'Let Him In'

A hand tapped me on my shoulder. "Florence, we've arrived."

I yawned and stretched out my arms above my head before glancing at Sebastian who was still behind the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry for sleeping off like that." I apologized, taking in the familiar view of my house.

He smiled in his own gentle manner. "You needed it, I could tell."

I smiled back at him before opening the car door. Then I felt Sebastian's hand on my right shoulder and snapped my eyes back to him. "You know I I'll always be there for you right?"

The scorch in his eyes made me realize how sincere he was. "I know that. Thank you for what you did for me today. I mean, you left work and everything to ensure my happiness. It means a lot you know?"

Sebastian's lips moved upwards in a beautiful smile then he extended his right hand towards me and I placed my fingers in it. "Some things never change Florence, they never do."

I didn't need an interpreter to notify me of what he meant. It was too obvious.

***

"Why would you want to go visit your dad?" Mom demanded with a frown.

"Mom, I need to speak to him." I rose from the space beside her on my bed.

Mom shook her head, probably not understanding what was going on with me. "I'm going to respect your status an adult. Go visit him if you wish, but don't be fooled by his smooth words."

Many hours later, I was seating before my dad at the prison. He wore an expressionless face so it was hard to figure out if my visit pleased him or not. Judging from the grey streaks in his hair, I knew he had been stressed out.

"Seeing that I tortured your family at some point, I didn't expect you'd be visiting me." Dad spoke after minutes of fruitless silence. He clasped his fingers together on the table separating us.

I stopped a strand of my hair from getting into my eyes. "Dad, that's in the past."

He raised an eyebrow. "Dad? So, you've forgiven me then?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Then why are you here?" He asked. I could see the guilt passing through his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at the edge of the metallic table which was smeared with some black substance. "I don't know."

Conversation was getting really awkward. You can't blame either of us. Dad stumbled out of my life a decade ago and then flew back in  like that. I wasn't expecting us to whip up a pleasant dialogue.

Dad sighed and glanced at the guard standing in the corner as stiff as rock. "How is your mother and sister?"

I raised my left hand to shield my eyes so dad wouldn't see the tears escaping my tear ducts. He would possibly be wondering why I started acting weird. "She's gone, she died."

My chest suddenly became constricted but I managed to breath when my eyes swam to my dad. His face had paled and his mouth was hanging open.

"God! Florence, I didn't mean to hurt her. Why was I so stupid? Why?" He gritted his teeth and stared down at his fingers.

"It's not your fault dad. She was shot on her wedding day. My sister got killed on her freaking wedding day!" I shouted, glad that the walls were soundproof. Dad was silent as he watched me weep for my lost sister.

Then I realized why I had come here, I needed someone to pour my heart out to. Sebastian wasn't enough and neither was mom. I needed my dad. But then I made a mistake, I shouldn't have come here to a man who had a few years left of his  three years jail term.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I've spoken to your lawyers and-"

"Don't go, stay and talk to me."

When I glanced up at my dad again, I remembered Sebastian's words that some things never change.

In the evening, mom was in a jittery state. She was talking animatedly into her phone and the minute I glided into the living room, she hung up and accosted me.

"How did it go?" Mom studied me as I fell into a cozy sofa.

Kicking off my shoes and unbuttoning my shirt, I narrated how everything turned out. Dad explained his reason for running away in the way he did. According to him, my aunt had had the hots for him even before he wedded mom. Dad didn't know this until ten years into their marriage when he organized a party to celebrate mom's progress at work. My aunt spiked his drink and made a move on him, mom happened to enter the room they were in and caught them in a compromising situation. That was where everything fell apart, he said.

Dad started drinking and smoking, becoming more isolated from us and when my aunt dropped the pregnant bomb on him, he fled with her, which was a stupid move in his part. He should have just come clean to mom and everything would have bounced back to normalcy.

Few years into their marriage, my aunt absconded with a lot of his money, leaving him grieved and frustrated. So he came back to New York with revenge which he said he'd regret forever.

The strange part of it all was when dad said he came straight to mom but she was unwilling to listen to any of his tales, so, he pulled that stunt on me and my sister to get her attention. Mom never told me that.

When I finished recounting my conversation with dad, mom's face paled at the last part making me declare dad's confession to be true.

"Mom,  how could you conceal such vital information from us?" I fought against the anger swirling in body, threatening to escape..

Mom bit down on her lips. "Honey, I didn't know the situation would become so severe.

Really. Where was her smartness when we needed it? I didn't say that aloud because the woman seated next to me was still my mother no matter how enraged I would be.

I rose to my feet, ignoring the painful sensation I got by stepping on the fancy designs of my shoes. "See where that got us now." My nostrils flared out.

Mom who was also trying to remain calm shut her eyelids like she was gathering words to say to me.

"Would you also blame me for your sister's death?"

"Who else than you? You caused it!" I yelled at the brink of tears but I quickly blinked my eyelids.

Mom rose to her full height and stood before me. "You think I'm the only one at fault here? Who brought Peter into this family? You. Who killed your sister, also Peter."

My heartbeat slowed down. "How-"

"You think I'm really that stupid not to notice things going on? Besides that, the same Peter you showed into this family sent me a threatening text. So you see, it all started with you. Don't try to act all innocent here."

I drowned out mom's words as my vision became hazy, accompanied by the reality that Tamara died because of me.

Backing away from mom, I let my tears fall freely as I ran up the stairs. Then, I lost my footing and fell forwards, slamming my head on the hard floor. I heard mom scream and hurry towards me but darkness enshrouded my vision.

***

When my eyelids lifted, I studied the strange environment around me. Hospital equipments crowded my path of vision, a small fridge stood at the left corner of the room while a television was perched safely on the top. Beside me, a heart monitor stood, beeping steadily, and a couple of silver poles from which hung an IV bag and another bag with a lime green substance sparkling under the lights in the room.

Raising my wrist up I noticed the plastic lines linked to my vein. I hate hospitals.

Ignoring the moderate ache in my head, I moved my eyes to the right and Philip was the first person I saw. Sprawled out in the sofa, his hands dangled at his side, his eyes were closed and his chest raised up and down as he breathed in oxygen. As if on impulse, Philip's eyes flicked open and landed on me.

Trying to conceal the fact that I was looking him over, I moved in my bed, careful not to disturb the objects stuck in my left wrist.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded in a hoarse voice.

Philip sat up in the chair, opening his lips to utter words but he didn't, instead he studied me closely under his scorching eyes. Of course, a tingling feeling journeyed up my spine, but I wasn't to be tricked by a flimsy sensation.

"You passed out." He replied.

Stating the obvious are we?

I threw him a dry look. "I asked why you are here, not what happened to me. If my memory is accurate, I asked you to freaking stay away from me." My veins pressed against my forehead as I remembered everything that transpired at his office.

"Florence..." Philip started in a smooth voice, but instead of making me feel at ease, it repulsed me. When he advanced towards my bed, I panicked.

"Someone get this man away from me!" I screamed. My heart rate rode up and my head began aching all over again.

A nurse ran into the room and looked at me in confusion, then her eyes went to Philip who had a grim expression on his face. "Get him away from me!" I yelled, struggling to leave my bed but the nurse rushed to my side and pinned me down just as the heart monitor beeped faster than usual.

The nurse pressed my shoulders to the bed. "Miss, I need you to calm down."

"No, I don't want to." The nurse tried to soothe me by rubbing my arms, then she gazed at Philip who was still transfixed to a spot.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to leave, please."

Too dazed to speak, Philip responded with a nod and left the room.

I looked up at the nurse who was smiling down at me. Her peaceful face was the last thing I set my eyes on before slipping away into unconsciousness, again.

💭💭💭

"Doctor, do you know if she'd be okay?" I heard a female voice ask someone who was probably the doctor.

My consciousness had returned but I was unwilling to open my eyes. For the first time in my life, I had wished I don't leave the hospital for some time as a way of escaping my problems. Peter was one of them, my quarrel with my mother was the next and my boyfriend was the last. I don't even think we're still together, but since we haven't had any official break up, we still are.

Escaping your problems is one race you'll never win, I assure you. Problems will still be hurled in your direction unless you decide to face them head on.

Therefore, I resolved to talk to mom who was standing next to me and later, I'll settle out things with Philip even if we break up, at least that's more better than yelling at him like an uncultured person.

"She's recovering well, and if I'm correct, in a few days she'll be fit to go home."

I opened my eyes and mom smiled down at me. "Baby, how are you feeling?"

Memories of our argument came in trickles. As I thought of the hurtful words I threw at her my heart fell a few notches lower.

"Better than yesterday mom."

"In case you need any help, call the nurses. I'll be in my office."

Mom and I nodded at the doctor as he strode towards the door and opened it, leaving the room.

"I'm terribly sorry for shouting at you yesterday." I spoke as mom sat on my bed and cradled my right hand in hers.

"You don't need to apologize, I already forgave you when I thought about the stress you've gone through."

My heart warmed up as I saw the tender look on my mother's face. "How long have I been out?"

Mom glanced at the clock on the wall opposite us. "Four days. Sebastian, Alice and Tanya came visiting too. Philip said you refused to speak to him."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I did, and I wouldn't even if he jumps off a skyscraper for me."

Mom cringed. "Whatever that means. I think you two should talk things through like adults, okay? Hear him out."

I placed my left hand on my chest as it started feeling numb from being in a place for too long. "What would he possibly say? He cheated on me and we're done with each other. I'm going to move on with my life." Mom had just been watching me with so much serenity.

"You know, relationships don't work like that. You have to fight for the person you love and not just run away from everything like a coward."

The truth sank into my head slowly. "Mom, I know, but-"

She pressed down on my hand lightly to silence me. "Just listen to him. He's outside waiting."

I sighed. "Alright, let him in."

One chapter left before the end of this book.

Will Florence forgive Philip? Should she?