cruel fate

The night air was brisk and damp with the smell of rotting fish from the light rain that had just passed moments before the girl started walking. At 18, she had a frail figure with pale skin. She kept to herself most of the time and the few friends she had didn’t know much of anything about her. She never had any friends over to her house for fear they would find out what her mother did for a living. Her father had abandoned her and her mother when she was merly 6 years old. She had no mentor, no one to look up to. Her boyfriend, whom she thought treated her right, was controlling. Had she known this, would it have made a difference? Not in her eyes. This was how she remembered her father treating her mother all those years ago. This is how she thought she was supposed to be treated. Thus, her boyfriend was more like a father to her than anything. She took all of his shit so that she could feel loved by someone.
         As the girl walked, she tilted her head up and gazed at the stars and the moon, taking in the night. As she looked down at the road again, she noticed a decrepid old man lying on the side of the road. No jacket or blanket to keep him warm. She walked up to him, throwing caution to the wind, and asked him if he would like to warm up at her house. He agreed and followed her back to her house. As they walked through the gate to her home, the old man stopped. It was then that he realized exactly who he was with. These gates used to belong to him...
         They walked into the house and the girl sat him down at the table. Turning on the kettle for tea, she asked if he would like some.”Yes please dear. I would greatly appreciate it.” If he told her who he truly was, she would never believe it.
         She sat and he asked her a peculiar question. “So how long has he been gone?” The girl looked dazed and confused as she wondered how he knew that she didnt have a father. Was it that obvious? She thought to herself momentarily before responding. “I was 6 when he left. I’m 18 now so that makes it 12 years with no contact with my dad.”
         The man then, obviously fighting tears, wanted to tell her so badly. He wanted to scream out that he was her father. That this was all his fault. But he couldn’t muster the words to say it out loud.
         The girl asked him,” Why are you upset? It’s not your fault.” The man remained silent then mumbled something she couldn’t hear. “Yes it is...”
         There was the sound of a key being turned in a lock an then the door opened and her mother walked through the door. Immediatly she knew who was in her house. She screamed at him. She screamed at her daughter. Blaming her for bringing him there. The girl’s eyes went wide as realization hit her. She lost her breath as her mind was clouded with a million thoughts. She burst into tears and ran from the house as fast as her feet would carry her. The old man sat there in silence, never saying a word as his ex-wife continued to tear him apart.
         From outside the house, the girl heard two gunshots cry out. She ran into the house and saw her mothers lifeless body lying with a pistol at her side. Her father lying beside her curled in pain. He cried out to her. He told her he was sorry. Sorry for everything. He begged for forgivness. She held him close to her, tears falling on his dying body. Words of forgivness leaving her mouth.
         The man smiled, knowing that he had finally been forgiven for all of his wrong doings. He passed silently into the afterlife, leaving a broken girl to clean up his mess.
         The girl isolates herself from society and, eventually, society. A few months after the incident she tried to kill herself to ride herself of the memories of that night. Her attempt is in vain and she is found and sent to a mental instituation for the remainder of her life. She is medicated beyond belief but no matter how many pills they force down her throat, the memories will always be with her. Thus she lives out the remainder of her life, forever tormented. Wishing and almost believeing that that fateful night was nothing more than a dream