Father's Journey
This is another one-shot I have written for TheMysticalAwards Live Challenge #2. Unfortunately, I have written this before I was told my genre for this was romance, and this piece was as far from romance as it could get XD
Fun fact: I wasn't crying as I wrote this.
The sky was gray, full of fat clouds that were waiting to piss at us. I wasn't a pessimist, but what was good on cloudy days? Yeah, it could be argued it was good to cool down after a hot weather. The problem? There wasn't Sun for weeks now! It was freaking summer! It was almost half of June!
I sighed loudly, watching the crowd of people walking by outdoor seating. I was having my third coffee, and I still felt like forgotten socks under the coach. I rubbed my brown eyes and ran the same hand through my short hair of the similar color.
I glanced a girl with pink hair, and my lips twitched. It was disgusting as it was shining like a lighthouse. Seriously? On top of that, she had a neon green T-shirt. I wasn't brave enough to check her legs, so I rolled my eyes. Fashion. I felt this word may turn to cuss word soon, at least for me.
I again sighed, and to be honest, I wasn't feeling down because of the dark and heavy clouds, or the fact I had no umbrella, or because of three girls gossiping right behind my back.
The reason for it was completely different. It always came around this time of year, kind of like taxes. There was just the difference there weren't any annoying and confusing papers and forms to fill out. I wished I could be doing that instead of this.
I picked my cup, played with the dark liquid inside for a while before I gulped it. It was cold for tens of minutes by now. When I called the waiter to get my bill, he seemed happy. Firstly, it meant some tip, but secondly, it meant I would stop shooing customers. Who would want to visit a restaurant with such sad excuse for existence sitting next to you? Unfortunately, the three chicks behind me didn't mind, and I was too lazy to sit away.
With my bill paid, I was on my way. I tugged my hands into pockets of my jacket. I was really glad I wasn't into the torn-jeans fashion since the weather got windy. If I would ever want holes in my trousers, I'm sure I would be able to make one or two without paying a single dollar for it.
My dim eyes trailed toward a toy shop on the other side of the street. If I remembered it correctly, Jack should be ten this year. I headed to crosswalk since the roads were always full of cars and getting run by speeding auto wasn't on my to-do list. The wait for the red light was a long one, especially if you had smoker behind you.
If I would ever end up in the prison, I hope it would be for stuffing the burning end of the cigarette into thousand of smokers' necks. Sure, they have right to smoke and flirt with Miss Cancer all day, no problem. But I have a right to not breathe that smoke. Period!
Oh man, thank god for the green light. With quick strides, I crossed the road and wondered if the chicken also had smoker behind itself when it crossed it. I could believe it. Okay, enough of this rant. I was in an abysmal mood, so the smallest thing ticked me off.
I stopped in front of the toy shop. I pondered if Jack would rather get the box with ten toy soldiers or RC car. To be honest, I had no idea. I haven't seen him for four years. He had become a stranger to me, and I hated that. I wasn't able to see him more often than once per year.
Without any thoughts, I had entered that shop and stayed there for quite a time. It was hard to choose, but my hand, in the end, picked a teddy bear. Jack always loved to sleep with a plush toy, and when we lived together, he had them everywhere.
I exited the shop with the bear in a gift bag. I checked the sky. It was still gloomy, but the pavement was free of any water. It meant I can still make it there with a dry foot. However, my steps didn't quicken they turned heavier.
I was dragging myself forward to my destination. The green alien mascot for internet shop jumped at me from the big screen in the shopping window of electro-shop. I so wanted to beat it, but I had no stone nearby by to converse my hands for Hollywood.
A silent thunder was heard from above. Great, thunderstorm now of all days? This day was already hard enough for me, and it was getting just better. I had hit the roadblock that wasn't there two days ago. Emphasis on the word "wasn't".
I frowned and turned away to take a detour. This sure was my lucky day as the next street I picked took me to playground my son used to play a lot. The old swing was still there. I remembered how he wanted to get so high he would touch the sky. That day we got home late as he ended up in the hospital with a broken arm.
My wife Anna almost chewed me for having such stupid idea. Well, technically it wasn't mine, but who would in their right mind argue with angry mother? In any case, my son Jack was a brave boy. When the doctor stitched him, he wasn't crying, and he was patient. He was the best son a man could have.
However, that was no longer true for me. We were separated for good. There was no coming back. No matter how much I wished for it, it couldn't be undone.
My eyes lifted toward the tall walls in front of me. My final destination for the day if I didn't count my flat. I hated this place. The entrance was like a gate to hell. The people around me weren't making it any better. Their sobbing was reminding me of the pain I had felt. My eyes turned watery, but my they refused to shed tears. I have already cried all of them four years ago.
Without noticing, my legs took me to a familiar place in front of a tombstone with a photograph of my late wife and son. If I wasn't the shittest father in the universe and refused that stupid beer before driving with my family home, they might still be with me.
I squatted, moving leaves away from the smooth and cold surface. Despite both turned into ash and were buried, their smiles were shining from the last photograph they took. I had put the teddy bear behind the photograph. Its face seemed sad, reflecting my own mood.
"Hi, Jack," I silently said. "You too Anna, how have you been?"
I hate father's day, the day I killed my family.
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