

He has had centuries of life and yet he didn't know how to say things in the way that it should be heard to get the best results. Maybe not everything could be taught by the great TIME itself.

Garrick was still contemplating on knocking when the door was opened from the inside. Clarisse stood there on the other side with books in her hand.

"You have been standing there for quite a long time now, what do you want?" she asked coldly with a frown on her face.

How could Garrick forget? She was also a vampire and so she had obviously heard his footsteps even before he got there. She knew he was there the whole time; maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

"Oh, I wanted to talk to you, if you don't mind," he said nervously. It was funny how he was asking nicely for an audience with her, he was her father and in normal situations had the right to demand for it, but this was what he gets when he doesn't show up for twenty years.

"I am not interested and I have got somewhere to be," she said and tried to walk out.

He grabbed her arm gently in a bid to stop her but she pushed his hand away. "Clarisse, wait, just give me a minute, allow me to explain," he pleaded.

"I don't want any explanations from you. Just disappear to wherever in God's name you had come out from," she retorted with her arms flinging in the air furiously and then cursed as she walked away.

Garrick wanted to go after her but then he paused and let her leave. He shouldn't use force on her, she had every right to be mad at him, but even at that, none of this was his fault. How was he supposed to know that Claire was carrying his child when he left her?

It wasn't like he had left on his own will, she was the one who broke up with him after finding out that he was a vampire. She had asked him to never show his face before her again and so he did just as she had asked. He couldn't bear the pain of seeing her every day and not being with her, he feared that he might hurt anyone who she eventually chooses to be with, and so he went away.

Garrick decides to do something else with his time while waiting for the next chance he gets to speak to her. One thing he knew for sure was that he wouldn't rest till he gets her to forgive and accept him as her father, the same thing goes for the woman he loved. He didn't know how long Claire had left but he was going to spend all of that time with her, this was his mission for this new lifetime!!

** * * * * * * * * *

Garrick walked into the church and slowly sat down at one of the benches, the church was in session and the priest was preaching. The old man paused when he noticed Garrick walk into the long church hall; he looked surprised to see Garrick, he then continued with the sermon.

Garrick sat silently and listened to the man preach, he always loved what they did in this place, not because he was a believer but because the church gave people who believed hope. The church makes them believe that there is a superior being that looks after them like a shepherd looks after his sheep and that gives them the courage to go about their daily business with confidence and hope that things would get better.

That gives them hope that whatever they pray, they are heard and their prayers would be answered sometime in the near future. A lot of people would give up on life if not for the church; a lot would become terrible people and would make earth uninhabitable for the weak ones.

The Church reduced the rate of crime and violence. If the world was left for unbelievers, most of them would burn it down to the ground to get whatever they want. So for all these reasons, Garrick has always loved what they were doing in here, but unfortunately he never believed in a supreme being; for him, everyone could be a god, especially when you have got the power to.

The sermon ended and the Priest prayed for the troubled and depressed, the church prayed together and then slowly, the members began to leave. Garrick remained there silently till all the members were gone. The priest climbed down from the Altar and walked slowly to him with a poker face; obviously trying to conceal his expression.

The priest got to the chair where Garrick sat down calmly and he paused. "I didn't think I would be seeing you soon, Garrick Verne." He said and then a broad smile appeared on his face.

Garrick grinned on one ear as usual. "I didn't think so either, but here I am, Father!!" he replied.

To be continued!!